Whats the reel deal?

[Crabby_84]

Hey gang i got a question....how much do you think a certain reel matters? I currently use junky combos that you can buy at like wallmart for 30-50 bucks. You know the shakespear combos and such, but i was wondering what makes the reel good? I have been fishing for a long time and i have always used just your standard gear...i fish alot and dont always have time to rinse my gear off after a long day of beach fishing so i always have to like disassemble the reel the night before basically soak it in wd 40 and put it back together....this allows the drag to work smoothly again sometimes but not always. To get to the pt my question is where can I purchase a good reel besides wallmart? I looked at ebay but I am not sure the prices or hell I have no clue what reel to get. The ideal reel for my beach fishing needs/heavy pier fishing would seem to be one of the penn reels like the 7500-9500 since i use a high poundage line typically 30-50lb test. Are these reels really worth the $100.00+ they sell for ? Will the drag on them always work once i set it? The reason i ask is a couple weekends ago i was fishing at St. Simons. The fish werent biting till i hooked a large stingray. The ray was around a 100lber typical big rays...my pole was set up for big fish. I was using 50lb ande test with a 6/0 mustad and about 5ft of 120lb leader with a 3 ounce barrel wieght . My rig was a carolina rig. Well needless to say with the old salts looking on and the many tourests ,that always gather round like a school yard fight, i managed to fight the fish for about 10 mins before the ray snapped the 50lb test on the first run away from the pier. I was super pissed and extremely embarrased, that was my first major get away on a pier ,usually dont hook up with 100lb rays on the pier, and i want it to be my last. Not suprised my drag wasnt working and i knew it was a matter of time...also it seemed ,like always, that my reel was gonna snap in two? lol i know it sounds bad but this always seems the case...guys i need your expertise ,as you can see very badly, please help! Any comments are greatly appreciated!

-billy

[Topsailbum]

yea they are worth the money............. they do need to be rinsed and maintained tho

[emanuel]

The good reels are worth the money. Just don't buy from WalMart. Their stuff sucks. Even the Penn and Abu Garcia reels are a lower grade reel that the company makes especially for WalMart. Another thing, don't use 50lb test. I never use more than #17 - 20 test for anything and I've brought in 6 ft sharks on 17 before.

If you're willing to come down to Savannah, I'll be glad to show you what you need in the way of line and so forth.

[Crabby_84]

I have never fished at tybee before before and the closest i get to savannah is like exit 156... How do you get there?

[ponchojoe]

I don't get to fish often but I personally prefer the 'older' Penn Spinning reels and, ok guys don't laugh but the old Heddon reels too.

[Smoothbore54]

I really tried, but I can't
let an opportunity to "preach" about reels get past me.

A fishing reel is only as good as it's drag.

Any old piece of junk will wrap your line around a spool, and some of them will let you cast it back off.

There are several good quality reels on the market, that will give you many years of service. With high quality drag systems that will help you handle big fish.

Diawa and Shimano are both durable, time tested performers, and there are many others that give good service.

B U T

You will never regret a nickel of the money you spend to buy PENN REELS

When you break your reel, (Ididn't say if I said when) and need it repaired, right now. You'll bless the day you bought a Penn instead of one of the imports.

I can't vouch for the "Jarvis Walker" reels that Penn is selling now, they haven't been around very long, but the "3 digit" models (750SS, 850SS etc.) are the best value available in a spinning reel today.

If you're fishing mostly bait, you might want to look seriously at the Penn "Live Liner" reels.

If, by some miracle, I've failed to convince you about Penn Reels, those Shimano "Baitrunners" also work pretty good.

[Sandcrab]

Agree with everyone on the importance of a good, quality reel. You get what you pay for! Personally, if it comes down to a budget - I would rather have someone spend $100 or more on a quality reel and the rest on the rod.

Besides WD-40, try Salt-X. You mix the stuff with water and soak your reel parts in it. Removes ALL the salt. Perfect for saltwater exposed reels.

