Swimbait reel question

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

Can someone please explain to me why so many want a reel that holds several hundred yards of line for use while fishing a swinbait..You surely can't toss one of the big swimbaits that far, so that can't really be the reason..

mac

[JustinD]

I have read and observed a few seperate reasons. For me the foremost reason for using a larger reel is for the simple fact that they have larger, stronger parts that can handle the weight of our swimbaits without falling apart. Thats my take....but you can also grasp the concept of deep fishing. Say you toss your bait 50 yards then you sit and let it sink another 100 feet you basically have 250 (give or take) feet of line out. Now couple that with a boat direction change and you may have another 30 or so feet of line to add. Thats a lot of line out. Not sure if regular baitcasters even hold that much......Sounds good anyway.

[DanIsaac]

That's an easy one. When someone begins to throw these big swimbaits regularly, the amount of stress transferred to the reel during the casting is enormous, enough to damage the anti reverse, drag, and gears in very short order. Not to mention tweaking non metal frames, and structure.

Thus, going to a larger sized reel will usually mean the reel has larger gears, drag, and beefier anti-verse system. However, even then there are no gaurantees as it depends on the mfg. and how they engineer there their larger reels.

Shimano for example, in the Curado 300 has gone with a huge main gear, pinion, oversized drags, and beefed up anti-reverse, with an internal assist mechanism. The all metal frame insures
everything stays in tolerance and works properly cast after cast.
This isn't the case with all mfg's.

Swimbaiting is a very specialized application anymore, and having the right bait is only a small part of the equation. Being able to throw that bait optimally, and acurately, without fatiguing ones self is just as important. Not to mention being able to get it back after every cast!

Hope this helps....


Dan Isaac
ReelEx Express Reel Service
650-454-4938

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

Now that sounds reasonable, except I doubt most could toss one of the heavier swimbaits 50 yards..No doubt it seems like it, but buddy that is one long distance cast..I might be able to do it with a 9 or 10 foot rod, that is if I could get a running start..I used to do a lot of surf fishing in SoCal, I would make some pretty good long casts, but I don't think many of them were around or over 50 yards..Most standard small profile baitcasters will hold 100 yards or more, and most can handle double digit fish, so I don't think the larger reels really make that much difference..

mac

[Sacto John]

Its less to do with casting distance and line capacity then strength of of the reel and its component parts. I have and I know others who have burned quality up low profile reels throwing the larger swimbaits. The stress these baits put on your equipment is immense. I agree smaller, lighter swimbaits like Basstrix and the like can be thrown on standard gear, but I would not take the risk of throwing the bigger baits (1.5-8 oz) on a standard low-pro. reel.

[Kevin Evans - Kap]

Good info, So thats why my Quantum is screaming like a cut banshee... lol my bad...

Kap

[Riplip]

In addition to durability issues, there is the issue of relative power.Most regular bass reels hold around 100-150 yards of line rated around 15lb diameter. When you go up to 25lb the capacity drops to around 70-100 yards. If you make a 30 yard cast you have lost 50% of your gear ratio due to decreased spool diameter leading to loss of power at the buisness end of your line...right when you need it most. A wider spool shrinks much slower as line is removed, preserving the line retrived per handle turn ratio.

[Kevin Evans - Kap]

Dan, If you dont mind me asking?
What reel would you then recommend?


Kap

[JustinD]

Yeah, 50 yds is a long way and I doubt I have ever chucked any bait 50 yds but you can really throw a swimbait some distance...With my xh Okumha I have thrown my wake jr. say 30 yds for sure. Bsically from the north bank in Victoria all the way to the south (slightly wind aided) bank on a consistent basis. Has to be at least 30yds for sure. Anyone on the river have an idea how far that really is? And thanks Dan for the reel lesson....very interesting.

[DanIsaac]

First, I have to disclose that I have been involved with Shimano for nearly 15 years now, in one form or another. So, obviously I am biased towards their reels.

However, alot of this is because I know first hand the level of engineering, testing, and factory support behind these products,
not to mention I work on them as well.

Personally, my favorite is the Curado 300 hands down. Mainly due
to the fact that the reel is extremely comfortable compared to a round reel like a Calcutta 400TE or such. Both are bullet proof reels, and the favorites of many of the top swimbaiters, but I personally like the Cuardo. It will perform every bit as good as the Calcutta, and I can throw it all day without my hands cramping.

One other big reason I like the 300 vs. a round reel is the free spool in the 300 allows you to throw some of the smaller swimbaits
just as effectively as you can with a 200 size reel.

Now, should you be a fan of another mfg. just make sure that the reel you choose has oversized gearing, anti-reverse assist, and an
all metal frame, as there are plenty of choices out there, and plenty of good deals.

Just remember though, your better off spending a little more on a
swimbait reel up front, as you will eliminate a ton of potential problems right off the bat if you do. I get alot of reels in for repair that have been used for swimbaits which were not designed for doing so. They can be quite ugly!


Good luck, and hope this helps!

Dan Isaac
ReelEx Express Reel Service

[Steve]

The other thing is you need the wide spool that the bigger reels have. This allows smooth, long casts. Plus, I use 30 pound mono, and that just aint gonna work on anything smaller than a 400 sized reel. The difference in width of spool between a Calucutta 400 and 300 is huge.

Im certain Ive casted a swimbait 50 yards before. But BassinDon is the long distance champ by far.

[bassenvy]

Dahlberg says he's casted a full spool of 65lb suffix braid off of a 300TE then again he takes all the anti reverse blocks off!

