large surf reels

[bronziebasher]

Gday guys, I'm just chasing some recommendations on buying a new large surf reel. My old mitchell orca 80s has been a great reel but is getting a little tired. What are people using out there? I'm in esperance, wa and mainly target, salmon, mulloway, skippy and gummy shark, with the odd bronzie coming through.
Also does anyone use liveliners/baitrunners off the beach for these species?
Any help would be appreciated.

Neil

[rando]

Gday bronziebasher.

This chat board originates in SE Qld , where real men fish with Alveys.
So dont be surprised if eggbeaters get a bashing .
My favorite surf reel is an Alvey GRBC. Its a bit heavier than some reels but thats not a problem unless you are a sheila.
These reels are very versatile, hold a huge amount of line , are virtually unbreakable, impervious to salt & sand have a retrieve rate up there with the fastest reels around, (1.1 metres per turn)
Apart from the weight the only down side is managing line twist if you are spinning with it. Make sure you use 2 good quality swivels in your rig and you should be OK.

rando

[rockfisho]

Hi

Alveys are fantastic for fishing for the big stuff off the beach, for many reasons, but mainly the reliability. They are virtually indestructible and as said before; impervious to the elements. I have a Alvey 6.5" reel for sale on this site, which is the most common size.

rockfisho

[Tangles]

Normal beach work go the Alvey, if want to spin get a Shimano TSS4, good value beater. Rockfisho i looked at your Alvey mate, sorely tempted but already have too many.. currently being outbid on Ebay on an old antique one...

mike

[nigelr]

Depends how much you want to spend, really.
Money no object - Van Staal.
Value for money - Daiwa GS9
Better quality, Shimano Spheros 8000 or 12000, Penn Spinfisher 7500 or 8500, PennSlammer 460 or 560, Daiwa BG 60 or 90
Baitrunner style - Penn Liveliner, Shimano Baitrunner.
An aquaintance uses a Shimano Baitrunner for mulloway, he likes the ability to let the fish run, I don't use this approach myself, prefer to strike straight away.
Alvey will do the job admirably and with no fuss, hold a mile of line, strong as an ox, will handle a beating, cast a mile, last forever and well priced to boot.
Really the choices are almost endless, these are just my suggestions, if you want an eggbeater style.
I use vintage French-made reels in the surf (Bretton, Bam, Mitchell) and a GS9 off the rocks. All are strong, easy to maintain and simple to use, pretty cheap off Ebay, too. I save my Spinfisher for special occasions!
Cheers!

[84mick]

Hey bronziebasher how are ya? Mate I would go for the Shimano TSS4 but alveys are gold! . You must be one of the luckiest guys! Id love to live in Esperence, use to live up in Kal and would always come down and go after the salmon.

Cheers, Mick.

[craig51063]

ive been running an okuma av 80 on the beaches round sydney now for 3 years and it gets a good work out,it came with 2 spools so you can fish light or heavy , it will handle anything from bream through to big jewies and sharks .and now i think comes witha lifetime warrenty. i tried using alveys but i cant get used to the line comming of the reel [ when rigging up ,or in storage ] its a pain in the ass . the okumas hold plenty of line easy to use reliable .the advantage alveys have over these sorts of reels are if you drop them in the sand you can just dunk them [ or the basic model s ]in the water and they rinse clean and there AUSSIE made, i also think the drag system on eggbeaters are easier and smoother . but drop your eggbeater in the sand and they dont like it . so the solution is DONT drop it in the sand . which posses the question is there an australian manufacturer making eggbeaters out there .

[nigelr]

Seamartin used to be Aussie, don't know current status.
Sort of a hybrid between a threadline and an Alvey!
Cheers.

[moater]

Not a bad reel the ORCA 80S...I've got a 80S Pro Alu (aluminium spool) that needs a new bail arm & roller etc.I was going to fix it up but then I came across a Spinfisher 9500.Anyway,if you know of anyone that's after an ORCA...

I haven't fished the surf for years but am planning to get right back into it and I'm going to use the big Penn on an Ugly Stik 12' Guttsbutt.

When I used to surf fish for gummies,bronzies etc here on the ninety-mile beach,I used to use 2 x ABU12 overheads on FSU5120 blanks with the long extension.They were superb and I could cast a long way and handle big gummies/bronzies up to 6 feet no worries.I've got 2 of the 12s again after parting with my original ones years ago due to hard times.

A good overhead or spinfisher type reel is great but as stated watch out for sand.My old man (Victorian born & bred) used to use his big Alvey with the wooden spool before I was born and caught many good fish.The reel is still in good nick.

Regarding the Seamartins,they were originally designed/built by a bloke in Lakes Entrance,VIC as far as I know and were/are a top reel.I was looking at a New Zealand site recently and saw them for sale but I don't remember the name of the site...sorry.

Hope you find something suitable.:)

Darren

[bronziebasher]

Thanks for all the info and help guys.
My old man, as do a lot of you guys, uses an alvey in the surf but ive always had big spinners. I'm taking my father inlaws penn 950ssm out this weekend so i'll see how that goes ( seeing how I bought it for him for his birthday!)

We use his big old overhead penn ( read "winch") on a 7' heavy boat rod for livelining salmon, targeting bronzies, so that end of the scale is taken care of.

Anyway I'd better gear up......theres pinkies being caught from the beach 200kms east of here as we speak......my mate got 25 last weekend in the first night, packed up and came home a happy man. All 6-8 kg........mongrel!

Thanks again

Neil