Reel ramblings

[Bob on Stronsay]

When I got into angling in a serious way I started looking around for better reels and like lots of beginners I liked the idea of multipliers.

 

At the time, the reel that got the most recommendations was the Diawa SLOSH’s. Not being able to pop into tackle shops I looked around for a good mail order company and found Veals (Fantastic service). I sent off for their catalogue and started on the process of deciding what reel I wanted. I eventually bought a pair of Penn 525 GS’s that I am very happy with. The reason I bought the GS’s over the Slosh’s was because of Veals wording on their catalogue:

 

“One slight problem is that the spool sits quite high so anglers with small hands can have problems holding onto a big cast if the reel is used "up butt".

 

Because I fish all around Stronsay from clean beaches to very harsh rocks I came to the conclusion I still needed a reel for heavier work with 30 LB line and after advice from this board I finally went for the SLOSH 30. I was very surprised when the reel arrived From Veals. I was expecting something very large but on comparison with the Penn's I really couldn’t notice any difference. OK so this is a comparison between a Penn 525 against a Diawa 30 and not a 525 v 20 or 535 v 30 but apart from the width of the spool I would have thought the reels are so close in design that a description applying to one should also apply to the other.

 

I also needed to replace my old and very worn out Diawa SL175H boat reel. I fancied a go at a lever drag and a few people mentioned the Okuma Titus. Having had some cheap Okuma’s in the past I was a bit wary but after a couple of PM’s and the purchase of a Titus 50W from someone on this board I decided to go for one. Again Veals catalogue said something like “Has a noisy anti reverse”. OK, you can hear it click whilst playing with it at home but nothing compared to some reels I have heard and out on a boat you cannot hear it at all.

 

I called Veals to mention this and as usual they were very friendly and explained “In the past we have had a couple of these reels returned for these reasons, so we need to cover ourselves”. As I pointed out on that basis there wouldn’t be a reel on the market you couldn’t say something about. I notice they sell the Okuma Intellix/Pioneer (Also sold under the Ron Thompson badge) with the following description:

 

“Lightweight, inexpensive multiplier suitable for light beach casting with lines up to 15lb maximum”.

 

Whereas I would say:

 

“Cheap and nasty, will birds nest all over the place and will probably fall to bits if you catch a fish of 5LB or over and even if it doesn’t you will replace it with an ABU, Diawa or Penn at the end of the year”.

 

Sorry about rambling on but if I can give one piece of advice to a beginner it would be. If you fancy a casting multiplier and want to learn how to use it properly don’t buy a cheap one. Only buy from a decent manufacturer and even then, only buy a reel from their ranges that comes recommended by the lots of anglers on boards like this, it will save you time (Sorting out birds nests because the brakes on cheap reels are useless etc), money (You will replace the cheap reel within a year anyway because the clutch is gone) and effort (You will learn faster/better/with less stress on a decent reel).

 

Bob

 

PS Still a fan of Veals, fantastic service, friendly staff and they must pay a big back hander to the post office to get their deliveries up to Stronsay so fast.

[Socksy Squirrel]

Hi there,

 

The SL20 and SL30 are the same diameter, just the spools are different widths. The SL40 is quite a bit larger, roughly the same size as the 300H, they are both quite a bit smaller than the 450H.

The SL's do sit higher on the rod than the comparative ABU's or the 7HT. That said they are castable for someone with average sized hands. Tournament casters would probably not think much of the big handle and the higher profile compared with an ABU 6500.

[Ken Davison South Wales]

Hi Socksy,

 

Is the ABU 6500 a favoured reel for the tournament casters?

 

I often wonder what they used.

[Socksy Squirrel]

A good starter reel for the tournament caster is the 6500 CT Mag Elite or CT Elite for the heavier leads. They like to replace the power handle with a paddle handle as it makes the whole thing easier.

Most of the local casters started with those before moving on to more specialised ABU's.

The 5500 CT is used for the lighter leads and there are a few other obsolete reels that find favour.

ABU's are light, have inspool bearings and due to the low profile you can get a really good grip on the spool.

 

[ 22. April 2005, 02:38 PM: Message edited by: Socksy Squirrel ]

[Yakity - Yak - u.k.]

Hi Bob,

 

Keeping a grip on the spool while casting.

Cut a piece of bike inner tube about 6 inches long.

Tape it to the butt, behind the reel,position it so you have to stretch it a little to reach the spool, when you let it go, make sure it clears the spool.

Before the cast stretch the rubber to the spool, place your thumb hard down , and cast, no slip, and lots of control.

If you forget to place the leader knot to one side, it saves them little stingy cuts on the thumb too

I used this idea,when I was chucking leads around the fields

Hope it helps.

 

yy