What reels to leave behind with Costa Rica panga fishermen?

[Westii]

Guys,

Although this is my first post, I've been using the forum for quite a while now and really appreciate everything Alan and the rest of you guys do.

I will be going to Costa Rica later in the year and taking several fishing trips with some local panga fishermen in some areas that are off the beaten path.  I've fished with some of these guys before and most don't have very nice gear.  Since these guys rely on their pangas and fishing gear to make a living and support their families, I wanted to help a couple of them out by leaving behind some nice reels to replace some of their old, worn out gear.

I would like to keep the cost under $250 a reel and was looking at the Okuma Cavalla 20II deals on eBay (near or just under $200).  However, after thinking about it a little more, I remember that most of these fishermen were using old TLD's and I'm guessing that access to spare parts will be an issue for them.  I'm thinking the Cavallas would be much better than a TLD or Tyrnos for example, but perhaps the Shimano parts would be easier to come by in Costa Rica than Okuma parts

So, question for all of you guys is what reels do you think would be best for me to bring down there considering both performance and maintenance?  The guys that I will be fishing with will generally be targeting sailfish, dorado, smaller yft, snapper, roosterfish, jacks, etc.

Thanks in advance for your help. 

[reelgood]

I have seen almost new or new Avet EX3/0's sell for around $300, it's a long shot but something else to look for besides the Cavallas. probaly won't be able to find them for 250 but it happens

From panga fishing in Puerto Vallarta, I know that they also would probably love some Owner ST-66 or ST-76 trebles as those are either too expensive or impossible to find over there, I left a few packs when I went.

[Alto Mare]

Push them to use some older, simple and dependable tweaked Penn Senators and you won't need to worry about replacement parts as much .

[Jimmer]

I have 2 cavalla 30s and 2 cavalla 50w's I'm not going to be needing. $700 to your door for all 4 if you are interested p.m. me. I saw a post on here about what to get for okuma spare parts for similar reels by JGB awhile back, if you wanted to take a few spare parts. - Jimmer

[alantani]

well, first of all, welcome!!!!!  survival fishing demands can be tough.  foolproof operation and corrosion resistance (durability) are the requirements that come to mind.  greased carbon fiber drags would be a must.  a stainless steel drive train would help.  a graphite body would decrease corrosion issues and keep the reel looking "reasonable."  i would want to avoid level wind reels.  lever drags also have more bearings to go bad.  think of dropping off the reels one year, then going back the next to see how they were working. 

my first vote would be a shimano tld star 15/30 or 20/40.  switch out the drag washers, leave the bronze bushing in, grease the bearings that are already in the reel and coat the inside with a light coat of grease.   i have a stainless steel and delron arm that work out well.  load it up with spectra and they would have a reasonable shot of landing anything up to 100 pounds. 

second would be a 4/0 penn 113h.  it has none of the durability features of the shimano tld stars, but earns points for suvivability if properly serviced first. it also earns poingts for availability of parts.  it would be fine if monofilament was all that was available to them. 

third would be newells.  figure that parts availability (except for bearings) would be zero, but a properly service newell can last nearly forever if fished within specs.  and if parts were not an issue, a graphite spool newell reel might actually be my first choice for survival fishing in the jungle!

[Westii]

Thanks for the quick responses, guys.  I really appreciate it.

Alan, your recommendations are all star drag reels.  I was thinking that since these guys are mostly trolling, that a lever drag with mono (at least a topshot) would be more appropriate.  However, your comment about more bearings to go bad makes some sense.  As pointed out by Jimmer, I could take some spare parts with me for them.  I know that they will appreciate whatever I leave behind, but I'd just like for it to be as useful as possible.

Reelgood, I was already planning on leaving some hooks and lures behind too, but I'll take you advice and bring some of the Owner trebles you recommend.  Thanks.

Great idea to go back in another year and see how the reels are doing! 

[conchydong]

I'd buy them some Baja Specials. The Mexican Pangaros really like them, so I would imagine the Costa Ricans would also. You can vertical jig, troll, flyline and cast surface jigs with them. They would have enough drag in most cases for those Cubera Snappers. IMO a durable option within your budget.

[Westii]

Thanks, Conchydong.  After seeing a couple of recommendations for Senators, I immediately thought about the Baja Specials too.  I haven't owned one myself, but I have heard nothing but good things about them.

I caught my first cubera snapper on my last trip to CR.  Might be the best tasting fish I've ever had.  Even better than the dorado caught on the same trip.

[alantani]

thought about the baja specials but was concerned about the price.  i think i would rather see these guys with three $100 reels than one $300 reel.   

[Westii]

thought about the baja specials but was concerned about the price.  i think i would rather see these guys with three $100 reels than one $300 reel.   

I have some time to think about this and will likely enlist the help of family and friends to bring down a nice selection of gear.  Charkbait has the Baja Special for $229 (w/ mono) and $259 (w/ spectra), so maybe I can pick up some of these and also some of the other less expensive reels recommended by you and the other guys.

[Dominick]

Westii:  Check out the Penn Jigmaster 500L.  Charkbait is selling them for $54.95.  They have HT-100 drags and a max drag of 14lbs and will take 50lb braid.  The only problem I see with this reel is that they might push it to more than 14lbs.  1/3 of 50 is approx. 16lbs.  I bet that 16lbs won't hurt this reel either.  The reel can be quickly changed for another spool depending on what size line is needed for the targeted fish.  Remember "Penns numquam spiritum."     Dominick

[alantani]

i would even look at a penn long beach 60 for basic fishing. 

[conchydong]

The targeted fish in CR  (Cuberas, Big Jacks and Roosters )have some serious pulling power and I am not sure the TLD Stars or Jigmasters would keep those fish out of the rocks. Just my opinion.
No problem in open water for surface Pelagics like smaller Tuna, sailfish and Dorado etc., but the aforementioned species are caught off the rocks and if you don't turn them right away you are history.

[broschro]

penn gls 45 uesd on ebay

[alantani]

the tld stars are good to 15 pounds.  that's why i would recommend them.  i'm guessing that there is a very low probablility that their drags are set that high.  even among fisherman in california, you will find one out of 10 that uses a scale to set a drag.