Product Information: Galvan Torque- T-8

Galvan Torque Fly Reel

Manufacturer's Description

From the rounded spool and frame rims, to the contoured counter balance, to the uniquely designed cutouts on the spool, frame, and drag knob, to the innovative new drag system, the Torque is clearly a step up in fly reel design.

The drag system for the Torque is composed of stainless steel and a state-of-the-art, heat- and wear-resistant thermoplastic unlike anything else on the reel market. It is completely salt water safe, and will continue to perform flawlessly under the harshest conditions from the flats and the blue water to the mountain streams and the coastal rivers.

The Torque is available in bronze and black finishes. From the first sight, the hand is drawn to the reel. From the first spin of the spool, the quality becomes apparent. Does form follow function, or does function follow form? In the Torque, it all folds into one.

When I opened up the Galvan reel box I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  I’d seen Galvan’s in shops and on the stream before, but had never owned or fished one.  I picked up the box and was surprised as to how light it was—out come a highly ported and brightly polished reel that looked good—real good. 

This was one of the lightest reels that I’ve ever held that—there was an enormous amount of porting that cut weight down to a minimum.  It also created a very unique look that was very appealing to the eye.

Most reels, even those that are around the top of the price range, have very small handles that can get slippery when wet or are just plain hard to handle.  This wasn’t the case with the Galvan—the handle was larger and easy to grip even with numb or wet fingers.

The spool releasing mechanism was the easiest I’ve ever seen.  No yanking spools, tools, or crazy and complicated parts involved.  To pop out the spool the only work that was involved was the pushing of a button.  Getting extra spools and changing lines/spools on the fly would be a breeze with this reel.  When the spool was off there weren’t pieces and parts of the reel flying around—the drag was made up of an effective, yet simple mechanism which I don’t see being a problem when tampered with on the river.

The opposite side of the reel from the spool release housed the drag adjustment knob of the reel.  The knob was easy to turn and adjust, even while fighting a fish.  One of the other features about the drag that I really liked was how small the adjustment settings were—it allowed me to make very slight changes in the drag which was a big plus over some reels.

As I’ve mentioned in other reviews I believe that this is the category that can make or break a product.  Regardless of how it looks, feels, or how it is designed, if a product doesn’t perform than I won’t use it and neither should anyone else.  When guiding or fishing, I depend on my gear to perform in a variety of different conditions—all of which present unique challenges.

            I fished the Torque in everything from sunny 65˚ degree weather with blue bird skies, to wet sloppy late March snow.  The reel performed flawlessly and consistently throughout the varying conditions—providing the drag necessary to subdue some ambitious spring steelhead.  Whenever I wanted to change the drag setting—even while fighting fish—it was effortless and quick.

            One of the important tests for a steelheading reel is to see how well it reacts to being dropped in the water in sub-freezing temperatures.  Even after being submerged during 28˚ air temperatures the reel started up and the drag engaged on the first run of the next fish as if it had never been submerged.

This reel was incredibly functional with a wide variety of lines and rods I fished it with.  The reel was able to hold lighter spey lines (Beulah’s Elixir, Rio Skagit) as well as the two single hand lines I spooled up on it (Nymph and Clouser lines) while carrying 150 yards of backing.  Despite the reel being labeled as an “8 wt” reel I found it balanced out numerous rods well—including a Sage XP 10’ 7wt, a Scott 2^nd Hand Assist 10’8” 8 wt, and a Beulah 10’6” 8/9 switch rod.  The combination of extremely light reel weight and a very large line capacity makes this a very versatile piece of gear.

:  During the long hours spent on the river testing this product I found no reason to believe that this product wasn’t durable enough to handle every day fishing use.

With the amount of time that I spend on the water I’m very loyal to companies whose gear has performed well for me in the past.  I put my gear to the test every time I’m on the river and because of that I only use the best.  Putting a different reel, even one for just a review, on to my rods wasn’t easy but now that the process is over I’m glad I did.  The Torque did everything I asked it to do under a wide variety of conditions.  Anglers who add this reel to their gear arsenal won’t be disappointed.

Over the gear review processes that I’ve conducted I’ve had the opportunity to interact with many different professionals throughout the industry.  Every one of them has been very professional and a pleasure to work with.  Lou Galvan was no exception to this rule.  Flyandfloatfishing.com would like to thank him for the opportunity to take his reel out for a spin—we’re very grateful and enjoyed the opportunity.

Any questions on this product can be direct to F&F fly-fishing pro Brett McCrae at brett@flyandfloatfishing.com.  For more information on Galvan Reels check out their website: www.galvanflyreels.com

Review	Scale	Points	Overall Grade
	scale 0-10
First Impression		9
Design		9	56 Awesome - MUST HAVE!
Performance		10
Functionality		9
Durability		9
Quality		10
Max Points	60
Total Points	56

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