NJ Saltwater Fisherman Forums
The Surf Fisherman Forum => From The Surf => Topic started by: theBorg on February 25, 2011, 12:16:15 PM
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I am new to surf. I own a 9ft Tsunami Air Wave spinning rod but need a reel. A guy a a local store rec. a Shimano baitrunner, size 4500. Is this large enough or should I get 6500? Also is there a better (and hopefully cheaper) reel choice for a beginner?
Thanks
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First off welcome Aboard..
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sorry computer got messed up.. if you have a 9ft i'm guessing your not throwing bait its a plug/lure rod. In which case you really dont need to use a bait runner setup. most of the new penn reels are pretty nice and not to expensive. they have the battle and Sargus which are both nice reels for the price. hope this can help you out some.
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welcome aboard slt
To add to Ed, I would suggest reading threw the threads of the surf section here. If you are planning strictly on surfcasting i.e. plugs, poppers and tin do not go with the baitrunner. The baitrunner is a fantastic reel and has its place. Any old penn spin-fisher. whether it be the 704, 706, 710 (z). They are just tanks, easily customizable, and fairly cheap and easy to fix or upgrade. only problem is it is not braid friendly, use Fireline with them. Also look @ Shimano, Diawa, ZeeBass, Van Staal t^
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I found the best reel for a "stripper" is a 5 dollar bill! Sorry could not help myself.
Country
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9' is perhaps the best compromise for a bait and plug rod. In which case the 4500 Baitrunner would serve you well. t^
However, if you're just plugging, skip the Baitrunner and go with a 5000 Stradic or similar size reel.
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Anybody try the new Penn Battle? Looks like a great buy at about $100 or so . Looking at both the 5000 and 6000.
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Battle looks like a Sargus with a Conquer spool and drag.
My Sargus felt nice out of the box, but didn't hold up well. Not happy with the durability of it at all. :-\
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Never was a big fan of the Sargus.
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guys, for surfcasting go with a penn spinfisher if you do not want to spend the big bucks. i can get good deals from a guy in Rhodie who will even "Penn-Staal" it t^
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Battle looks like a Sargus with a Conquer spool and drag.
My Sargus felt nice out of the box, but didn't hold up well. Not happy with the durability of it at all. :-\
chris, can not vouche for the battle but heard similiar complaints about the Sargus....just a liitle salt and/or sand screws em up. gotta keep em clean...plus heard they don't take a beatin to well....put on some extra grease, maybe that'll help?
If you are seriuos about surfcasting go with either a penn 704z or van staal 200 (two extreme different price ranges)
VS did come out with the more affordable 150 model which has a bail on it however, it is not 100% waterproof likw the other models
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For my .02 I have used the Penn Slammer 460 series. With that rod you have it is a great combo. The price is good and it will hold more than enough braid to handle any fish you will encounter off the surf. Go to the Penn site for further details.
http://www.pennreels.com/
That reel will hold close to 300 yards of 30# braid.
Hope this helps.
Happy Catching
Paul
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I found the best reel for a "stripper" is a 5 dollar bill! Sorry could not help myself.
Country
Times have changed Big Country, with the economy these days a 5 spot might get it to dance around a bit for ya but it sure won't bite. rofla
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Ima have to get someinfo from TBJ. I need to add a couple reels to my arsenal and was thinking of going the 704 route
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Chris the sargus gear ratio simply put sucks and will not hold up to a 40lb bass!
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1st of all... for your own good... S-T-R-I-P-E-R
Im not a big fan of baitrunners becasue i find they are very heavy and the squat shape of the spool hurts casting distance. Plus, the 4500 is smaller than you really want, but the 6500 is a monster. Unless you plan on bait fishing exclusively, in which case the baitrunner function would be useful enough to justify the wieght, i would look elsewhere. Daiwa makes afew reels specifically for surf fishing (i beleive the emblem and the emcast) that i like. A more conventional pick would be the penn slammer 560, which is a bull. It might be alittle heavy but you will get tons of miles out of one.
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Blynch, u make some good points about the Penn slammer but keep in mind if u plan on tossing plugs all day u will want to stay away from any reel on the heavy side. I agree about the baitrunner, if live lining is your game and your fishing from a boat then get it otherwise don't bother. I agree that Diawa has some great reels for the surf I would recommend the diawa coastal to anyone. however, the Penn spinfishers 704, 706, 710(z) or zeebass or van staal are the way to go if your game is tossing plugs, tin, etc;. They all will take a beating from rock hopping to swimming in the surf. Just my opinion. t^
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First off welcome Aboard..
t^ whs t^
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I agree with you Blynch. I have been using the Penn Slammer 560 for years and it is a workhorse. I have no problem with the weight and as far as a workhorse the reel is great. All I do is keep it clean and it will serve me for years to come.
As far as the baitrunners to me it is just a gimmick. I guess I am showing my age, but in my opinion I follow the K.I.S.S. rule...keep it simple silly.
Gimmicks don't catch fish good technique does.
Happy Catching
Paul
P.S. on March 27th the NJBBA will be holding its 2nd annual indoor flea market at the Toms River Elks at 600 Washington St. in Toms River. Come on down and say hi. Last year was great and this year should be even better.
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I'm own 2 Penn Sargus reels in the 5000 and 8000 size. I hose them off with freshwater after every outing and I haven't had any problems yet, but also haven't hooked into anything over 15 lbs.
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Blynch, u make some good points about the Penn slammer but keep in mind if u plan on tossing plugs all day u will want to stay away from any reel on the heavy side. I agree about the baitrunner, if live lining is your game and your fishing from a boat then get it otherwise don't bother. I agree that Diawa has some great reels for the surf I would recommend the diawa coastal to anyone. however, the Penn spinfishers 704, 706, 710(z) or zeebass or van staal are the way to go if your game is tossing plugs, tin, etc;. They all will take a beating from rock hopping to swimming in the surf. Just my opinion. t^
I just impulse bought a battle 4000 a few weeks ago to fill out a light plugging gap. loaded it with 300yds of 14lbfireline original. I'll check back on its status after I put it through the ringer this season. First impression....not a bad little reel for a hundo
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I hope to see some scratches and dents on that baby t^ t^
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my recent addition to the family....sending it out to be "van-penn"ed ;D
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Joe, what do they do to make it "van-penned"? :headscra: I'm guessing it has something to do with reinforcing the anti-reverse and the bail spring? Both of those are terrible on those reels.
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it goes bail-less with a few other minor adjustments plus a face lift. Anyone with a Penn looking to have this done PM me
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Thats awesome Joe.. how much does something like that cost? I own a spin fisher and would like to get it done to my reel..
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Thats awesome Joe.. how much does something like that cost? I own a spin fisher and would like to get it done to my reel..
Send me a PM Ed
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Stylin'! ;D
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That's so awesome. I bet you'd see a fair amount of weight reduction with all the gussets too.