Osprey Saltwater Series Review
Tarpon, Bonefish, Snook, Redfish, Black Drum, Striper, Permit, Pompano, Triple Tail, Mahi, Cobia, Mutton Snapper, Gag Grouper, Red Grouper, Jacks, Sheepshead, Trout, Flounder, Largemouth Bass, Snakeheads, Clown Knife Fish, Mangrove Snapper, Goliath Grouper, Barracuda, Black Tip Sharks, Tiger Sharks, Bull Sharks...No this is not an exhaustive list of Florida's gamefish -- although all of these species can be caught in Florida -- this is just a short list of some of the species of fish that have been caught on our Osprey Spinning Reels since launching our first fishing reel in November 2016. While we are confident our original Osprey Spinning Reel is one of the best inshore fishing reels currently on the market, we have committed ourselves to doing more than just meeting the low standards the big corporations have set in the fishing industry. We've set out to surpass expectations and develop the BEST saltwater fishing reel -- spinning reel that is -- the fishing industry has ever seen.
Let's face it, our original Osprey Spinning Reel is a phenomenal fishing reel, but it was not designed for BIG gamefish. Our founders are technical, skinny water loving sight fishermen that really wanted a light-weight spinning reel with a super smooth feel that would last longer than the 6 months their $229.99 Shimano Stradic Ci4s lasted them...and they developed just that in their original Osprey Spinning Reel series. But after three years of feedback from hundreds of Florida's top guides, tournament anglers, and weekend warriors; they realized that anglers wanted something more: a saltwater spinning reel that would last day in and day out while fishing for Florida's BIG gamefish. Yes, we all love catching over slot Snook and Redfish on undersized gear, but that's not what a full-time guide needs when he takes out a family from northern Minnesota who have only ever tugged on walleye, pike, and largemouth bass. A full-time fishing guide needs a baddd (yes with 3 D's) saltwater spinning reel that their freshwater-experienced anglers can CRANK on when FIGHTING for their lives against a 45" Redfish or Snook that is desperately trying to break their anglers' off on anything they can rub that over-expensive fluorocarbon leader on.
Ok, maybe you're not Capt. Peter Deeks, but you're still a fishing guide that deals with a lot of less experienced anglers who are typically yanking on some serious saltwater game fish near heavy structure (mangroves, docks, oyster bars, etc...). You need a fishing reel that has enough drag to pull those BIG fish out from structure; a reel that is durable enough to last the endless cranking that our beloved northerners have engraved in their brains from hundreds of years of their Scandinavian ancestors making dang sure they get their dinner (fish) in the boat (seriously though they really don't need to reel the fish up to the eye of the rod); and finally, you need a reel that isn't going to break the bank! We know fishing guides aren't millionaires. You show me a millionaire fishing guide, and we'll show you an ex-ceo or trust fund baby.
Without further ado, we'd like to introduce you to the Osprey Saltwater Series -- A finely forged, full metal body spinning reel that was designed for one thing: wrangling in BIG saltwater gamefish. Yes, we finally did it. We've introduced a 6000 and 8000 size fishing reel! Praise the Lord! Florida Fishing Products has introduced a 6000 and 8000 size spinning reel! Seriously though, we are SUPER excited about finally introducing larger spinning reels. In fact, the Osprey Saltwater Series runs from size 3000 to 8000 for you adrenaline seeking, undersized gear using, oversized minnow chasing anglers out there.
But seriously, we've introduced a 3000 and 4000 size reel that are both perfect for the inshore guide, inshore tournament angler, or inshore weekend warrior looking to catch redfish, snook, trout, jacks, snapper, etc... while fishing Florida's awesome inshore fisheries. The 3000 and 4000 can be used with live baits or artificial baits, offers more drag capacity (up to 26 lbs!), boasts an over sealed reel frame and body (because we hate corrosion), comes standard with a braid ready spool, and has a fantastic new EVA foam handle that we believe is suited for technical anglers and less-experienced fish wranglers alike.
In addition, we've beefed up our 5000s and introduced a 6000-size spinning reel for you giant Snook and Redfish wrangling bridge trolls who just love to fight BIG gamefish in super heavy structure (disastrous bridge piling, barnacle filled dock pilings, and jagged rock lined jetties). Not only are these reels made with marine grade aircraft aluminum, but they also wield reinforced gears that were tested on and specifically designed for BIG gamefish (overslot Redfish, overslot Snook, goliath Gag Grouper, jumbo Mutton Snapper, monster Jacks, mid-sized Tarpon, etc...). Of course, with an increase in reel size, we figured we would do the right thing and increase the drag capacity on the 5000 to 31 lbs and increase the drag capacity on the 6000 to 40 lbs. Now some of you might be saying, "now how the heck did they go and do that"? That's a fantastic question. We not only changed up the design of the carbon fiber discs to a more effective design, but we also changed up the design of the spring within the drag knob that actually applies the pressure to the drag system. Typically, this spring is a simple coil that applies inconsistent pressure to the drag discs...but we weren't shooting to develop your typical reel. With the help of our manufacturers, we've introduced a "wave" spring that applies even pressure to the carbon fiber drag discs found in the Osprey Saltwater Series which allows for a smoother drag and increased drag capacity.
