Tuesday, February 17, 2009

How to select a fishing reel...

Don't get caught up in all the hoopla, ads, or the shiney paint job. The best way to select the right fishing reel is with your brains and a little bit of advise. Th most important parts of a fishing reel are the drag, gears, and frame. Pick a model that fits the type of fish you target or intend to target. A rigid frame is very important it limits the amount of flex and torque that your reel has under load. More flex = more wear and tear on the internal components of your reel. A smooth drag is arguably the most important feature, buy a reel that has a drag that is smooth and remains smooth 10,20, or even 1 hour into th fight. Most of the major manufacturers have very good drags, but a few are capable of more drag than the competition. If you are chasing large fish with small tackle consider The new Abu Revo series or the Quantum Boca and Cabo's. If smooth performance is more important than maximum drag I suggest Daiwa or Shimano. Gears are ultra important in selecting your reel. They are even more important if you are fishing any of todays superbraids. The braids have almost zero stretch and the gears take most of that load directly. Some of the best spinning reels on the market have upgraded gears in 2009 including the Shimano spinning reels with the paladin gear system and the Daiwa reels with the digicut gears.

Think about what you need to get out of a reel and then make a smart choice.

You will notice that I didn't mention ball bearings anywhere. Thats because they are not important in the design and performance of the reel. They make the reel feel smoother, but having more also creates more maintenence. Don't get caught up with bearing count, instead select a model with less bearings, but a higher grade of bearing. in the last 5 years Daiwa, Shimano, and Abu Garcia have been working very hard at improving the quality of their bearings they have anti-corrosion treatments on them and have been redesigned to withstand saltwater better than a standard stainless bearing. Look for these they are better.

good luck and subscibe to this post for more advise on tackle.

Matt

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