# Need some input..



## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

I am going to get a conventional casting pompano slayer...
would like to target all surf stuff and cast a mile. what do you guys think I should get...?
I want to spend around $100.00. randy at the bait shack has slosh 30 for that..
But being in florida what conventional reel do you guys like. I am sure it comes down to 525 mag and slosh20 or 30. Help a guy out and tell me what you think.


----------



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

The reels you mention seems a little heavy duty for pompano/whiting/trout, etc..."Normal" surf stuff  

I think you need to be looking into a non levelwind Abu 6500. 

Get yourself a Blue Yonder or a Mag Elite, fill it with 14#, add a 25# shocker and go for it. 

$100.00 ain't QUITE gonna get it, though...Gonna have to up the budget to about $135-$150, unless you have the patience to wait on a good E-bay deal. Might get a used one here(P&S), though, for a C-note.

Save the 525 for bigger stuff.


----------



## Surf Fish (Dec 16, 2005)

If you cast like me, you'll need magnets. And a mag sideplate for the SLOSH things is another 60 bucks, so it's cheaper to buy a 525 mag in the long run. Never seen any of those SLOSH reels down here in Florida, Barty says those are "northern" reels.

If you are targeting "all surf stuff", a 525 should work. I think I like the Penn 535 I have (with some magnets added) better than I do the 525.

Abu's are much smoother feeling than the Penns. First time I casted a 6500 C3 CT Mag it felt like the reel had no line on it - amazingly smooth. 

Based on what I've read, if I had my choice between a 525 and an Abu, I'd take the Abu. But if I could have only one conventional reel for everything in the surf, I'd take the Penn 535 - it's cheaper, bigger, holds more line, and is very easy to add magnets to (five minute job). 

Like RR said, the Abu's are great if you are gonna be fishing for the little stuff and doing a lot of casting/holding the rod. 

Here's a picture I found on the internet for size comparison. The Abu's don't seem near as "beefy" as the Penns, but I landed the only Tarpon I ever landed on a 6600 Mag X, so they work....


----------



## ballquest (Dec 15, 2004)

*surf equip.*

Hey Vic. There is a place real (kinda close )to you that has alot of surf stuff ,I mean more junk than 10,000 people could use ,Its the 8th wonder of the fishing world. and it very inexpensive.the hardest part is finding the right stuff amoung 20.000.000. rods and reels . Its a little hard to find ,but you'll walk away shaking your head. Its located 1/4 mi. south of Oslo rd. on U.S. 1 south .pull into the median like you were going to make a U-ee,only go east on a dirt rd .about 200 yds .theres a sign out at u.s.1 that says indoor flee-market-go there. Tell me what you think after you have been there!! Old Wise Bison


----------



## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

ballquest said:


> Hey Vic. There is a place real (kinda close )to you that has alot of surf stuff ,I mean more junk than 10,000 people could use ,Its the 8th wonder of the fishing world. and it very inexpensive.the hardest part is finding the right stuff amoung 20.000.000. rods and reels . Its a little hard to find ,but you'll walk away shaking your head. Its located 1/4 mi. south of Oslo rd. on U.S. 1 south .pull into the median like you were going to make a U-ee,only go east on a dirt rd .about 200 yds .theres a sign out at u.s.1 that says indoor flee-market-go there. Tell me what you think after you have been there!! Old Wise Bison


what a place... good stuff they have in the back..
Thanks for the info .. I will be back for another surf rod in the future.... 
I got a ABU 6500 c3 with the line liver taken out.
My project has started... $50.00 in the hole so far. 

OK I have started with a "good" caster.. what difference from a big clunky jigmaster..
You guy all had great info. RR thanks for scaling me down. Surf fish you have great info and thanks for sharing it all...


----------



## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

*whoa...*

S W E E T .    
That thing can cast... I have just come out of the night and have seen the new light... 
First couple of cast were better than full cast jigmaster. 

I can see that is a start of a expensive relationship...  

Wonder what will happen when I get a really good one???


----------



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

Vic,

Welcome to ABU Hell.... Those things are as addictive as METH...and there's no end or limit to the things you can do if you like to tinker with stuff. 

