Fishing Reel Dilemma

[caddisx]

Ok… so here is my dilemma. I have been a spin caster all my life. Grew up spin casting on Lake San Marcos and the Sierras then moved to the ocean. I have caught big bass, trout, mahi and yellowtail on my spin casters. I have fished consistently for 35 years… for me it has always been a spinning reel on California waters. The only time I have ever changed reels was moving to Montana to Fly Fish. Brings me to today… I have read many of the threads about the pros of a conventional reel and the cons of a spinning. I think I am ready for a change or at the point I can give a conventional a shot. Wife has said she will get me a new reel for the birthday. (actually she said “I think it is stupid you want another reel when you already have 20 hanging in the Garage.” but I digress) I am looking for a reel I can start with for the most part trolling or fly lining bait and maybe cast a little. I fish quite a bit of NPH and Crystal Cove and will mostly be targeting butts with this combo. What I am hoping for is a solid recommendation. I have been looking at either an Avet SX or a Daiwa Saltist (that is top price range). That said, I am not even sure what I need to be focusing on. Add to that, I will need a rod as well but if I drop that on the wife I run the risk of not getting the reel. Any help is very welcome.

[Raskal311]

The Shimano Torium at around $150 is also a good choice.

[YakDout]

I would say since you are not yet familiarized with conventional reels, and you've been bouncing the idea of a lever drag reel around, go for it. You won't be disappointed in the strength of the drag. It can be a real advantage in my opinion. Reason being is the quicker adjustment of lever drag reel vs star drag. Some may say you have to put in free spool to adjust, that is half way true. If you pre adjust your full drag before you go out, to the line capacity and lb test, you're golden. Now your choice of an avet sx is good, but I'm assuming when you say trolling you mean from your kayak , because that reel would not handle a big yellowtail or dorado on the troll from a boat. The learning curve for casting with these new lever drags can be significant, however if you plan on just flipping out a bait on a boat it will work just fine. Hucking an iron from a kayak may be a different story.
By the way, I grew up in discovery hills. Right up the street from lake San Marcos. I bet you caught some hog LMB in there.

[RockyRaab]

I can't recommend an ocean reel, but your wife's comments reminded me of my favorite gun store story...

One regular visitor would handle and talk eagerly about the display guns, but never bought one. Then one Saturday he came in with a Cheshire cat grin and said, "I'll take that rifle, that shotgun, and that revolver." We were, of course, gobsmacked. What changed, we asked.

"It's like this," he chuckled, "For years my wife said 'You don't need another gun; you had a gun when we got married.' And that was that. Until yesterday. She went shopping and while she was gone, I took all the clothes out of her closet and hid them. Then I hung up her wedding dress. When she got home, she had a fit, and I said 'You had a dress when we got married.' And so here I am."

[Bowrider3]

Diawa Saltist, shimano torium or avet sx/mx are all great reels. ( I own all of them). Star drags are generally much easier to cast and work plenty well for local stuff. If you want to learn to cast (ie acquire an intelligent thumb) I would go with the torium or Saltist. Saltist is a bit more durable and has a bit better drag system but both are excellent reels for the money. Diawa sealines are also a great value and similar to the Saltist. If you are just going to drop straight down, the avet is terrific. It just takes a bit more practice to cast them because of the heavier spool. Level drags also will not cast as well as star drags all things being equal. If you are going to use it for drifting or trolling for halibut, you may also want to consider the shimano tekota, which is a level wind reel which works great.

[StinkyMatt]

Daiwa Sealine 20.





All the reels mentioned are very nice.

For the money , get a size 20 sealine. Very, very durable, small enough to work all day and big enough for e everything in a kayak found in southern cal(except sharks)

[alanw]

Buy Made in USA if at all possible.

