What Reel to Buy?....Budget is $350.00 ea

[GBF]

I got tons of Newells but, I want to start fishing Lajolla again and I want to get two new outfits. With all the reels out there my question is: What reels do you use and why?

Thanks,

GBF

[goose]

I have the pro gear 501 and liked it, so i bought this years reel the 551 same size. I like the reel because of the dog gear being always engaged, and the simplisity of the reel. I can take it apart and clean by myself (even when i'm drinking). reel seems to be bullet proof and simi cheap. I bought mine at Ken's Custom Reel. I also like the kencore rod graph. 3 year no questions asked warranty. Lightweight and strong great for the yak.

[madscientist]

I've gone to almost all saltigas. Bulletproof, buttery smooth drags, and they can take the abuse of the yak lifestyle without constant maintenance. Better than trinidads IMHO.

[aguachico]

Newells have the BEST clicker for trolling live bait. If I had a ton of Newells I'd use a Newell 322 loaded with 30# or 50#spectra. The only problem is the lack of stopping power.

I've never fished the Saltigas, but I've always like Daiwa's - except they are hard to get parts for.

I currently fish Avet reels the MXJ single speed is all the reel you need for the fish in LJ. The Avet's need a bit more TLC than other reels.

[dorado50]

Best reels, shimano trinidads, but need lots of maintanence with kayak use. Even better for kayak fishing are shimano toriums. For about 180.00$ u can get a torium 20 or 25 fill with spectra. Stop any fish in LJ and the best part is the 6-2-1 gear ratio.

[fishkiller89]

i agree, the torium is a really good reel for all my needs. i go squid fishing with my 30 and do just fine. i have taken it on my kayak twice and the first time, i dumped everything and my rod with the torium luckly had a leash on it. it was sitting in the sand for a good minute so i had to get it cleaned. other than that, its been great for the cattle boats and i have even caught albies on it. hope this helps you in your decision

[nmbrinkman]

I have a couple TLD star drags.. Happy with them so far. Have a couple Avets as well. The lever drags need a lot more TLC unfortunetly. I love Avets, but the can't take the kayak beating unless you have reel skins and are a nut about freshwater rinse downs AND taking it apart every couple (2 or 3) trips....

[woolybugger]

I fish mostly avets and havent had too much of a corrision issue they get dunked often and only require a wipe down and a little oil. Its really nice to have a lever drag as you can set the tension for trolling very easily. Daiwa sealines are also great reels for the money they stand up fairly well are decently smooth and very reliable.

[SHARK BAIT]

I like to use avitt, single and two speeds their warrienty is one of the best. they are a little heavy but they free spool for days and they take a beating. they are also in your budget. let me know when you are going to lj, i dont live to far from you so maybe we could carpool.

[tylerdurden]

Everyone has different preferences, my arsenal is:

Daiwa sealines 30, 50
Cheap and indestructable. Great for tossing the iron and yoyo. Probably the best all around choice for cheap.

Shimano TLD 15
Cheap, really easy to take apart and clean. Great for trolling live baits and plugs. No problems in a year of constant use, except for the sand injection in baja .

Avet JX 6/3
expensive. more reel than you need for kayak fishing. The shift button gets a little sticky. I have not had any problems with mine after constant use since February. Great for yoyo and trolling a plug.

Penn 500 and Penn 4/0
Didn't do so well with kayak abuse. The 4/0 did better.

What ever reel you pick, don't dunk them. Don't dump in the surf. When you do launch and land have the drags tight so water doesn't get into them if they get splashed in the surf zone.

[dorado50]

I've wasted alot of money on reels with 5-2-1 gear ratio and lower, You just reel and reel to gain 10 feet of line ! Higher gear ratio 6-2-1 gets the fish to the boat faster .

[Corey]

Hey Lenard, I hope to see ya down here sometime soon. Send me a pm or call if you're coming down to fish, man.

My reel experience:
I love my Trinidad 20 for yo-yoing and fishing bait. The adjustable clicker is awesome for trolling bigger macs w/ and w/o weight. The thing is buttery smooth and has 6.2:1 ratio which I love. Also you cant beat Shimano's service. I have found this to be a low maintenance reel as it has only needed service once in its 3 years of yakfishing. When I did send it in for a standard servicing, they completely replaced the crank side of the reel to give me the upgraded drags, etc. I was stoked.

Accurate Boss Magnum 197: This is an awesome lever drag reel for fishing bait or trolling w/ spectra mainline. The reel is tiny, but will hold approx 300 yds of 50# spectra plus a short topshot. The clicker is strong enough to fish macs w/ or w/out weight without having to engage the drag. It also has killer freespool and casts better that any other leverdrag I've used. They make it in 4.6:1 and 6.2:1. My only problem with this reel is that it has very tight tolerances which means that sand & corrosion can gum it up easily. It is not hard to work on, but if it has to be sent to Accurate, they are kinda slow. Although in 4 years I have only had to send it in once for service and it cost $20, but took 2 months to get it back.

