Here's the Abel SDF Native Cutthroat in a slightly more understated build: the same speckled cutthroat finish on a 5/6-weight ported frame, but paired with a black drag knob and a rich ebony handle. The dark knob and wood let the trout artwork on the frame do the talking, and the deep grain of the ebony rounds out a genuinely handsome reel.
Function keeps pace with the looks. This SDF earned best new freshwater reel of 2018 from Fly Fisherman Magazine and runs a fully sealed drag lifted from Abel's saltwater program. At 5/6 it's the classic all-around trout size, with inertia-free startup that guards fine tippet and more than enough muscle for a heavy fish.
Key features
- Native Cutthroat finish on a ported frame
- Black drag knob paired with ebony wood handle
- Sealed stainless steel and carbon fluoropolymer drag, up to about 10 lbs
- 5/6 weight for all-around trout fishing
- Large-arbor spool for faster line pickup and less memory
- User-convertible left- or right-hand retrieve
- Quick-change spool
- Designed and machined in Colorado, made in the USA
We fish native-trout Abels ourselves. Come see this one at 432 E Main St in Montrose.