My first proper spin reel

[WalrusLike]

I have been fishing offshore (only a few Klms) lately and now want to buy a cheap ish but ok reel.

The tackle shop near here suggested a Pflueger Salt for $110.

I've been reading up a bit and proper reviews seem hard to find but favorable. Does anyone have any comments?

I am only a beginner and won't spend more than $120-40 on my first reel. (I have elcheapo combo rods at the moment)

Because of my incompetence and funds limitations I don't want to buy expensive braid either... I was thinking of mono (it used to be good enough in the old days...)

I would like to catch a snapper or similar. I will be mainly using soft plastics on a paternoster rig.

Currently fishing the inner gneerings but will be at Hutchies and inside Moreton bay generally.

Any recommendations on line weight and what max drag capacity I will need? Thanks for any advice.

[Dan5]

Mate for the money they sell them at nowadays you can't go past a Penn Spinfisher.......When the boating camping fishing place has them on sale for $99 i din't think you would get better at that price point.

Dan

[WalrusLike]

Thanks Dan, Is either brand better for long life in salt spray?

[Dan5]

Don't know about the Phluger but the Penn is definatly a saltwater reel........They were the benchmark in spin reels for years....IMO you would proberbly spend $300+ to get something of similar quality to the Spinfisher.

Dan

[theoldlegend]

WL, I picked up a Penn Spinfisher 650 SSM from the fishing and boating and camping place a couple of weeks ago.

The deal was a choice of a 650, a 750 or 850 plus 300 yards of either 20lb or 30lb braid for $99. I don't think the braid is part of the deal any more.

Haven't used it yet, but it feels OK.


TOL

[spears]

Penn battle reel is nice too and they are around $120
87323

[MudRiverDan]

Pflueger Looks the goods.

I notice now most reels are coming out with carbon drag, probably because it is not so hard to do and why put an inferior drag in a reel.

Salt spray IMHO should not bother any reel unless the material is really corrosive in salt water.
The reel is called "Salt" so I assume it was designed primarily for Salt water and not fresh.

I always give mine a hose down at the end of the day when I get home, then sit them in the garage to dry.
I also spot oil them before first use and then spot oil them again about once in every 5 washes.

Some may disagree but if your reel is getting salt spray it would only be a problem if the salt was allowed to stay on the reel for an long time.

One example I can give is an Okuma Aquios I had and really gave a hard time as I did not care too much about it.
As time passed without regular hose downs and spot oils, I realised the reel was not going to die easily, and by that stage had caught me some very nice fish.
I had grown quite fond of the reel as a very productive river basher.
The reel showed no external signs of corrosion so all was sweet, until one day the handle broke clean off.
After inspection I seen that a pin securing the handle, hidden underneath the handle had rusted away to nothing, obviosly this one pin was the achilles heel of the reel and the salt had been eating away at it for years.
I promptly set about mending the reel consequently breaking more parts and rendering the reel junk.

Lesson learnt.

Since I have not had any issues with any of my reels, cheapies and expensive ones because I hose them with fresh and spot oil.

Oh yeah I spot oil before first use to create a barrier, rather than after first use when the surface has already been exposed.

BTW- Water in the drag can be an issue (only happened to me once when I dunked an Excellor multiple times and kept using it on the day) so you can get some light drag grease, a rag and pull the drag out wipe it clean and the area, give light grease then fit back together.

Only do this if you think your drag is jerking, other than that you can just remove the drag knob and without removing the drag give the area a wipe of of sand, dirt or salt.

Sorry for be a great know nothing but I am bored.
Take or leave what you want from what I wrote.



Dan

[WalrusLike]

Thanks TOL, Spears. I am going over the shops soon.... It's a world tackle shop.

So the Penns are good, so also is the Pluefgeredre if I am to believe the reviews.

I am a bit disinclined to braid because it seems so touchy and slightly dangerous to newbies. I now know a lot more about reels than I did yesterday but still know bugger all.

I think it seems any of these will be a goodun to start with. They feel so good to turn.... Gotta love engineering.... :)

[spears]

Oh by the way the Penn battle is a Pflueger reel it now has a Penn sticker on it instead.

[WalrusLike]

Thanks MRD... Plenty of good info there.

One thing though? What is a spot oil? Put a spot on and run it around with a rag? All over?

Spears... So penn and pft Luger are the same... Goodo. Thanks again guys.

[MudRiverDan]

Thanks MRD... Plenty of good info there.

