Redington Behemoth Fly Reel.

Gear Review: Redington Behemoth Fly Reel

Behemoth. A behemoth is commonly defined as either a huge creature or something that is enormous. Redington aptly named there most powerful fish stopping reel the Behemoth. The reel is among the most important pieces of gear to slow down a large fish and get it quickly to hand. The Redington Behemoth does just that. It gives the angler some serious fish-stopping power while having a large arbor to help get fish to hand quickly. A little bit about the Behemoth:

  • Two colors offered: black and gunmetal.
  • Four sizes: 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12.
  • Most powerful drag in its class offers up to 30 lbs of torque.

Internals of the Redington Behemoth fly reel.
After a bunch of trips with my Redignton Behemoth I’ve learned a few things that might be beneficial for those trying to decide if this reel is worth adding to their arsenal. Here are a couple of my key takeaways:

Behemoth fly reel next to a fish it hauled in.
This reel has incredible stopping power AND a smooth startup on the drag. The Behemoth has an adjustable carbon fiber drag. This reel can slow down some monster sized fish. Over the last several months I’ve had multiple occasions to land many large fish. While playing some of these large fish I’ve had the opportunity to experiment with changing the drag during their runs and I have found that the drag engages smoothly and efficiently at each setting.

The reel is durable. After getting a few scratches and being dropped a few times the reel is still performing like a champ. Redington went through a lot of testing and product development before releasing this reel. They tested it in fresh and salt water environments. The Behemoth does not have a sealed drag system. With that in mind it is recommended that if you take it salt water fishing that you thoroughly wash the reel, line, and the rest of your gear after use (then again that should happen regardless). If an issue ever were to arise Redington will take care of the reel with its lifetime warranty.

The drag sagging can be tough to grab. When fighting a fish I use my dominant hand (right) to hold the rod and reel with my left hand. When attempting to change the drag levels I have to either switch the rod to my left hand, adjust the drag, then go back to my right hand OR be somewhat of a contortionist to reach around the reel and adjust the drag with my left hand. Neither of these options are my favorite. That in mind I usually do not actively change my drag in the middle of fighting a fish.
Redington Behemoth fly reel with Super-Torque.
Some of the finishing touches feel cheap. The handle for the reel is probably my biggest complaint. It looks decent but in my opinion it feels cheap. The second part that feels cheap is the screw cap/mechanism to hold spool in place. Neither the handle or the spool screw cap are close to being deal breakers in my book.Behemoth fly reel
For the money I love this reel! I’ve had the chance to play with a variety 4-8wt reels that have cost significantly more that the Behemoth. In regards to finish and looks there occasionally are benefits for spending the extra money. As far as drag quality and durability I have a tough time saying that other reels have that much advantage over the Behemoth – especially for the price. In my opinion the Behemoth is a real work-horse. A work-horse that is completely fine not being the prettiest horse in a tri-county area because it knows that when push comes to shove that it will get the job done. I have no reason to set this reel aside. It is the real deal. Go get one…or two!