First Thoughts: Orvis Mirage 6

My spey stick's a way-cool classic Scott ARC 128l7-3. Since picking it up, I've gotten many comments and compliments from spey guys in the know.

I needed a reel for it and didn't have anything in the quiver large enough, so I picked up a Ross CLA-6. Certainly a nice enough reel, plenty capable of holding a reasonable amount of backing and a Rio Skagit Short 475 grain line. But, it's got no soul. And just lately, I'm all about rigs with some soul.

I was leaning toward the The Spey Co's Circle Spey reel. Way, cool. Hand-crafted. And you're not likely to run into another one on the river. For the very reasonable price, I think you get a lot of soul.

Somehow a deal always changes things up. And I scored a deal on a gently-used Orvis Mirage 6. This is Orvis' latest generation reel and one that's been getting a good bit of attention in the media. I know several guides who fish them and all say good things. The excellent sealed drag gets high marks, and since reliable performance in sub-freezing temps is a key for me, this was the one for me.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's surprisingly heavy for being so light. Or light for being so heavy. And I know that makes little sense. Perhaps the best description is that it's surprisingly robust for how light it is.

Had a chance to look deep into the guts of the sealed drag. Holy crap. No low-tech cork here. A carbon-to-stainless-steel construction uses technology borrowed from fighter jet brakes. Seriously. This thing's the shit. Oh, and swapover to right-hand retrieve was butt-simple.

Gotta' get out and get my swing on. See what happens when a pissed off double-digit steelhead puts the hurt on me. Look for more soon...

-Sean-