Some reels are tools. The Ross San Miguel is an instrument. I’ll admit that’s exactly the kind of line a guy uses to justify spending real money on something whose only job is to hold line — but stick with me.
It sits on my Winston Pure 2, and I didn’t choose it by accident. The Winston is old-school — medium action, deliberate, built for a casting stroke that has some patience in it. The San Miguel matches that character. It’s a beautiful reel that belongs on this rod the way a cork grip belongs on a bamboo rod. Did I need a reel this nice to catch trout? No. Did I buy one anyway? Obviously.
The short answer
The Ross San Miguel is a $669 dry fly reel with a sealed carbon-and-stainless drag, machined from aluminum in Montrose, Colorado — I run it on my Winston Pure 2 for technical South Platte tailwater fishing on 6X, where its smooth, no-spike drag matters most. It’s a dry fly reel for a dry fly rod, not a streamer or 7wt setup.
More reel than a Deckers brown strictly requires. Never regretted it.
The Drag
The San Miguel uses a sealed carbon and stainless drag system — powerful, smooth, and fully sealed against grit and moisture. It’s not the mechanical simplicity of a click-pawl; it’s a precision drag with a wide adjustment range that stays consistent from the first fish to the last.
For fishing 6X on a South Platte brown, what you want is a drag that applies pressure without spiking. The San Miguel does that. It starts smoothly and stays smooth throughout the run. On flat Deckers water where fish are running for the far bank on a big PMD, I’m not thinking about the reel — which is exactly how it should be.
The Build
Machined aluminum, made in Montrose, Colorado — same town as the Scott Centric it gets paired with on certain days. Ross has been building reels here since 1973 and the San Miguel shows it. Tight tolerances, no slop in the spool, finish that looks the same after years of use. When you pick this reel up, the weight and the feel tell you exactly what it cost to make it.
The gold center and black frame are unmistakable. It’s one of the more recognizable reels on the water — the kind that gets a “nice reel” from a stranger at the put-in before he’s even seen you cast. There’s a reason people collect these.
On the Water
Paired with the Winston Pure 2 on flat Deckers water, the San Miguel sits in the rod hand exactly right. Light enough not to overbalance the medium-action blank. The drag adjustment is right where my hand lands naturally. When a fish runs, I apply pressure and the reel responds — no startup jerk, no stutter.
It’s a dry fly reel for a dry fly rod. Not something I’d put on a streamer rod or a 7wt. But for technical tailwater fish on long leaders and light tippet, it’s the right choice.
My take
I can make the rational case — sealed drag, Montrose machining, no spike on light tippet — but the rational case isn’t really why this reel rides on the Winston. That’s the outfit I slow my whole day down for, and on a deliberate rod, gear that’s merely functional feels like a small wrong note. The San Miguel is the one purchase I made knowing full well it was partly about beauty, and the only one I’ve never once needed to defend to myself. Some gear earns its keep by working. This one also earns it by being right.
How much does the Ross San Miguel cost?
The San Miguel runs $669. For that you get a sealed carbon and stainless drag, machined aluminum, and a reel built in Montrose, Colorado — more than a Deckers brown strictly requires, but it’s the kind of reel you never regret picking up.
Who It’s For
If you fish dry flies on technical water and you want a reel that matches the character of the fishing — precise, deliberate, made to last — the San Miguel is the answer. It pairs with the Winston Pure 2 the way it’s supposed to. Everything about it is right for what it is.
Is it more reel than a Deckers brown strictly requires? Sure. But I’ve never once regretted picking it up, and that’s about the highest praise I can give a piece of gear.
Price: $669 | Tactical Fly Fisher
Part of my five-rod South Platte quiver.