# Conventional casting reel reccomendations?



## vacationfisher (Feb 14, 2015)

What would be a decent casting reel for surf use? I have several bait casters that I use fishing at the local lake so I'm used to casting them and would like to buy one for surf fishing to take along with my spinning gear & play around with it. I'll be using it to throw lead & bait, not lures, & I would like to stay below the $150 mark since this will only be used on the summer beach trips to the gulf with the wife.


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## Islander80 (Mar 27, 2010)

I personally like penn conventional reels, especially the fathom 15 but all of the following are good reels and seen often on the beach
Daiwa sl20sh or sl30sh (slosh20/30)
Daiwa saltist 20 or 30
Akios 656ctm or 757 ctm
Penn fathom 15
Penn squall 15
Avet SX mc
All of these are good reels. Also this is one of the most asked questions on the board so if you do a search of "conventional" in the title you will find a lot of info.


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## Sandcrab (Mar 20, 2002)

I personally have 3 of the reels on the list - Daiwa Saltist 30H, Daiwa Grandwave 30 (Fancy SL30H), and an Akios (656 SCM model). All are great reels. For lighter baits, the Akios is my favorite for the 2-4 oz category while the reels are great for the really heavy stuff (6-10 oz) on longer (up to 14') rods.

For the lighter stuff the saltist 20, s20sh, or akios 656 reels really shine...

Sandcrab


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## 1BadF350 (Jul 19, 2006)

I have 3 Daiwa Saltist BG30's, 4 Penn Squall 15's, and 2 Penn 525 mags. The Saltists are flat out awesome if you can up your budget by $30. The centrifugal braking system, i believe, is very forgiving on errant casts. This is what I learned to cast with.
The Penn Squalls are equally as awesome and fit right in your budget.


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## Mastrbaitr (May 7, 2014)

I converted to convo because my spinning setup is maxed out now and for distance. Picked up a squall 15 as my first convo. The penn squall are non level wind so you gonna have to learn to thumb the line for proper line lay. As a beginner I can tell ya that it's a lot easier than I thought it would be.


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

At 159.99 the Akios 656 CTM is hard to beat. Holds 300 yards of .35mm (15 lb) mono, casts great and can be easily tuned from safe and docile to wild and crazy to suit your skill and the conditions.

Tommy


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

duplicate


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## rabbitdog2 (Aug 20, 2011)

Islander80 said:


> I personally like penn conventional reels, especially the fathom 15 but all of the following are good reels and seen often on the beach
> Daiwa sl20sh or sl30sh (slosh20/30)
> Daiwa saltist 20 or 30
> Akios 656ctm or 757 ctm
> ...


What's wrong with the Ambassadeur bait castor reels? I have 15, most are 20 to 30 yrs old and still work great


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## Islander80 (Mar 27, 2010)

Ambassador's are great ones too. Very simple reels.


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## BigWillJ (Jan 21, 2001)

You beat me to it rd2. Seems Abu's have fallen out of today's discussions, and some markets. I have older versions of some of the other brands mentioned above, but our vintage Abu conventionals remain the go-to reels, both on the boat and in the surf. Easy to upgrade, easy to work on, easy to use, very competitively priced in their day, and parts are readily available. But I digress from the OP's question. I reckon gulf coast surf fishing, from the Tx coast, to the bend in Fla, and down the Fla coastline is as diverse as all up and down the east coast on the Atlantic. Based on the only input of "lead and bait", the suggestions above are all good ones. I'd narrow my choice down to a 5500/6500 size (Abu speak) 20/30 size (Daiwa speak), or the Akios mentioned by Tommy, depending on choice of levelwind or not, and also rod and target.


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## 1BadF350 (Jul 19, 2006)

Tommy said:


> At 159.99 the Akios 656 CTM is hard to beat. Holds 300 yards of .35mm (15 lb) mono, casts great and can be easily tuned from safe and docile to wild and crazy to suit your skill and the conditions.
> 
> Tommy


Tommy could spool a 12/0 on the cast.


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## vacationfisher (Feb 14, 2015)

Thanks for all the advise guys. I already have an Abu 5500 that I use for catfish on a 7' ugly stik catfish rod. Didn't know how it would do with saltwater use, but after browsing the forum & reading the responses on this tread I will defiantly buy a surf rod & put it on it for surf fishing. I still want another though, I mean who doesn't & I already planned to buy one, so I'll probably order a saltist.


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## rabbitdog2 (Aug 20, 2011)

vacationfisher said:


> Thanks for all the advise guys. I already have an Abu 5500 that I use for catfish on a 7' ugly stik catfish rod. Didn't know how it would do with saltwater use, but after browsing the forum & reading the responses on this tread I will defiantly buy a surf rod & put it on it for surf fishing. I still want another though, I mean who doesn't & I already planned to buy one, so I'll probably order a saltist.


I have 2 5500's one is a 25 year old reel and the other is a 5500C3 both work great for fishing the surf.


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## Sandcrab (Mar 20, 2002)

I have an old 5600C that I used for years on a 7' Fenwick rod to cast metal spoons to hungry bonito and barracuda off the Ocean Beach pier in San Diego, CA. Loaded with 12 lb mono, it worked like a charm! 

