Anybody have any comments about this reel? Thinking of picking one up shortly as a sort of "do everything" reel. Planning to use it for surf fishing (everything from double droppers for pompano/whiting to heavier rigs for blacktips), as well as boat fishing (snapper and grouper, kings and cobia, amberjacks, blackfin tuna, etc).
Would probably spool with 300 yards of 50# Jerry Brown and top it off with 30# Sufix Superior, how much mono do you think I could get on there?
Rods would be a 12' Okuma Longitude for surf fishing and a 7' Shimano Teramar for boat (15-30 lb).
What would the cons be of this reel? Try and scare me away from it. Anything that screams "do not buy this reel"? Anything that does scream "buy this reel"?
Thanks for any responses
Drew
I have the SX and the SXJ that I use for ocean fluke and seabass fishing on Long Island . They have been used heavily over 3 seasons with no problems . I set the strike drag with a scale at 7 pounds and use 20 pound braid .
Excellent, US-made reel. The one con is that, as with all lever drag reels, if you push the drag too hard you will crunch the pinion bearing. This will result in handle bind. But fished within its recommended drag range, you'll catch lots of fish with an SX. Extremely good free spool and smooth drag.
Quote from: RUSTY OLD COLT on December 08, 2017, 02:20:12 PM
I have the SX and the SXJ that I use for ocean fluke and seabass fishing on Long Island . They have been used heavily over 3 seasons with no problems . I set the strike drag with a scale at 7 pounds and use 20 pound braid .
That's the recipe for Avet success; don't abuse the drag.
I have several SX and MX series Avets, and like them all, but I think the SX and MXJ are the sweet spot for inshore versatility.
300 yards of 50 lb JB spectra is just about going to fill up that spool. The tackle shop where I bought my SX gave me 300 yards free of JB 50 lb spectra and the guy spooling it up said he would just fill the reel for me for no cost. I never asked how much braid was on there over the 300 yards but I'm guessing it was not.
I ended up taking off the JB because it is a 4 strand braid which is a little rough to the feel for my liking. I replaced it with a thinner 8 strand 40 lb solid braid which I like much better. I put 250 yards of the 8 strand and run a long topper of around 100 yards if 20 lb Izorline XXX 20 lb mono. I don't know the exact yardage of the mono because I spool on my own topshots from bulk spools and don't have a line counter.
Sounds like the SX is a winner!
SoCalAngler, I've heard of people getting 300 yards of 50 lb JB and topping it with 30 lb mono (which is where I got the idea). Not sure how much mono on there, but it should be plenty enough - they're rated for 420 yards of 50 lb braid, meaning it should equate to about 40-50 yards of mono.
My "thinning out" that I've been talking about can finally take place. Going to consolidate to a big shark rig (9/0 senator, HXW Raptor once I've got the funds), a kingfish rig (980 Mag), an ultralight rig (Pflueger trion, for all my FW fishing), an inshore rig (Stradic 4000), and then a general use rig (the SX).
Drew
I have a blue SX 5.3 non-MC. It's probably my least favorite Avet. The MXJ is a little narrower and taller and just feels better to me. Same gears/drags in both. Besides for 20#, I like my 525 Mag with the Torque handle and ProGear 255 better.
For flylining a live bait the MC is useless. For throwing a heavier sinker from the beach MC is probably a good thing to have.
Quote from: MarkT on December 09, 2017, 02:34:03 AM
I have a blue SX 5.3 non-MC. It's probably my least favorite Avet. The MXJ is a little narrower and taller and just feels better to me. Same gears/drags in both. Besides for 20#, I like my 525 Mag with the Torque handle and ProGear 255 better.
For flylining a live bait the MC is useless. For throwing a heavier sinker from the beach MC is probably a good thing to have.
The SX and MX series have different gears and drags. Referring to G1, non-Raptor, single-speed reels, the SX and SXJ have 5.3:1 retrieve ratios, while the MX, MXL, and MXJ have 5.8:1 retrieve ratios. The faster ratio is accomplished by a bigger main gear. The pinion gears may be the same. The MX series spools have a slightly bigger diameter, which accommodates a bigger drag "washer" and disc.
I also prefer the MXJ profile to the SX.
