Spinning reel vs surfcast is there a difference?

catchingwaves View Drop Down

Bronze

Joined: 04 Nov 2016
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I want to try surfcasting more. Is there a difference between surfcasting reels and other spinning reels?

They look the same to me

laidbackdood View Drop Down

Titanium

Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Australia
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welcome to the forum catchingwaves.........

while some reels are more geared towards surfcasting ie....bigger spools with lips designed to help the line peel off easier........any spinning reel will work with a surfcastor......

I was using a shimano 3500 baitrunner(a small reel by most people) with a 15 foot surfcastor a few days ago and 15 pound mono line .....5oz sinker and i was getting really good distance........what matters more is you match the reel size and line weight/sinker weight to the spec of the rod.......my rod states max 5 oz sinker......8 to 12 kg line(which was close enough)......

some people use braid now....because its thinner and increases your casting distance...then top shot with mono leader..........find a reel that can hold 200 to 300 yards of your chosen line........cant go wrong with shimano as a general guide......try to avoid getting your reel wet from waves and spray etc..hope this helps a bit.

Once the idiots turn up..Im outta here...No time for Drama Queens.

NZR

Silver

Joined: 29 Aug 2016
Location: Wellington
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Points: 103

The shorest answer is yes, they are different.

But.

I fished all last season off the rocks and beaches with an Abu Garcia Revo S2-40, itty bitty 260g reel on a 14 1/2 foot Veritas surf caster.Has the reel spooled with power pro braid though and the casting distance was fantastic. I've now swapped over to a Penn Spinfisher 7500 Long Cast.

The most noticable thing about the changeover is better weight balance, the rod was understandably extremely top heavy with my spinning reel on it and after a whole day out it was very noticeable that I'd been casting an unbalanced rod, a lot of strain in the shoulder. I'm much preferring a comfortably balanced set up.

My partner fishes a fairly cheap (but not JW cheap, ew) set by anyones standards but he gets good results and is quite attached to it. Shimano Aerlex 8000 XSA reel and a Penn Sportcaster 13' rod.

catchingwaves View Drop Down

Bronze

Joined: 04 Nov 2016
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Thanks, I made the mistake last week of buying a couple of cheap (quality and price) 2nd hand reels. Didn't want to spend much but already regret it, would rather have something that isn't going to leave me pulling in the line by hand.

The Tamure Kid View Drop Down

Titanium

Joined: 25 Aug 2015
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you'll see surfcasting reels labelled with words like 'long cast' spool etc. I use an old Daiwa with that description, on an early generation Okuma graphite rod.

But the long cast style spool is really more relevant if you're using mono. As LBD said, the use of braid allows longer casts, less wind resistance on a windswept beach, better bite detection, and less ballooning of line in the water.

But you definitely need to use a 'shock leader'. Even with mono - say 6kg - mainline you need to use a long leader (several winds on to the reel) that is heavy enough to not snap when you hurl out a 4-6oz sinker with full force.

laidbackdood View Drop Down

Titanium

Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Australia
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The Tamure Kid wrote:

you'll see surfcasting reels labelled with words like 'long cast' spool etc. I use an old Daiwa with that description, on an early generation Okuma graphite rod.

But the long cast style spool is really more relevant if you're using mono. As LBD said, the use of braid allows longer casts, less wind resistance on a windswept beach, better bite detection, and less ballooning of line in the water.

But you definitely need to use a 'shock leader'. Even with mono - say 6kg - mainline you need to use a long leader (several winds on to the reel) that is heavy enough to not snap when you hurl out a 4-6oz sinker with full force.

I was lucky not to lose my 5 oz sand grip sinker the other day then LOL

but i wasnt giving it full force mind..........so if you used 6 kg line and a 5oz sinker what weight shock leader would you advise bro?..20/30 pound maybe? Wink

Once the idiots turn up..Im outta here...No time for Drama Queens.

