FLYLIFE^81freshandsaltwater ydesigns-australia.com.au
Order online or phone 0474 133 930by Je CassidyFresh and Saltwater
Fly Designs
This new series of reels from Sage, des-
ignated 6200, has replaced the 6000
series. Reels designated with a 6 number
are their current premium fly reel range
and are mostly aimed at saltwater an-
glers. There are a few changes from the
original 6000’s and I see all of these as
improvements.
The new reels are lighter, but not by
much. The reel has the same dished
style arbor, and swallows up an immense
amount of backing.
The new drag adjustment knob is out-
standing. It is large, well knurled, and
clearly numbered 1–20. The drag goesfrom freespool to full with one complete
revolution. But it does this through a se-
ries of 40 possible settings, clearly identi-
fied by clicks.
I hand fill all my reels with backing
and as mentioned earlier they take a
huge amount, leaving plenty of room for
fly lines. My 6212 reels have 750 me-
tres of Fins 50 lb on them; the 6210’s
have 500 and the 6280’s have 350 —
all wound on by hand, so I’ve become
pretty familiar with the next feature that
I like so much, the winding knob.Reviews & New Products
NEW PRODUCT:
SAGE 6200 FLY REEL
Peter MorseThe knob is a large capstan shape and
generates no finger fatigue or cramps,
and has no sharp edges — something you
really begin to notice during a long fight.
I’ve also caught a lot of good fish on
these reels, having used a 6210 proto-
type for a year before its release and
having fished the others extensively.
What has impressed me so much is the
ergonomics of the reel — they’re just
great reels to fish with.
There are five models in the series
with a 5/6 as the smallest and an 11/12
the largest – in between are a 6/7, a
7/8, and a 9/10.
We landed an estimated 70 kilo black
marlin on the 11/12, and I’ve also land-
ed a string of sailfish on it as well, so
the reel is well and truly up to handling
big fish.The drags are smooth and powerful, al-
though I would like to see a little more in
the top end. The drag is a sealed carbon
fibre washer set-up, in a waterproof hub.
The reel is easily converted from left
to right hand wind: it’s a simple matter
of unscrewing a cap and turning over
the bearing.
Colours available are Stealth (matt
black), Silver, and Cobalt.
These reels are priced very competi-
tively, even with the current exchange
rate. The biggest is sub $700AUD. ■The source
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fly fishing.
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