Fly Reel

I think I kind of put the cart before the horse as I learned to tie a couple flies before I owned a Fly rod to use them on..
 
Thanks to you fellas for your info and shortening the learning curve considerably..
 
I have never chased steel with a fly rod. But I am about to try.
 
Last time I had a fly rod in my hands was 25 yrs ago, so I am basically starting over..
 
I just picked up a 9'  6w   4pcs rod..  Sage Launch...
 
Reviews seem pretty good for beginner use...
 
As I know little about Fly reels my next question is..
 
What reel will match up to this rod ? It will be used almost exclusively for steelhead.
 
 
How do you match up reel weight compared to rod weight ?? Is there a standard or formula to follow ? Would like to get the balance right...
 
 
Trying to keep the cost of reel to $100...
 
Thanks in advance guys as all the help is greatly appreciated...
 
 

I know your price range is 100$ last year right before christmas i got a lamson konic mid arbor it listed for 139$ but due to the 2009 models coming in they knocked the price down to 129$ said they had to make room for new inventory i'm very happy with it.. And another one for right around 130$ would be an orvis battenkill another great fly reel that would match up nice with that sage rod..

I have one too (Battenkill mid-arbor III).I paid $139 for it and at the time they had a promotion going where I got an extra spool for free. It balances just fine on my 6 wt. The jury's still out on the drag for steelhead though as I've only hooked 3 while using it. Cold can answer that question.   

For erie steelhead you should have a reel with a spool diameter of 3.7 to 3.75".  The Lamson Konic would be a good choice and would balance well with your 6 wt sage. About $130.

The Battenkill should serve you well.

i used a battenkill ma III on my 7 wt. no problems when i hooked into steelies out from trout run. the drag slowed them down after they took me into the backing but before they reached canada!!
i just purchased the mid arbor IV. for steelies. didn't get to use it yet but i'm sure it will do just as good and if not better. 
 

I got a brand new Ross Fly Start 4 (7/8 wt) with backing, line, and leader for $65 after shipping on ebay.  Landed 7 fish first time out and it worked fine, overall very smooth and quiet reel.  

I got into fly fishing about 4 months ago, and ordered the GP 9' 5-6 wt. 2-piece, GP 5-6 reel, and set of Trinity waders.  It took forever for them to ship, and when I called to inquire about it the CEO was very condenscending and promised I would recieve a shipping notification right away viaemail.  I recieved it three days later, the day before the shipment arrived.  I shook this off and found that I was satisfied with the equipment that I had purchased, although the reel has developed some wobble after only moderate use. 

In early May I placed an order for a GP 9'6" 7-8 wt. 2-piece, and a week later I recieved the rod.  The next weekend I finally got out on the water with it to chase stripers.  I hooked up within a few minutes and landed a nice 9 lb. female, no problems.  Until an hour later, when  I made a roll cast and the rod snapped in half just above the third snake guide above the ferrule.  This was the first time I had used the rod!  Well, I figured no big deal.  Albright has a "10 day, no hassle return policy", and being that this is the 7th day that the rod had been in my possession(let alone the first time I had used it) surely it would be covered under this policy and they would send me a new tip section.  I was saddly mistaken.  After a few emails and phone calls, during all of which I was given the run around and plenty of excuses, I was told by the CEO that I would have to send in a digital pic of the broken rod in order for them to sell me a new one at a discounted price of $44.99.  This was the best that they could do.  Discounted price????  If I had wanted to pay that much I would have just ordered another one off of the website!  Not only that, but he informed me that I needed to order a different 8-9 wt. to handle the stripers, that the 7-8 wt. wouldn't handle them.  I know for a fact that my fishing partner has been catching stripers for 4 years on a 7 wt. TFO with no problems, so this tells me that Albright products are of lesser quality and construction.  I will not be purchasing any more products from them, and will be telling everyone I know not to buy from Albright unless they want inferior equipment and non-existant customer service.  I have no respect for a company that won't back their products, and treats their customers like disposable napkins!  DO NOT BUY FROM ALBRIGHT!