Saltwater Spinning Reels??

blizz75

Member
alright i have been fishing the gulf flats for about a yr. and starting to get pretty serious. I have been researching and have a few questions about reel selection. I was looking at the penn captiva which is real cheap, but has a good name, 11 ball bearings and 6.2:1 gear ratio which i think should be good for what i fish.
My question is will this reel freeze up and work like crap in a few months, and if so what would you reccomend? (within reason, i cant afford a van staal or similar :thinking: )
Thanks for any responses; if there are any people out there that sw fish that is
 

clintjj

Member
Ok reel just wash the rod and reel off everytime repeat everytime you come in and clean very good about every third use and should be ok. I fish offshore and have learned from exp. CLEAN YOUR REELS AFTER EVERY USE!!!!!! do you see my point?
 

frankski

New Member
i like shimano reels.i have used them for years from the expensive ones to the cheap ones.dont know what size reel your looking at but i fish the tampa bay flats and am currently using a spheros 4000. its around 80 bucks. ive used the stradic which is the next reel up and around 120 bucks but didnt last as long. the speros has a water proof drag system and the stadic doesnt, which is one major difference. as far as the amount of ball bearings, these reels dont fall into the same category but im telling you it only takes one time of dropping a 250 dollar reel into the water and it is never the same. one other tid bit-i use reel magic to spray on the reel after use instead of water. i have talked to many pros that use this method and i have noticed a major change in the logevity of smoothness that you are probably after.
 

blizz75

Member
i own a couple of shimanos and i do agree with you they are pretty good, just thought that the penn sounded like a good deal and was wondering if it was. $50 for the features it has sounded good. but ill look at the spheros. and the reel magic. do you not rinse at all? not lubricant or grease??
and just to let you know i fish light 10-12lb for inshore slam.
thanks you two! i already clean my reels like crazy
 

frankski

New Member
Ive tried different brands like penn, daiwa and fiinor etc. but nothing compares in the long run. havent tried the type your talking about and sounds good for 50 bucks. I dont rinse my reels but do rinse rods. the salt gets pushed into the cracks and crevices of the reel when you use a hose, so ive learned the hard way not to rinse. i do lube up the reels according to the directions. i have taken in some of the older reels to reel shops that i have used for years which over time lost their smoothness but they are never the same.thats why i opt for the 80 dollar reels and not the 200 up. i cant have a reel that makes noises and gets stiff, so i sell them off when its time and buy new, but thats me.i have 3500 and 4500 bairtunners,2 stradic 4000, 2 spheros 3000, 2spheros 4000, and 2 symetre 4000s at this time and i find myself grabbing the spheros first. ive asked around the same question your pondering and have stayed with the shimano from the answers ive got from the pros. I am an avid flats fisherman too and know that casting and reeling all day you want something thats super smooth. let me know, if you get the penn, how it works out.
 

blizz75

Member
i think im going to get the penn and shimano to compare the two. how do you get so many "tips" from the pros?? are you sponsored or do you just compete in alot of tournaments ?
Thanks alot, Blizz
Looks like your new here, what kind of tank do you have?
 

frankski

New Member
i fish very few tourneys. i talk to guides-who really have their equipment put to the test. i bought a 110 fowlr from a guy who had it setup for years, been interesting and challenging learning all bout aquarium keeping.fish list: yellow tang,emperor angel,firefish,flameback angel,clown,regal tang,blenny,yellowtail damsel, fire shrimp and coral banded. just got a hundred gal to set up aggressive, it was given to me but has no pumps filters , etc. after doing some research it seems like the equipment i need to buy all has to be exactly the right size and pipe must be certain size for certain power of pump so on and so on. im starting to wonder if its worth investing starting from scratch- may sell it and buy one that is ready to go. any suggestions?.
 

blizz75

Member
in my opinion, that is all part of the hobby. i love setting up a new tank and so on. and if you sold it you would make only 50 bucks or so. there is not a high demand for used aquariums. you came to the right place, come to the equipment forum and ask some questions, your sure to get help.
got any pics of the 100 or other tank??
and also if you dont want to spend alot of money then you could throw a couple whisper filters on the 100g and turn it into a natural tank. I have a 29g and 10g that everything came from the ocean. in the 10g i have a baby pin and a pair of breeding starfish. and in the 29g, i have hermits, a couple fish, some plants, fiddlers, and some baby stars. they are cheap, easy and look pretty good if you take your time. just an idea since you obviously have access to the ocean and grass flats.
 

frankski

New Member
good advice. it just seems everyone has a different opinion on setups and equipment, so the research goes on. do you use sand from your waterways? ive been told not to because you never know what toxins you will introduce, but im thinking of trying it on the new tank.
 

blizz75

Member
yep, eveything comes from the ocean. your not allowed to collect live rock so i get it off the shore on low tide, as it is not exactly live-its dying. then there are a few species restrictions found on the FWC website and your good to go. you can make them look pretty good for next to nothing.
 
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