Fly Reels
Redington Behemoth Review
An enormous amount of drag and a lifetime warranty for the money. For river trout, almost none of that drag will ever be used.
Verdict: genuinely the pick if you expect to fish an 8-weight one day, and overkill if you do not. The Behemoth's reputation is built on drag power — a carbon-fiber drag with specialized braking discs that stops fish with no business being stopped at this price. For trout on 5X tippet, that power is almost entirely unused.
The short list
| # | Pick | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redington Behemoth Fly Reel4/5 · 5/6 · 7/8 · 9/10 · 11/12Best Upgrade Pick | If you expect to fish an 8-weight one day | 8.4 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | Orvis Clearwater Large Arbor Reel II3.4" · 3-5 wt · 5.6 ozBest Overall | The sealed-drag alternative, lighter and more trout-focused | 8.6 | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | Piscifun Sword Fly ReelCNC aluminum · mid arborBest Under $150 | The cheaper machined option | 7.9 | Check price on Amazon |
1. Best Upgrade Pick
Redington Behemoth Fly Reel
An enormous amount of drag and a lifetime warranty for the money — genuinely the pick if you expect to fish an 8-weight one day, and overkill if you do not.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Sizes | 4/5, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12 wt |
| Drag | Carbon fiber with specialized carbon braking discs, capped (not sealed) |
| Construction | Die-cast, interlocking large-arbor spool |
| Colors | Black, gunmetal, O.D. green |
| Supplied with | Nylon reel case |
| Warranty | Lifetime |
The Behemoth's reputation is built on one number nobody publishes for trout reels: maximum drag. It uses a carbon-fiber drag with specialized carbon braking discs and a die-cast, interlocking large-arbor spool, and it stops fish that have no business being stopped by a reel at this price.
For a beginner fishing trout, that is mostly beside the point. A 5-weight with 5X tippet breaks long before any drag setting matters. What is relevant is the lifetime warranty, the stiff spool, and the fact that the 7/8 size is the obvious reel to buy later if you ever go after bass, pike or saltwater — so buying into the family can make sense.
The honest caveats are weight and sealing. It is heavier than the Clearwater II, and the drag is capped rather than sealed, so a gravel-bar dunking is not a non-event.
What we like
- The strongest drag in its price class by a wide margin — it is the reel people reuse on an 8-weight later
- Lifetime warranty
- Interlocking large-arbor spool design is noticeably stiff for a die-cast reel
What you give up
- Capped, not sealed — grit can still reach the drag stack
- Heavier than the Clearwater II, which you feel on a 5-weight all day
- Drag power is irrelevant for trout, so you are paying for capability you will not use
| Criterion | Score / 10 |
|---|---|
| Drag | 10 |
| Build | 8 |
| Line capacity | 9 |
| Weight | 6 |
| Value | 9 |
| Overall | 8.4 |
2. Best Overall
Orvis Clearwater Large Arbor Reel II
A sealed-drag large-arbor reel rated for the exact weights a trout beginner fishes, at a price that makes the budget alternatives hard to argue for.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 3.4" |
| Line weights | 3-5 wt |
| Weight | 5.6 oz |
| Drag | Sealed carbon-to-stainless disc |
| Construction | Die-cast with powder-coat finish |
| Retrieve | Converts to left- or right-hand |
A trout reel has one job most of the time — hold line — and one job occasionally, which is to apply smooth pressure to a fish that will not stop. The Clearwater II does both: 3.4 inches across, rated 3-5 weight, 5.6 oz, with a sealed carbon-to-stainless disc drag.
Sealed is the word that matters. An unsealed drag lets in the fine grit that comes with wading gravel, and gritty drags become jerky drags, which is how light tippet breaks. Sealing it is normally something you pay a lot more for.
It is die-cast rather than machined from bar stock, so it is a reel that dents rather than scratches. For a first reel that is the right compromise to accept.
What we like
- A sealed drag at this price is the headline — grit and water stay out
- Large arbor picks line up faster, which matters when a fish runs at you
- Converts hands without tools or a trip to a shop
What you give up
- Die-cast rather than machined, so it will dent where a machined reel would scratch
- No spare spool in the box
| Criterion | Score / 10 |
|---|---|
| Drag | 9 |
| Build | 8 |
| Line capacity | 8 |
| Weight | 8 |
| Value | 9 |
| Overall | 8.6 |
3. Best Under $150
Piscifun Sword Fly Reel
A machined aluminum body for roughly what a die-cast reel costs, with a mid arbor as the compromise.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Construction | CNC-machined aluminum alloy body |
| Arbor | Mid arbor |
| Sizes | 3/4 through 9/10 wt |
| Finishes | Multiple, including black, gunmetal and space gray |
Piscifun's Sword is the reel that makes the budget tier interesting: a CNC-machined aluminum alloy body rather than the die-cast construction almost everything else at this price uses. Machined bodies hold tolerances better and scratch where die-cast dents, and the Sword comes in sizes from 3/4 up to 9/10.
The compromise is the arbor. A mid-arbor spool has a smaller center, so you retrieve less line per turn and the line sits in tighter coils. In warm weather that is barely noticeable. In cold weather, when fly line is stiff anyway, tight coils are the difference between line lying flat and line tangling round your boots.