Sandcrab


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## DANtheJDMan (Aug 29, 2012)

vacationfisher said:


> Thanks for all the advise guys. I already have an Abu 5500 that I use for catfish on a 7' ugly stik catfish rod. Didn't know how it would do with saltwater use, but after browsing the forum & reading the responses on this tread I will defiantly buy a surf rod & put it on it for surf fishing. I still want another though, I mean who doesn't & I already planned to buy one, so I'll probably order a saltist.


Keep that 5500 on that Ugly Stik and slay whiting and spots and ................ off the beach. 

I have a little 5601 C4 that is on an 8' 3" Ugly Stick. That little rod and reel catch more fish than all the rest combined. 

It has caught some nice pups 25" and even a 35" black drum cow nose rays ................................ Gota have some patience. 

+1 on the 656 CTM........... I have the SCM and it is really a gooder made Abu from what I can see on the inside. 

Bigger bearings bigger shafts. 

I'm going to try something crazy when I fish the beach in Florida on spring break in a couple of weeks.

I got an old Diawa Millionare 4H off ebay and when it came I thought crap this thing sucks. The spool had a lot of side play in it and it was not very smooth.

I messed around with it and realized it had some missing parts on the end of the spool shaft................... I have a junk Abu QuickSilver and I looked at the pile of parts and thought it looked like the ball bearings from the Abu were the same size as the brass bushings of the 4h. They fit perfect........both sides. The rubber washer and the thrust washer were missing out of the adjustment side of the spool and sure enough the Abu ones fit just right. 
I'm fixin to use a supped up Millionare on an 11' Tommy Farmer 2-5 rod to slay pomps in the surf.
You need a bait rod.
Good luck man


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## vacationfisher (Feb 14, 2015)

DANtheJDMan said:


> Keep that 5500 on that Ugly Stik and slay whiting and spots and ................ off the beach


Looks like I'll stick with the Abu on the old Ugly Stik & have a little more $ to spend on the new combo!!!


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

Penn 525 Mag . . .


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## afout07 (Jan 29, 2014)

Daiwa sealine either the sl20sh or sl30sh. It's basically indestructible, casts well and is about $120 brand new, depending on where you get it. I have a sl30sh and love it


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## DrumintheSuds (Nov 19, 2007)

You want something easy to clean

ABU Garcia 6500 C3 is hard to beat. Put a power handle on it and don't look back


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## SteveMcD (Sep 7, 2013)

Another vote for the Penn 525 Mag.


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## George Gravier (Oct 28, 1999)

DrumintheSuds said:


> You want something easy to clean
> 
> ABU Garcia 6500 C3 is hard to beat. Put a power handle on it and don't look back


 I got a stock blue yonder that I bought at Tw's down in kitty hawk in the early 90's, caught tons of fish on it including a few decent size sharks just clean it good once a year still kickin, its semi retired now just use it for spot and roundhead etc these days but awesome reel...cant go wrong with the abus...


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## 1thofa87 (Jul 23, 2011)

vacationfisher said:


> Thanks for all the advise guys. I already have an Abu 5500 that I use for catfish on a 7' ugly stik catfish rod. Didn't know how it would do with saltwater use, but after browsing the forum & reading the responses on this tread I will defiantly buy a surf rod & put it on it for surf fishing. I still want another though, I mean who doesn't & I already planned to buy one, so I'll probably order a saltist.


As I've explored conventional reels over the past few years, for me it comes down to weight and balance. I have a couple of Penn Squall 12s that I've used over the past couple of years. They did double duty on a couple surf rods (8.5ft and 10ft) that I use for tailrace, jetty and inlet plugging and a couple of 8 ft inshore rods for local pier and shore use. Great casters and rugged as heck, love em! 
This year I came in to some cash and thought I'd get a couple additional reels so I wouldn't have to switch them up so much depending on where I'm fishing. I had never owned an Abu so I grabbed the BY 6500 and a 5600c4. These particular Abus have aluminum sideplates so they're very lightweight (I think around 12 and 10 oz respectively)and they didn't balance so well on my surf rods while they were perfect for my inshore ones which are really lightweight St Croix Avid Inshore rods. I think I like a heavier reel for surf rods. The squalls are more than 15oz which isn't heavy at all but balanced out better on (physically) heavier surf rods. I don't get to fish out front surf much so I don't have any heavers but if I went that route, I think I'd opt for an even heavier more durable reel like the Abus with brass sideplates in the 20oz range. Maybe a 7000 size Abu or Akios. I don't have experience with any of the other reels mentioned but I read alot of great things about all of them.


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## DANtheJDMan (Aug 29, 2012)

I'm a new relatively new guy to surf fishing. 

