Advice on a new Saltwater Reel

[Bowtech]

I have recently picked up saltwater fly fishing, having thrown flies into freshwater for a few years. I bought a 9' 8 wt St. Croix rod, and was given a cheap reel, as well as a few flies, as a gift for my purchase. (Family owned buisnesses treat you well) Well, to make a long story short, the drag on my reel is broken. When I reel in, the gears don't catch, and upon fighting a fish, my drag is my fingers.

I am in the market for a new saltwater reel, but one that won't break the bank. I had my eye on the Lamson Velocity, but that is out of my price range at the moment. I go to college from August-May, so I only get three months to fish. I could not justify spending $300 on just a few fishing trips a year. I am an inshore fisher, prefering wade fishing, and target speckled trout. The occasional redfish hits (I don't complain), but specks are my target.

I would like to spend around $100 on a reel, but can scrape together $150 if necessary. I loved the Lamson, and was about to buy it, but I transfered colleges and that ended that. I used to be an hour and a half away from saltwater, and now I am over six hours away. I am just looking for a reel that will hold up to specks and the occasional redfish during the summer months.

Any advice is appreciated. Thank You for your time.

[Shadowcast]

Check out the Orvis line of reels. Good reels that are affordable.

[Aitutakiflyfish]

Check out TFO reels. I use them and they are bombproof. At least so far. I just rinse them and toss them on the shelf for tomorrow.

[Rtom45]

The Orvis Battenkill, both the large arbor and mid arbor should be in your price range.

[Rtom45]

You might also want to check out Okuma. they make a decent large arbor reel for not much money. I think you can get them for right around $100.

[Reel Fly]

My money is on a Bauer Junior Mac 3 or 4. Check them out, they are on the limit of your budget but they are a world class reel for a reasonable price. They have excellent corrosion resistance that cheap offshore reels lack and a drag to die for. Cork and polymer I think, but I have yet to have one fail and I fish hard and I have no tolerance for mechanical failure. I'm not a fancy guy, I'm all about function and reliability. These reels flat out perform flawlessly with out anything more than a light fresh water rinse and an ocassional drop of oil. I have more expensive reels and my clients bring out far more expensive reels and I have yet to see a need for another product for any inshore species. I hope this helps

[23Sailfish]

Okuma 8/9 wt reel can be had on Ebay for around $30 with shipping. It's a cheaper reel, but works well for what it is. Drag is decent enough on it. I use mine with a TFO 9wt on the flats in Charleston, SC a lot. I haven't met a redfish that can challenge it yet.

Good luck.