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

Now, spool size along with line size makes a whole lot of sense to me..That part I can fully understand..Now back to Dan, just how is the anti-reverse a factor, I thought when you made a cast you were in a free spool mode..Where does anti-reverse come in..

Oh, speaking of casting distance, why don't more swimbaiters use heavier spinning gear, you can get a lot more distance with spinning gear than you can with regular baitcasting gear..

mac

[Steve]

Spinning gear? Uh oh, here comes the FishChris stuff.

I cant figure out why, but I do know that the heavier baits will tear up a cheaper reel very quick, and the small ones go even faster. Ive seen a hudd ruin a brand new reel in about 4 hours. It doesnt make sense to me because it should be in free spool during the cast.

[Jason C.]

I dont think its the free spool durring the cast that ruins the cheaper reels. I think its the pressure and stress that the reel gets put through at the beginning of the cast when the rod line and reel gets loaded up from all the weight and stress of a big bait being casted. I personally use the CU 300 and I LOVE IT!! I get fewer back lashes then a round wide spooled bait caster and I personally feel I have aTON more contorll over the casts speed and can even everyonce in a while make a nice silent entrey with big baits like the ABT 7.5in swimbait, Slammers and Wake Jr's. I hope this helps!!

Tight Lines,
Jason Conser

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

Jason, when you are preparing to cast, the load is on the rod, not the reel..I do not doubt cheap reels would not last as long casting and working swimbaits, or any bait as far as that goes..This is especially true of any of them having plastic internal parts..I know Shimanos are built to very small tolerances as are ABU Garcia..I don't throw any of the larger swimbaits yet, and I may never due to the costs..But prior to making that decision final, I want to learn all of the ins and outs of why certain reels are prefered over others..I can easily understand the rod portion of the equation..

mac

[parker]

just how is the anti-reverse a factor, I thought when you made a cast you were in a free spool mode

mac

in my pfluegers you can take the side covering off and either engage or disengage these little nobs and that controls the brakes in free spool
I think other reels have the nobs that you can turn from one to ten on the outside

[Jason C.]

I have heard of peoples reels "popping" when useing the smaller reels and it was when they were first starting the cast. All the laoding doesnt go directly into the rod. Although a great portion of it does. It also puts stress on the line which moves down and into the reel. Thats why so many people when they first start off with swimbaiting get a ton of back lashes. The spool surges forward at a fast speed and people who arent used to the faster surge get backlashes. The faster surger is due to the heavier weight that gets put into the reel during the beggining part of the cast.

[Flippinjigs]

It's a plot to have you buy more line . If your bottom fishing then you need that exrta line. If your bass fishing (casting) you really don't need that much line. But now they would have to manufacture a new line of reels. I see that some of the newer spinning reels have a smaller line capacity spool. And casting reels have not done that yet. I save line by back filling my reels with inexpensive line, then place that high quality line over the top (50 yards or so). You don't have to fully fill that spool full of high quality line.

Good Fishin

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

I never do flippin, except on my crankbait rods/reels when I use mono rather than Flouro..

mac

[fourbizzle]

There are big baits out there that can approach 100yds with an 8ft rod. Going by IPT I have made casts over 280ft with 20lb. I dont know how much line my 400's hold, but I can get 2 reels out of a 330yd filler of 30lb. So 165 yards sounds reasonable. You can easily cast half of that out. I dont know about you guys, but the thought of a giant fish on with very little line on your spool sounds dangerous. Another point worth mentioning is that after a full day of slow speed structure crawling on our rocky and deep wood filled reservoirs line gets tore up. There have been days where I have cut and retied so many times, sometimes cutting off 15 or 20ft of line that by the end of the day, that rod is useless. And that is on a 400. For me there just isnt enough cushion on a smaller reel. Out of all my big rods there is only one 300 sized reel and it is relegated to thin 20lb or braid. Like the other guys, when I first started I blew up a few small or cheap reels trying to make them "work". I have even become a bit afraid of the Cardiff 400 lately. In march and April I watched three Cardiff400's tank. They all three had the housing for the ARB Roller spin right out of the stamped sideplate...WHILE FIGHTING FISH! I just don't understand why people would skimp or force a reel to "work" with a technique thats puts you in place to catch the fish of your lifetime.

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

I want to thank all who responded..If nothing else, I have a much better understanding of the reasons for the use of various reels..Thanks for the phone calls, the PMs and the posts..I hope this information will also help some of the other prospective swimbaiters out there..As has been stated numerous times, this site is fantastic for gathering great info..

mac

[Tin Can]

If your bottom fishing then you need that exrta line. If your bass fishing (casting) you really don't need that much line.

Surely you fish the bottom for bass. Personally, I want my swimbait in contact with the bottom most of the time.

[jamescaird]

Now, spool size along with line size makes a whole lot of sense to me..That part I can fully understand..Now back to Dan, just how is the anti-reverse a factor, I thought when you made a cast you were in a free spool mode..Where does anti-reverse come in..

Oh, speaking of casting distance, why don't more swimbaiters use heavier spinning gear, you can get a lot more distance with spinning gear than you can with regular baitcasting gear..

mac

Casting gear throws farther in skilled hands with good equipment...the spinning spool feeds line so there is less resistance than line coming off a stationary spool as in spinning gear.

Also, good surf casters are throwing 500-600 feet (200 yards) with the big 13'+ rods. I can throw a lunker punker 100 yards (300 feet) all day with an 8' rod and a Curado 300.