Favorite big game reels

[zinbaad]

Since buying the 31 last year I plan on a few off shore trips for shark & tuna ( mostly catch release) this year & was looking for insight as to the bets affordable (JOKE) reel combos. I was leaning toward Penn International 30 wide size. A Friend has 2 used reels he wanted to sell.
What are your favorites for the money? Any other tips or suggestions? Any sites pointing to the most discounted?
Thanks Eddy

[Pitou]

Stepping up to the gold standard seems to come along with stepping up with the new boat. When I bought my 28 a buddy said "oh boy, I see 10k in new fishing gear in your future". Holy crap, he wasn't far off. Tackle, rods, reels, epirb, raft, yahoo! For the few and I mean very few dollars saved by shopping the net I decided for new gear I would support my local shop. It sure helps with the intel. I had a buddy buy NIB off e-bay and brought the reel in for service 2 years later ..... stolen! Be careful.

I started off with 4 - 30 wides a pair of 50 wides and a pair of 130's. The BlueFinTuna / SBFT & MBFT which is all we have for larger gamefish up my way seem to have provided a new excitement for us. We had alot of small fish over the last 5-6 years (40-80 lbs.) and as of last year we were starting to see larger fish in the 120-185 lb range and of course the larger fish for the targeting giants. Time for a gear adjustment and planning to replace 2 of the 30's with 2 more 50 set-ups. The never ending quest for the enjoyment of a passion/addiction.

Happy to part with 2 / 30 set-ups for a real smart deal. I baby my gear and they still look new!

[Russell]

If the two Penn reels are in good shape you might want to grab them. They are usually considered among the best. Many people recommended Shimano TLD 25s to me for an inexpensive reel that works well. Since I do not fish for tuna very often I purchased new TLD 25 reels on eBay and rods on sale at Bass Pro with roller tips. I used mono to partially fill the reel and then Power Pro 80 # to fill it. I added 100 feet of 100 # mono for a top shot. With Power Pro you do not need a big reel anymore but the quality of the drag is important. I was told to stay away from Okuma but I think they are improving. Some people use Penn Senators but I think the lever drag TLD 25 for about the same price is a better choice. To avoid problems on eBay that Pitou mentions look for volume sellers with top ratings from previous purchasers. I also look at what other people have paid for items I am interested in.

[RicM]

I use Accurate reels for our everyday striped bass and fluke fishing. The 197 looks tiny, but is amazingly light and combined with 60lb super braid will stop most anything short of adult tuna. My dedicated tuna rigs are Accurate 667's with 80lb braid and 50 lb backing and 50 lb top shot. Accurates are not cheap, $350-$500, but once you use one everything else feels like junk.

[TD]

There is some pretty good info on Tuna reels posted on the attached web site. My son happens to be moderator for the Washington forum and posts as CornFed.
Terry



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