slide baiting reel

[sjwoody]

hi all, i am wanting to get a new reel for surf casting and rock fishing dedicated to slide baiting for gt's, sambos, sarks ect..
have already got trin 50 thats has been and still is great reel but with the large amount of new reels on the market thise days
what is the pick of the bunch for this style of fishing. I am after a similar size reel as the 50 and also realy good to cast, Has anyone had any luck using leaver drag saltigas or similar?
thanks scott

[rodent]

S j woody, don't know where you are from but you may want to try ulua-fishing.com, it gives a lot of reviews on casting equipment for gts. The site will give you info on making multiple slides, hooks, rubline, rods, etc. Newell, shimano(thoriums are really popular due to cost), penn and diawa star drag reels are popular here. 
Most lever drags do not give you the casting distance that is desired for the fishing done here. You having the trinidad, an interesting reel might be the penn torque star drag, it looks very capable for surfcasting and handling gts.

[alantani]

yeah, not familar with this at all.....   

[tbucketford429460]

I have two slide bait rods and I have been trying it out. I am using a penn 4/0, penn narrow 4/0 and a Diawa 450 same size as a penn 4/0 wide. The newells are really popular now and some are using reels like you. Havent herd of anyone using lever drags. The Hawaiian fishing forum has a section just for Ulua fishing.



Wade

[dobrobill]

I have to agree on opting not to go with "lever drag" I have tried several, some worked okay but can not cast or handle as well as my Penn's for the surf.  I have a shimano 700s which is smooth but doesn't hold the line needed for a big fish if caught.  I am a bit wierd in that I still like my heavy Haterous heavers(telephone poles). I tend not to use braid in the surf because nothing slides off of it and my bait gets dragged with the current. I don't own a newell so I can't say yea or ney on them. I use squidder 140's mostly with 30 lb mono over 250 yards worth also jiggmasters and have caught some very nice fish/rays/sharks with them. Bigger desires and I reach for bigger reels but can't throw them. I keep things clean and have never had one fail during a fish fight.  I do have a Daiwa 450 that also works very well. When I feel like something else I switch to my big spinners and the long poles.

[Bryan Young]

The TN 50 is a pretty big castable reel and there's not much out there with that kind of line capacity that does not weigh a ton.  Probably the Talica if you want to try a castable lever drag.  I would not recommend any lever drags if fishing on a sandy beach, but from a cliff, may do very well.  Lever drags have it's benefits but is heavier than most newer star drag reels. 

Most lever drag reels were not used for casting because many of the reels were designed for use on boats, but with the creation of the SoCal Long Range fishing style, castable lever drag reels have been created.  Open and thin oiled bearings, and sleeved spool bearings lever drags can outspin most star drags with the similar treatemnt. 

Many like Daiwas as well and swear by them.  I haven't fished them so I have no performance comment, but will say that they are more difficult to service.

Another tried and true option with that kind of line capacity would be a Penn 6/0 reel with a one piece Penn, Accurate, or Tiburon aluminum frame.  You can get 2 or more 6/0s, including upgrades for the cost of a TN50.

Good luck.