The new Spey II is much better in my subjective opinion since I owned the first gen Spey and sent in for repair. They sent the Spey II and it's soo much better just on the balance part with the reel seat offset. It's a bit lighter and the drag appears to feel much more smooth. I think it's worth the upgrade for sure.
Where is it made? For $550, it better be made in the USA. If not, why not buy Nautilus or Galvan Torque? I'll assume these aren't American made because it was never brought up. But, that's a huge deal for some of us. Otherwise, at $550, Sage had a huge margin and is trying to gouge the typical fly fisher. Which makes me not want to buy any of their products. It would be nice to buy a local, American made rod and reel set up. Great video otherwise.
They're not usa made unfortunately. There's a surprising amount of reels that aren't. I know it's blasphemous to say this, but Hardy aren't usa made either. lol! You mentioned Nautilus. Those might be my favorite. But just for saltwater. I'm not a big fan of them for spey.
@@Gigharborflyshop Interesting about Nautilus for Spey. They do make one geared for that. Hmmmm? At a certain level, Lamson makes them in the US. I have a Galvan Torgue for my Asquith 13'6" 8wt and love it. American made. $505 for the 10wt. That's why I have a hard time for an overseas product that costs more than American made. Even if it's made just as well. They're making bank and doing us a disservice for doing so.
This is a beautiful reel. I used the smallest model for a month in New Zealand swinging and it is a flawless piece of equipment.
Thanks for the report. I really like it too!
I use a 11/12 Enforcer on my 15' 10 weight spey rod. Great drag for big kings in Alaska.
That’s a great drag on ANY fish!
Sage is king!!!
The new Spey II is much better in my subjective opinion since I owned the first gen Spey and sent in for repair. They sent the Spey II and it's soo much better just on the balance part with the reel seat offset. It's a bit lighter and the drag appears to feel much more smooth. I think it's worth the upgrade for sure.
The click sounds great too!
Where is it made? For $550, it better be made in the USA. If not, why not buy Nautilus or Galvan Torque? I'll assume these aren't American made because it was never brought up. But, that's a huge deal for some of us. Otherwise, at $550, Sage had a huge margin and is trying to gouge the typical fly fisher. Which makes me not want to buy any of their products. It would be nice to buy a local, American made rod and reel set up. Great video otherwise.
They're not usa made unfortunately. There's a surprising amount of reels that aren't. I know it's blasphemous to say this, but Hardy aren't usa made either. lol! You mentioned Nautilus. Those might be my favorite. But just for saltwater. I'm not a big fan of them for spey.
@@Gigharborflyshop Interesting about Nautilus for Spey. They do make one geared for that. Hmmmm? At a certain level, Lamson makes them in the US. I have a Galvan Torgue for my Asquith 13'6" 8wt and love it. American made. $505 for the 10wt. That's why I have a hard time for an overseas product that costs more than American made. Even if it's made just as well. They're making bank and doing us a disservice for doing so.
Consultation I have a 13.5-foot N8 rod, what size would it be well balanced?
I think I'd go with the bigger one. 8910. Personally I prefer a larger reel on a spey rod than a smaller one.
Galvan is coming out with a spey reel. It looks pretty sweet!