Gear review - Galvan T-6
On the "No Snagging Above This Point" sign at the mouth of Neck Creek in Alaska was a nest of mangled fly line that had been peeled from a reel by an ocean-fresh coho salmon. It wasn't mine. I walked past the post to where the fly-fishermen go to toss flies at schools of salmon so thick it is impossible to see the river bed. I dropped a green boss among the masses and set the hook on a strike.
Turned out it wasn't a strike but the sweeping tail of a particularly agitated salmon. The fish tore off down river threatening to take me down past the snag line and into the salty incoming tide. I frantically tightened the drag on the tail-hooked salmon, stumbled down river and landed it after 10 minutes of acrobatics. I released the fish and looked at the reel. It yawned.
So this is what they mean by "premium" I said to myself.
The bronze T-6 has an unbelievably smooth drag, is light, tough, durable and beautiful. Not that that makes a difference, but you notice things like that after you've dominated a tail-hooked 12-pound salmon. When dealing with such fish, a simple hiccup in the reel can cause a strain the leader can't handle. Adjustments are sensitive and responsive giving you precise fish-fighting tension.
