Reels 101 - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

dsafety · 03-08-2010, 08:31 AM

I need some advice. With the local Fred Hall show just around the corner, I will be shopping for a new reel to be used mainly for flylining bait while targeting YT and WSB. I have a Torium 20 and Sealine X40SHA, both of which I like. Should I be looking for another one of those or something else? I have no experience using some of the other popular reels that are out there such as Saltist, Avet, Accurate, ProGear, etc.

I suspect that reel selection often comes down to personal preference. Beyond that, I would appreciate hearing what everyone has to say on this subject. There is quite a large price range for these reels. What do you get for the extra bucks? Is there a significant performance difference between one reel and another? Is there a feature set that one has that another does not?

Bob

taggermike · 03-08-2010, 05:34 PM

There are plenty of great reels out there and I have to admit the Hall shows can be a bit over whelming with every great reel on the planet on display. The new Accurates look amazing but the price is prohibitive for me. So what I would get with the extra price is the joy of worrying about it. Some of the new Okumas were affordable and looked like they would get the job done. Then again if you like the torium 20 and the SL 40 you might want to stick with these brands but get different sizes. The sealines have been good to me and I'm still killing fish on a bought used original black and blue SL30. When, if, this reel ever dies I see no reason not to get anouther SL30. Mike

GregAndrew · 03-08-2010, 07:58 PM

Just like rods now, you have all kinds of options and configurations that each have their own benefits and disadvantages. The things that you pay extra for in reels today are: Lever Drags, Multiple speeds, High gear (retrieve) ratios, Improved drag systems, Cast controls, High max drag settings, Strengthened components to handle braided lines, and precision engineering (mostly so the parts fit together well). There are probably others that I am not thinking of off hand. For flylining, I think Mike is right, stick with the SL and maybe go with a 30 to give you variety. I think the only 2 innovations that might help would be a lever drag (quickly put the screws to em), and a high drag rating if you fish near the kelp. My .02 on the matter anyway.

Holy Mackerel · 03-08-2010, 07:59 PM

For a kayak, considering your current arsenal, take a look at the Shimano TLD 15.

Nic D · 03-08-2010, 08:18 PM

I think your budget can help you decide. If you have the dough why not get a bx-2 400 or 500? or the shimano talica 8. Both are really nice two speeds.

another option might be the avet mxj 6/4 two speed.

this wouldn't be a bad idea for 30# http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...2765#post52765

dahunter1996 · 03-08-2010, 09:36 PM

I reecommend the SALTISTi have the 20, but thats just cause i have small hands

. All the sizes are same price.

Billy V · 03-08-2010, 11:43 PM

I like the Saltist star drag as well.

The Sealine X is still my Kayak favorite. That is a tuff reel at a great price.

-scallywag- · 03-09-2010, 07:15 AM

Bob,
For your application (live bait) i would also recomend the TLD 15 with 65 or 80lb spectra, i really like the lever drags for trolling live bait cause you can give the big greenies that the WSB's love a little drag so you don't have to hear the clicker all day. It also is a great reel to target seabass in the kelp with its 4:1 gear ratio and fairly heavy drag. The best part about the reel is the price, I think they are around 120.

If you do decide to go this route I recomend spending 15 more on the greasable cardontex drag washer, the factory drags are dry and as soon as they get even a little wet they get sticky....the greased ones are smooth even if they get dunked plus it'll up the max drag from 12lbs to about 14-15lbs, which is just enough to rip the lips off a WSB. ohh yeh, and they are super easy to service.

The only reason I could justifiy buying a torium or saltis instead of the cheaper sealines is for the heavy iron. The Torium/saltis do not have that noisy anti-reverse clicking as you are reeling in, if you're dropping the iron all day that clicking can get annoying, other than that I don't see much advantage for us to spend the extra money on the torium/saltist type reels.

PescadorPete · 03-09-2010, 09:29 AM

Since you already have a Sealine and a Torium (same as me), I'd also recommend the TLD-15 for the reasons given above. It retails for $140 but Squidco has better pricing. If you are handy with reel service, change out the stock canvas drag. I use a greased Penn 6-25 drag washer. The reel is very simple inside and easy to keep going in the salty environment.

-scallywag- · 03-09-2010, 10:06 AM

The drag on the tld15 in the "strike position" is 12 from the factory, max drag is 22, which is the same as the torium/saltist but with lower gearing and leverdrag, which may explain why it is so much fun to grind fish out of the kelp with.

Another cheap trick for broke asses like myself:

If you are lucky enough to have a dedicated flyline/bait reel there is really no reason IMHO to not use spectra. But spectra is not cheap, so I put 100 or so yards of old 40lb mono (off a heavy iron rod) as a backing and then 150-200yds of spectra, this allows me to spool up 2-3rods for the price of one, which saves about $30 and i don't feel all that bad when my OCD forces me to change my line.

Geoffkoop · 03-09-2010, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holy Mackerel

For a kayak, considering your current arsenal, take a look at the Shimano TLD 15.

I highly recommend this reel for your purpose. I got a smokin deal last year for a new one on ebay for $100.

