Saltwater Mooching

The Black Islander MR2-LA pairs a cork drag and large arbor with a frame-side free-spool lever for fast drops, but that mechanism makes this $799.00 reel right-hand retrieve only; Islander's page title and spec table print the model as MR2LA.

What Stands Out

• A real free-spool lever: The frame-side lever disengages the drag so I can drop gear without backing off the drag knob every time.
• Right-hand retrieve only: This is not a configuration choice. Islander explicitly says the free-spool mechanism dictates right-hand retrieve.
• Large-arbor spool: Islander specifies a 4.25-inch diameter and says the large arbor increases retrieval rate while eliminating the need for backing.
• Cork drag with a sculpted knob: The MR2-LA uses a brass clutch with cork drag surface, controlled through the prominent sculpted drag knob.
• Purposeful salmon capacity: The printed specification is 340 yards of 30# monofilament with no backing required, subject to line style.
• Canadian-machined construction: The reel uses 6061-T6 solid billet aluminum, a brass clutch, and a 316 stainless-steel spindle, with final assembly by hand in Canada.
• Premium price, regardless of colour: Black, Clear, Blue, and Gold are each listed at $799.00 on the captured US storefront. The Black MR2-LA is the reel reviewed and pictured here.

In The Field

The easiest way to understand the MR2-LA is to stop thinking of the free-spool lever as another feature on an expensive mooching reel. It is the feature. If I am spending $799.00 on this model instead of choosing a more conventional cork-drag Islander, it is because I want that lever every time I send a rig back down.

On a Puget Sound downrigger setup, that distinction becomes obvious quickly. I can establish the drag where I want it, use the frame-side lever to disengage the drag system, and get the gear moving toward depth without turning the drag knob loose. Once I have the drag where I like it, I would rather leave that setting alone than repeatedly disturb it just to drop.

That is the practical meaning behind Islander's line about setting the drag once and forgetting about it. It does not mean drag adjustment stops mattering. It means the drop itself no longer requires me to use the drag knob as my release mechanism.

For a novice looking at photos of the reel, the controls are worth separating mentally. The sculpted central knob controls the cork drag. The frame-side lever operates free spool. They are doing different jobs.

That separation is especially useful when the day involves a lot of vertical movement. Jigging is the obvious case. If I need to get a lure back into the working zone quickly, free spool makes intuitive sense: disengage the drag, drop, then put the reel back to work. The same logic applies when I am repeatedly resetting gear while trolling or working a downrigger.

Traditional mooching benefits for much the same reason. Depth changes are part of the process, and the MR2-LA gives me a dedicated way to let line out quickly rather than asking the drag adjustment to perform two jobs.

The tradeoff arrives immediately, though: right-hand retrieve only.

That needs to be treated as a purchase filter rather than fine print. Islander explicitly states that the free-spool mechanism dictates the reel's right-hand retrieve. I would decide whether that works for me before getting attached to anything else about the MR2-LA. There is no reason to rationalize a $799.00 reel whose required retrieve side does not fit the way I want to fish.

If right-hand retrieve is already natural for me, the restriction may be almost irrelevant. In that case I can judge the reel on what it gives me: free spool, cork drag, large arbor, substantial line capacity, and the materials and machining Islander specifies.

The Black colour also suits this reel particularly well. On the Black MR2-LA, the sculpted hardware and broad spool geometry are easy to read without the reel looking ornamental. It feels visually like working salmon tackle rather than something trying to imitate a fly reel for display. More importantly, the layout makes the reel's priorities obvious: big spool, accessible drag control, and that separate frame-side free-spool lever.

The spool itself is another important part of the MR2-LA concept. Islander specifies a 4.25-inch diameter and 1.0-inch spool width, with capacity for 340 yards of 30# monofilament and no backing required. The company notes that actual capacity is subject to the style of line used, which is the sensible caveat here.

The large arbor is not just about capacity. Islander says it increases retrieval rate. I would leave it at that rather than turning the specification into a made-up speed number. From a fishing standpoint, what matters is straightforward: after sending gear down, I want a spool designed to recover line efficiently when I need to bring the setup back up.

At 16.5 oz, this is also not a reel I would mistake for delicate tackle. In use, that weight makes more sense in the context of a dedicated salmon setup than it would if I were chasing minimum rod-and-reel mass. The construction explains some of that substance: the body is CNC machined in Canada from 6061-T6 solid billet aluminum, while the spindle is CNC machined in Canada from 316 bar stock stainless steel.

Inside the clutch system, Islander specifies a CNC-machined-in-Canada brass clutch with a cork drag surface. That cork drag is an important part of the MR2-LA identity, but I would not buy the reel based on an imagined drag-power figure. Islander does not print a maximum-drag number on this product page. The useful buying information is the material and control system: cork drag, brass clutch, and a sculpted drag knob.

The reel rotates on three sealed / double shielded stainless-steel ball bearings according to the official specification. The decision becomes more interesting when I put the MR2-LA beside the MR3 conceptually. Both sit at $799.00 on the captured US storefront, so there is no price discount here for accepting the MR2-LA's fixed retrieve orientation. The reason to choose the MR2-LA is therefore not that it is the cheaper route into an Islander cork-drag salmon reel. It is that I specifically want the free-spool lever.

That is a useful distinction because it prevents the premium machining from obscuring the actual decision. If I spend my days making repeated downrigger drops, jigging vertically, or otherwise wanting a quick dedicated free-spool action, the MR2-LA has a clear purpose. If I mostly want the feel and control of a traditional cork-drag mooching reel and free spool sounds merely nice to have, I would question whether this is the right branch of the Islander lineup.

Every colour variant says In Production on the captured US page, while the page schema reports OutOfStock for every colour. The page also contains stock phrases, but they are not tied to individual colours.

Black is the reel I am evaluating here. Clear, Blue, and Gold are the other listed colours, each at the same $799.00 price. Colour does not change the central buying question.

There is also optional custom laser engraving. Islander says engraving is an add-on and specifies the white option only; it cannot engrave in colour. I would treat that as customization rather than part of the standard reel.

Ultimately, the MR2-LA makes the most sense when I can describe exactly when I will use its lever. Picture a salmon day with repeated resets: gear comes up, bait or lure gets checked, the setup goes back over, and I need it down at the target depth again. With this reel, I can keep my drag setting and use a dedicated control for the drop. That is a small mechanical distinction that can become a meaningful workflow advantage after enough repetitions.

But it cuts both ways. The mechanism that creates the MR2-LA's strongest advantage also creates its biggest limitation. Right-hand retrieve is mandatory. At $799.00, I would not compromise on that point merely because I like everything else about the reel.

If right-hand retrieve fits me and fast, repeated drops are central to how I fish, the MR2-LA has a coherent reason to exist. If either half of that statement is false, its case gets considerably weaker.

Technical Specifications

Final Thoughts

The Islander MR2-LA is easy to overcomplicate because it combines premium machining, a cork drag, large-arbor spool, and classic salmon-reel proportions. For me, the purchase decision is much narrower: do I want a dedicated free-spool lever badly enough to accept right-hand retrieve only?

For frequent downrigger drops, jigging, and mooching resets, I can see the attraction immediately. I set the cork drag where I want it and use the lever when I need gear headed down. That is the MR2-LA's advantage, and it is more meaningful than another specification on a table.

But the same mechanism removes retrieve-side flexibility, while the interchangeable MR3 sits at the same $799.00. That makes this a specialized choice rather than the automatic Islander pick. I would buy the Black MR2-LA because I know I want free spool—not simply because I want a premium cork-drag salmon reel.