spinners vs conventional reels for heavy jigging

[johndtuttle]

I believe there are a couple of things that big spinners have that are, in my opinion advantageous to catching large fish like these and also for the jigging method.
One is the necessity of a strong anti reverse clutch, and spinners can accommodate a bigger, stronger one than conventional reels.
The other thing is that as far as I can see, these large spinners made for jigging have a higher drag rating [pound for pound] than most conventional reels.
Other things to consider is the ease of using an under rod reel and that you don`t need to guide line on to the reel.

I love my two Jigging Master reels, but I can see many good points to the specialist large spinners for the serious jigger.

cheers
Basto

of course i'm not knocking down spinners but the problem is you pay too much to get x performance from a spinner while you can get a conventional with the same x performance at half the price, pf course spinners are easier to us and do tricks , concerning the one way clutch i thing that a conventional reel with a double dog system and an anti reverse bearing will do the same no less,of course the drag numers of heavy duty spinners but for a stand up fight whit is the max drag can a man hold in a long fight with BFT i think that very few people can stand more than 35 lbs of drag so the 60 lbs of drag at some spinners is not useful, i have a friend who use jigging master conventional he say that he couldn't be happier.

The dual drag Jigging master reels are decent but they destroy pinion bearings at a high rate and do not have an acceptable 2-speed option for vertical jigging. It may not seem a very big deal on small fish (50-75kg) but when you get a 150kg BFT on you will want it.

The internals of the Torque are vastly superior to any reel in it's class, have a thrust bearing to nearly completely eliminate the axial loads that destroy pinion bearings and will be truly superior for very big fish within their capacity. If you think the internals of the Torque appear fragile then you simply do not understand what you are seeing. Those internals are far stronger than you appreciate.

The only reel that is possibly stronger in this size range is the Okuma, but I consider the weight prohibitive for vertical jigging.

[maxpowers]

I would like to add a wrinkle into this discussion:

How many days of open water do you fish per year?  Of those days how much jigging will you be doing vs drifting bait vs trolling?

For a dedicated jigger/popper like SamiG who probably spent more time fishing a year  in a lot of big fish areas than most of us will in a decade, the amount of truly big tuna (250+ lbs) he has caught is probably in the low double digits.  He caught a lot of 80-150 pounders though.  I think you should look at it from the perspective of will the gear you choose be capable of those few times that you may run into a truly big tuna vs the reality of catching of the smaller grade.

The one thing that the super spinners outshine the overheads is in popper fishing.  It is almost impossible to do so with an overhead reel.  You could in theory head out to the fishing ground armed with say a stella 12000 and two rods.  a 5'6 to 6 ft jigging rod and a 7 to 7'6 popper rod and you should have your bases cover.

[johndtuttle]

I believe there are a couple of things that big spinners have that are, in my opinion advantageous to catching large fish like these and also for the jigging method.
One is the necessity of a strong anti reverse clutch, and spinners can accommodate a bigger, stronger one than conventional reels.
The other thing is that as far as I can see, these large spinners made for jigging have a higher drag rating [pound for pound] than most conventional reels.
Other things to consider is the ease of using an under rod reel and that you don`t need to guide line on to the reel.

I love my two Jigging Master reels, but I can see many good points to the specialist large spinners for the serious jigger.

cheers
Basto

Many of these guys have never fished a Stella for big 'uns and just don't get it.

SamiG just landed a 442lb BFT with his 7' popping rod and Stella. A Stella or Torque or Saltiga does not limit the angler, the angler's fitness and technique limits what the reel can do.

It's about the ability to use certain techniques that you cannot do with a Conventional. Casting poppers, working stick baits, super erratic retrieves etc. all while being able to run and gun and cast to breaking fish at any direction from the boat regardless of wind.

That is what catches you Tuna from a small boat especially when there is no live bait option. Versatile gear in run and gun fishing.

[johndtuttle]

I would like to add a wrinkle into this discussion:

How many days of open water do you fish per year?  Of those days how much jigging will you be doing vs drifting bait vs trolling?

