By Grant Alvis: February 6, 2023
The Seigler SG is the company's “flagship” reel of sorts. It was the first model that was released, soon followed by its big brother the LG. Don't be fooled by its "small game" description, this reel is just as comfortable jigging wrecks 30 miles out for amberjack and tuna as it would be sitting in a rod holder on the back of a catfish boat. The SG is my favorite reel in their lineup and the one I have used the most by a mile.
Line and Drag Capacity
The SG is another American made gem from the Seigler reels lineup. I’ve had the pleasure of fishing this reel for many different species and it has excelled for all of them. The SG sports up to 30lbs of drag which can make stopping even the strongest of fish a breeze and with the 450yds/50lb braid capacity, you won’t have any worries about running out of line. These reels are a lever drag style and boast an extremely wide range of buttery smooth drag settings and also a strike button feature like many other popular offshore reel models on the market.
Gear Ratio and Torque
With a 6:1 ratio and 38” per crank retrieval rate, these reels are well suited for vertical jigging. A feature that has benefits across the board and is one of my personal favorites is the long power handle. The longer handles that come standard on Seigler reels really provide that extra bit of torque to make winching in giant fish much more comfortable. There is even a longer handle option available now as well.
I have mainly used this reel for live baiting and jigging Red Drum in the Chesapeake Bay and targeting trophy Blue Catfish in the various tidal rivers of Virginia. I have had the pleasure to land a ton of each over the years using this reel and I can say with absolute confidence that it still feels as good as the day I brought it home. The lever drag feature plays a huge role in my fishing. While live-baiting it is great to allow the fish to run with the bait before loading up on them, especially when fishing circle hooks. Big Blue Cats and Red Drum will often drop a bait if they feel pressure so having the ability to set the drag just tight enough to hold the bait then allowing the reel to essentially be in free spool as soon as they eat is crucial. When the drag is preset correctly, as the fish runs with the bait, I will quickly engage the drag with about 2/3 of the drag pressure range and then let the rod load up. The smoothness of the drag really comes into play with keeping this fish from getting spooked after picking up the bait.
The Seigler SG is a small reel with big reel ambition. These reels are more than suited for offshore species but are also perfectly at home near shore of even chasing large freshwater gamefish. As far as I’m concerned, this reel has it all. American made quality, buttery smooth offshore muscle, near infinitely adjustable lever drag, fast retrieve and a long power handle. If that sounds like it checks the boxes that matter to you, then do yourself a favor and run down to a Seigler dealer or order you an SG online. You will NOT regret adding one or a ton of these to your arsenal.
Grant Alvis
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