Not quite: The MX and SX have the same drag rating, 9# at strike and 14# at full. Both the pinion and main gears are different in the SX and MX. The G2 reels have a little more drag (and a bigger pinion bearing) while the Raptor reels have almost twice as much drag thanks to using both sides of the floating drag washer.
I won't be fly lining small baits - I'll be throwing large live fish for Cobia, sometimes with 2+ ounces of weight on it for other fish. Also bucktails and plastic eels, and 3+ ounces of weight in the surf.
Drew
Quote from: akfish on December 09, 2017, 07:18:56 PM
Not quite: The MX and SX have the same drag rating, 9# at strike and 14# at full. Both the pinion and main gears are different in the SX and MX. The G2 reels have a little more drag (and a bigger pinion bearing) while the Raptor reels have almost twice as much drag thanks to using both sides of the floating drag washer.
You're right that MX and SX have the same drag rating, but the drag parts are different. For example, the SX drag plate and "washer" are 1.3 inches in diameter, the MX 1.6.
BTW, the current schematics don't show a separate part for the drag washer, just the spool assembly with the drag washer. I would not buy another Avet reel without first making sure the washer is available separately, as they do need to be replaced sometimes.
The washers have been glued on for years.
Quote from: MarkT on December 09, 2017, 10:36:40 PM
The washers have been glued on for years.
Sure, and available as separate parts, and replaceable. I replaced the glued on washer on my SX last year following this: http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=2630.0
The price of a spool with the attached drag washer is very reasonable (at least compared to the price Shimano charges for a spool). That said, I service several hundred Avets, mostly MX's and HX's, and have yet to have to replace a drag washer.
Quote from: biggiesmalls on December 09, 2017, 01:44:50 AM
SoCalAngler, I've heard of people getting 300 yards of 50 lb JB and topping it with 30 lb mono (which is where I got the idea). Not sure how much mono on there, but it should be plenty enough - they're rated for 420 yards of 50 lb braid, meaning it should equate to about 40-50 yards of mono.
Drew
Drew,
Be careful who is making that yardage statement and what braid their talking about. Some of the newer braids are very small in diameter compared to their rated breaking strength but are not that great IMO for things like making connections to the topper, their over feel and such.
You should think about how many yards of line you want on the reel and what length of topshot you want, then it should be easier for you to calculate the two.
IMO if you need 450 yards of line on a SX to land a fish then I think your using the wrong reel.
I fish my SX for 20 lb toppers, 25 lb would not be out of line but if you are looking to fish 30 lb topshots on the SX and use around 10 lbs of drag at strike most often then you may want to look at another reel. Can they do it? Sure but your close to the max for those reels and I like a little "head room" i.e. more over all drag than I will be using in any reel I fish.
Drew,
SoCal is right. My .02:
You should be more concerned with topshot than backing if you are going to surfcast and back from there. Reason is you're very likely to get an overrun in a cast at some point as the mono transits to braid. If it were mine it would get 125-150 yds 20 mono and you should still have room for 150 yds braid. 300 is plenty in surf on twenty pound tackle and if you're on a boat chase it down. Getting backlash out of braid sucks. And it's going to happen. Mag or no mag. Wind don't care about a mag at Carolina Beach.
Not to mention anyone downsizing reel spread intentially is now on probation... watch it buddy... your priorities are getting out of whack and we've got eyes on you 💪🏻
I have had an SX for years but it stays home surf fishing. Just doesn't cast as well as a star drag. I had an MX MC but didn't care for the cast control, It worked ok but affected casting distance and I'm not a fan of cast controls in general so I'm a little biased. I use the SX with 30lb braid to a very short (2-3') top shot of 20lb floro and it casts sardines pretty well. It's more of a lob than a cast though.
Backlashes in braid are a bummer but once you get used to it casting with it isn't bad. Be sure to pour some water on the spool before you cast, wet braid casts easier than dry and won't burn your thumb. That goes for mono too.
Quote from: akfish on December 09, 2017, 11:47:01 PM
The price of a spool with the attached drag washer is very reasonable (at least compared to the price Shimano charges for a spool). That said, I service several hundred Avets, mostly MX's and HX's, and have yet to have to replace a drag washer.
Good information. Thanks. I must have been unlucky with that SX. The edge of the original washer came unglued and folded over on itself.