Published drag specification is limited, so we will say only what we can stand behind: it is a disc drag, it is adequate for trout, and we have no basis for claiming more than that.
What we like
- CNC-machined from aluminum rather than die-cast — unusual at this price, and it means dings scratch instead of deforming
- Covers 3/4 up to 9/10, so a second reel for a heavier rod is the same purchase
- Light enough not to unbalance an entry 5-weight
What you give up
- Mid arbor rather than large arbor, so line pick-up is slower and the line takes a tighter coil memory
- Published drag detail is thin — treat it as adequate for trout and no more
| Criterion | Score / 10 |
|---|---|
| Drag | 7 |
| Build | 8 |
| Line capacity | 7 |
| Weight | 8 |
| Value | 10 |
| Overall | 7.9 |
Specification
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Sizes | 4/5, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/12 wt |
| Drag | Carbon fiber with specialized carbon braking discs |
| Drag protection | Capped (not sealed) |
| Construction | Die-cast |
| Spool | Interlocking large-arbor design |
| Colors | Black, gunmetal, O.D. green |
| Supplied with | Nylon reel case |
| Warranty | Lifetime |
The drag, and the honest caveat
Redington built the Behemoth around a specification nobody publishes for trout reels: maximum drag. The carbon-fiber stack with specialized braking discs genuinely does stop very strong fish, and that is why the reel has the following it has.
For a beginner fishing river trout, it is beside the point. On a 5-weight with 5X tippet — about 4.75 lb breaking strain — the tippet fails long before any drag setting becomes the limiting factor. You will set the drag light and never adjust it.
The caveat that genuinely matters for a trout angler is the opposite of a strength: the drag is capped rather than sealed. Fine grit from wading gravel can reach the drag stack. The Orvis Clearwater II has far less power and a sealed drag, and for river trout that is the more useful arrangement. See does fly reel size matter? for the full argument.
What is genuinely relevant for a beginner
- The lifetime warranty. Unusual at this price and a real feature, particularly on a die-cast reel that can be dented.
- The interlocking large-arbor spool. Stiff for a die-cast design, which means less flex under load and less chance of a dented frame binding the spool.
- The size range. 4/5 through 11/12 means that if you buy into the family, a second reel for a heavier rod later is the same purchase pattern — and the 7/8 is the obvious reel to add for bass, pike or saltwater.
- The nylon case. Minor, but a reel in a case does not get dented in a bag.
The weight problem on a 5-weight
The Behemoth is heavier than the Clearwater II, and on a 5-weight rod of around 3.7 to 4.5 oz you feel it. A butt-heavy setup is not catastrophic — some anglers prefer a little weight behind the hand — but over a six-hour day it is a real difference, and it is weight you are carrying in exchange for drag power you will not use.
If balance matters to you, the 4/5 size rather than the 5/6 is the one to look at for a 5-weight rod.
What we could not assess
- Published maximum drag figure. Widely discussed, not clearly published in the listings we checked. We are not going to print a number we cannot source.
- Exact weight by size. Not published in the listings we checked, so our comparison to the Clearwater II is directional rather than numeric.
- How the capped drag holds up to repeated gravel exposure over seasons.
- The lifetime warranty's claim process and any handling fee. Check Redington's current published terms.
Who should buy it, and who should not
Buy it if
- You expect to fish bass, pike, carp or saltwater within a couple of years and want to buy into one family.
- You fish still water, where a fish can run a long way unobstructed and the drag genuinely works.
- You want a lifetime warranty on a reel at this price.
Do not buy it if
- River trout is all you plan to fish. You will never use a quarter of this drag, you will carry the extra weight on every cast, and a sealed drag would serve you better.
- You wade a lot of silt and gravel. Capped is not sealed.
- You bought a combo and the reel still turns smoothly. Spend the money on line.
Questions people actually ask
Is the Redington Behemoth good for trout?
It is a good reel that is over-specified for trout. Its drag power is far beyond what 5X tippet can transmit, and its drag is capped rather than sealed — and grit rather than load is what ruins a trout reel's drag. It makes real sense if you expect to fish heavier rods later, because the size range runs to 11/12.
Does the Redington Behemoth have a sealed drag?
No. It uses a carbon-fiber drag with specialized carbon braking discs, described as capped rather than sealed, so fine grit can still reach the drag stack. That is the one specification where the much less powerful Orvis Clearwater Large Arbor II is the better reel for a wading trout angler.
What sizes does the Behemoth come in?
4/5, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10 and 11/12 weight, in black, gunmetal and O.D. green. For a 9-foot 5-weight rod the 4/5 is the better choice on balance grounds, because the 5/6 adds weight you do not need at the butt of a light rod.
Is the Redington Behemoth heavy?
It is heavier than a comparable trout reel such as the Orvis Clearwater Large Arbor II, and on an entry 5-weight rod of around 3.7 to 4.5 oz you notice it over a long day. Redington does not publish per-size weights in the listings we checked, so we can only say the difference is real rather than quantify it.
What is the Redington Behemoth warranty?
Redington publishes a lifetime warranty on the Behemoth, which is unusual at this price and genuinely valuable on a die-cast reel that can be dented by impact. Check Redington's current published terms for the claim process and any handling fee.
Where these figures come from
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