# Tournament Reel Selection



## big joe (Nov 18, 2007)

What is a good tournyament reel as far as casting off the grass. I have several 525's, but from reading on the various posts it seems that everyone is in favor of using smaller reels. I am interested in getting into distance casting and would appreciate any help.

Also, I would like to thank all those who responed to helping me out on my shock leader problem. I took the spool of shock leader to my brother over the weekend. He is an engineer and he ran some tests on it. It was definetely a flawed batch of mono. So much for thinking I was throwing through it.

Big Joe:fishing:


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## AbuMike (Sep 3, 2007)

I'm not into distance casting but I see alot of talk about the Abu 6500 and 5500


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## Hudak (Sep 10, 2007)

Gettn' started in tourney casting, I would suggest a 5500 or a Ultra Mag II style reel. (322, XLT II, UM XL II, possibly even a 522) For clarification, all the reels I am talking about are Abu Garcia reels.

When I started, I was using an unmagged 6500. I threw a Blue Yonder for a while before I even thought about mags. That was just so that I would concentrate on form rather then trying to cast and then playing with a reel. Once I felt I had a decent groundwork laid for form, I got a magged reel. That is just the way I did it and it worked for me.

As far as reel selection, a 5500 size reel will carry you a long way. You can throw all weights with this reel. As a side note, the only difference between a 5500 and a 6500 reel is the width. The side plates are the same. I would suggest picking up an extra spool for different line diameters. They sell different mag units for these reels. You can get someone like Bill Thomas to do a center mag on it, or you can buy a benfield plate for it. The biggest difference is price. The center mag unit made by craftsmen are great little units that are more cost effective. The Benfield is a manufactured unit that is more expensive yet offers a quick release feature that is handy at times.

This topic can carry on forever if given the chance. Subjects such as bearings, oil, brakes, what kind of frame to get all come into play when fine tuning a distance reel. But, at first just to get your feet wet, consider sticking with a 5500 size reel and throw, throw, throw, throw, throw , and if you forget, throw some more. As your technique and skill increase, so will your need for more precision equipment. We all would like to jump into an Indy car and race. But, stepping into a car that is a little more suited for our skill is by far a more pleasurable experience to learn from.

If you watch the market place, you will see reels from time to time come up that are great deals. You can search Ebay and purchase reels at a bargain and then have someone do the work if you choose. You can also just go and buy a Dr'ed reel flat out and be good without wondering if you purchased the right thing off of Ebay. Check out www.customrodsnreels.com to see the various reels Bill carries and give him a call.

There are plenty of choices out there. I am throwing a 5500 size reel that is managable and perfect for a beginner. Once you start to get out over the 750' mark then it is time to think about a 6500 size reel for the .31mm line.

Robert


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

Wow! Great Reply.. Very informative..




thekingfeeder said:


> Gettn' started in tourney casting, I would suggest a 5500 or a Ultra Mag II style reel. (322, XLT II, UM XL II, possibly even a 522) For clarification, all the reels I am talking about are Abu Garcia reels.
> 
> When I started, I was using an unmagged 6500. I threw a Blue Yonder for a while before I even thought about mags. That was just so that I would concentrate on form rather then trying to cast and then playing with a reel. Once I felt I had a decent groundwork laid for form, I got a magged reel. That is just the way I did it and it worked for me.
> 
> ...


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)




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## Stevie Wonder (Apr 20, 2007)

thekingfeeder said:


> Gettn' started in tourney casting, I would suggest a 5500 or a Ultra Mag II style reel. (322, XLT II, UM XL II, possibly even a 522) For clarification, all the reels I am talking about are Abu Garcia reels.
> 
> When I started, I was using an unmagged 6500. I threw a Blue Yonder for a while before I even thought about mags. That was just so that I would concentrate on form rather then trying to cast and then playing with a reel. Once I felt I had a decent groundwork laid for form, I got a magged reel. That is just the way I did it and it worked for me.
> 
> ...


Big Joe; This is it in a Nutshell. I have learned so much from Kingfeeder on this topic, I could or he could write a book. My advice... read his extensive, generous reply & read it some more. Then.. throw, throw & throw some more. Best of luck. 




big


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## Hudak (Sep 10, 2007)

Stevie Wonder said:


> ...I have learned so much from Kingfeeder on this topic, I could or he could write a book....


Ehhhh, I just payed attention to the back of a cereal box one morning. It is amazing what you can learn from them. 

Of course, that is just my opinion, your results may vary. Thanks for the kind words Steve. At least I have one person fooled. LOL

Robert


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

big joe said:


> What is a good tournyament reel as far as casting off the grass. I have several 525's, but from reading on the various posts it seems that everyone is in favor of using smaller reels. I am interested in getting into distance casting and would appreciate any help.
> 
> Also, I would like to thank all those who responed to helping me out on my shock leader problem. I took the spool of shock leader to my brother over the weekend. He is an engineer and he ran some tests on it. It was definetely a flawed batch of mono. So much for thinking I was throwing through it.
> 
> Big Joe:fishing:


Before getting into it too deep, I would suggest starting out with a stock abu - the CT mag elite is a great choice (5500 or 6500). Learn how to balance the spool, find out how to fine tune the reel for max distance with minimum blow ups, then go from there.


upgrades can be done to the reel (ceramic bearings, center spool mag conversion, QTC frame, etc if you get serious about tourny casting


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

when people say Balancing a spool what does that mean? I see guy (Tommy included) that have video's of there reels spinning for 5 minutes straight... How the hell is that done..


