In this Florida Fishing Products Osprey review, we’re looking at what makes this reel qualify as a premium saltwater spinning option. By the end, you should be able to determine if the Osprey is the right choice for your inshore fishing.
Much of the motivation for the Florida Fishing Products Osprey came from anglers’ desire to fish the mangroves and the flats with the same reel. They needed one lightweight enough to cast artificial baits all day and had the drag and durability to pull in larger redfish and snook.
It seems like most reels usually compromise one thing or the other. You have a reel that costs an arm and a leg, and you get everything you want, or you sacrifice durability and comfort. Florida Fishing Products intends to eliminate the skepticism around that subject.
The result of years of research and networking with anglers is the Florida Fishing Products Osprey. This reel combines elements of a lightweight finesse reel while still packing enough drag capacity and strength to hook the big fish and turn their heads in your direction.
When you compare this reel to other spinning reels like the Penn Battle II, you’ll find the Osprey much lighter while offering more drag capacity.
The Bottom Line
- A quality mid-tier priced saltwater reel ideal for inshore fishing
- Very smooth reel with quality carbon fiber drag
- Lightweight reel starting at 7.4 oz.
- Very durable aircraft-grade aluminum body
The Florida Fishing products Osprey is available here.
Florida Fishing Products is new to the saltwater fishing scene. It was founded in 2016, so we immediately wanted to grab this reel and get it on the water.
We ran into Ty Nelson, one of the founders at ICAST, this year, and he said that the company was founded on maintaining quality and integrity in their reels. They wanted to build the best fishing reels affordable for the average fisherperson.
Florida Fishing Products noticed that reel manufacturers were using cheaper and cheaper materials while the prices were still increasing. One thing that the founders couldn’t understand was the fact that technology and the development of reels are getting easier and easier, so why is the quality decreasing?
The company’s goal is to provide anglers with the tools they need to catch the fish they want. They’re always seeking feedback, researching, and developing ways to improve their products. To learn more about the company, visit their site FloridaFishingProducts.com.
Features
Aircraft Grade Aluminum Body
An issue that many anglers have is choosing between lightweight and durability. You shouldn’t have to do that. Florida Fishing Products Osprey uses aircraft-grade aluminum for its reel body, which is lightweight enough for finesse fishing but more durable than plastic and most composites. This factor will prevent flexing when battling larger fish and adds to the overall durability of the reel and the components.
Lightweight Composite Rotor
The lightweight rotor is a composite material that doesn’t add much weight to the reel yet is strong enough to stand up to larger fish.
Lightweight Aluminum Spool
It’s all in the name of durability and weight control with this reel. In addition to a lightweight aluminum body, they’ve extended that design into the spool itself.
The spool is made of CNC aluminum, and if you remove the spool, you can see where there is a steel insert for the drag clicker. Features like this make us confident that this reel will withstand the test of time.
Lightweight Aluminum Bail
The bail on the Florida Fishing Products Osprey is aluminum, so you won’t have to worry about flexing or bending. We found that the bail is very solid and quiet.
It snaps open and closes without making much noise, which is nice. We always recommend flipping the bail manually, and in the case of the Osprey, it is much easier to flip manually than to try to get it close by turning the handle.
Strong Carbon Fiber Drag
We’ve talked about it a lot, and I’ll say it again. Thanks to the carbon fiber discs, this reel has a powerful drag system that will provide an amazing 18 lbs of drag on the tiny 1000 and 24 lbs of drag on the 4000 & 5000 sizes. The drag is smooth and strong, and we felt no catchiness when it engaged.
Water Resistant Front Drag Adjustment Knob
When fishing saltwater, protecting the internals from salt corrosion is important. The design of the drag adjustment knob is smart because it’s well sealed, which prevents salt water from getting in around the main shaft and working its way into the body of the reel and down into the main gear and bearings.
