Casting Reels

[David_C 768]

Hi allI've got an old reel that I recently updated to an okuma but have found that I'm not getting the same distance as the old reel.I use this reel for fishing for snaps/etc from breakwaters/rocks, so need to be able to cast heavyish line a fair way out. The line (maxima) is between 10 - 16 kilos (depending on where I'm fishing) - any suggestions??I'm thinking of changing from mono to braid to assist in the distance stakes but don't want to load this onto the okumas, as they don't seem to last that long (my smaller models are happily rusting away David

[coonta kinta 1]

Are we talking same size reels & line David?Spool diameter will have an effect of distance as will the breaking strain of the line. Braid may assist in that its thinner for any given breaking strain when compared to mono, but think you might need to give us some more information

[chuckemback 0]

maybe try a heavier lead (sinker) b4 you change to braid. or smaller baits? will they help ?

[rocknev 2]

be careful using braid around the rocks... it will end in tears..rocks and braid dont like each other.rocks will ALWAYS win...braid, although good in what it was designed for, is totally USELESS around rocks.... it just falls apart.ask softy, who when he fished braid with a small spinner reel last time he came up here found out.he might as well have just took the braid and thrown it in the bin the fat lot of good it was.im with chuck em back... heavier lead, (even 2 at times)or maybe a smaller bait

[Cal 480]

G"day david,if I may ask is it an overhead or an eggy.

[David_C 768]

They are all eggies.The one that I have been using is a Diawa Jupiter-Z 4500, which has been faithful to me except that I'm now starting to have some issues with the drag. So I updated to a Okuma Interceptor IBF60, which was on sale at time.I'm running the same line on both of them and even adding extra weight on the okuma still doesn't get the same distance.Looking at the spools, the diawa is definitely wider but they are both the same height.Both reels have a spare spool, which I put on 5.5 kilo onto (for chasing salmon off the beaches) and have also found the same with the lighter line. Very frustrating.

[rocknev 2]

how did you put the line on? nice and tight or loosly? i prefer the line to be nice and tight on the spool, i believe it peels off nicer because there is no loose line robbing you of casting distance.could it be the old reel is performing better because the line has become tight over time when winding back in with sinkers, hooks and fish on it?the new reel may get better over time when the line becaomes tighter on the spool.good luck with it buddy,

[coonta kinta 1]

David, how much shorter are the casts & how much wider is the daiwa's spool?Personally, I think the spool is the reason for the loss of distance.

[David_C 768]

So you reckon that the wider the spool the further the casts??The spool is probably only about 3-5 mm bigger on the told reel but the casts would be around 15 - 25 metres shorter, which is substantial when trying to cast as far as possible.David

[coonta kinta 1]

Now I'm confused Is the new reel the one with the larger spool or the old one?Yeah I'm saying that the wider the spool and the larger the diameter the longer, in theory, the casts should be with comparable weight line, sinkers, and on the same rod.An alvey's large diameter is what provides it with such casting distance. Also if the spool is narrow, the line exiting the spool depletes the load quicker creating more friction for the rest of the line, slowing down the cast.Hard to explain without pictures. But have u ever tried casting with a half empty spinning reel spool & then compared this to a spool that is filled correctly? The correctly filled spool will cast further and much easier than the half empty one. Make sense?

[David_C 768]

The one with the bigger spool is the older one.Yes, that does make some sense but I thought that it was the length of the spool, not the width that helped with casting distances.So back to my original question - what reels would people recommend for fishing off the rocks when targetting fish like snapper?? What about the Diawa Excellers or the black and golds??David

[coonta kinta 1]

David_C wrote:

The one with the bigger spool is the older one.Yes, that does make some sense but I thought that it was the length of the spool, not the width that helped with casting distances.

Diameter and the surface area/height of the line carrying part of the spool. Again a pic would help here I'm sure.David_C wrote:

So back to my original question - what reels would people recommend for fishing off the rocks when targetting fish like snapper?? What about the Diawa Excellers or the black and golds??.

I know Nev will agree here, hard to beat an alvey. 650C5 is the ducks guts, but u'll need a suitably built rod with the low winch mount. The came the seamartin, no longer available I believe. As for current crop, I believe there are some daiwa reels, emcast I think that would be worth investigating. Personally, I've used a BTR6500 for throwing baits from the stones, as well as the alvey described above and ABU 7-10,000's, but we digress from YOUR problem here.And yes, even when spinning for bream, 10-25m might as well be a mile!

[rocknev 2]

im seeing what coonta means, and agree.imagine a running track... running around the outside of the track, means you must run faster to get the same distance.to realte that to a fishing reel, the WIDER the spool, the FASTER the line will have to leave the spool to get a good cast.the faster it leaves, means the further it will go hell having just re read that ive confused myself.... :dry: hope you can understand it though.for sure an alvey 650C is my preference.but plenty of big spinning rods are also up to the task..something about an old school alvey.sitting there, waiting... waiting a bit more... a bit more... that alvey ratchet SCREAMS off.... GOD invented that sound.it will wake you from the deepest of sleeps.super casting ability, but its that SOUND that gets me...if you have never heard one on full song your missing out.sure they are not geared, and that can be a pain when chucking lures, but one turn of an alvey, is not that far behind a geared spinner.and i 2 speed alvey is available which with one turn, will surpass most eggies or overhead reels.one of the most comfortable reels to use WITH THE CORRECT ROD.it needs to be slung low on the blank, with a short rod butt...a rod holder around the waist is a great idea, as it helps to take the weight of the alvey ( though modern alveys are pretty light)the drag is a one finger affair, so mo mucking about trying to tighten or loosen a front or real drag system.overheads can be good off the rocks as well...but a bit hard to handle casting in the dead of night ( for me anyhow) i NEED to see the bait hit the water so i can thumb the spool on an overhead.. otherwise its birdsnest city for me.thats my 2.2 cents worth ( gst included)make of it what you willnot many reels will last 20 + yrs, and i use mine at least 3-5 times a week.

[coonta kinta 1]

rocknev wrote:

overheads can be good off the rocks as well...but a bit hard to handle casting in the dead of night ( for me anyhow) i NEED to see the bait hit the water so i can thumb the spool on an overhead.. otherwise its birdsnest city for me.

Nev, perservere mate. I promise you with time you will not need to see the bait, nor have to wait for the splash of the bait hitting the water on those super calm quiet nights. The speed of the spool on your thumb will do it all for you and you wont even realise u are doing it!

[David_C 768]

Thanks guys, might have a look at the alvey as an alternative. I'm assuming you can use the same line on them as you would a normal eggie?? What's their line capacity like??David

[coonta kinta 1]

David_C wrote:

Thanks guys, might have a look at the alvey as an alternative. I'm assuming you can use the same line on them as you would a normal eggie?? What's their line capacity like??

NOPE!DONT USE braid, Mono only! As for capacity doubt there is any spinning reel that can even come close.

[rocknev 2]

beaid as coonta said, is a huge no no from the rocks.its cant handle the sharp stuff, and just falls apart.i use el cheapo 25lb line on my 650C, and im getting 550 -600 mtrs on it.its changed about every 4-6 weeks.the rocks kill even the BEST quality line. ive tried a lot of different kinds, even 50 doller line, that lasted all of 2 trips.so now i just use 6 buck line because its changed so often.it stretches like hell, but im not fussed with that.it seems to out perform the better name brand line on these rocks.