# Will bigger reel help cast farer



## crazyfisherman (Nov 5, 2002)

Was wondering if a bigger reel with larger spool will help cast farer than a smaller reel. What does the gear ratio affect? Sorry for the dumb Ques. but, kinda new to surf fishing.


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## ReelinRod (May 29, 2003)

Since you don't say which style of equipment you are using I'll give you some points on both conventional and spinning.

A reel's distance qualities have less to do with size than actual attempts by the manufacturer to engineer and design for distance.

On a spinner, the primary distance *robbing* effect is line friction on the lip of the spool. A rule of thumb to judge a reel's distance qualities is long and shallow spool, GOOD -- short and deep spool, not so good.

This is what I am talking about . . . 

Long and shallow: Daiwa Tournament S6000T









Short and deep: Penn 712Z









I'm not saying the Penn Z reel isn't a good reel, just that it is not engineered for distance casting.

Combining a long and shallow spool design with small diameter braid really eliminates the friction on the lip of the spool because even on a 600ft cast, the level of the line does not drop that far below the lip. On a short and deep spool, a 250 ft cast leaves a 3/8 inch lip for the line to hurdle over . . .

I'll leave the braid / mono discussion for another time but usually the reels which feature the long and shallow spools are also "braid friendly." All this means is that the reel features a ball bearing line roller and a geometric line lay on the spool; that avoids the braid cutting in to the wraps below it. The reels which fall in this category would be; the Diawa Emblems and newer Emcasts, the Tica Dolphin series and nearly the whole Okuma line with the Axeon and Oryx being the reels specifically designed for distance.

When discussing conventional reels, we can state the above again; a reel's distance qualities have less to do with size than actual attempts by the manufacturer to engineer and design for distance.

With conventional reel, the spool again is of critical importance. Low mass and low friction are the primary qualities that add to distance. Those reels that feature bearings for the spool to spin on will cast further than a reel using bushings. 

A conventional reel is very sensitive to line diameter because line diameter directly impacts spool diameter which impacts how fast the spool spins on the cast. Here is where a large spool with a ton of line on it can actually hurt distance - because you can not control it.

The conventional reels best known for distance casting are the Abu Ambassadeur's. For someone just starting out, I would recommend a levelwind model for fishing and whether it has magnetic casting controls is left to your budget. Another conventional reel to consider is the Penn 525MAG.

Hope this helps.


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## Bonito6t9 (Dec 2, 2003)

*Go for the 525*

Or an Avet!  

Fred


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## rattler (Jul 3, 2004)

my emblem casts great and can get the fish in...


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## crazyfisherman (Nov 5, 2002)

Thanks guys for the tip. I made my decision on the tica Dolphin sf10000 HS. It should be hear friday and will test it out friday nite.


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