Gear Review: Alpen Reel Co. The 'Stone

If you haven't heard of them, Alpen Reel Co. is a Montana based company with an idea of direct to consumer, high quality, get what you pay for fly fishing reels. In their words "we are bringing the best value reel to the market." This isn't the only thing that sets them apart from other companies, because they also give back towards conservation of local waters, with the purchase of every reel. Their new reel "The 'Stone," short for the Yellowstone River, is machined, anodized and has a fully sealed drag system allowing a easy transition to saltwater fishing. The reel comes in two colors Ash and Navy, with two separate size offerings that cover rod sizes 5-9WT:

5/6 7/9

Reel diameter- 3.25" Reel diameter- 3.5"

Spool width- 1.875" Spool width- 1.875"

Hub Diameter- 2" Hub Diameter- 2"

Specs:

• T6061 bar stock aluminum frame

• Anodized finish

• Large arbor design

• Fully Sealed, Carbon fiber drag system

• Convertible right/left hand retrieve

Initial Look:

Out of the box this reel looks fine, not as in "satisfactory fine", but pinky finger out while you drink fine! In all seriousness the reel has a stout but elegant design. It might lose in the ultra-light weight race, but that's not what it is competing for. With a lot of todays new reels getting lighter and fancier, Alpen does it right and keeps some weight and structure on the reel making what looks and feels like a really durable, foolproof reel.

The Test:

I tried, and will continue to try, to really put this reel through actual fishing applications and see how it does. I feel most tests and or reviews, test things we as fishermen don't really need to know or that simply have little to no fishing application. For example "stopping power," in the review world the only way to test this and get data that you can take and compare to other reels is to crank the drag down and yank some line and record the weight it will hold prior to the drag being engaged. Why somebody would ever need to know that a 5/6 Redington Behemoth has a max drag of 9lbs is a wonder to me and has relatively no value to me as I shop for a good trout reel. For this reason I have opted to take the 'Stone fishing, hook some fish, and tell you how it does. Plain and simple.

The "fishing application" this reel was tested in was a recent trip to Northern Utah were I would be fishing big lake as well as some tailwater. Paired with a Blue Halo Gear 6WT (review coming soon!) as I was hoping to throw some big bugs and with luck attract the attention of some big Cutts and Lakers as the local Whitefish were beginning to spawn bringing trout close to the rocky shores. With a heavy sink-tip spooled, and a big, articulated fly loop knotted I started casting. Now I should point out that the temperature was around 30-38 degrees with a heavy wind at times, not ideal but great when testing gear. The reel was everything I expected it to be and possibly more. When changing casting locations the line pick up was quick and easy as the reel free spools to take up line. When casting the rod felt balanced and rod and reel became one, not feeling to heavy but not freakishly light making the rod feel odd when casting.

Where this reel really showed its "stones" (pun intended) was after hooking into the first fish of the day. What first felt like a hooked log was followed by several head shakes and a large fish, head shaking his way to the surface, he had eaten the fly from behind and closed his mouth just as I went to strip a few more inches of icy line. HOOKED UP! As the fish made several runs staying just out of reach of my net wielding wife, the drags easy startup kept consistent pressure on the fish and not too long after brought in a beautifully colored fish.

Not long after the reels drag sounded again working a bigger, chromed out female that went 26 inches. After a quick shot the fish was released and I grabbed my rod to get back out. Throughout the rest of the day I lost one more fish and didn't get a bite the rest of the day.

Day two we headed to the river for some tailwater fishing. Big browns were sighted but wanted none of the small streamers we slowly jigged past them. Here is a small fish that took a cone-headed Micro Zonker under a bridge:

Retrieval Sound: No Sound

Drag sound: Subtle but solid, metallic click

Free-Spin: Good, 3-4 revolutions

Counterbalance: Great

Spool Release: Nice and easy, cap has a detent so it wont fall off, positive click when placed on the reel

Drag knob: Large, easy to adjust

Drag Detents: Detents, however no numbers or marks to set drag

Drag: Very strong! (would never need more on a 5-6 wt)

Range of drag: Great

Handle: Metal and slotted

Overall:

This reel is a terrific reel! Amazing quality and looks combine to make a reel that doesn't just do, but looks good while doing it! Personally I would rather run this reel on a 6wt rod vs a 5wt as it does have some heft to it. Spooled up it holds 100 yards of 20lb backing and 82' feet of Blue Halo Gear Streamer line with room to spare. You can find the reel here at: Alpen Reel Co.