# what reel to use?



## wannabe (Mar 6, 2011)

thinking of buying the breakaway hdx rod, what is a good reel to pair it up with if im casting about an 8oz weight(going for shark). ALSO FOR DISTANCE. also best line to use? you probably guessed by now im new to this site and never shark fished before.


----------



## Kwesi W. (Apr 14, 2006)

Spinning or Casting?

If casting I would recommend an old school favorite.. Slosh 30, or maybe the newer SHA, SHV versions.. All great reels..

If Spinning I would recommend the Daiwa Emcast, or Emblem Pro..


----------



## wannabe (Mar 6, 2011)

forgot to mention casting. also for distance, i have seen the reels with no line guide, looks like it would be a huge advantage. do they improve the bearings at all, i have seen videos of these spinning for about 1 to 2 min. on the bench?


----------



## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

Wannabe,

If your target species is shark then you really need a reel that gives good line capacity and has a nice strong drag. KMW gave a good suggestion in the Slosh 30. Some others would be the Penn 535, the Abu Garcia 7500 c3ct. The 30 and 7500 are basically 20 lb class reels and the 535 is a little larger, probably 25 lb test. Any of these reels are subject to be spooled when a big toothy critter takes the bait. 

These reels will give good but not great distance. To extend the cast you can drop down to a 525 mag penn or even a 6500 size abu. The Penn works great with 17 lb test and has a pretty stout drag. I’ve landed sharks well over 100 lbs with the 525. The 6500 is a 15 lb test reel and really needs the smoothy drag washer up grade but even then won’t be a match for a good size shark, but your distance will improve if your cast is refined.

The biggest bang for the buck in distance is to improve your casting technique.

Hope this helps,

Tommy


----------



## wannabe (Mar 6, 2011)

thanks tommy and kmw. i never done either but a friend of mine is getting me into shark fishing and i kept watching videos of tommy farmer and wondering what he was useing to cast the kind of distance he was. i got on his website and sent him a message.


----------



## wannabe (Mar 6, 2011)

sorry, didnt realize thiswas mr.farmer. anyway HOW IN THE WORLD DO YOU CAST LIKE THAT? are you in any local comp. i would love to come watch. also been to your website, you have mail.


----------



## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

The Carolina Surfcasters Assosciation casting season is starting up in less than 2 weeks. Most tournaments are held down in Shallotte which is about 45 min south of wilmington. 

Check the sticky post at the top of this board.

Come on down.

Tommy


----------

