Everyday at the Caddis Fly Shop has the potential to feel like Christmas, particularly during the summer months when new products start rolling in from some of our favorite manufacturers. Yesterday was one of those days, with the arrival of a new spey and saltwater-specific reel from Lamson. It’s obvious the folks at Lamson did their homework when developing the new ARX series, as the design elements of these new reels speak for themselves.
Lamson eliminated the possibility of shooting head or running line getting caught in any gaps in the reel by moving the gap between spool and frame. They also created a full-cage reel without room for your line to slip through or get caught up, and eliminated gaps on the drag and spin knobs. Lamson also cut away a portion of frame to allow for easier application of palm-drag when you hook into a big fish. The ARX employs the same conical drag system we’ve come to love in Waterworks-Lamson reels, although when inspecting the ARX, we couldn’t help but notice how much beefier the components are than those of its smaller cousins. The ARX is finished in Type II Black Hard Alox with special grey accents on the cassette, drag knob, and graphics, meaning this reel will endure everything you throw at it and still look fresh.
The ARX frame is sturdy and spacious enough to fit some serious lines. For the 4+ model, at 4.75″ diameter, Lamson claims capacity for 275 yards of 30lbs Dacron, a 100′ 0.035″ running line (like the Airflo Ridge line), a 750 grain skagit head, and 18 feet of T-17! This thing is a monster! 4.00″ and 3.75″ models will be available in late summer, but we have a limited amount of 4+ reels available now!
We threw the Lamson ARX 4+ on a Sage ONE two hander and we’ve gotta say, this combo is pretty tough to beat. These reels are sure to create high demand, so give us a call or check the Lamson ARX reels out online if you’re interested in learning more!
Mmmmm…ok, that reel is kinda sexy.
Do you know the drag sizes used on all the models? I’m hoping for Medium/Large on all of them?
The Drag is medium/large on all of the ARX
I own one of the arx4+ I purchased from the Caddis Fly Shop. It stays on my Loop Yellow most of the time. Reel was perfect for salmon and steelhead. Good balance, and slugs line pretty quickly. If you happen to get excited after a beautiful steelhead catch, and set it in the sand for a photo opportunity, a quick rinse in the river and its perfect again (not too mention you have a photo so your buddies don’t call you a liar). Used it winter steelhead fishing too, was 10 degrees with 15mph winds. No troubles at all. Did have one problem, and lamson addressed it without any questions at all. Would buy this reel again, and twice on Sundays. Dependable would describe it. Tight lines.