Hardy Streamer Reel Review - "Kelly Galloup Doing More Cool Stuff"
The new Hardy Streamer reel has been revealed - Kelly Galloup is doing something cool, once again. I'm already a big fan of sex dungeons - and also Kelly's fly design called the Sex Dungeon. This reel doesn't include any fluffy handcuffs though - you'll have to buy those separately.
This guy is everywhere! I haven't yet had time to write a whole review of his awesome Streamer X rods made with Echo (I have been extremely busy lately but it's on the list). And I also got in his brand new Cortland lines for Streamer fishing (again, haven't had any time to write the review but we did get them in stock). This time his collaboration is with Hardy. Nobody tell Andy Mill, but if you look closely, Kelly's name is on this reel.
I don't have tons of time to write a long review but I am going to list "what's different" real quick for you guys and why it matters:
1.) FREE SPOOOOOOOOOL - *No this doesn't mean you can have a free spool. Those of you who fish conventional gear will recognize this feature. But it's brand new to fly fishing as far as I know. For the unfamiliar: The spool can freely spin, and easily be spun by the angler. I like it, he designed it to quickly pick up extra line off the rocks, the deck of a boat or wherever you are standing. Pretty smart, fastest possible "retrieve" rate. I like quick pickup, this reel does that well.
2.) Silent "In" and Audible "Out" - What it sounds like. Pretty simple, I like quieter reels, some people like loud clicks. This has a silent retrieve (nice if you spin the reel quickly in free spool to take up line) and then a reasonable click on the way out. Pretty cool.
3.) One Size, One Color - Everything goes with black. Perfect for all you indecisive guys out there. Nothing to agonize over, just get it or don't get it. Personally I would have liked to see a different color, but this works.
You may ask why a saltwater guy would want this, and it's easy: I'm in similar situations to the ones Kelly designed this reel for, pretty much all the time. Mangroves, wading flats close to the shoreline, small boats, kayaks, paddle boards. I don't want my line getting all messed up or hog tying me while I'm trying to bring in a fish. This is a cool new way to pick up a ton of line quickly.
As with all my reviews, it's a work in progress and I need to spend some time testing these cool new reels in saltwater. Should be totally fine, I'm just curious if there will be any backlash, the nemesis of free spool... Just need to catch a few fast fish first.
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*Please note the main image above is by Hardy, shared on their social media. I thought it looked cool. I'll do a photoshoot later with these new reels when I have more time.