[caddisx]

Thanks for all the suggestions. As far as irons, I still plan on using my spin reels. This community might not completely agree but I still plan on being a spin fishing guy most of the time. I just want to try something new and thought this might be the best way in. I realize it is a bit of a cheat if I plan on just dropping 60% + of the time but I like the idea of being able to let the fish take some line before I set the hook. Plus it will give me the opportunity to practice a bit and maybe in a year I can upgrade or expand. That will cause more un with the wife I am sure. As far as San Marcos. I started fishing there when I was 5. (42 now). When I was in HS I would drive to the lake and just take the boat out without ever seeing the grand parents. Needless to say, yes I have taken some HOGS from there. Love that lake.

[MrPatrick]

Would love to get my Mini-x on that lake and pull on some big cats.


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[caddisx]

When I was 16 I pulled a 25+ pound cat from the willow across from the picnic grounds... Biggest I took from the lake. Till I was 18 I would pull big cats from under the quails inn resturant... Someone would always come by and tell me I was not allowed to fish there and I would say my grandfather said I could fish... There was usually hell to pay eventually but man the cats under that resturant are awesome. Once again I digress... Any info on reels is much appericiated... And rods are good too.

[Smthtnnr]

In my experience, the Sealine is crap. The Torium drag is pretty sticky, the Saltist's drag is significantly better. I have one on my jig stick and love it. That being said, I love my Avet that I have. I would say an SX is a bit small, however the Avets are awesome, as smooth as drag gets. I would recommend an LX if you want to flyline.

[Yak Loins]

I too was a spin caster for the last 20 years. Until this year.
I picked up a used but supa dupa shiny Sealine 20 and Sealine 40. Love them both so far. Pair them up with the correct size and weight rod. Good Luck.

[kauaiboy04]

i've been a spinner guy myself all my life (which is considerably shorter than yours, hehe), but i've also aqcuired some baitcasters as well. daiwa sealines a saltist levelwind, and a couple curados. absolutely love them! highly recommend these reels.

[tomahawk]

I'd go Diawa SL20H or SL30H or Penn 525. All can be had cheap and will cast reasonably well, if hate it you won't be out $300. Another thought might be to go with something with a levelwind, since a lot of guys getting used to a conventional have trouble remembering to guide the line back on. First tip for casting, the release point is way different than a spinner. Start by moving the rod in a big arc and playing with the release point. Tossing th bait straight up in the air is way better than straight down.

[Raskal311]

Originally Posted by tomahawk

I'd go Diawa SL20H or SL30H or Penn 525. All can be had cheap and will cast reasonably well, if hate it you won't be out $300. Another thought might be to go with something with a levelwind, since a lot of guys getting used to a conventional have trouble remembering to guide the line back on. First tip for casting, the release point is way different than a spinner. Start by moving the rod in a big arc and playing with the release point. Tossing th bait straight up in the air is way better than straight down.

Yup hooked my first YT a few months back and got so excited I forgot to guild the line and loaded to one side messing up the drag. As soon as I realized what happen the line snapped.

[Gerry]

Daiwa saltist is superior to the toriuim. Get a Daiwa saltist 20 or 30.

[Raskal311]

Originally Posted by Gerry

Daiwa saltist is superior to the toriuim. Get a Daiwa saltist 20 or 30.

I have both I do like the Saltist better, it's easier to maintain. But it did cost me $40-50 more then the torium.

[LawDog]

by spin cast, i assume you mean spinner. When I hear spin cast i think of that full faced reel with the button on the back i had as a kid. Im not being sarcastic or anything because there are some high end spincasters out there.

[YakDout]

Originally Posted by LawDog

by spin cast, i assume you mean spinner. When I hear spin cast i think of that full faced reel with the button on the back i had as a kid. Im not being sarcastic or anything because there are some high end spincasters out there.

Semantics

[alanw]

Originally Posted by LawDog

by spin cast, i assume you mean spinner. When I hear spin cast i think of that full faced reel with the button on the back i had as a kid. Im not being sarcastic or anything because there are some high end spincasters out there.

Nothing wrong with a spincast reel! I have a newer one I use for freshwater sometimes, and I still have my old Zebco 33 that I had as a kid out in the garage somewhere. It's gotta be 40 years old but I'd bet it still works good.