Redington Behemoth Fly Fishing Reel, Multipurpose Fly Reel for Freshwater and Saltwater, Large Arbor and Adjustable Drag

Targeting GT's and needed a large reel that could hold 300 yds of 80 lb. backing with a powerful drag.Did not want to spend a lot of money on a reel I may not use again, even though the outfitter recommended I purchase a best I could afford and not to skimp on the reel. My budget for the reel was $600.Rather than buying one mid to high level reel I took a chance and bought 2 of these Behemoth with backing and fly line.First off, this is a die-cast and not CNC so the weight and tolerances are not as tight.I will list the Pro's and Con's from a real-world use.The reel endured 6 days of fishing in extremely hot climate averaging 4-5 hours of constant use.Pros:Price (Very affordable)Capacity of backing, I was able to put 325 yds. of 80 lb. backing with 110’ GT line and 10’ of 110 lb. leader and still had room.Handle was nice and big with combination of rubber made it nice without slippage.Drag knob was big.Drag was powerful and it did the job. I had the drag cranked all the way down (supposed to be 30 lb.) as instructed by the guide and the GT was able to pull another 50 yards of backing with no issues so these are powerful fish.Cons:Weight, I have the 11-12 and it was heavy compare to the Nautilus and the Loops being used by others, but it also did not cost $700 +.Finish is adequate. The die-cast showed plenty of scrapes and scuffs after the first dayThe spool has some play (slight wobble) just enough to notice but did not affect the performance.Drag knob felt cheap and did wobble. When backing the drag, the knob does slip so you can actually back off on all the drag and the knob will still turn a few more times, when it supposed to stop. Also, setting the drag is not as smooth, the knob has some gritty feel to it.Spool removal knob in the front is plastic and when it’s cranked all the way down to secure the spool, it does not do an adequate job. This is the reason for the wobble. You can’t tighten it too much as the thread stops and made of plastic, I feel it may break.With that being said, the reel performed and was able to land several GT’s, YF Tuna and Groupers with no issues.For the money it did just as well as the high-end reels but will it last over time …….No regrets and would buy the reels again.I would not have any issues paying more if they could upgrade the following on the 11-12 reels.Spool removal capSmoothness of the drag knobBetter coating on finish

Have used Redington's Behemoth rigorously over the past few years. Dragged through mud chasing 20+ pound carp, knocked off rocks hunting salmon, caked in beach sand for stripers,albies and blues, and off the boat deck at the NE canyons for mahi and yellowfin. They have yet to fail under any conditions.

I've gone through 3 of these things (7/8wt). I fish the surf of North Carolina and I pull out 36"+ Red fish ,this thing has no durability. Yes, Yes, Yes I wash it after every use. After a week the clicker stopped working. Then the drag started squeaking. I added grease...still squeaked. I called Redington and they want $50 to look at it. I use one on my switch rod for freshwater and it works just fine. Just don't expect the same in the salt. The positives: Tons of drag you'll most likely never use. It holds A LOT of backing. Spools are cheap, lots of colors, great for switch/spey rods. Nothing against Redington , I love the rods and other reels but this one is for select applications .After, I went with the Redington Grande 7/8/9 and never looked back.

I needed a reel strong enough to handle 15 to 25 pound king salmon in the Lake Ontario tributaries. Most important to me was a strong & smooth drag. I was ready to spend up to $100 more than I paid for the Behemoth because I wanted to be sure the drag would properly handle these fish. I'm glad I kept looking & found this reel. It turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. The drag is extremely strong. I had no problem fighting the salmon even when they got in the current & tried to go back to the lake. I really dont see any reason you would ever have to crank down the drag all the way on this reel unless you wanted to break off a fish. I purchased the 9/10 size Behemoth & I am very satisfied with its performance especially at the price I paid.

The Behemoth isn’t a bad reel! Let’s get that out of the way first.I received the reel in terrible condition: the spool seems to rub terribly against the reel seat/cage. There’s a grinding/rubbing noise as it rotates. It’s clear that the flat “outside” of the spool is deformed, and you can even see it visually. I shouldn’t be surprised, as the package came to me pretty beat up: the box was nearly torn apart completely, barely being a box, but the Mylar bag it came in was fine. Despite this, it was functional enough so I decided to just go for it, as I wanted to be out on the water ASAP.I’ve spooled up the reel with 200 yards of backing, as well as some RIO Redfish line, and having taken it out a couple of times, I can safely say that the reel isn’t bad, functions as well as could be expected given how beat up it came to me. Slinging the line through my Larson Cobalt is good, and stripping out the line wasn’t too bad. Gritty feeling, but I suspect that’s the spool being so deformed. I managed to snag a puffer and a couple ladyfish doing some wade fishing, so I’m reasonably pleased so far! Doesn’t feel as good as the Hatch reel or my Larson Guru, but those aren’t rated for line as high as 5wt.The Redington Behemoth is definitely a decent low-cost entry reel for salt, and I’m glad I have one to mess around with before I get any further down the rabbit hole of saltwater gear! I just wish I wasn’t sent such a beat up, mispacked item. :(

If you are throwing a 12 wt line with a large bass bug, this is about the only reel that will provide some sort of reasonable balance to the rod and reel combination. This is exactly what I was looking for for going after salmon and northern pike. That extra weight makes it easier to cast over a long day. The quality of the reel and drag system is outstanding. The capacity is huge. You can easily fit a heavy line and 200 yards of backing on the reel.

Quality product

This is the second Behemoth I bought and am thoroughly disappointed in the product. They easily go out of round - spool begins to rub on reel cage- after normal use. Reeling becomes squeaky and grinding. One reel is very difficult to turn now and the other one is just too jerky to use while winding. Both reels failed in less than one year's use. There is a very slight wobble between the spool and reel cage already from the factory and the claim is that is normal. None of the other fly reels ever had this problem and yes, they have been dropped also through normal usage.

This reel arrived three days early, so that’s mint.Meant to order the 7/8 but ordered the 5/6. Regardless the reel is a tough little unit.I’m new to fly fishing pike/bass, last year wasMy first full year. As someone who fished 5-6 times a week, it’s been a big change for me.Ice fishing season is among us, so I have only used it in the yard so far in -35c weather.The drag on this reel is impressive. I will update after a few good uses, but first impressions are A1.

I put this reel on my rod and instantly started catching fish 12-120x larger than previous before. We are talking giant fish. Bigger than I’ve ever seen before in my life and once I caught a crocodile. Sometimes they even jump inside my boat. Best reel I’ve ever used A++ 10/10 best reel.

No lo aconsejo mucho la verdad.....el freno viene muy duro y no se puede utilizar en tippet finos solo lo utilizo para el lucio ,bass o mar,cierto que tiene gran capacidad para albergar lineas de numeracion mayor y backing.Compre este mismo carrete linea 7/8 en otro lugar y un desastre.El vendedor muy correcto.