I like the fact that the knob has an opening under the adjustment that allows you to easily grab it when your fingers are slimed as compared to some adjustment knobs that look nice as they are smooth but do not provide the same level of grip, especially in wet and slimy conditions.
Shielded Stainless Ball Bearings (10+1)
Smoothness is another important factor that everyone looks for in a reel, and you always want to ensure that the bearings are stainless steel so they will last. This reel uses a 10+1 shielded stainless steel ball-bearing design, which is great for smooth performance and longevity.
The reel also ships with its bottle of Clenzoil lubricant, which should be used before you take it out for the first time.
Stainless Steel Main Shaft
The main shaft of the Florida Fishing Products Osprey is also stainless steel, which promotes additional durability and strength in the reel. When you have a larger fish on, it is nice to know that you have the strength or steel backing you up and that since it is stainless, it will not corrode due to the saltwater.
Die Cast Zinc Main Gear
Die-cast zinc is ideal for the main gear on fishing reels because it can withstand a lot of pressure without fracturing, and it is a lightweight material. If you find yourself with something larger than you bargained for at the end of your line, you won’t have to stress with the Osprey.
Brass Pinion Gear
The pinion gear is made from solid brass and will stand the test of time. When looking inside the reel, we found that the pinion gear and the main gear had about 3 teeth engaged at all times, which means that the reel will last longer as there is less stress on each tooth.
Anti-Reverse Switch
An anti-reverse switch is a nice feature if you are fishing live bait. It allows you to choose whether you want to back-reel or not. Personally, we don’t use it very often, and the anti-reverse switch acts as an entry point for saltwater, so make sure to rinse your reel thoroughly after each use.
Swept Threaded Aluminum Handle
The aluminum handle adds durability and strength to the reel without sacrificing weight. We like how the swept handle places the hand closer to the reel’s center, allowing greater cranking power, especially when you have the power handle option.
Teardrop or Oversized EVA Handle Knob
You have the choice of picking your handle knob depending on what type of fishing you plan on doing. If you’re looking to crank that baby, you might want to choose the power handle. I might go with the teardrop design for light lures and smaller inshore species on your smaller 1000 and 2500-size reels. Options are always nice, though.
Features at a Glance
- Aircraft Grade Aluminum Body
- Lightweight Composite Rotor
- Aluminum Spool
- Strong Carbon Fiber Drag
- Water Resistant Front Drag Adjustment Knob
- Shielded Stainless Ball Bearings (10+1)
- Stainless Steel Main Shaft
- Die Cast Zinc Main Gear
- Brass Pinion Gear
- Anti-Reverse Switch
- Swept Threaded Aluminum Handle
- Teardrop or Oversized EVA Handle Knob
You must have a sound drag system on your reel. When hooking into a fish, the first goal is to turn your head around. Once you’ve accomplished that, the battle is stacked in your favor. They decided to use a carbon fiber disc drag, which offers a lot of strength and is very smooth.
The other thing that we need to make mention is that the drag adjustment knob allows for five full rotations in the adjustment. This is important to note as it gives you a wide range of settings and allows you to fine-tune the drag based on what you happen to be catching that day.
If we talk a little about drag strength, you’ll be surprised that the Osprey offers between 18 pounds of drag on the 1000 size and 24 pounds on the 5000 size. The 3000 model has 22 pounds of drag, which is more than enough. For finesse anglers fishing inshore, you won’t need more than a few pounds of drag, and again it is easy to let off the drag with the adjustment knob.
The drag strength is for you guys who want to load up the heavier braid and go at it. By all means, we received some information from the owner of Florida Fishing Products. He said that the reel is great for inshore finesse fishing, but many people will push the reel harder than they should.
Going after fish larger than your standard snook and redfish in the 30″-36″ range may result in gear problems, bent shafts, and bent frames. We assume this is from trying to see if you can land a big grouper, tarpon, or monster snook on one of the smaller models, as we felt that the 3000 we tested made short work of a 32″ redfish.