One thing though? What is a spot oil? Put a spot on and run it around with a rag? All over?

Spears... So penn and pft Luger are the same... Goodo. Thanks again guys.

yeah on all the little screws moving parts , nooks and crannies, keep it away from your line though, yeah then quick wipe down with a rag, yeah all over, you don't really have to worry too much if its light, the flat surfaces of the reel are the least of your worries and you don't spot oil them, all over just to give it a general wipe down).

Just add tiny little drop to the nooks and crannies,moving parts and screws , nothing more, a wipe all over when finished to clean up any residue.

Just some protective reel oil should last a long time, think it cost about 8 dollars a bottle at the tackle shop and will keep you going for years.

For new reels I do it once as month, then ease off and do it whenever I remember.

It is kind of a theory I have not sure if its right, but think ona small scale, the factory oil might not even be there so when you take it out all those little particles , salt being the worst one, will adhere to the metal surface (in nooks and crannies).

If you oil before first use you will pretty much have the oil adhering to the clean factory surface first, and this is better IMO than oiling some time down the track, when salt and impurities have lodged into the reels nooks and crannies then you oil, even after a wash some will be there and will stay there.

Only go very light with application, you don't want so much oil that sand and grit will stick to it and make it harder to wash.

Works for me 8-)

Dan

[spears]

Thanks MRD... Plenty of good info there.

One thing though? What is a spot oil? Put a spot on and run it around with a rag? All over?

Spears... So penn and pft Luger are the same... Goodo. Thanks again guys.
That's right Pflueger use to make the reel now penn have it with the penn logo on it.

[Moonlighter]

Hi Walrus

A couple of things. If you are going to target snapper offshore, even in relatively shallow water, on soft plastics, you really DO need to get braid. 20lb is easily heavy enough. I landed an 11kg snapper earlier this year on 20 lb braid and 30lb leader. Took a while, but I got him!

There are a couple of reasons for this:

1. It is much thinner and sinks better than mono

2. It is far, far more sensitive, no stretch, and you need that to feel the sloghtest touches and to set the hook on the SP.

On a spin reel,it is not hard stuff to use. There is one knot you will need to learn, and that is the knot to tie your flouricarbon leader to the braid with. Its not very difficult.

And trust me, once you have used the braid on snapper with SPs, you will not regret it. It really is a must-have in my opinion.

I dont know much about the Pfleuger reels, some of my mates see to use them, but i use Shimano reels these days.

For 20lb SP fishing you dont actually need or want to get a large reel. I got the snapper mentioned above on a Shimano 4000 sized reel, and it was more than adequate.

If you can find a Shimano Symetre 4000 for a good price, that would be perfect.

Also, i use a Shimano Jewel 6-8kg spin rod. Perfect combo with the above reel. Not high end stuff, but nice quality rods.

Have a look, see what the best price is for that rod and reel, and PM me, i might be able to do something for you after XMas, especially if you are not in a big hurry.;)

PS the above rod/reel combo is also great for targetting spotty macks either with bait or by casting slugs. The Symetre has a pretty high speed retrieve rate. In fact, this is a really versatile all round combo rod and reel, i use it in the Bay bait fishing for sweeties and squire on the shallow reefs too. The reel used to come with a spare spool, not sure f it still does, but if so you can spool the spare with 15 or 20lb mono.

Cheers

ML

[WalrusLike]

Wow, good info there ML, thanks.

I couldn't help myself.... I bought the Pflueger 50. And a Shimano Aqua something or other 6'6" rod.

$146 all up. I have put 15kg mono on it.

Tried it this arvo and it feels great and gets exactly the same result as my el cheapo broken tipped rod. :)

I can see that there is a lot to learn so I will be taking your advice on board and improving my setup and tactics accordingly.

Now... To shock you with my stunning ignorance.... What's a fluorocarbon leader for? :)

[Daintreeboy]

You can get a Penn Slammer with 300 yards of braid for less than 90 bucks and it will be a strong dependable reel. Top choice for what you want I reckon.

[theoldlegend]

Wow, good info there ML, thanks.

I couldn't help myself.... I bought the Pflueger 50. And a Shimano Aqua something or other 6'6" rod.

$146 all up. I have put 15kg mono on it.

Tried it this arvo and it feels great and gets exactly the same result as my el cheapo broken tipped rod. :)

I can see that there is a lot to learn so I will be taking your advice on board and improving my setup and tactics accordingly.

