Conventional reels for surface irons

oc1 · August 21, 2018, 04:23:12 AM

I gave up on my thumb years ago. Give me some centrifugal brakes or magnets. No spool tension knob please.
-steve

farmer56 · August 23, 2018, 01:34:16 AM

farmer 56 here ... i'm in oc1's camp ... is this fresh water or ocean ...... fresh water , cut my teeth casting 3/4 to 1 1/2 oz. daredevil type lures . used abu garcia 5500 and 6500 reels ... they had centrifugal brakes AND cast control knob you tightend so the lure fell slow enough to not overrun spool ... great way to learn ... then moved to daiwa magcaster 1500 pmf magnetic ... this was used to cast 1/4 oz. jigs into wind .. got very good ... both systems were used as a learning tool , as i got better the dials were backed off ... BUT not totally off .... if you are throwing 3 oz. plus ocean fishing i just use thumb ... currant canada iron tosser 1 1/4 oz. lures , is penn fathom star 12 .... one son uses penn fathom star 15lw one son uses abu garcia 6500 .... we all 3 have some cast controll in use .. we cast non-stop all day AND we all will have that pesky backlash at least once a day ... hope this helps dennis

Jigtosser · August 23, 2018, 04:55:55 AM

What are you fishing for ?

West coast surface iron goes way back to the 1950's
The reel that started it all for me was the Penn Jigmaster, aka Penn 500.
That reel has served me well for over 50 years.
I do prefer the narrow version, the Penn 501.
My favorite reel is the Newell 322, it is light, simple, and very good for tossing Iron's.

The other reels mentioned are all very capable for tossing jigs, I have used them all.
As for the cast control, an educated thumb goes a long way, never had the need for the mag control.
Which reel you end up with, is up to you, and what fish you are targeting.
Try as many as you can if possible, and practice casting with the same weight as the jigs you will be using.
And did I mention, Practice, Practice, Practice!!!
Backlash's will happen, so get over it now ! Practice and you will get good at it...

Also, finding the right rod to throw those jigs is just as important as the reel you choose...Butt,
That brings up a whole new discussion...

Dan

Reel 224 · August 23, 2018, 05:11:28 AM

Daiwa Fire Fox, I use for top plugs and mettle. Used it for years caught a lot of big stripe bass with it. Still have it in my arsenal.

Joe

farmer56 · August 23, 2018, 07:06:41 AM

hey jigtosser what do west coast surface irons weigh ? would spoons be considerd a surface iron ??

Jigtosser · August 24, 2018, 06:30:11 AM

Farmer,
The light surface irons we use are 1.5 oz to about 4 oz
There have been many brands that have come and gone...
They are a metal sand cast lure that are between 4 and 8 inches long, painted in various colors and patterns. Some are chrome, or a color and chrome.
I would post some pic's butt, I'm not that technical

You can see some examples @charkbait.com
Look in the tackle shop under casting and jigging lures.
Tady and Salas are common old school brands.
You will like this site, lots of tackle and a lot of useful info.
Enjoy,
Dan

SoCalAngler · August 24, 2018, 06:59:05 PM

Here you go, some So Cal iron. These are just a few. I didn't show the J hook models I use for tuna, the Megabait style as well as others.

SoCalAngler · August 24, 2018, 07:13:49 PM

The larger on the bottom left are Salas 7x lights which are 6.5" and 3.5 oz. This is about the largest and heaviest I use for the surface iron. Bottom right are 6X jrs which are 4.5" and 4.5 oz and I mainly use these for the yoyo iron.

Jigtosser · August 24, 2018, 07:41:05 PM

SoCal,
Thanks for posting the pic's, that will show him what we use here on the left coast.

I have a couple of those Tady bent metal jigs left from our Albacore days, they were deadly !
Tite lines,
Dan

MarkT · August 24, 2018, 07:50:56 PM

Yeah, I still have a couple of those Tady Y2's in blue/chrome with both a fixed and treble hooks.
For surface iron I go from some really light YoHoHo's up to JRI 4's that are about 4 oz.

SoCalAngler · August 24, 2018, 08:20:33 PM

Found a few more on the computer.

SoCalAngler · August 24, 2018, 08:23:08 PM

Wish Tady still made that blue/chrome 4/0 glow back in brass. This is my last one

I just weighted it and with the hook it is 7 oz.

basto · August 24, 2018, 09:03:59 PM

I find my TLD 15/30 and 20/40 good for casting metals. Be careful how tight you do your handle nut up on the Fathom 25n. I sheared the head off mine without too much force.

Swami805 · August 24, 2018, 09:30:47 PM

You looking for these?

SoCalAngler · August 24, 2018, 10:16:17 PM

I'm not sure? They still make 4/0 glow backs with a single hook but not in brass.

Edit: The reason I like the brass is because they get bit. Better than the non brass ones? I way never know because the brass jigs is what I have fished most often in the iron for BFT.

Not to say other methods don't work. I have caught most of my BFT on bait and many on plastics with leadheds. But, when a fast deep drop is needed I find the brass 4/0 hard to beat.

Out of the last 4 BFT tuna I have caught on the Tady 4/0, 3 were picked up on the drop. Some really like the flat fall type of jigs and that's cool, but I will stand side by side with several other fishing those and hookup just as much if not better I feel. Is it the jig? The fisherman? Naw it has to be the jig because many times I fish with people that really know what their doing, since no one hardly fishes them anymore you just don't hear how well they do.