I thought I really wanted a 7000 size Akios but then I make a post on here and more than one guy said, "What the hell do you want a big ass real like that for?" 
I live in Iowa and believe it or not, you cant go down the one BPS in Iowa and handle a 7000 size reel. Nobody carries anything like that around here. 
We were on OBX last Aug and stopped at The Fishing Hole in Salvo. They let me handle a 7000 and a anything else I wanted to look at. 
I realized that a 7000 is a big ass reel to cast. I thought he said something about Akios might be making a 7000 SCM which would be shorter and maybe easier to cast...................... The 666 is just a wide 656 not any taller sort of like the difference between a 5500 and 6500 Abu just a wider spool. I like my Akios and I like the Abus I have also.


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## George Gravier (Oct 28, 1999)

DANtheJDMan said:


> I'm a new relatively new guy to surf fishing.
> 
> I thought I really wanted a 7000 size Akios but then I make a post on here and more than one guy said, "What the hell do you want a big ass real like that for?"
> I live in Iowa and believe it or not, you cant go down the one BPS in Iowa and handle a 7000 size reel. Nobody carries anything like that around here.
> ...


 the fishin hole, been a long time since ive been in there thanks for the memory!!


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## Espresso (Mar 18, 2005)

Without knowing the length rod you're using and what you're targeting, I'd err on the smaller size reel. The Daiwa Saltist 20H (make sure it's the H model, as other models are boat reels and sits much higher off the rod and will be difficult to surf cast) is a great reel within your price range. Just look for them on ebay. The silver model is discontinued but the black/gold one are the same. You can find either used for about $125ish. I had a 30H paired up to a 13' rod and didn't like it as much as the 20H. The 30H is too wide for me and the 20H although it might look a tad small, holds enough line for most surf fishing. I personally use 14-17# mono for my conventional reels. I currently have a 20H as a backup reel but I strongly suggest you up your budget and get a Akios 656 SCM. It's a dream to cast as it's magged and built very well compared to the Abu's I've had. After using a 656 SCM for a season, I ditched the Abu's I had and sold off my 30H to get another Akios. I've used a Penn Squall and it's fine but think the Saltist is a better reel while for me, the Akios 656 SCM is still king for surf fishing.


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## Saltlifer88 (May 31, 2021)

I'm thinking of buying the Penn squall 2 15cs model star drag conventional reel and was wanting to know if you have to guide the line left to right when you are reeling it in or does it do that on it's on.


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## pcbtightlines (Aug 9, 2020)

Espresso said:


> Without knowing the length rod you're using and what you're targeting, I'd err on the smaller size reel. The Daiwa Saltist 20H (make sure it's the H model, as other models are boat reels and sits much higher off the rod and will be difficult to surf cast) is a great reel within your price range. Just look for them on ebay. The silver model is discontinued but the black/gold one are the same. You can find either used for about $125ish. I had a 30H paired up to a 13' rod and didn't like it as much as the 20H. The 30H is too wide for me and the 20H although it might look a tad small, holds enough line for most surf fishing. I personally use 14-17# mono for my conventional reels. I currently have a 20H as a backup reel but I strongly suggest you up your budget and get a Akios 656 SCM. It's a dream to cast as it's magged and built very well compared to the Abu's I've had. After using a 656 SCM for a season, I ditched the Abu's I had and sold off my 30H to get another Akios. I've used a Penn Squall and it's fine but think the Saltist is a better reel while for me, the Akios 656 SCM is still king for surf fishing.


Agree I have a Akios 656 CTM (no level wind/best for casting weight and bait) and it does indeed cast like a dream. The CS and CSM models have a level wind. The CSM like the CTM has magnetic and centrifugal brakes. I would recommend those models due to the outstanding braking.


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## Benji (Nov 19, 2014)

Saltlifer88 said:


> I'm thinking of buying the Penn squall 2 15cs model star drag conventional reel and was wanting to know if you have to guide the line left to right when you are reeling it in or does it do that on it's on.


Thumb it on. It's second nature once you're used to it.


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## animalbarrie (Jul 15, 2015)

Saltlifer88 said:


> I'm thinking of buying the Penn squall 2 15cs model star drag conventional reel and was wanting to know if you have to guide the line left to right when you are reeling it in or does it do that on it's on.


You have to level wind with your thumb. Takes a little practice, but is very important that you lay the line on evenly. If you do a poor job laying the line down it could result in issues on your next cast. Eventually it becomes second nature.


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## Saltlifer88 (May 31, 2021)

I've heard people talk about the daiwa saltist and was wondering if I have to worry about wearing out the worm gear from casting it like my Penn gto 220 real I already have?


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## Catch This (Nov 19, 2005)

you will not wear out the worm gear on a Diawa Saltist from casting


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## Saltlifer88 (May 31, 2021)

Catch This said:


> you will not wear out the worm gear on a Diawa Saltist from casting


Thank you very much I'm still learning about these kinds of reels.👍👌


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## hunter1 (Jul 31, 2009)

I went with a Penn Fathom 15 reel, love it, caught some big fish on it, drag was smooth as silk. I have Penn squidder's but thus Fathom is great.


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## hunter1 (Jul 31, 2009)

I bought a Penn Fathom 15 last year, Great reel. I like it better than the squall because it's all metal. I used it on a 10' 4 to 10 oz rod and it cast great, drag was great, landed a ray that was about 40 to 50 lb. I may get another ,but in the 25 size for my 8 n bait heaver.


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