Kraken XLA Series Reel

Flawless! Pulled in 30 lb Kings without a problem on my 9 wt.

handles fish well with a good drag system

handles fish well with a good drag system

I purchased the size 4 for my Spey rod, and am so pleased with the quality of this reel. Really loving not only the design, but also the buttery smooth drag. I am more of a traditionalist in reels, i.e. I rarely if ever have my drag set tight, however on a hard fighting chrome a few turns on the knob and slight hand pressure and this reel performs beautifully. For me buying the XLA went off the beaten path for the usual Spey reels but the road less traveled was surely worth it on this one!

I took a fly fishing trip back Jan 18th in Louisiana. I site fished, hooked and landed my biggest fish of a lifetime on the fly excluding a 6ft blacktip shark, using an 8wt fly rod and my Allen Dorado KRAKEN XLA #3 reel. It was a measured 43lb 42” Black Drum! The KRAKEN XLA reel and drag system performed flawlessly. Even with the drag setting set with lots of drag it was nice and smooth. I was using 30lb test tippet, but I think I needed a 9 or 10wt fly rod LOL. Turned into a 20 min fight more because I was protecting my 8wt rod and the drag system in the KRAKEN XLA reel helped protect my rod and land this big fish. I really like the large speed handle and its inbound location. I was able to real in line faster than any of my other reels, along with the big handle allows me more crank leverage on the reel in. I own and fish Nautilus and Hatch reels, but for my salt water fishing now days, I mostly use my KRAKEN XLA reel. I also own three original KRAKEN #3 reels and a Trout II Allen reels and they are all great reels. Just purchased a Omega #4 and Omega XLA #4 for even bigger saltwater fish. Thanks Justin and your team for great products and excellent customer service!

Just got back from 2 weeks in the jungle and salt targeting massive tarpon, jacks, barracuda, snook, permits and bones. The drags on this reel were tested by 200# tarpon numerous times and performed flawlessly. The configuration of the handle inside the spool made speedy line retrieval sooo much easier. These are the go-to reels for me now, and I expect the lodge we were with will be emailing Allen about getting a batch for their clients. A MUST HAVE for big tarpon. No other reels on the trip matched the XLA. What a great job you guys at Allen have done!

This reel is innovation at its finest. Companies love to advertise their 'new technology' and 'completely redesigned' reels that at the end of the day....don't really do anything different. This is not the case however for the XLA. Allen really thought outside the box an designed a reel that actually changes the way you fish certain species. To start it off, THIS REEL IS HUGE! In the best way possible! The extra large arbor gives you the line pick up of a typical 12 wt size reel in an extra light-skinny spool package of 7-9 wt. Allen even put their extremely oversized handle closer to the center of the spool. This makes it feel like you are reeling in a 3.5" diameter reel when in fact you are picking up almost twice as much line. The drag has a huge range of adjustment. Lots of room to dial in that perfect tippet protecting tension but also gives you a drag that maxes out to the point you simply cant pull any line out. I see this as a perfect bonefish reel in the smaller size due to the beautiful drag adjustment and line pickup. In the larger size it seems like a no brainer tarpon reel. Why buy anything else?

I bought the XLA mainly for striper on lake Lanier in GA. It's silky smooth, and when you dial it up, has good stopping force, flawless start up. I like that it has a large arbor, but is narrow enough so that it's not too bulky. I've only caught a few fish on it so far, the biggest was about a 14 lb stripe. Looking forward to getting the big one!

Got this reel to match the 8wt Azimuth rod. Used it up in Pyramid Lake, NV for giant cutties last week and it worked flawlessly. Great, smooth drag and plenty of stopping power. It is a great large arbor reel and paired well with the Azimuth rod.
Next trip, Cayman Islands for bones and Tarpon!

I recently purchased a size 3 XLA to match with my 9wt Alluvion for big Stripers and Muskies, and boy was I amazed. The drag is unlike anything I've ever felt in a fly reel. My friend has a size 4 Alpha 3 and this reel is basically the same size, so really a size 3 XLA could be used for a 7 all the way to an 11wt. I recently put the heat on a 40lb striper and stopped him in his tracks. This reel is well worth the money because with a spare spool it can serve many rods and weights. Thanks AJ and the rest of the team. You guys rock!!!