03-08-2010, 08:31 AM	#1
dsafety Olivenhain Bob Join Date: May 2008 Location: Olivenhain, CA Posts: 1,121	Reels 101 I need some advice. With the local Fred Hall show just around the corner, I will be shopping for a new reel to be used mainly for flylining bait while targeting YT and WSB. I have a Torium 20 and Sealine X40SHA, both of which I like. Should I be looking for another one of those or something else? I have no experience using some of the other popular reels that are out there such as Saltist, Avet, Accurate, ProGear, etc. I suspect that reel selection often comes down to personal preference. Beyond that, I would appreciate hearing what everyone has to say on this subject. There is quite a large price range for these reels. What do you get for the extra bucks? Is there a significant performance difference between one reel and another? Is there a feature set that one has that another does not? Bob

03-08-2010, 07:59 PM	#4
Holy Mackerel Señor member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 1,627	For a kayak, considering your current arsenal, take a look at the Shimano TLD 15. Last edited by Holy Mackerel; 03-08-2010 at 08:14 PM. Reason: added picture

03-09-2010, 10:06 AM	#10
-scallywag- Banned Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: on the road... Posts: 598	i lied... The drag on the tld15 in the "strike position" is 12 from the factory, max drag is 22, which is the same as the torium/saltist but with lower gearing and leverdrag, which may explain why it is so much fun to grind fish out of the kelp with. Another cheap trick for broke asses like myself: If you are lucky enough to have a dedicated flyline/bait reel there is really no reason IMHO to not use spectra. But spectra is not cheap, so I put 100 or so yards of old 40lb mono (off a heavy iron rod) as a backing and then 150-200yds of spectra, this allows me to spool up 2-3rods for the price of one, which saves about $30 and i don't feel all that bad when my OCD forces me to change my line.

03-08-2010, 05:34 PM	#2
taggermike Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chula Vista Posts: 1,589	There are plenty of great reels out there and I have to admit the Hall shows can be a bit over whelming with every great reel on the planet on display. The new Accurates look amazing but the price is prohibitive for me. So what I would get with the extra price is the joy of worrying about it. Some of the new Okumas were affordable and looked like they would get the job done. Then again if you like the torium 20 and the SL 40 you might want to stick with these brands but get different sizes. The sealines have been good to me and I'm still killing fish on a bought used original black and blue SL30. When, if, this reel ever dies I see no reason not to get anouther SL30. Mike

03-08-2010, 07:58 PM	#3
GregAndrew Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,384	Just like rods now, you have all kinds of options and configurations that each have their own benefits and disadvantages. The things that you pay extra for in reels today are: Lever Drags, Multiple speeds, High gear (retrieve) ratios, Improved drag systems, Cast controls, High max drag settings, Strengthened components to handle braided lines, and precision engineering (mostly so the parts fit together well). There are probably others that I am not thinking of off hand. For flylining, I think Mike is right, stick with the SL and maybe go with a 30 to give you variety. I think the only 2 innovations that might help would be a lever drag (quickly put the screws to em), and a high drag rating if you fish near the kelp. My .02 on the matter anyway.

03-08-2010, 08:18 PM	#5
Nic D Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Clairemont Posts: 813	I think your budget can help you decide. If you have the dough why not get a bx-2 400 or 500? or the shimano talica 8. Both are really nice two speeds. another option might be the avet mxj 6/4 two speed. this wouldn't be a bad idea for 30# http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...2765#post52765

03-08-2010, 09:36 PM	#6
dahunter1996 Junior Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 18	I reecommend the SALTISTi have the 20, but thats just cause i have small hands . All the sizes are same price.

03-08-2010, 11:43 PM	#7
Billy V Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bay Ho Posts: 1,382	I like the Saltist star drag as well. The Sealine X is still my Kayak favorite. That is a tuff reel at a great price.

03-09-2010, 07:15 AM	#8
-scallywag- Banned Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: on the road... Posts: 598	Bob, For your application (live bait) i would also recomend the TLD 15 with 65 or 80lb spectra, i really like the lever drags for trolling live bait cause you can give the big greenies that the WSB's love a little drag so you don't have to hear the clicker all day. It also is a great reel to target seabass in the kelp with its 4:1 gear ratio and fairly heavy drag. The best part about the reel is the price, I think they are around 120. If you do decide to go this route I recomend spending 15 more on the greasable cardontex drag washer, the factory drags are dry and as soon as they get even a little wet they get sticky....the greased ones are smooth even if they get dunked plus it'll up the max drag from 12lbs to about 14-15lbs, which is just enough to rip the lips off a WSB. ohh yeh, and they are super easy to service. The only reason I could justifiy buying a torium or saltis instead of the cheaper sealines is for the heavy iron. The Torium/saltis do not have that noisy anti-reverse clicking as you are reeling in, if you're dropping the iron all day that clicking can get annoying, other than that I don't see much advantage for us to spend the extra money on the torium/saltist type reels.

03-09-2010, 09:29 AM	#9
PescadorPete Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Leucadia, CA Posts: 261	Since you already have a Sealine and a Torium (same as me), I'd also recommend the TLD-15 for the reasons given above. It retails for $140 but Squidco has better pricing. If you are handy with reel service, change out the stock canvas drag. I use a greased Penn 6-25 drag washer. The reel is very simple inside and easy to keep going in the salty environment.