Winner of the best new freshwater reel for 2018 by Fly Fisherman Magazine and Best of Show at the 2017 ICAST/IFTD industry trade show, the SDF comes on the heels ofAbel’s move to Colorado: the trout-based surroundings clearly inspiredthem to take it up a notch.

Based on the SDS (Sealed Drag Salt), the SDF (Sealed Drag Fresh) is a scaled-down version of the award-winning saltwater titan featuring similar porting and a stainless steel / carbon fluoropolymer drag system. The SDF boasts an enormous amount of drag, an adjustment range almost three times greater than its predecessor, and virtually zero start up inertia.

Abeltook what was learned fromtheir SDS design, made sure to include the unmistakable Abel fit and finish, and created one of the best freshwater reels around.