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## dmaaero (Jan 27, 2008)

I just can"t grasp the concept of buying a gocart when what i really want is a indy car. Is the 6600 any better than the 6500 or just more expensive to mod? One would think the more expensive reels would cast futher, allthough that may not be the case.

A quick search shows spool bal. is acheved by the way you lay the line on the spool. The long spin times are done with new bearings before you add oil to make them castable. Please feel free to correct any mistakes i have made.........still new to this casting thing, and the only thing i have figured out is bill has way to many reels to chose from on his web page! david


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

When people refer to a spool being balanced most of the time they're talking about the reel ajustments.. Not the line.. At least I think So.




dmaaero said:


> A quick search shows spool bal. is acheved by the way you lay the line on the spool. The long spin times are done with new bearings before you add oil to make them castable. Please feel free to correct any mistakes i have made.........still new to this casting thing, and the only thing i have figured out is bill has way to many reels to chose from on his web page! david


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## Hudak (Sep 10, 2007)

dmaaero said:


> I just can"t grasp the concept of buying a gocart when what i really want is a indy car. Is the 6600 any better than the 6500 or just more expensive to mod? One would think the more expensive reels would cast futher, allthough that may not be the case.
> 
> Bottom line,as an example, a 6500 or 6600 reel with .28 line on it is more prone to blow ups unless you have a firm grasp on what you are doing. Lack of experience will create headaches. That is why I suggest and throw a 5500 with that line.
> 
> ...


Choosing reels is really not rocket science. As it has been mentioned and eluded to already, it is easiest to concentrate on technique with a less complicated reel. Anything else I could add will change the scope of this thread to a "can money buy distance" debate. We all have seen enough of those. LOL

Robert


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## Connman (Apr 14, 2001)

Starting out there is nothing wrong with using one of your 525's , especially if you have a knobby version . It will work fine with .31mm line but a little fast for the .28mm line . 
Price is no indication of distance . One of my best casting reels was a beat up daiwa 4m with stock bearings which set me back $1 at a yard sale and I got a rod with it too. 2 mins with a hack saw and it was a tournament reel . Old technology brake blocks and fixed spindle spool .

Next step up for me would be a stock Mag elite 5500 or 6500ct . Either one is capable of 800'+ out of the box .


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

kmw21230 said:


> when people say Balancing a spool what does that mean? I see guy (Tommy included) that have video's of there reels spinning for 5 minutes straight... How the hell is that done..


IF you want to check your balance- fill the reel full of line, take exactly two wraps of tape around the spool to hold the line in place, back off the mags completely, and spin the reel up to speed. This can be cranking on the handle and disengaging the reel, or just put in free spool and spin the reel with your thumb. 

It is best to do this test with freshly cleaned out bearings, before you add any oil.

Watch the reel as it slows to a stop. You looking to see if the reel rocks back and forth and comes to a stop at the same location each time. Spin it once let it come to a stop and then mark the piece of tape or the spool flange and the cage. If the next time it spins to a stop it rocks back and forth and then settles at the exact same spot, the spool is heavy on one side and that side will always try to settle to the bottom.

What I means by heavy is that the line gets piled up unevenly as you wind line on. You should perform this check also with an empty spool to check the balance of just the spool itself to begin. Even if the spool itself seems out of balance the first few yards of line can be put on the spool in such a fashion that it helps bring the spool back into balance.

Tommy did an in depth how to on this in an earlier post, and there have been other threads on it as well.

For me, I haven't figured out the "magic" that goes into getting an out of balance spool back into balance. If I have one that is really bad it gets set aside. Once I have the first few yards on and the spool is balanced, I tape off the line and then start filling the reel from there. That way if you break off or blow up, your first few yards of line will always be taped in place and you won't have to "rebalance" every time you respool with fresh line.

Since I don't toss as far as the big hitters , line capacity is not an issue. It should only take the first 20 or so yards of line to get the spool in balance, so even if you tape off your not losing much capacity.


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

Guys,

There is some great info in this thread. I don't have much time (death in family) but here are a couple of things that may help.


Spool balance - More art than science. I had trouble wrapping my head around just why the &^#$$ this works. To this day I cannot tell you why but I've gotten pretty good at how... 

With an empty spool try a course underwrap or two all the way across before making a hump 1/4 to 3/8 inch tall and about 1/2 inch wide in the center of the spool. Fill in the right side coarsely until flush with hump and then the left. Now fill the spool being careful to keep the fill nice and level. I count the handle turns it takes to make one sweep across the spool with the line, 5-6 on a 5500, 6-7 on a 6500 and 7-8 on a 6600w.