The good news is that some new models will be geared towards the larger species or gamefish, and we will be testing those shortly.
Osprey Field Test
For our field test, we paired an Osprey 3000 with one of our favorite spinning rods, the St. Croix Mojo Yak Spinning rod, in a 7’6″ MH.
We wanted to test this setup with a wide variety of fishing scenarios, so we first set out to see if we could get into some of the larger specs in the area. We rigged up with a Z-Man MinnowZ on a 1/4 oz jighead under our favorite popping cork, the VersaMaxx, and went to the casting.
We managed to get a few specs in the 18-20″ range that just hammered the lure, and with the easily adjustable drag, it was a fun fight. We were just about to switch over to some live bait when my buddy Dan got hammered with a 27″ red. The drag was super smooth, and the oversized power handle made getting the fish back to the yak easy.
We were impressed with how smooth the retrieve is on these reels. One thing to make sure you remember to do is read the instructions and oil your reel right out of the box. Mine was smooth, but it became much softer when I added a few drops of the included lubricant.
The evening was approaching us, and we had loaded up on some live bait, so we were getting excited to get into some of the larger redfish known to stalk our waters at night.
We switched to Carolina rigs with a 1 oz bullet weight and started fishing around some of our favorite docks. It only took a while, and we found where the bulls were hanging out. Dan and I got into some 32″-34″ bulls that let us test the drag and strength of this reel.
Overall, I have to say that I am very impressed with this reel from a new company, and I look forward to continuing fishing with it. I also look forward to seeing what other new products come out shortly.
Pros
- Incredibly durable
- Lightweight
- Powerful drag system
- Environmentally mindful company
Cons
- Few purchasing options
- Some sizes sold out
Alternatives
If we look at other options that might compare to this reel, we should start by looking at the Shimano Stradic FK. This reel is priced slightly below the Osprey and a little lighter in terms of weight.
You also get the rigid Hagane body, known for being durable and not flexing under pressure. During my research, I noticed that many people who like the Stradic FK have purchased the Osprey and liked it better.
One downside of the Stradic FK I noticed is the absence of an anti-reverse switch. Some plastic parts may compromise the durability of the reel. This reel also falls a little short in max drag capabilities with a max drag of 20 lbs vs the Ospreys 24 lbs. It uses a 6+1 bearing design that doesn’t feel as smooth as the Florida Fishing Products Osprey. Overall, the Shimano Stradic FK is a good alternative.
Next, look at an incredibly popular reel, the Penn Battle II. You’ll pick this one up at a fraction of the cost of the Osprey, but does it sacrifice in features? Well, it sacrifices weight because the 3000 model is 12.3 ounces compared to 9.6 ounces in the Osprey.
Some reel parts are not fully sealed, which is unsuitable for saltwater fishing. The Penn Battle II also falls short in drag capacity but offers larger model sizes ranging between 1000 and 8000. You would have to step up to the 6000 model to match the drag capacity of a 3000 size Osprey. That decision would also increase the weight to 22.1 ounces, more than twice the weight.
Lastly, we have the Daiwa Fuego LT. This reel is a bit more affordable than the Florida Fishing Products Osprey and nearly two ounces lighter. The reel has a solid sealed build, which is great for saltwater fishing. You also get 22 pounds of drag on their 2500 and 3000 models. The reels use a 6+1 bearing system, which is smooth but not as smooth as the Osprey.
This reel performs well, but there are some issues with the light drag setting sticking. Overall, this reel is a great alternative if you’re looking to save a few bucks.
In Conclusion
My final thoughts are for you to grab a Florida Fishing Products Osprey and find out for yourself. The reel performs exceptionally well as it offers a buttery smooth retrieval, great durability, and a lightweight design that is light enough to fish all day but still feels like you’ve got a strong reel in your hands.
At first, it might seem as though it is priced a little high for a brand that no one knows, but when you compare it to the competition, you are getting your money’s worth, and I doubt you’ll be disappointed.
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