Now... To shock you with my stunning ignorance.... What's a fluorocarbon leader for? :)


Fluoro is supposed to be virtually invisible under water......... but there is 100% fluoro and then there is fluoro coated mono...... lots of different brands and breaking strains.

The last time I visited Tangles, he had fluoro there in every breaking strain from 2lb up to 100lb in one pound increments and about 1000 metres of each.


TOL

[WalrusLike]

Thanks TOL. So much to learn...

It's a fun journey though eh!

[Moonlighter]

Hi Walrus

Flourocarbon line is like normal mono line but on steroids! Looks much the same to the naked eye, but the main difference is that its refractive index is virtually identical to salt water. What does that mean? Simply, it is nearly totally invisible in salt water. Normal mono isn't.

When we use braid for soft plastics fishing, as you know, braid is coloured woven sort of stuff. It is therefore highly visible in the water, to fish as well as people.

So, we always run a couple of meters of flourocarbon leader tied to the braid. The jig head is tied to the end of that with the same knot you use normally in mono to tie a hook on.

It means that the presentation of the lure to the fish is better because there is no visible line nearby to distract or frighten them. Plus because it is similar to mono, it is easier to re-tie hooks, jigheads etc on when the line gets damaged orbfrayed etc.

A further advantage is that the flourocaro ins much more abrasive resistant that braid, braid will break very easily if it touches something rough. Flourocarbon is more resistant to being wrapped round rocks pylons etc than braid. You can get supple flourocarbon, and hard shelled stuff, depending on the type of fishing you do and the likelihood of encountering reefy structure.

There endeth the lesson! No charge!

ML

[rabbi]

Guys, honestly,
The Penn SSM reels for $99 are a waste of about $97 IMO.
The chinese Penns are the biggest heap of mass produced crap I have ever used.
Bits start falling off,bending,snapping and then theres the corrosion and rust problems.
Throw em away after the 4th serious outing.
The Pfleuger Salt reels are a better proposition.
No way will I ever waste my money on a Penn SSM reel again. Gone through 3 SSM 950's in less than 18 months.
Why would you, honestly.:P

[MudRiverDan]

Guys, honestly,
The Penn SSM reels for $99 are a waste of about $97 IMO.
The chinese Penns are the biggest heap of mass produced crap I have ever used.
Bits start falling off,bending,snapping and then theres the corrosion and rust problems.
Throw em away after the 4th serious outing.
The Pfleuger Salt reels are a better proposition.
No way will I ever waste my money on a Penn SSM reel again. Gone through 3 SSM 950's in less than 18 months.
Why would you, honestly.:P

I got a Penn Live Liner 560, been using it on beach and river.

Caught one Jew on it in the river, reel has some grunt.

Issues - Slight rust stain on line bail roller thing, so a bit of salt intrusion, mind you I often take it to the beach and leave it in the Garage for a few days till I remember to hose it with fresh.

Main issue - Drag has lost smoothness from out of box.
I did grease it which makes me think I should not have greased a dry drag, but could do with Carbontex, the HT100 does not seem as good.

Dan

[spears]

Guys, honestly,
The Penn SSM reels for $99 are a waste of about $97 IMO.
The chinese Penns are the biggest heap of mass produced crap I have ever used.
Bits start falling off,bending,snapping and then theres the corrosion and rust problems.
Throw em away after the 4th serious outing.
The Pfleuger Salt reels are a better proposition.
No way will I ever waste my money on a Penn SSM reel again. Gone through 3 SSM 950's in less than 18 months.
Why would you, honestly.:P
Do you have a picture to show how bad things look ? Here say won't work.
They are made in Japan and assembled in China.
I enjoy using my two SSM's

[Gozz]

I'd check the okuma salina II out.
My mate took his to NZ and caned it for 10 days on the big kings and it's still working fine.
His reel is the 16000 size with 80pnd braid.

[Gozz]

I got a Penn Live Liner 560, been using it on beach and river.

Caught one Jew on it in the river, reel has some grunt.

Issues - Slight rust stain on line bail roller thing, so a bit of salt intrusion, mind you I often take it to the beach and leave it in the Garage for a few days till I remember to hose it with fresh.


Main issue - Drag has lost smoothness from out of box.
I did grease it which makes me think I should not have greased a dry drag, but could do with Carbontex, the HT100 does not seem as good.