Bearings, gears, oils, brakes, mags, lines, drags, handles...The list goes on!

Enjoy.


----------



## ballquest (Dec 15, 2004)

*watch closely*

Hey Vic, watch closely what you buy there, some of the stuff that comes in there has been doctored before they get it ,not always their fault, I took a couple of reels back with no prob. cant garentee too much at those prices. I go there alot of times just to see what all I missed the time before. Surf is good now that things have setteled down.Old Wise Bison


----------



## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

ballquest said:


> Hey Vic, watch closely what you buy there, some of the stuff that comes in there has been doctored before they get it ,not always their fault, I took a couple of reels back with no prob. cant garentee too much at those prices. I go there alot of times just to see what all I missed the time before. Surf is good now that things have setteled down.Old Wise Bison


yeah you can get caught with some stuff.
Did you see some of the prices of the surf rods.?? OM 11ft for $60.00 casting...
I all most got it but decieded that I want to try this to see if I would need lighter stuff for the pier and my new ABU... this is going to cost me... 



> Vic,
> 
> Welcome to ABU Hell.... Those things are as addictive as METH...and there's no end or limit to the things you can do if you like to tinker with stuff.
> 
> ...


It's going to be S W E E T.. 
OK tell me more about the elite and magged and what ever I did not figure out yet...


----------



## Surf Fish (Dec 16, 2005)

VICIII said:


> OK tell me more about the elite and magged and what ever I did not figure out yet...


The green Abu in the previous picture is a mag elite. If you look close at the left side, you can see the black plastic thing that slides and the numbers on the sticker underneath. That's the mag adjustment. You just set it on slow, then keep moving it up until you get a bit of fuzz when you cast, and you're good to go. 

Adjustable magnets are much better than fixed ones, but you can also glue a washer in some reels and stick magnets on the washer to make them much more castable. You just have to mess around finding the right number of magnets for the rod/weight/type of casting you use it for.

Here's a Penn 535 with a washer glued in and different magnet combinations. On an adjustable mag reel, the magnet(s) move closer to the spool when you adjust it. If you do the washer deal, you adjust it by changing the size/number of magnets, or you have to get real fancy and cut a hole in the reel and put an adjustable magnet in the hole. 














































I wound up with two washers side by side in this reel, and found that four quarter inch magnets was just a tiny bit too much brake, and three was just a tiny bit too little brake. 

Anyway, couple bucks worth of magnets in a $70 dollar Ebay reel(new) vs. $150 for 525 Mag or an Abu Mag Elite. 

I also played with a Penn Squidder and some magnets, the results and pictures are here:

http://amelia-island-fishing.com/fishing/penn/mag%20a%20squidder.cfm

Worked great, and I could throw it pretty far, but I kept falling asleep while I was winding it back in, so don't use it much anymore.

A Jigmaster is about the easiest thing in life to quit that I've ever found...


----------



## jettypark28 (Jun 23, 2006)

*surf*

now those are some detail pictures I wish i would have learn how to cast those things. But i am old dog right now, and don't want to learn anything No i just never got the hang of it, and also i try with the older casting reels. And the nightmares that i got when the reel blewup with line everywhere...Made me quit LOL...I know people say those things are great in the surf, but really how much farther can you cast with those reels compare to a spinning reel?? I am sure some guys here would also like to know.....


----------



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

Generally speaking, casting equipment throws farther, a LOT farther. There are specialized spinners that will hit the horizon, but you can do it with most any ol' Abu 6500, and a decent rod.


----------



## hokieboy (Jan 19, 2006)

My first cast with my blue yonder went 40 yards farther than my farthest cast with my penn 7500, man the abus are sweet...


----------



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

hokieboy said:


> My first cast with my blue yonder went 40 yards farther than my farthest cast with my penn 7500, man the abus are sweet...


Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!!!


