which spinning reel from USA for long range jig stick?

[garyal]

I have run out of reels to service, only my Penn 30T is not finished, but the frame is just today coming back from Re-anodization after modifying it to topless.($60)

So I am now making in my fishing buddie's reels for service! I am officially addicted.

Last night a young fishing buddy brought his reels by, he just returned from a 7 day fish camp in Panama. He  caught a 60 pound yellow fin on a boat supplied spinning outfit with a surface popper. (sounds like fun to me!)

He wants advice on a good USA built spinning reel for throwing jigs on 30-50 lb. mono. Target species is tuna / wahoo.

He is a young eye surgeon so price is not an issue, just the best will do for this young man. He is only on his 4th season of long range fishing and he is an excellent fisherman.

Next question he will ask me is now what rod should he get? He is partial to Cal Star but will consider any alternatives if they are better.

Kindly advise me.

[Keta]

Penn has some nice spinners that should work but I am not a spinning real person, I bought my first 2 last year.

[thorhammer]

I use Penn 9500 SS for this....the new 950 should do.

[MarkT]

Penn Torque or Accurate Twinspin if you want USA made. They're really your only option if you want a top shelf spinner. I'd favor the Torque over the Accurate.

As for rods, neither Calstar nor Seeker really make popping rods.  I just picked up a Black Hole Challenger Bank S801H as my popping rod.  Black Hole is in New Jersey but the rods are make in Korea.  OTI makes jigging and popping rods and are located in Texas.  Their blanks are made overseas too I believe. Both make good rods for popping and/or surface iron.

[Aiala]

Many years ago I caught a 50-lb YFT on a classic Penn 750SS. One tough reel, admittedly not equivalent to the powerhouse beasts available today, but a LOT less costly and easily found on the auction sites etc. I always take mine on LR trips... but then I love the great oldies like Penn 704, Mitchell 402, and so forth.   

~A~

[Bryan Young]

I would go with the Torque for a popping reel if fishing from a boat.  Probably Clash if fishing from shore.

For rods, I would recommend talking with Nate Tsao of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.  He travels the world fishing top lures for GT, Tuna,....  He wraps custom rods specifically for this purpose

If store bought, I would recommend contacting Kil Song. 

[MarkT]

Kil Song is Black Hole.  His web site is www.jignpop.com

[oc1]

An eye surgeon should have a Van Staal reel, U.S. made St. Croix blank, custom wrapped by da guy Nate that Bryan just mentioned.
-steve

[Bryan Young]

Just got a message from Nate. At present, 6 month wait for delivery.

[johndtuttle]

An eye surgeon should have a Van Staal reel, U.S. made St. Croix blank, custom wrapped by da guy Nate that Bryan just mentioned.
-steve

A Van Staal is a poor choice, imo, for a popping reel due to the low gear ratio and stiff seals.

Popping puts an emphasis on high speed reels to quickly pick up line for skipping jigs, poppers and stick baits. Its a reaction bite where speed is king.

Made in USA the only (and very good option) is a Penn Torque. The Accurate reels have not proven to be reliable in the large sizes.

Made in Japan a Daiwa Saltiga or Shimano Stella are going to be the standards by which others are judged. Look for a reel that holds 300 yards of 65# for a solid all around set up for West Coast fishing and get the fastest retrieve available.

Popping rods, there are no true popping rods made in USA to my knowledge though United Composites my have some blanks now. They are a specialized blank that generally has a stiff tip for working big cupped poppers in an efficient way, but have slower actions (bend more deeply) to take the sting out of using a spinning reel. Basically the exact opposite of a live bait stick like Calstar makes though Calstars can be made to work if the poppers are light.

Kil Song at Jignpop, Bryce at OTI, Sami and Paul at Saltywater Tackle all have a selection of world class rods from ~$200 to over $1000....

[handi2]

I would go with the Penn Torque 5 if getting a Penn reel. The 7 is too big to use all day or even a little while. I sold mine before even using it.

My son and his crew use the Van Staal reels. I personally don't like them but they have caught plenty of 35 lb. Tuna with them.

[MarkT]

My Penn Battle 6000 will catch 35# YFT all day. No need for a VS for fish that size! I though the VS's were primarily surf casting reels? Not what you'd want/need for long ranging.

[SoCalAngler]

For me if I fished spinning reels my first choice would be a Accurate Twin Spin followed by the Penn Torque Spinners.

[FatTuna]

Van Staals are primarily surf reels but a lot of people use them for small pelagics too. They have stainless gears and a solid frame. Personally, I wouldn't buy one just because of the fact that they are very involved to disassemble completely. I've serviced a bunch of them. To a point they are simple, beyond that point, they require specialty tools. Another thing is to be careful of the traverse guide misalignment. If you screw that plate on and the traverse guide is not over the notch, you are hosed.....

I really can't comment on which reel would be good for that style of fishing because I've never fished on one of those boats. However, in regards to spinning reels, I really like the Shimano Saragosas. I also really like Stradic FJs. I really want to get my hands on a Clash though.

[MarkT]

I recently got a Saragosa 10k that will be my popper reel on my 5 and 10 day trips. If I were a surgeon with a thick wallet I'd fish a Stella or Saltiga Dogfight or Expedition.