Dan

I have 4 of these reels and reckon they are awesome for $99.
The drag that come's in them is a carbon drag but it's one large drag washer instead of a couple of small stacked drag washers.
The drag washers need to be cleaned and then only a very small amount of drag washer grease applied.
I put a little grease on both sides, make sure the washer is covered then wipe the washer with a rag to make sure any access comes off.
If you apply to much grease you will lose most of your drag pressure.

[rabbi]

Take my word for it.
The bail roller bearings rust after 2 trips, The bail arm on all 3 reels now closes by itself and I have lost count of the lures lost with snapped lines.
Bail arms on both sides wear quickly and large amount of slop in them. Bail return spring looses tension quickly and bail arm flops around.
The screw keeps coming out of the bail roller assy. $60 for a new roller and 2 bearings. The way the bail arm works it allows the line to wrap around the arm and break off.
The spindle in the handle knob where it mounts onto the main handle arm is not strong enough and it wears loose.
Main body assy not too bad with corrosion but most of the hardware rusts quickly.
oscillating shaft retainer screw keeps coming loose.
Anti reverse stops working after a bit of use.
I buy these size reels to use and give them a bit of work and they are worked fairly hard and they have fallen apart quicker than any other reel I have ever used.
I service these reels every third or fourth trip.
If you are gonna use them twice a year on whiting by all means buy them.
I dont really care, all I am saying is they dont live up to my expectations but what do you expect for $99.

[spears]

Take my word for it.
The bail roller bearings rust after 2 trips, The bail arm on all 3 reels now closes by itself and I have lost count of the lures lost with snapped lines.
Bail arms on both sides wear quickly and large amount of slop in them. Bail return spring looses tension quickly and bail arm flops around.
The screw keeps coming out of the bail roller assy. $60 for a new roller and 2 bearings. The way the bail arm works it allows the line to wrap around the arm and break off.
The spindle in the handle knob where it mounts onto the main handle arm is not strong enough and it wears loose.
Main body assy not too bad with corrosion but most of the hardware rusts quickly.
oscillating shaft retainer screw keeps coming loose.
Anti reverse stops working after a bit of use.
I buy these size reels to use and give them a bit of work and they are worked fairly hard and they have fallen apart quicker than any other reel I have ever used.
I service these reels every third or fourth trip.
If you are gonna use them twice a year on whiting by all means buy them.
I dont really care, all I am saying is they dont live up to my expectations but what do you expect for $99.
It's hard to say much with those comments until someone sees what your doing with these reels for them to have all these problems.

It's a bit like someone saying..that car engine only lasted me 2 years..
Where someone else would say..
If only you could see how he treated that car,no wonder it lasted 2 years..

[rabbi]

Yeah Spears, you are right.
But I use them the same as any other reel I own and they all get the same treatment. I used to use the Okuma EZ90 reel for the same type of fishing and they will last about 3 years with the way I treat them.
If you want to land big fish off the rocks in the conditions we fish in , yeah you have to give the reel a bit of a serious workout plus they get heaps of casting and retrieving work as I rarely ever fish with bait. Where you have about 20-30 casts per fishing trip I may have 10 times as many casts if not more.

Have a look at the " Extreme Jewie fishing" clip on youtube and you will see how I use them. Not easy work but the handle spindle on the SSM950 reel I caught the bigger fish on was flopping around like an eel in a stormwater drain after that bit of work that session.

I have a friend up north who says the Shimano Spheros is the Gnats knackers for hard work so its on my hit list next.
Cheers, steve.

[spears]

Good camera work.
The reel does get a reasonable amount of sea spray over it looks like nearly every trip.
You need a Van Staal reel and you’ll never have to replace a reel ever again.

I’ve owned a spheros and didn’t seem much different to the SSM.
The Fin-Nor Offshore would suite you too at a affordable price

[rabbi]

Yeah Spears, I am working my way through the many types of reels out there without going to $1000 reels as they are too pretty to scratch on rocks:)
One reel which I have owned for 5-6years is proving to be a standout. its a Shimano Navi supership 8000 bought from Malaysia and I have loaded it with 30 pound braid and its the reel I got my 36kg jew on a few years back. I have given that reel an absolute flogging and the only part that is worn is the bail return ramp under the rotor. Very little sign of wear anywhere else on the reel.
Got it for $130 new but have not seen them around since, maybe they were too good??
cheers, steve.

[spears]

Oh and with this comment..reply #19
The Pfleuger Salt reels are a better proposition.

