Mako 9600 Fly Reel

There is no wrong answer here. Generally, anglers who hold the rod and cast with their right hand, reel with their left hand and anglers who hold the rod and cast with their left hand reel with their right hand. For some anglers, it is more comfortable to cast with their right hand, transfer the rod into their left hand and reel with the right hand. Same goes for left handed casters. Bottom line is, go with what feels most intuitive for you. All modern reels can be switched to retrieve right or lend hand.

Yes! This is standard part of our service and we can rig any reel before shipping. **LINK TO BACKING OPTIONS**

We can spool up anything you need for any species or any destination around the world. Generally, we spool up 20lb Dacron backing on reels 6-weight and under. For 7-weight and above, we have options ranging from the same 20lb Dacron to 30lb Dacron to Gel Spun and hollow core. We have a variety of color options too. **LINK TO BACKING OPTIONS**

Absolutely! We are experts in big game rigging. We carry several options of Gel Spun backing from 30lb – 65lb, Hatch 68lb polyethylene backing and 80lb hollow core braided backing up. We will tie a Bimini twist loop or blind splice a loop into your backing upon request.

Cast reels are made from liquid metal that is poured into a prefabricated mold and cooled to create the pieces of a reel. Machined reels are precision carved by a CNC machine from a single billet of aircraft grade aluminum. Machined reels are built to much higher tolerances and are supremely durable, more resistant to bending and cracking as compared to a cast reel. Consequently, machined reels tend to perform better, last longer and be more expensive than cast reels.

A sealed drag refers to a disc drag system built with a protective housing to keep dirt and salt out of the drag mechanism. While not 100% foolproof, this is considered an extremely durable drag system, meant for the most demanding fish on the planet.

A click & pawl drag is a simple check that ensures your spool won’t overrun and backlash when you pull line off the reel. This is the most basic style of drag. A disc drag is usually constructed of carbon fiber and stainless steel bearings, with an adjustable tension dial used to slow down fast and powerful. At the end of the day, this is a personal preference. For most trout and bass fishing situations, you don’t need a hefty drag, as the fish are not running long distances. For salmon, steelhead, and most saltwater situations, we recommend a sturdy disc drag to help the angler fight and land big, powerful fish.

Cork is and extremely smooth and sensitive material that interfaces well with aluminum. Cork drag systems are widely considered to be the simplest, most durable and traditional style of disc drag for big game fly fishing.

Effectively, start-up inertia is how smoothly the drag begins to feed out line when a fish turns to run. A smoother start-up means more tippet protection and more landed fish.

This depends on what rod and line you intend to match to your reel. Almost all reels will have a manufacturer designation for a suggested range of line weights and backing that the reel can accommodate. For example: A Galvan T5 is rated for 5 to 6-weight lines. The size and physical weight of the reel is also designed to balance on a narrow range of rods to make for pleasant and efficient casting.

The vast majority of reels have a lifetime warranty for original purchaser. That warranty is bit different than the rod warranties, limited to defects and malfunctions. “Run over by car”, is generally not covered, but damaged reels can usually be repaired by the manufacturer for a fee. The reel companies stand behind the products they make and we stand behind the reels we sell. We are more than happy to assist with any warranty issues for reels purchased through the shop.