The Great Debate: Which Reel to Get?

A few months ago I was having a debate, both in my head and with others, on which reel to get. Guatemala was my destination and billfish were my targets. I needed a fly reel that would be up to the test. I had narrowed it down to the Tibor Pacific vs the Tibor Gulfstream. Both reels are bad mamma jammas and I would be happy to own both but due to monetary constraints and not having a fishing sponsor I had to choose one.

Tibor Gulfstream QC

Versus

Tibor Pacific QC


The year before we had fished The Gulfstream and tested it against an approximately 300lb Blue Marlin. The reel did everything it could and held up to the fish so I knew it could handle anything I threw at it. The Gulfstream also seems more versatile. With a few different spools it could handle several different types of fishing and the weight and size would lend itself to blind casting better than the heavier and bulkier Pacific but would reeling in the smaller arbor become an issue after fighting many fish.

The Pacific is attractive due to the speed you can reel in your line when the fish changes direction and charges you. With the larger diameter you can retrieve line considerably quicker.

It was finally decided (after many agonizing hours of scouring the web for similar debates and finally just going with my initial thought) that The Pacific is the reel to get if you only want a reel to use for billfish. It would be pretty cool to have a reel for every species of fish you chase and there is no difference in price between the two. However, I decided that because I only get to chase billfish once a year and can't yet afford to have a reel per species, that the more versatile Gulfstream would be the way to go.

ps: There are other reels that I would love to own including Abel, and probably my top choice for billfish, the Mako and I am sure there are others in this class. Once you get to a certain level of quality, any of the top reels would be up to the challenge of tackling a billfish and a prize to own.

Billfish on the Fly

I'm dying to get back there and do this all again.

Guatemala - Blue Marlin on the Fly

Wild Mango Trees!

Shrimp farms. Every place we went had guards armed with shotguns.

Dinner was perfect every night.

Cam Sigler flies

After years of talking about it we decided to pull the trigger and try our hand at sailfish on the fly. We stayed at Sailfish bay lodge and were greated by the friendliest staff that did everything they could do to make us feel at home. The fishing was unusually slow. The first day we raised one sailfish that turned jet black as it attacked Phil's Cam Sigler fly. The strike was head on, which is nearly impossible to get a good hook set on billfish, and the hooks missed their mark twice before the fish vanished off into the blue. The second day I was up to bat and didn't raise a fish. The last day I was up to bat again at least until I had a fish strike the fly. early on we raised a blue marlin that swam under the teasers forever and never showed any interest in the fly but inhaled a bonito thrown to it. Unfortunately the hook broke and never set on the fish. We had a quick visit by another sail on the inside teaser that vanished as quickly as it showed. Phil and I decided that we would switch after lunch and he would try his luck the remainder of the day. As lunch was being cooked a Blue Marlin crashed the teasers. In slow motion my fly hit the water, I popped it and moved my rod tip from side to side and held the most retarded pose as the marlin inhaled the fly. The hook set perfectly in the side of the mouth and the fish tailwalked and porpoised for 100yards before the reel fight began. The fish sounded and I began the longest tug of war of my life. 2..5hrs. Line was gained and line was lost and the same 80ft of flyline was fought over for an hour. The shooting head finally appeared, then the fish glowing electric blue. The deckhand had me back off the rail as he began guiding the line and the fish up. The leader and the yellow line appeared and the deckhand and captain and Phil all cheered and as quickly as it began, it was over and the Blue Marlin swam off. I was left with cramping arms, a sweat soaked shirt and the biggest smile I've ever had on my face. The crew estimated the Blue at 300lbs.