Or you can buy a Penn Battle reel..It’s actually a Pfleuger Salt reel with different colour and name on it.

[spears]

Yeah Spears, you are right.
But I use them the same as any other reel I own and they all get the same treatment. I used to use the Okuma EZ90 reel for the same type of fishing and they will last about 3 years with the way I treat them.
If you want to land big fish off the rocks in the conditions we fish in , yeah you have to give the reel a bit of a serious workout plus they get heaps of casting and retrieving work as I rarely ever fish with bait. Where you have about 20-30 casts per fishing trip I may have 10 times as many casts if not more.

Have a look at the " Extreme Jewie fishing" clip on youtube and you will see how I use them. Not easy work but the handle spindle on the SSM950 reel I caught the bigger fish on was flopping around like an eel in a stormwater drain after that bit of work that session.

I have a friend up north who says the Shimano Spheros is the Gnats knackers for hard work so its on my hit list next.
Cheers, steve.

Hi Steve,got a question for you
In that " Extreme Jewie fishing" clip what rods were you or the other guys using .
Also the rating in mono and cast weight
Thanks

[MudRiverDan]

There is one of those high speed shimanos on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SHIMANO-TSS4-FISHING-REEL-VERY-GOOD-CONDITION-WITH-BOX-/330862186226?pt=AU_FishingReels&hash=item4d08ec4ef2

$240.00 or nearest offer, they must be ok to be asking that for an old reel.
Probably get it for $200.00

Nice reel classic look, made in japan, heavy duty gear, waterproof drag, I would snap it up if I was cashed up, but I'm not :P

Dan

[rabbi]

I have a Penn Applause 8000 thats around 20 months old and worn out 2 Handles on it. Funny story, I went to Goanna headland fishing a while back and theres a walking track there. At that stage I was getting quotes on a new handle for my Applause 8000 as it was getting too wobbly.
As I was walking towards the carpark theres a wooden post and on top of that post was sitting an almost brand new Penn applause handle. Excellent!! Worn that one out too. might have to to back for another walk there:)

I digress, What I was going to say was that I bought an 040 Pfleuger Salt and yes I know its a Penn, or vice versa. Anyway it has not had much heavy use but its holding together ok, feels solid still and no rusting hardware, so far.
Use it on my yak, boat and off bridges ,walls etc so it gets wet with saltwater often.
Hate it when the "Stainless steel" bearings seize up with rust.
Cheers.

[Spiderpig]

How is the pfleuger salt holding out now Walruslike and rabbi?

[rabbi]

Hi Spiderpig,
I reckon they made a mistake when they called it a Pfleuger Salt, Shoulda called it the Pfleuger Rust..
Service it often but theres always rust in the mainshaft brg,pinion bearings and bail roller bearing.
Used it 20-30 times and the bearings now all need replacing.. very smooth when new but not so now..
The rest of the internals seem ok but its a bit of a mudguard..shiny n pretty on the outside but s**t on the inside. Not good enough for a $125 reel.. wont be buying another one...
Worth spending not that much extra and getting a Penn SSV reel which I did. Different class of reel altogether..
cheers,steve.

[rabbi]

Hi Steve,got a question for you
In that " Extreme Jewie fishing" clip what rods were you or the other guys using .
Also the rating in mono and cast weight
Thanks
Sorry Spears,I only just came back here for a look and found I didnt answer yr question.
For the heavy work like in that clip I was using a Wilson Mulloway rod rated at around 15-25kg with a fast taper. Line is Shimano power pro 50lb braid and casting weight is 65grams with those jigheads but I have cast over 120gms without a problem.
My current rod is a 10-15kg penn prevail with a Penn SSV6500 loaded with 30lb Shimano Power Pro and it is a gun outfit.
Lighter,stronger,faster as they say. The Penn SSV has had a lot of work and is a beaut reel so far.. And as a lot of people who know me and my reel habits would say that for me to say its a beaut reel is well up there...
cheers,steve.

[spears]

Hi Steve ..yeah got all that info from your PM.

Anyway here is a interesting test
http://www.spinningreel-field-testing.blogspot.it/

Remembering that Battle reel and Salt are the same reel

[davo]

V series Spinfisher would be my choice. I only have the 3500 but love it.