----------



## derekxec (Apr 26, 2006)

i was going to say a shimano trinidad tn20 or 16 but then i saw how much you wanted to spend haha...sorry


----------



## barty b (Dec 31, 2004)

My worst, crappiest, oldest, got it when I was 12years old Abu will SMOKE your Tdad any day 

Welcome to the addiction Vic, Lemme know when you wanna become "experienced" 

Now for the ROD


----------



## hokieboy (Jan 19, 2006)

I agree. I have five abus and would not trade them for anything. Lookin for another 6500c3 or something comparable for drum and sheepshead fishin on the pier. Lookin for a cheap en though...


----------



## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

barty b said:


> My worst, crappiest, oldest, got it when I was 12years old Abu will SMOKE your Tdad any day
> 
> Welcome to the addiction Vic, Lemme know when you wanna become "experienced"
> 
> Now for the ROD


OK
I was at SI (of course landing reds and huge black drum>> ) and met a Abu crazed man. He had a 6500 chrome rocket and a 7700 big game... What great reels. 6500 was on a stick that was given to fisherman from God... It was a St. Croix that was rated 2-12oz... What a light stick. it was 11 or 12 foot and did it feel like it was the right way to fish. Anyway he said that my Pinnacle rod was not good for bait casters... Reason is that it was a whippy rod. He said get a stiff rod that does not has a whippy tip. The whippy tip actually keeps whipping after the cast for a half second and that tip transfers down to the reel and could cause fluff or backlash. What do you pros think? What is a cheaper light stiff rod that does not cost 250.00?
He also had a new Shimano rod that was S W E E T.. It had the adjustable reel seat and that rod seemed to be made out of new graphite.??? It was very light and felt great but did not cast.


----------



## derekxec (Apr 26, 2006)

barty b said:


> My worst, crappiest, oldest, got it when I was 12years old Abu will SMOKE your Tdad any day


DEE DEE DEE haha


----------



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

VICIII said:


> What is a cheaper light stiff rod that does not cost 250.00?


Tica, Tsunami, or Ocean Master, with the OM's being the best of the bunch. This applies up thru the 10 footers, above that, they all gain lotsa' weight.

the 9' Tica 2-6 oz. is a very light, NICE casting blank, but the guides are pretty crappy...prone to breakage. I love the rod, though!


----------



## Surf Fish (Dec 16, 2005)

I use the 535 on a 12' OM lite. Bit heavy for holding all day if you're an old guy, but I'm a passive circle hook mono fisherman; I just chunk it out, stick the rod in the sandspike, and then drink beer until I fall asleep. 

The 535 has a clicker that will wake up dead people, and if the fish can't make the clicker click, I don't wind him in anyway, I just leave him on there for bait....


----------



## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

Surf Fish said:


> and then drink beer until I fall asleep.
> 
> The 535 has a clicker that will wake up dead people, and if the fish can't make the clicker click, I don't wind him in anyway, I just leave him on there for bait....


classic. that is the way I fish...

I would like a stiff casting 9 foot for cheap 
Any suggestions


----------



## Railroader (Apr 13, 2005)

I done told you....

Tica UEHA527402C...9 ft., 12-30# line, rated 2-6 oz....

LOVES 2oz.... Lobs 4oz.... 6oz. would snap it into about 16 smithereens...

Goes GREAT with an ABU 5500 or 6500, Just be careful with the guides.

Should cost you about $60.00. 

No way to get a decent rod any cheaper.


----------



## gzeke33 (Aug 18, 2006)

*Lots of Advice*

Lots of suggestion given about reels. I use Penn 6500 spinning reels and a Penn 309 casting reel. They work just fine with 17 lb test mono. The spinning reel is what I caught my Red on yesterday. Took about 10 minutes to bring him in.


----------



## Dolphinpier (Aug 15, 2006)

Surf Fish said:


> I use the 535 on a 12' OM lite. Bit heavy for holding all day if you're an old guy, but I'm a passive circle hook mono fisherman; I just chunk it out, stick the rod in the sandspike, and then drink beer until I fall asleep.
> 
> The 535 has a clicker that will wake up dead people, and if the fish can't make the clicker click, I don't wind him in anyway, I just leave him on there for bait....


I didn't think there was another way to fish.


----------

