Reel for large surface irons

[Dos Locos]

I'm partial to smaller reels for throwing the surface iron. I have the Torium 20's on my 100J and my 93h. The TOR20's have a carbontex drag washer upgrade and an upgrade to a Cal Drag plate. This upgrade cost me 25 bucks per reel and each reel has landed several Yellowtail over 40 on the long rod.

If you can cast the long rod for surface action, it really doesn't matter what reel you use. Talent is talent, and being able to spot the activity that leads to surface iron fish, i.e. dipping terns, puddlers, etc.. and making an accurate/effective cast is the difficult part, not the selection of a reel. Then again, if you are a party boat fisherman I guess it matters not since you have a crew to spot that stuff for you and a tank full o' bait to chum it up.

[MATTANZA]

star drag reels will outcast most leverdrag reels. i vote for the newell g332f or 533.

[calstabi]

Tunanorth, how about the Conquer 7000 ...................like the
18oz weight..............#32 max drag..............can it handle throwing Irons?

[tunanorth]

Originally Posted by calstabi

Tunanorth, how about the Conquer 7000 ...................like the
18oz weight..............#32 max drag..............can it handle throwing Irons?

For the most part, I am not a fan of spinning tackle for throwing large surface iron, but the Conquer 7000 would certainly handle up to "yellowtail grade" fish.
For one thing, firing off repetitive hard casts with spectra off your index finger would make finger protection an absolute requirement.
One other problem especially with "mid size" spinners, as the lure sails further away, and the line level dwindles on the spool, friction builds up and shortens the cast.
This is why ALL distance casting competitions are won with conventional reels, but spinners are of course simpler to cast for many anglers.
Where spinners really shine is when throwing the much less aerodynamic poppers.
I won't hesitate to throw the popper on my Conquer 7000 for any kind of local tuna, but will be using my Torque TRQS7 spinner when throwing topwaters on long range trips.

[tunanorth]

Here is a 42 pound yellowfin I caught on my field-test model Conquer 7000 last month aboard the Searcher

[One_Leg]

Originally Posted by tunanorth

One other problem especially with "mid size" spinners, as the lure sails further away, and the line level dwindles on the spool, friction builds up and shortens the cast.
This is why ALL distance casting competitions are won with conventional reels, but spinners are of course simpler to cast for many anglers.

Actually, Alvey reels account for many distance casting records and contest wins.

Alvey Reels USA






There are times and places for everything, including spinning reels.




.

[tunanorth]

Hi Alan,
I am well aware of Alveys, and in fact was one of the early USA users way back in the late 1960's when Jerry Morris of Hermosa Tackle Box was the sole US [west coast anyway] importer.
I even used them for albacore once out of Morro Bay.
Although I love the concept, Alveys don't hold any "official" casting records, nor do any international casting competitors use them.
"Official" casting competitions use [approximately] 6 ounces for men, 5 ounces for women, and 4 ounces for juniors as far as casting-wieght requirements.
The Alvey folks created their own category of [approximately] 2 ounces, and they do indeed hold the world record with that "unsanctioned" casting weight classification.

[twangers]

Alvey (dogs bowl) the best lite surf/rock reel ever made. But thats about all there good for.

[Ironjigger]

I love smaller reels to cast surface irons. My vote is the new Avet Raptor with magic cast! This reel cast very far with very little back lash and has super twin drag.

[Professor]

Stella 8000, I've always hated spinning reels for anything but 6# and less. After my last trip I've got some crow to eat. I don't want to run up to the bow and I've got out riggers to contend with aft which make the long rod a bit of a problem. With 60# JB and 10' of 60# fluro I'm slinging surface iron like there is no tomorrow and the drag is good to 50#. It’s a new day but it does require some finger protection.

[white box121]

Originally Posted by Steve K

I would skip the Saltist 30 and go with a Saltist 40 for tossing the surface plug for Yellowtail. The clamp for the 30 is a genuine pain in the ass as the narrow frame uses those funky bent bolts. The clamp arrangement for the 40 lends itself better to clamping it up on a jigstick worthy of fishing trophy Yellows. And the Saltist fishes well right out of the box.

x2

saltist 40 (low speed) on my ulua93hCT-10,

7x, 6x6, 45's, candy bars, 544's, anything and everything all day.

i got the the lower speed (4.9:1) because it swim the jigs perfectly.