For a dedicated jigger/popper like SamiG who probably spent more time fishing a year  in a lot of big fish areas than most of us will in a decade, the amount of truly big tuna (250+ lbs) he has caught is probably in the low double digits.  He caught a lot of 80-150 pounders though.  I think you should look at it from the perspective of will the gear you choose be capable of those few times that you may run into a truly big tuna vs the reality of catching of the smaller grade.

The one thing that the super spinners outshine the overheads is in popper fishing.  It is almost impossible to do so with an overhead reel.  You could in theory head out to the fishing ground armed with say a stella 12000 and two rods.  a 5'6 to 6 ft jigging rod and a 7 to 7'6 popper rod and you should have your bases cover.

Quoted for truth.

Buying a reel big enough to handle the 1% chance you will need 800meters of 40kg braid is senseless for vertical jigging. You will be so beat up fishing something that heavy you will be in the water a tiny *fraction* of the time you will be able to fish something that holds 600m of 25kg.

That extra time with a jig or popper in the water is gonna land hundreds and hundreds of more fish which is what we see year in and year out.

[Nuvole]

I would like to add a wrinkle into this discussion:

How many days of open water do you fish per year?  Of those days how much jigging will you be doing vs drifting bait vs trolling?

For a dedicated jigger/popper like SamiG who probably spent more time fishing a year  in a lot of big fish areas than most of us will in a decade, the amount of truly big tuna (250+ lbs) he has caught is probably in the low double digits.  He caught a lot of 80-150 pounders though.  I think you should look at it from the perspective of will the gear you choose be capable of those few times that you may run into a truly big tuna vs the reality of catching of the smaller grade.

The one thing that the super spinners outshine the overheads is in popper fishing.  It is almost impossible to do so with an overhead reel.  You could in theory head out to the fishing ground armed with say a stella 12000 and two rods.  a 5'6 to 6 ft jigging rod and a 7 to 7'6 popper rod and you should have your bases cover.

Quoted for truth.

Buying a reel big enough to handle the 1% chance you will need 800meters of 40kg braid is senseless for vertical jigging. You will be so beat up fishing something that heavy you will be in the water a tiny *fraction* of the time you will be able to fish something that holds 600m of 30kg.

That extra time with a jig or popper in the water is gonna land hundreds and hundreds of more fish which is what we see year in and year out.

Well said!!!

For my size,fishing w/o fighting chair, I won't use anything above 60lb JB for trolling and 40lb for jigging.
For one chartering boat for fishing, the boat will probably be sailing with the fish if one strike anything huge.

As for myself, I do my fishing most of the time at work. Meaning the vessel won't be sailing with the fish, nor she will slow down for my catch. I'm happy so far with the 16vsx with 60lb JB for trolling, and Alutecnos v8 with 40lb JB for vertical jigging on rare occation. My little trick is to make a loop at the last 50-60 yards for my smaller setup, with bigger setup on standby beside me. In case the smaller setup ran out of lines, I'll clip on to the swivel of the bigger setup to continue the fight.

[OldSchool]

Just to throw the cat among the pigeons we jig on the barrier reef, albeit not for BFT400lb Tuna...however...we do get a number of big sharks and whilst they don't attain the same runaway speeds and possibly not of the same caliber as Tuna I think they are a fair test on a reel.  

For $66.00 on an ebay auction I purchased a new Chinese "super spinner",its drag was rated out to 60lb,Holds 430mtrs x 0.40, this reel has had numerous sharks on it and I've been towed around a boat rod buckled for over an hour and was left totally punished with the drag not even maxed, with the reel performing flawlessly.

Point being if you going for a spinner than IMO you don't have to go top shelf to find one to handle the job and reasonably talking stand up, how much can people really hang onto and for how long, I would think the gear outperforms the fisherman in a lot of instances.

[johndtuttle]

Just to add some Data to the discussion that can be interpreted for any fishery.

For us we have a tremendous resource in that our sportfishing fleet on the West Coast USA is a highly competitive and organized group that keeps "catch records" of all landings of fish.

