Tibor...outdated?
Bob Kinder
I’m getting geared up for a few trips I’m planning to the Florida Keys
and the Bahamas this summer (I live part time in Florida). I’m
planning on purchasing three solid saltwater reels in 8, 10, and 12 wt
sizes so that I will be ready for whatever swims by. I’ve had visions
of Tibor dancing through my head since the “old salts” claim that it
was the best of the best. I was in Florida last week at a tackle shop
that specializes in saltwater fly fishing gear and the guy behind the
counter did not have much good stuff to say about Tibor. He said they
have an exposed drag - and a cork one at that, and too many moving
parts which resulted in a lot of cleaning and maintenance. He said
that cork had too much start up inertia and that the entire drag
design was outdated. He went on to say that Tibor’s new spools have
sharp edges in the arbor that really eat up your backing. He
recommended Van Staal with Nautilus NV a close second. He said their
drags were smoother, more reliable, and easier to maintain. Any of
you guys with some experience on this care to chime in? I would like
to get a second opinion.
Thanks
Bob
Dalton Terrell
collection of two of each size of these reels matched up with two of
each weight 6 & 8-12 Sage XP rod. I definitely believe in having
backup gear and this set up is clearly overkill, but I didn't complain
when I got to play around with the high end equipment. My experience
with the Tibor's were in a boat, fishing for summer time striped bass
in the bay, schoolie size--almost none of these fish get on the reel.
I have not personally put the drags to the test, but my boss had done
this from bonefish to big roosterfish and blackfin tuna, with no
failure or complaints. He has dunked the reels while wading flats for
bonefish and still had the drag hold up well. I'm not sure how old his
reels were, but the ones that I used had no issues from sharp edges.
These reels were nice but are perpetually out of my price range. They
are made to last a lifetime, and feel like they could survive an H-
bomb.
Check out this post on StripersOnline (http://www.stripersonline.com/
surftalk/showthread.php?t=398169), which is half-pissing contest/half-
engineering nerd out all surrounding the different types of drags with
heavy emphasis on the carbon fiber of Charltons and other newer reels
vs. the cork of Abels and Tibors.
With all of this being said, I can't say that I have ever lost fish
due to gear failure and I don't own anything as expensive as a Tibor,
though my saltwater fly fishing is limited to stripers and redfish. My
lost fish surround poor fighting technique or line maintenance, from
knots in the running line to running line wrapping around the rod
butt--all issues that aren't solved by a $1000 reel. Most of my reels
have some sort of plastic (or space age polymer) drag and friction
during start up is minimal on all but one reel, a J Ryall that I
haven't really liked since I bought it--this reel has high friction
during startup at all settings and significant fade causing occasional
overrun. I have full confidence in my Ross, Lamson, Austin Forbes and
Orvis reels for the fish they are designed to target.
I would take whatever anybody says with a grain of salt, as I would
guess that the shop in Florida didn't carry Tibors, and the Van Staal
happened to be their most expensive reel with the Nautilus coming in a
"close second".
Bob Mills
I've had a Tibor Gulfstream with a 12wt. rig for a year or two. I
bought it to be my rig for larger saltwater game - Bluefin, Tarpon or
maybe even small sailfish offshore in the keys, etc. I haven't yet
done it real justice and have only really used it for Dorado, small
tuna and a couple other misc. fish that really didn't necessitate that
large of a rig, so I haven't really tested the stopping power, but all
reviews and trusted opinions say it has a great drag system. I
researched the hell out of this when I bought, and when you get to the
very high end reels it is often a debate between Abel and Tibor, in a
sort of BMW vs. Mercedes type conversation where both are great and it
really comes down to preference. I couldn't find much negative
feedback on either and ended up going with Tibor mainly because the
drag side of the reel is closed instead of ported, so it isn't likely
that sand will get into the reel and drag. I will say that everyone I
asked said that sand/ debris in the reel wouldn't really be a problem,
but that was just my take on it.
The last poster made a very good point about having multiple setups
and back-up rigs. Budget really dictates what equipment we can all
have, and if I had my choice between one ultra-premium setup in a
given weight or 2 setups from a mid-level maufacturer I'd go with the
latter so I could have both a sinking and a floating rig in that
weight on the boat with me rigged and ready to toss. Unless you're
really focusing on big game like tarpon, sails or big bluefin, having
good line management, casting technique, a good guide and a variety of
rigged rods ready is going to be much more important in landing fish
than the fine details of drag dynamics. Because of this, for my 9wt
setups, which I use in a greater variety of situations than a 12 wt.,
I went with mid-priced gear and have 2 reels, 2 rods and an extra
spool so I can always have my choice of 2 of the three line
presentations (float, sink, intermediate).
As far as feedback on the Tibor it's handled everything well, as much
as anything I'm just teaching myself how to manage the drag on
saltwater fly gear, being somewhat of a rookie in saltwater fly
fishing. In that vein my only complaint about the reel is not having
numbered markings on the reel for ease of quick and accurate
adjustment during a fight or when an unanticpated species hits the
line. For some reason, not very many of the high-end manufacturers
have any markings on the drag knobs, perhaps for asthetics. Aside
form the reel has been low maintenance, easy to clean and dependable.
