Get a old second hand Penn spin reel, the old made in USA 850ss ect.

Why the old penn ? The new model ive got has taken a beating at the 3 kings on fish over 30 kgs,been to White Island as well...10500 new model penn ,a bit heavy but cheap and reliable with a sealed gear box and strong gears

http://www.marine-deals.co.nz/spinning-reels/penn-spinfisher-v-9500-spinning-reel
$219 for a brand new v series 9500, 20 kgs drag

The old penn 9500 and 8500 are good reels but not a patch on tne new ones,why buy a reel to last a few trips when one of these will last years

The older model "made in America' Penn spinfisher IV will be more than adequate, and likely cost no more than $100 odd dollars for a second hand one of trade me. They where one of the original reels used by japaneese jig fishermen well before anythjing " specialised" was on the market. Granted they went on to modify them, but in original condition, they will be fine. Be mindful that as they dont have a anti reverse bearing and as the reverse pawl cog dosent have a lot of teeth, you will have a bit of back play if mechanical jigging. For speed jigging  :) .

penn fathom 25N as an overhead option? 

yeah ive had my eye on that deal for a while.

how about the fin nor biscane at $100? much much more drag and a bit faster than the penns.

I have had mates use a biscane, worked well for a while but after a few solid kings it eventually met its demise. Fin nor offshore is a good option. Although they are heavy the are built for power and with stainless parts will last a long time. I know H&F has/had a sale on them on a surfcaster for $199. If you could then on sell the rod for $50 it would be a cheap reel. Another option would be to buy a OEM reel such as an ajiking wahoo which from memory is based on the old stellas. Around the $150 price range but will do the trick. 

thanks guys, i have to economise at the moment.

is there a budget rod that would work for speed jigging that could also be used for trolling livies occasionally?

Fin nor biscayne 80 is what you want! 100 bucks off marine deals i had one and punished heaps of kings up to 20kg, they go hard heaps of (surprisingly smooth) drag, a wee bit heavy but for 100 bucks you can't complain

FizFisho wrote: thanks guys, at least i know im not out of options even on a budget. are there any decent spots in the waitemata to target kings? PM me if its top secret.