Finally! (Gosh, I'm stoked to be the one to tell you all this.) Florida Fishing Products is launching an 8000 size Osprey Saltwater Series Spinning Reel for all you MONSTER gamefish chasing addicts out there. I'm not too sure who in their right mind actually wants to wrestle with a 150 lbs tarpon for 45 minutes, but we've made a reel for you to do just that. With 49 lbs of drag, you can likely reel in ole Hitler (Boca Grande's most notorious hammerhead) who is lurking nearby in the hopes of eating that gargantuan Tarpon you've just brought boat side. Shoot, we have some buddies that would probably try their luck at wrangling in a megalodon shark with this 8000 size spinning reel if they weren't extinct (or are they???). The 8000 Osprey Saltwater Series has more drag (49 lbs), more line capacity (310 yards of 65# braid), and more power than you'll probably ever need...unless you hook the megalodon.
Let us break down the nitty gritty details for you.
- Price Point - At less than $200, you'll be hard pressed to find a better fishing reel on the market designed for saltwater fishing that also is produced by a United States (Tampa, Florida) based company that gives back to conservation. (We love fishing. We love our waters. We want to produce awesome gear for a low price and also help ensure the future of our fisheries.) Prices will range from $174.99 for the 3000 to $219.99 for the 8000. The Osprey 8000 will be the only model above the $200 price point (big reels = big parts = more money) at $219.99.
- Sealed Reel System - Unlike the rest of the big reel corps in the fishing industry who are removing everything they can to make their reels lighter and in turn exposing their reels to more saltwater and then back pedaling and adding ineffective rubber seals to make their reels more "corrosion resistant), we here at Florida Fishing Products decided to make our reel more simple. (They teach you K.I.S.S. in business school. Keep It Stupid Simple or Keep It Simple, Stupid. Hey teach! We listened!) We opted to do the simple and smart move and add more metal to our "full-metal" reels. We've focused intently on removing saltwater access points from the Osprey Saltwater Series. We've REMOVED the anti-reverse switch (thank the Lord!), filled in the holes in our mag-lite rotor, filled in the holes in our CNC Spools, designed the handle cover to overlap where it attaches to the reel, double sealed our C-Wave Drag System (a location where we found that it is beneficial to have seals), and even went to the lengths of narrowing the gap of where the roller attaches to bail arm.
- CNC Brass and Reinforced Zinc Gears - Let's face it. Anglers want a reel that's going to last! If you invest in a $175 reel, you're going to want that bad boy to help you catch more fish to impress your fiance that you can provide for her if the world goes to crap, assure your wife that the amount of time you spend on the water means more fish tacos, or grow your Instagram following so more people know just how good (or bad) of an angler you really are! That is why we've beefed up our pinion gear and oscillating gear to CNC machined brass, and reinforced our zinc main gear to put more torque on fish, fully utilize the capacity of the Dual Sealed C-Wave Drag System, and ultimately last longer.
- Dual Sealed C-Wave Drag System - Did we say Dual Sealed C-Wave Drag System? I'm sure most of you know what this (being the phenomenal anglers you all are), but for those who don't... the new drag system in the Osprey Saltwater Series is sealed at the drag knob and also underneath the spool. That means for all of you live bait slangin', Tampa Bay lovin' anglers -- who spend more time getting beat up plowing through rollers in the Bay and throwing nets to catch breakfast for the local dolphin population -- will have reels that can withstand the dowsing of saltwater that your reels inevitably get every time you go fishing. The C stands for "Carbon Fiber Drag Disc", which we have designed to not only last longer, but also to handle more pressure giving you the capacity for more drag so you can wrangle in those monster catfish. (Seriously though, there are many landlocked anglers who are begging for bigger spinning reels with more drag to catch giant freshwater catfish!). Finally, we have included a unique "wave" spring into our drag knob, which applies pressure more evenly and allows for a smoother drag and more pressure to be applied to the Carbon Fiber Drag Discs giving you more drag capacity.
- Quiet Drive Roller System - Hopefully, Action Craft doesn't sue us for the use of this beautiful term. When we think about what we want from a roller system on our spinning reels, we think "quiet, dry, and rolling". That's exactly why we decided to name our new roller system the Quiet Drive Roller System. It does just that! It keeps the roller dry, quiet, and constantly moving, which will put the anglers who hate the slight noises their reels inevitably make from the saltwater corrosion built up on their reel (due to their own negligence) at ease. We have not only made the new roller system better sealed by increasing the size of the roller itself to better fit the casing it sits in, but we have also removed the roller bearing in this fishing reel and replaced it with a composite bushing to keep the roller rolling day in and day out.
So, you've made it to the end of this extremely lengthy article (our editors hate me about as much as those fussy anglers hate noises in their reels) about our new Osprey Saltwater Series Spinning Reel. What do you do next? 1. Pre-Order online today. 2. Go to our Dealer Locator and check out one of these awesome reels in person when they launch in October. 3. Check out some of our videos on our FFP YouTube Page to see first-hand what these fishing reels can do. 4. Go back to supporting a large corporation that doesn't really care about you, the health of the estuaries you fish, or anything other than how much money they will profit this quarter.
Thank you for reading and GOOD FISHING!