It is very solid so I'm not concerned about dropping and damaging it.
Both Abel and Tibor now have quick-change models, so lots of moving
parts shouldn't be a problem. As for the sharp edges, this is
possible but I've never noticed it in the 5-10 days on the water I've
used my reel.
I don't think you can really go wrong with any of the options you've
mentioned, just do your research and go with what you like. Be sure
to put good thought into the rods as well - in my limited experience
with 12 wts not having more backbone in my rod has been a much bigger
concern for me than the quality of my drag. Also take into account
how much you're fishing certain setups and if you can just use a
guide's equipment for the setups you won't use much. We're not
exactly casting to tarpon every weekend on the Potomac or Chesapeake,
so perhaps it would make more sense to buy a really nice arsenal of
8-10 weight gear and use your guide's 12 wt. stuff for the one or two
trips a year when you need to go that big.
Hope all these rambling thoughts help,
Also Bob
Bob Kinder
play around!
I've done quite a bit of research and I think I'm going with Tibor and
G Loomis. Its pricey gear but from all the feedback I've recieved
from this site and several guides that I talked to, its as as reliable
as it gets. I'm also a big fan of buying lightly used gear on Ebay so
that helps. Anyway, thanks for the input.
Bob
Will Maher
I'm a huge Hatch fan and have a 7+ and a 9+ for my 8# and 10# rods.
I'm stoked with both. The two reels are at the same price point as any
other serious reel. Before I bought my 7+, I consulted with captin
John M something-or-other of staurtflyfishing.com and was sold after
his experience with and praise of Hatch reels. John was a Tibor nut
prior to the switch.
You should ping John and get his thoughts on Hatch. Chances are you'll
buy the same two reels I have.
Be sure you are convinced before you drop that amount of coin!
Good luck!!
-Will
Gaucho Fly
boatdrinks
Richard Farino
The truth with reels is most fly shop guys are going to try and sell you the reel they think you need for the job, and they will be biased about brands. I’d keep in mind that fly gear brands have territories, and if a shop doesn’t carry a particular brand, it may be because another shop carries it that is located too close to another dealer. As for drag being outdated, you don’t mess with design when it’s perfect. Keep that in mind.
I am a Tibor guy. Grizzly here at the shop is an Abel guy. We jokingly bicker all the time about whose reel is better (I remind him that more IGFA records are held with a Tibor reel being used than an Abel – over 800 actually), but in actuality, we will fish any reel that we sell because we only stock quality gear.
Your decision can be guided through different channels – maybe you like the super shiny Hatch reels, or your Ross reel has never failed ever, or your Waterworks/Lamson reel is the lightest on the market, or even if you just love your Hardy reel because the outgoing click is so loud and everyone knows you have a fish on, or you love Abel reels because it’s one of only 25 reels anodized like a tarpon. Maybe you have a penchant for Okuma reels because they’re under $50, or maybe you only fish Orvis reels because each time you bought a rod it was given to you, or maybe you love Tibor because you caught your first striper on it ever. Whatever floats your boat.
Again, I’m a Tibor guy, but I’ve caught more big fish on my Abel Super 9 than any other reel I own. I’ve been warming up to Nautilus because I love how light they are and I don’t have to worry about maintenance. It also matches the redfish I caught a few weeks ago =)
Some people choose with their hearts, some with their heads, and some with their pockets, or a combination of all 3. It’s up to you to figure out what’s important and make your own decision. At the very least, you won’t be disappointed because you made your own decision.
R
Richard Farino
Urban Angler VA | 108 N. Washington Street 2nd Floor | Alexandria, VA 22314 
(703) 527-2524 | fax: (703) 527-3313 | ric...@urbanangler.com
From: tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com [mailto:tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of McFly
Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2012 5:20 PM
To: tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com
Subject: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Tibor...outdated?
Tibor reels are good solid reels, I have a Billy Pate Bonefish and they are good reels, this guy sounds like he recomending what he has on hand he just skipped over Abel, Lamson, Billy Pate and Waterworks. I've been in fly shops where the ower pushes what he has on hand just to get it up out of there.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders" group.
To post to this group, send email to tidal-potoma...@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to tidal-potomac-fly-...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/tidal-potomac-fly-rodders/-/HCCsjsCbX6kJ.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
Danny Barrett
Just a question on the reels. Ive always gotten orvis due to discounts and their amazing warranty. How do tje others you mentioned comparebprize wize and warrenty wize? I only ask because accidents do happen. Ive destroyed a fair amoubt of stuff due to slippery rocks or stuff and Orvis just hands you a new one. They ussualy ask me what happened since the guys at the local shop know me and like to give me shit.
Danny Barrett
dannyt...@gmail.com
(540) 222-8064
