After over a year of development, Allen Fly Fishing is introducing an all-new reel that extends its very popular Kraken big game reel series. The new reel, the Kraken XLA is designed to offer incredibly quick line pickup and as such comes to the table as what appears to be the largest arbor reel available relative to the line class each model is intended to hold. The largest in the new Kraken XLA series, the Kraken XLA 5, features a whopping 5.5" spool diameter.
The Kraken XLA features a brand new, carbon 6-disc sealed drag system that Allen says was strengthened and redesigned to "account for the wider range of leverage on the arbor". Allen is calling it their strongest drag system ever, and one of the best available anywhere. The new drag system is exclusive to the XLA, but a similar version will be featured in upcoming Allen reels.
According to Allen, "In our testing phases on this reel, we managed several sailfish in Mexico up to 100lbs, and dozens of other bluewater species ranging from dorado to tuna. The rapid line pickup kept us in control of the lengthy battles, helping us connect to the fish in a fraction of the time whether we were frantically reeling in as they charged at the boat, or simply gaining as much progress as we could while slugging it out in tug of war."
The Kraken XLA is available immediately, with pricing ranging from an attractive $339 to $359. Spare spool availability is expected January 2014.
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