What this shows is that for YFT (which most that have caught them say they fight twice as hard as BFT) that ~95% of the catch is under 50kgs, 98% of the catch is under 75kgs, 99% of the catch is under 100kgs and 99.999% of the catch is under 150Kgs. This is with predominantly live bait.

Giant Tuna are rare in any waters. Giant Tuna rarely hit artificial lures. They have seen them before.

Moral of the story: Do not buy a huge reel for just about the most physically demanding fishing technique known on the chance that you might need that size for the 1 in 10,000 fish that may bite your jig. You will not catch the other 9999 fish because you are too tired to lift your arms.

[erikpowell]

I would like to add a wrinkle into this discussion:

How many days of open water do you fish per year?  Of those days how much jigging will you be doing vs drifting bait vs trolling?

For a dedicated jigger/popper like SamiG who probably spent more time fishing a year  in a lot of big fish areas than most of us will in a decade, the amount of truly big tuna (250+ lbs) he has caught is probably in the low double digits.  He caught a lot of 80-150 pounders though.  I think you should look at it from the perspective of will the gear you choose be capable of those few times that you may run into a truly big tuna vs the reality of catching of the smaller grade.

The one thing that the super spinners outshine the overheads is in popper fishing.  It is almost impossible to do so with an overhead reel.  You could in theory head out to the fishing ground armed with say a stella 12000 and two rods.  a 5'6 to 6 ft jigging rod and a 7 to 7'6 popper rod and you should have your bases cover.

I think max's new "wrinkle" nailed down a solid point. Versatility.
1 reel, (just to be safe I'd take a Stella 18k), 2 rods and you could bring home anything that swims around this island.
I've been there and seen it plenty of times...anything from 80lb GT's on a popper (or a jig for that matter), huge doggie's, big AJ's, 160lb+ YFT, to 400lb marlin.... you doubters would be surprised!
For jigging, a good spinner is hard to beat... you'll beat every overhead to the bottom, and you'll get double or more the amount of drops.
And the biggest secret is... your spinner doesn't have to cost $1000! 
My Fin-nors go head to head with Stellas everyday I fish here...not bad for $159.

p.s.- I hardly ever jig with my Torqu200 now..its a backup.. and I can't even imagine trying to go a few hours nonstop with my Tank.
If I'm jigging, I'm spinning...  It's just that much easier1
Hope this helps.

[mohamedhashem21]

To your list above you may also want to add a Avet Raptor HX or HXW to look at.

thank you i'll put this in consideration

[mohamedhashem21]

The dual drag Jigging master reels are decent but they destroy pinion bearings at a high rate and do not have an acceptable 2-speed option for vertical jigging. It may not seem a very big deal on small fish (50-75kg) but when you get a 150kg BFT on you will want it.

The internals of the Torque are vastly superior to any reel in it's class, have a thrust bearing to nearly completely eliminate the axial loads that destroy pinion bearings and will be truly superior for very big fish within their capacity. If you think the internals of the Torque appear fragile then you simply do not understand what you are seeing. Those internals are far stronger than you appreciate.

The only reel that is possibly stronger in this size range is the Okuma, but I consider the weight prohibitive for vertical jigging.

i've said this about the torque as i've never serviced a reel at that class, the smallest reel i've ever opened and serviced it was a penn vsx 16 which seems to me more over built than  the torque , all other reels i serviced were bigger up to 80w's , so forgive me for missjudging the torque, i know that it has very high technology my only concern was that i felt the sideplates and the frme is much thinner than the vsx which seems to not be an issue now , i konw makairas are strong but they are really hevy the mak 166i is the closest to the trq40 in specs but 14 o.z heavier which is to much for longtime jigging
my conventional choices now are the torque40 LD and the talica 20ii

[mohamedhashem21]

Quoted for truth.

Buying a reel big enough to handle the 1% chance you will need 800meters of 40kg braid is senseless for vertical jigging. You will be so beat up fishing something that heavy you will be in the water a tiny *fraction* of the time you will be able to fish something that holds 600m of 25kg.

