This is my first Nautilus reel. I must admit to being impressed by the manufacture and finish. The design features check all of my requirements for a great reel. The drag is highly adjustable and smooth as silk. The reel is incredibly light, but sturdy. I am incredibly happy with this purchase. BTW, the service from Trouts was awesome!

I recently began to dive head first into bass fishing while also needing a beefier reel for streamer season and lastly, still have dreams of salt water fishing in the gulf. I bought a new rod for such pursuits and need a reel to match. I had an expensive item in mind to pair with this new beautiful rod but to Trouts credit they acknowledged the company’s great reputation but guided me in another direction. Nautilus Reel’s, a U.S.A. made company out of Florida known for its durability, versatility and of course, style and was quite a bit cheaper than the one I had in mind. I went with the Nautilus X-Series XL Max in matte black with the ergonomically mindful drag system in a beautiful blood red. The Trouts team and I agreed it checked all the boxes when I came to my needs. It is a great comfort to know the guys at Trouts had the customer in mind regardless of price tag.
As for its performance on the water, I quickly hooked some bass on it and it didn't disappoint. I had optimistically had set the drag on the Nautilus reel with a large fish in mind and lucked out. With a ton of line out I quickly reeled it in with a precise and clean feel and landed the 3-4 pounder. I can't wait to catch all sorts of monsters with this reel all over the USA.

I have the XM flavor of this reel on my 5wt Winston Nexus. It's extremely lightweight and the drag is very smooth. Build quality is amazing and it definitely seems like it'll last forever. My only complaint would be that it's a touch to light for my nexus, but that's probably more of a knock against the rod than the reel. I'm sure it would balance perfectly on some of the newer lighter rods out there.