With clean, dry bearings tighten the drag, flick the handle and press the freespool button. With a little practice you can get her to spin up pretty good. The reel should be smooth with little vibration. If it shakes, wind ALL of the line onto another spool and try again, this time making two humps on the side instead on one center hump. Rinse and repeat until smooooooth... 

IMHO the 5500 CT (mag elite, blue yonder or rocket) are the best all around distance casting reels. They are usually a little bit easier to balance that the 6500-6600w's and the smaller spool gives you less mass to get up to speed on the initial hit. I have tried them all and REALLY like the 6600w but if the wind is not howling I still go back to my old faithful 5500 that has provided me with the 125 and 150 records.

The only negative to the 5500 is line capacity using .31 line. This only becomes an issue when you start hitting 800' plus and there is a trick or two to help when you get there.

Gotta go...

Tommy


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

Hey CCP, sorry to hear about your loss...


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## big joe (Nov 18, 2007)

I do have a 6500 Blue Yonder that I have on my AFAW uptide. I will try it out this weekend. 

Thanks everyone for their advise.

Big Joe


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## big joe (Nov 18, 2007)

Tommy,

I am sorry to hear about your loss. Unfortuneately, we will all be there one day. 

Big Joe


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## lrs (Mar 6, 2008)

I'm just getting into this, don't have any bonafide equipment yet. But I scrounged together a 10ft cheapie surf rod, and stuck on an old abu 5000C, of course it has a level wind. I rigged up a 50lb test shock leader, and took it out on the lake by my house this morning. I think the reel has 15lb test, and I had a 2 oz sinker in a tackle box. 
I know it's not gonna win any contests, but it is a start. 
I can't judge distance over water very well, but I think some of my casts were somewhere in the 100yd area.
I was not setting any world records or anything, but I did have fun.
This is a good sport.


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

you're totally right.. IT's a start.. 

When you're ready for a better distance pole you can get a basic 13ft surf pole for $200 bucks (HDX), and your 5000c can be tricked out for cheap. Take off the levelwind add a CT bar just to start. Then you can consider bearings, mag, etc..... I'm also a rookie trying to get started.. 




lrs said:


> I'm just getting into this, don't have any bonafide equipment yet. But I scrounged together a 10ft cheapie surf rod, and stuck on an old abu 5000C, of course it has a level wind. I rigged up a 50lb test shock leader, and took it out on the lake by my house this morning. I think the reel has 15lb test, and I had a 2 oz sinker in a tackle box.
> I know it's not gonna win any contests, but it is a start.
> I can't judge distance over water very well, but I think some of my casts were somewhere in the 100yd area.
> I was not setting any world records or anything, but I did have fun.
> This is a good sport.


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## dmaaero (Jan 27, 2008)

here"s a link to some tournement reels may help some new comers to distance casting out. I"m not sure how accurate the wright up is but it helped me understand a little about tournement reels http://www.fishingkaki.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

Maybe I'm just not very bright, but I can't understand why people would buy those Mag elites. What im trying to say is most of you guys will rip the reel apart and upgrade the mags, bearings, plactic clog, etc, Why not just buy a basic ABU 5500c off ebay for 40 bucks and have your way with it.. Someone please explain this to me..


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

kmw21230 said:


> Maybe I'm just not very bright, but I can't understand why people would buy those Mag elites. What im trying to say is most of you guys will rip the reel apart and upgrade the mags, bearings, plactic clog, etc, Why not just buy a basic ABU 5500c off ebay for 40 bucks and have your way with it.. Someone please explain this to me..


For fishing people typically opt for either the BY or the mag elite- Some go with the BY and then get it magged, so people ask why not just buy a mag elite? 

I do prefer mag controls myself, for the simple reason it makes it easy to adjust to the conditions. I think most people regardless of whether they are going to bling it out into a tourny reel want the reels made in Sweden, and not the cheaper Wal-mart variety. 

If I want to build a race car I'm not going to stick a racing engine in a crappy frame, that engine doesn't do much good if the parts around it are junk (wheels , tires, etc.) . SO the mentality is start with the better framework and build from there. Having said that I am sure some nice casting reels have been made out of otherwise crappy reels. 

I tried searching and buying used bargain reels for awhile. I wound up with a whole lot of reels that were not much good to me. Maybe 1 out of 10 would be suitable for blinging out. Too much of a headache so now I just buy em blinged out. now 

Like looking for the needle in the haystack, I just don't have the time to sort thru the bad ones to get the ocassional good one.


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## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

I still don't see the reason for buying a $130 reel that you plan on gutting out; when what's left is the same that would be left with a lesser reel.... But, I guess I never will...


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## Centralpafish (Jul 5, 2007)

I'm still learning too but I just bought a Mag Elite, tricked out by Bill's Reels. Haven't used it yet but plan on putting it on the AFAW rod I bought. I'll learn the rod with the Penn 525's that I an used to but once I learn the rod I'll put that Mag Elite on it and go from there. Why not have the best reel you can on a rod like the Beach. That's what makes sense to me. Just my .02


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