[Jsmfun]

If you want bang for your buck there is no better than shimano I have a symeter 2500 awesome reel for the price and a 10 year warranty. 3 years ago could not bring myself to spend more than $100 on a rod and reel combo now I allow $ 150 -250 for very good reel and $100 -200 for a rod and the quality difference is amazing and it will last 20 years if you maintain it reasonably everything will last if you look after it I'm not bias to shimano but the do built quality for the aloted price

[spears]

If you want bang for your buck there is no better than shimano I have a symeter 2500 awesome reel for the price and a 10 year warranty. 3 years ago could not bring myself to spend more than $100 on a rod and reel combo now I allow $ 150 -250 for very good reel and $100 -200 for a rod and the quality difference is amazing and it will last 20 years if you maintain it reasonably everything will last if you look after it I'm not bias to shimano but the do built quality for the aloted price

Sounds like you have the symetre FJ the previous model.If you compare it to the FL current model then there is no comparison.The latest one's are just junk and won't last long.
Was going to buy one until i picked it up and seen what sloppy bearings they have in the handle and rotor.

I recently spent $290 on a Daiwa Caldia 4000 and that too was a disappointment,should be able to get a better reel for the dollar but the two big boys shimano and diawa seem to have lost their way in supplying sub standard reels below $400.
No one seems to make any decent reels these days unless you spend big bucks

[Moonlighter]

I got a Shimano Saragossa 4000 just on 3 years ago.

Its loaded with 20lb braid. Its currently on a Shimano Jewel 6-8kg spin rod, 2 piece, 7ft and a bit long.

I use it as my medium offshore Soft Plastic combo.

So far its accounted for an 11.0kg snapper caught at Evans Head, and a 22kg spanish mackerel (yes thats right, 22kg) that i hooked in the lip on a TT jighead and berkley 7" SP at Rainbow Beach.

In between that, numerous other snapper of all sizes, quite a few 4-6kg models, grassies, the occasional mixed reef fish, some coral trout and a few legal sized jew.

I have done nothing other than wash it down after each trip.

It has one of the nicest out of the box drags I have used. Still as smooth as, after some very thorough workouts, as indicated by the fish mentioned earlier.

i would have another one in the blink of an eye.

[Jsmfun]

I have the fl model and have no play at all i also have a rarenium c3000 ,okuma Salina 2 5000 and 10000,okuma trio 1000, shimano bait runner oc 8000-12000 ,sustain 5000 Stella 4000 last model ,Stella 6000 new model Stradic 5000 fj saragosa 1800f. Diawa ballistic 4000 Stella 8000 last model .

I have tried the diawa's and for the money you spend and the warranty you get with it it's pathetic as people rely on this stuff. the caldia when I tried it at the tackle shop felt like it was plastic would have been scared to catch anything on it.

The Salina,s are bulletproof for $200 nothing better in the range and the sustain gets way more use than the 4000 Stella ( less than half the price)as it feels more sensitive on plastics. brought my brother in law a Abu and its already stuffed after 2 years use and he washed it down every time he used it

the thing is if you buy anything other than the two big boy's you can buy the top of the line for $300 other than for heavy duty stuff. Then you want to have the good gear IMO

just my point of view cheers

[Jsmfun]

Sorry walruslike did not mean to hijack your post I hope what ever you brought suits you personally and almost any 4000 size reels will catch you your PB snappa
cheers

[spears]

Sorry walruslike did not mean to hijack your post I hope what ever you brought suits you personally and almost any 4000 size reels will catch you your PB snappa
cheers
He bought the Pflueger 50

[Clonoid]

I bought a Salt 40 just recently. What struck me on first looking at it was that it looks a lot like a Daiwa of a few years ago....I haven't used it yet but noting the rust comments I'll try some prevention, the only reels I've had which haven't suffered rust are a Saltiga Blast and a Tiagra 20.

[spears]

Sorry Spears,I only just came back here for a look and found I didnt answer yr question.
For the heavy work like in that clip I was using a Wilson Mulloway rod rated at around 15-25kg with a fast taper. Line is Shimano power pro 50lb braid and casting weight is 65grams with those jigheads but I have cast over 120gms without a problem.
My current rod is a 10-15kg penn prevail with a Penn SSV6500 loaded with 30lb Shimano Power Pro and it is a gun outfit.
Lighter,stronger,faster as they say. The Penn SSV has had a lot of work and is a beaut reel so far.. And as a lot of people who know me and my reel habits would say that for me to say its a beaut reel is well up there...
cheers,steve.
Hi Steve,just curious in knowing which spinning reel you are using now.
Cheers