Diawa Sealine 40 SHV: Awesome reel for the price as most will tell you. It costs $95 and is bombproof, but does not have infinite anti-reverse and makes clicking noise when you reel. However it has amazing freespool, and takes abuse and works great which is a good feature for the yak. I'm glad I finally listened to my bros and checked one out. I have been using for surface irons and it casts better than my Trinidad 20.

Shimano TLD 15/30 Star: Another $100 reel that has served me well as far as durability is concerned, but casts like crap, even w/ bearing upgrades. The Sealine is a way better reel for the same price.

I also use a few others like TLD 10 for trolling plugs & occasionally bait and calcutta 400 for bait & lighter stuff like Calicos, light halibut, rockfish & lings. etc.

What do you want these 2 new setups to do? bait, iron, all-around? I guess if I had $350 each to spend on 2 reels, I'd get Trinidads, (maybe a 20 and a 16 but I haven't tried the Saltigas. If you want a leverdrag, the Accurates are bitchin'. However I will say that you can definitelty do the same thing and catch the same fish for $100 - 150 per reel.

[woolybugger]

The three reels I bring to la jolla
are...

Avet Jx 6-0
for bait
Avet Mxj 4-5-1
for jigs
Daiwa Luna 253
for bass

I love all three of them and the only change I would think of making is a higher gear ratio on my MX

[gary sullivan]

I have four reels that have their strong and weak points. My favorite is a Saltigas 30T that has the smoothest drag and cranks like a Porsche moves. Unfortunately it collects water via a vent hole that I am now taping over. The Shimano TLD lever drag is my big mac weighted trolling rig that I can easily adjust the tension on, inexpensive and simple to work on. I recently acquired a Saltist 30TH for a quick retrieve yoyoing reel that I am satisfied with. Earlier this year I bought an Avet SX 2-speed that was the cats meow until it got salt water in the spool bearing and started to freeze up. Now I just order extra bearings from Avet and change them out when needed.

[woolybugger]

if you oil/grease the bearings every 1-3 trips theyll never seize up I have never had corrosion issues with the bearings in avets only under the reel seat which requires a heavy coating of grease.

[fishkiller89]

o, i also have used my penn 113H with great sucess with trolling plugs and big macs.

[madscientist]

I've loved my trini20 and 30 but I'm more and more impressed by my saltigas. If you compare them side by side you'll feel that the saltiga is much more solid. I've also noticed that the adjustable clicker on newer trinidads doesn't adjust as much as the old ones and is somewhat useless for bigger/weighted baits.

I have a pair of saltists that I'm not overly happy with. Decent, but not as bulletproof as I'd like. I've heard similar complaints about the toriums.

Sealines are good for the money, but once you've gotten used to infinite anti-reverse it's hard to go back.

I started with leverdrags for the obvious reasons. However, I've never found a lever drag that will go more than 5-10 trips without getting gummy. I like equipment I can beat the hell out of and not worry about. Trinidad and Saltigas are the only high end reels I can say that about, though if Corey's right perhaps an accurate is worth a look.

[h2ofishfo]

i have the MXL 6.3 GR RATIO FOR BURNIN IRON & JX 6.1 FOR FLY LINE HAD THEM FOR 6 MONTHS TOOK THEM APART W/VIRTUALLY NO SALTWATER ENTRY THE MXL I CAN CAST A IRON FROM LAJOLLA TO SAN ELIJO

[slayersmith]

Lenard,

You started a Great Thread! Lots of usefull info from the pros!

Let me know what you end up buying.

Take it easy!

Aaron

[Louis Clarke II]

Originally Posted by h2ofishfo

i have the MXL 6.3 GR RATIO FOR BURNIN IRON & JX 6.1 FOR FLY LINE HAD THEM FOR 6 MONTHS TOOK THEM APART W/VIRTUALLY NO SALTWATER ENTRY THE MXL I CAN CAST A IRON FROM LAJOLLA TO SAN ELIJO

I agree. I picked up a deal on a Avet MXL 2 speed on a Shimano Calcutta CLC90. 9ft rod. It is kinda big for the kayak but I can hit Point Loma from the condo. I can sling a jimijig into outer space with this rod. It is funny how my personal space has increased since using this set up. Bought it used and just put it in the shop for a “tune up”, nothing wrong just doing a little PM. (preventive maintence)

Louis & Clarke