The Tamure Kid View Drop Down

Titanium

Joined: 25 Aug 2015
Location: Auckland
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Haha, once you've heard that bullet shot crack as the main line snaps and the sinker goes flying towards the horizon, you don't make that mistake again.

I read a rule of thumb which I think was 4-5 times the main line breaking strain. So I went with 40lb (18kg, which is bare minimum) Black Magic supple as the shock leader - about 5m, given the rod is 13ft and you need to have a few winds on the reel for the shock leader to be effective. I then use a 60lb Black Magic Tough trace between the sinker and a swivel. Normally with the grapple sinker on the end, and a two-hook 'ledger' rig for the hooks.

catchingwaves View Drop Down

Bronze

Joined: 04 Nov 2016
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Thanks, on the lookout for a better reel. Rather than start a new topic I will ask in here:

What are jigs with really small hooks used for? I have a few I have collected over the years, I think they are too small for anything I would need? The hooks wouldn't be much over 1cm long

laidbackdood View Drop Down

Titanium

Joined: 24 Jun 2008
Location: Australia
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catchingwaves wrote:

Thanks, on the lookout for a better reel. Rather than start a new topic I will ask in here:

What are jigs with really small hooks used for? I have a few I have collected over the years, I think they are too small for anything I would need? The hooks wouldn't be much over 1cm long

Thanks TK.......will remember that..

Catching wavs...small jigs with small hooks for small fish........catching baitfish for live baiting perhaps.......use light line...catching ky etc from the boat. etc....but even small lures can get eaten by good sized fish......then you have to play carefully.

Once the idiots turn up..Im outta here...No time for Drama Queens.

The Tamure Kid View Drop Down

Titanium

Joined: 25 Aug 2015
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Some of the hooks on inchiku or other kinds of slow and micro jigs are pretty small, but incredibly sharp and effective. They are normally on kevlar assist rigs.

Inchiku jigs (e.g. Daiwa Pirate, Jitterbugs, Shimano Bottomship) catch big snapper and kingfish - you just need to ensure you have a soft tipped rod and don't try to strike or pull to hard during the fight. And use a landing net.

catchingwaves View Drop Down

Bronze

Joined: 04 Nov 2016
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Points: 16

Still on the topic of different reels..more stupid questions..

What makes boat reels better than spinning for fishing in the deep?

also I have one of these reels:

Why are these used for fly fishing? is this for trout also?

smudge

Moderator - Ninja

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Boat reels, I guess the proper terminology is overhead reels. They can be used for surfcasting too!

Nowadays there are some very powerful spin reels (fixed spool reels) they get used for casting stickbaits at marlin etc and are popular for kingfish jigging.

I guess it's about getting the right reel for the right application. For instance a jigging overhead reel will have a narrow spool so the line tends to bunch up less. A wide spool means you have to use your thumb to lay the line evenly as you wind in. Easy to do until you're on a massive king. A narrow spool makes the job easier and a spin reel does that work for you.

I'm a fan for overheads for deep water work (snapper fishing is pretty much what I do) and i like the way you can easily engage the spool on the drop. Flicking the bail arm closed on the strike seems a little dodgy to me.

Having said that, most of my reels are spin reels for some bizarre reason Big smile

. The technology has improved a lot and spin reels cast very light weights so much better.

Fly reels are pretty much a line storage device (you could argue that about any reel I guess) and you pull the line off the spool to cast. It is the weight of the line you're casting.

Best gurnard fisherman in my street

Spudnik

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Have you thought about an Alvey sidecast reel for surfcasting? I have a 6000bcv which I have used for a few years now, and it has survived several dunkings and drops. The only drawbacks are that the line will twist eventually, and it takes a bit of practice to use well. You will also need to fit it to a rod with at least a 2.5" guide as the lowest on the rod.

Having said that, it has increased my casting distances hugely, and has survived some pretty harsh conditions. Good value for money imo.