Galvan Torque Fly Reel - Happy 20th Anniversary

Congratulations, Galvan Fly Reels!   

Twenty years. Two decades.  That’s a long time, especially in an era of rapid technological, social, and cultural change.  Fly fishing hypes the latest and greatest tech, gadgets, and gear with relentless zeal.  Did you know that the typical life cycle of hard goods like rods and reels these days is only 3 to 5 years?  At a time when it seems like the fly fishing industry is always chasing the next best thing, there are still a few products out there that have remained available, relevant, and excellent well beyond the typical product life span.  The Galvan Torque fly reel is one of those products.   

The Torque turns Twenty Years Old this year and remains essentially unchanged from the original design that came out in 2004.  Since then, many anglers, myself included, have taken to the water with a Torque seated on their favorite fly rod.  I got my first Torques in 2004, soon after they came out.  A T-6 and a T-12, which still happen to be my two favorite sizes.  From the alpine streams and lakes of the Sierra Nevada up behind the Galvan shop in Sonora, CA, to the remote bluewater banks at the end of the fly fishing world, and everywhere in between, Torques have provided excellent, reliable performance and seemingly timeless good looks that simply make me want to get out and go fishing.   

To commemorate their two decade milestone, Galvan recently released a limited run of beautiful, gold anodized Torques in the T-5, T-6, and T-8 sizes, engraved with “20th Anniversary” on their frame.  I’m a real sucker for fly reels and was fortunate enough to recently add the gold T-6 to my collection of Galvan’s.  How do you get one?  Through Galvan dealers like Big Sky Anglers.  We got our .007 Goldfingers on a few and you can check ‘em out at the shop or online while they last.

So, why has the Torque remained popular for 20 years?  Choosing a fly reel is very subjective, and I won’t argue with folks about why they might or might not like a certain reel.  That said, in my opinion, there are plenty of reasons that the Torque has remained every bit as popular today as it was back then. 

First and foremost, it feels right to support the Galvan family.  I met Boni and Carmen way back in the day when I was just a young fly shop kid creeping around West Yellowstone.  In the last 25 years, I’ve been fortunate to come to know the entire Galvan family that works at the shop.  When you call HQ, the phone will likely be answered by someone related to Boni and Carmen.  I love a good family business, and the Galvans are as kind, friendly, reliable, resilient, and classy as they come.  I don’t know if a fly reel can be kind or friendly, but they sure can be reliable, resilient, and classy, and the reels that sport the Galvan name have always been just that.  

That brings me to my second point.  Torques are durable and reliable reels.  I’ve not had a Torque let me down or go out on me when everything was happening.  They require very little attention, and their entire drag system can be taken apart, cleaned, and reassembled at home or in the field with basic tools in just a few minutes.  That saves me time as well as shipping and service costs, and keep me fishing rather than waiting on the mailman.  At one point I had a Torque start to get a bit less smooth after about a decade of hard use, and Galvan simply replaced the warn drag plate at no charge.  Good as new. 

Torques also come in any size you might need for your 2wt through 12+wt rods.  And, they all can be fitted with brass weights for balancing out longer or heavier rods.  The weight of the T-3 through T-7 sizes can be increased by 0.5oz by adding one of the G.E.N Weights, and the T-8 through T-12 sizes can be increased by either 1oz or 2oz by adding one or two of the Spey Weights.  Super slick, and a great way to add versatility to a reel. 

Lastly, the fact that Torques have remained geometrically unchanged for 20 years, and the spools and frames are interchangeable with matching sizes of the Galvan Rush, Rush Light, and G.E.N. reels means that it is easy to find compatibility among reels and spools in the gear bag.  That’s a handy feature for folks like me that have way too many different floating, sink tip, and sinking lines for my 6wts! 

In the end, it’s all up to you what you fish.  The main thing is to get something reliable that makes you stoked to go fishing more often.  That’s really what matters.  Sincerest congratulations once again to the Galvan family and the extended Galvan Fly Reels family on reaching a fantastic milestone and for building a great product that’s stood the test of time.  I look forward to another 20 years with my Torques.