That extra time with a jig or popper in the water is gonna land hundreds and hundreds of more fish which is what we see year in and year out.

thank you for explanation i'll get a lightweight reel to jig for average tunas and fish those big ones with live bait using big reels.

[mohamedhashem21]

I would like to add a wrinkle into this discussion:

How many days of open water do you fish per year?  Of those days how much jigging will you be doing vs drifting bait vs trolling?

For a dedicated jigger/popper like SamiG who probably spent more time fishing a year  in a lot of big fish areas than most of us will in a decade, the amount of truly big tuna (250+ lbs) he has caught is probably in the low double digits.  He caught a lot of 80-150 pounders though.  I think you should look at it from the perspective of will the gear you choose be capable of those few times that you may run into a truly big tuna vs the reality of catching of the smaller grade.

The one thing that the super spinners outshine the overheads is in popper fishing.  It is almost impossible to do so with an overhead reel.  You could in theory head out to the fishing ground armed with say a stella 12000 and two rods.  a 5'6 to 6 ft jigging rod and a 7 to 7'6 popper rod and you should have your bases cover.

now i understand
for those big tunas i can throw live bait on a 50w or 80w and i have both, but i'll jig for the midsized ones i'm now thinking of gettinag a penn torque spinning reel at hlaf of the price of the stella

[mohamedhashem21]

Many of these guys have never fished a Stella for big 'uns and just don't get it.

SamiG just landed a 442lb BFT with his 7' popping rod and Stella. A Stella or Torque or Saltiga does not limit the angler, the angler's fitness and technique limits what the reel can do.

It's about the ability to use certain techniques that you cannot do with a Conventional. Casting poppers, working stick baits, super erratic retrieves etc. all while being able to run and gun and cast to breaking fish at any direction from the boat regardless of wind.

That is what catches you Tuna from a small boat especially when there is no live bait option. Versatile gear in run and gun fishing.

does the penn torqe 9 spinner make a good jigging reel or popping one!! some people told me that it can do both it has 50 lbs of drag and lightweight with a very strong frame and body, it's about half the price of the stella and nearly the same as the talica20ii and seems to be the same as stella on papers except the extra bearings on the stella!!

[mohamedhashem21]

Well said!!!

For my size,fishing w/o fighting chair, I won't use anything above 60lb JB for trolling and 40lb for jigging.
For one chartering boat for fishing, the boat will probably be sailing with the fish if one strike anything huge.

As for myself, I do my fishing most of the time at work. Meaning the vessel won't be sailing with the fish, nor she will slow down for my catch. I'm happy so far with the 16vsx with 60lb JB for trolling, and Alutecnos v8 with 40lb JB for vertical jigging on rare occation. My little trick is to make a loop at the last 50-60 yards for my smaller setup, with bigger setup on standby beside me. In case the smaller setup ran out of lines, I'll clip on to the swivel of the bigger setup to continue the fight.

thank you for info
i wish i can do the same
but i think that in cas of jigging for bft with the drag setting for 40 lbs liine(i thing from 10 to 13 lbs) i'll get spooled in few minutes

[mohamedhashem21]

Just to throw the cat among the pigeons we jig on the barrier reef, albeit not for BFT400lb Tuna...however...we do get a number of big sharks and whilst they don't attain the same runaway speeds and possibly not of the same caliber as Tuna I think they are a fair test on a reel.  

For $66.00 on an ebay auction I purchased a new Chinese "super spinner",its drag was rated out to 60lb,Holds 430mtrs x 0.40, this reel has had numerous sharks on it and I've been towed around a boat rod buckled for over an hour and was left totally punished with the drag not even maxed, with the reel performing flawlessly.

Point being if you going for a spinner than IMO you don't have to go top shelf to find one to handle the job and reasonably talking stand up, how much can people really hang onto and for how long, I would think the gear outperforms the fisherman in a lot of instances.

thanks for sharing this info
we do some jigging around reefs in red sea for small yft , iant barracudas  and most of coral fish , i use a cheap okuma cerdors spininning reels packed with 65 lbs braid.