Old reels are outstanding if you take care of them. I still have reels from the 80's that work as good today as they did then. I have an old Mitchell 498 Pro that I use as my #1 spinning reel in the surf. That reel was purchased new in 1986 (I know I'm an oldie!) ;)

Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance will keep your reels new looking and ready to tackle the fish of a lifetime when you need it!

[emanuel]

As to getting to Savannah and Tybee, just take Route 80 all the way east. It dead ends in Tybee.

[PlankCaster]

This may sound like preaching but....
30-50lb test?!? I'll tell ya man spinning reels just aren't made for that class of line. The Penn 9500 you might be able to spool with 30 but even then its going to be a pain in the @$$ to hold all day. Line that heavy cuts down on your casting distance dramaticly, causes you to need a lot more weight to maintain contact with the bottom, and also I cant think of a single spinning reel designed to be able to put out the drag that you would use for lines that heavy. The size of the reel you need depends on the type of fishing you do and the general size of the fish you target. You sound like you may be well of with something along the lines of a Penn 7500 or perhaps a Daiwa 5500(I believe thats the model I'm thinking of) and load it with some quality line in the 15 to 20lb test range. These two reels both have a good drag that will keep the line from breaking and because the line is much lighter and smaller in diameter than what you have been using, you will be able to get more on the spool. That compensates for the lighter drag setting you will use. As long as you know what you are doing you should have no problem bringing in those rays and skate on a setup like this. Just make sure you get a rod to match. If you truly think you need 50lb test to catch a fish, maybe you should try golfing. Good luck in your search
Tight lines and popped riggers

[PlankCaster]

Forgot to add,
There is ALWAYS time to give your reels a good rinse after a trip. It is always quicker and easier to rinse them as soon as you get in then waiting till the night before a trip to soak them in wd40 (which aint good for some reels) and hoping they work the next day. A little maintenence goes a long way. The Penns are built like a tank but it is still a good idea to rinse them. I have a combo by SouthBend that I purchased at wally world many years ago for $35 as my first saltwater combo. To this day it is still my first choice for spot and croaker fishing from the planks. All I do is rinse it after every trip and occasionoly oil the reel.
Tight lines and popped riggers

[Crabby_84]

Heh i only use the 50lb test for the shark fishing and that is on the chitty reels...the drag sucks so much a$$ that you have to have high test line to not allow your line to snap lol i just purchased a penn 8500 and 7500 and they are amazing...so smooth and the drag is unbelievable.....i got 20lb berkley inshore line on the 8500 and 15lb ande on the 7500 cant wait to try them out this weekend!

[seafisher]

The spool, # of bearings, reel material, dependability, and durability always come into play when buying a reel. The wal-mart reels are cheaply made, rust easy, aren't as easy tp cast, and break easy compared to usual Penn quality. I'm not going to say ABSOLUTELY DON'T use 50 lb. test but I wouldn't reccomend it. Even if your after sharks, use 20-30 lb. test. The larger line is much harder than thin line and when that fish broke off you were talikng about, it was probably because the 50 lb. test has low shock resistance. The Penn 6500ss-8500ss are good reels for surf, but anything lower or higher I would consider overkill. Penn drags work. That is one thing that they pride theirself in and it shows. If its big rays your after, use 25 lb. test or 30 lb. test with a 100 lb. shock leader and use a stiff rod. Penns won't let you down even after hundreds of fish and many long surf cast.

[cutbait-king]

Hi crabby all the guys here give great advice on tackle and gear. I can never stress enough rinse rinse rinse, with warm fresh water soft streamaway from internal , direct spray on internals forces salt down into the reel. As for the drag always loosen the drag knob after fishing or rinsing , this allows the washers to decompress and return to original size. Oy yeah wipe the reel dry and spray a light coat of wd-40 . As stated above that saltaway spray is pretty good too!!! Good luck on your choice!!!!

Nate L.