What reels to leave behind with Costa Rica panga fishermen?

[Norcal Pescador]

when you are getting a recommendation about a reel on this board, it is from a man that has actually cracked that reel open.  probably several dozen times.  that's one of the nice things about this board.  

or woman?   Careful Alan. Lois will thump you next time you're on the islands.   

[Alto Mare]

when you are getting a recommendation about a reel on this board, it is from a man that has actually cracked that reel open.  probably several dozen times.  that's one of the nice things about this board.  

And sculpted! Sorry Alan, I had to

[Dominick]

when you are getting a recommendation about a reel on this board, it is from a man that has actually cracked that reel open.  probably several dozen times.  that's one of the nice things about this board.  

And sculpted! Sorry Alan, I had to

Sculpted?  I love it Sal.  I met a man in Fresno who is a fairly well known (locally) sculptor.  I really liked his stuff.  He had one of the greatest back yards full of statues that he chipped away at.  He had hands of iron.  The man was an artist like you.  The picture of the sculpted 9/0 was a work of art.  That is on my list of projects when we find an inexpensive SS sleeve.  Dominick

[whalebreath]

I would stay away from graphite. From what you've described, in my opinion  the 113h would be the top chice.
Upgrades on these reels are endless, you just won't find a better reel for the money.  You should be able to find a 113H for less than $100 and able to fish it right out of the box, with just minor tweaking. Some of the upgrades are : narrow, standard and wide. You could also add two ss dogs, Alan's ss sleeve and power handle. These upgrades should still keep it around $200. The Baja is a nice reel, but having the floating spool means more parts to fail, I personally like my 113H tank better. Good luck with whatever you decide. Sal

x 2

X3

Lived in Costa Rica for a spell and even though I'm not a big fan of Penn their units are built to take the day to day abuse that comprises fishing in the tropics.

[Westii]

I received the following response today from a guy that is familiar with the local fishing community in the area of Costa Rica I will be going to:

"They aren't too picky down there.  Most locals fish with just a hand line.  The rest use whatever they can come up with and I'm sure they would be happy with anything you might leave behind".

[redsetta]

G'day Westii,
Just to add another thought to the mix - I rebuild a few of the old US-made bakelite Seaboys (85 and the early 190) each year for the kids of friends and family.
Usually all they need is a quick clean/grease, a few CF washers and you're done.
Might be worth considering for the local fishos' kids down there.
They're pretty much bulletproof when fished within their specs.
They're also cheap as chips and work great inshore.
There are still plenty of 50+ year-old 85 and early 190 models in use here in NZ (I've got four or five in stock now).
Steer well clear of the newer plastic versions, however.
Cheers, Justin

[alantani]

that's why i suggested the long beach 60's. 

[Westii]

The charter boat captain I contacted told me to bring TLD 20's and 25's along with some specific lures and jigs that are effective in that area.  I knew that the TLD's were popular down there, so that makes sense.  So, I think I now have enough input to get started shopping.  In addition to a few TLD 20's and 25's, I think I will also bring some TLD stars and Penn 113h's, and possibly spend some time on weekends rebuilding some older Penn's as suggested.  I enjoy tinkering with stuff like that and those older reels hopefully won't be too complicated.  I'll at least upgrade the drags in the TLD and TLD stars to greased CF and grease bearings and internals as Alan suggested.  I don't think I'll spend any extra money changing out handles or doing any other upgrades.

Thanks again to all who took the time to help me out.

[redsetta]

that's why i suggested the long beach 60's.

Sorry - must've missed that.

[Westii]

Hey guys,

Just thought I would close the loop on this one.  I got home from my Costa Rica trip yesterday.  I fished with a great panga fisherman named Jose out of Cabuya, Costa Rica.  As soon as I saw his boat and gear I knew he was the right one to get the donated gear.  He had a couple of very old, beat up rods with extensive (bad) work on them.  One had a crusty old TLD 25 on it and the other had a Daiwa Sealine X in similar condition.  I had brought down some gear with me including a Stingray travel rod, several of my own reels (TLD 20, TLD 25, Penn Long Beach 60) and a Penn 114 donated by Jimmer.  I also brought down a box full of trolling lures, feathers, rapalas and some miscellaneous tackle.  Using my gear, I fished with Jose for 3 days in a row and caught some nice fish, including a 28kg (61lb) bull dorado (will post a picture later).  My son also hooked a marlin that was estimated to be about 10-12 feet long, but the 40 pound test leader we were using for dorado didn't last long.  It was exciting to see it jump though when we had it on the line.

Anyway, I ended up leaving Jose with Jimmer's 114, the Long Beach 60, the TLD 25, Stingray travel rod, new fighting belt and all of the lures and misc tackle I brought down with me.  Although some of this gear is available in Costa Rica, it is very expensive.  Jose told me that he saved up some money and bought a Rapala magnum lure which cost him $44.  I had one with me exactlly like it that I think I paid $16-$18 for at Bass Pro Shop.  Jose was extremely thankful for all the gear and I know it will help him tremendously.  He fishes for a living and has a wife and 3 small kids to support.  He also told me that he took out a loan to purchased his old, tired boat.   Hopefully, it still has a fair amount of life left in it.

You Penn fans will appreciate this.  Jose seemed to be most happy with the Long Beach 60.  It was in pristine condition and I didn't tell him this, but I think I got it on eBay for about $25.  I upgraded the drags to greased carbon fiber, gave it a good servicing and spooled it with 20lb mono.  Jose said it would be very expensive in Costa Rica.  He catches a lot of football sized tuna and smallish mackerel, so the 60 should serve him well on those.

Thanks again for everyone's input on this and to Jimmer for the 114.

Rick

[redsetta]

Nice one Rick - what a great story.
Well done and thanks for sharing (will look forward to the pic, too )
Cheers, Justin

[Westii]

Here's a shot with Jose, me, my son, and Jose's little boy, Jose Carlos:



Here's another of my bull dorado (personal best).  That's Jose's boat behind me.

[Keith K]

That's an awesome story...Right up AlanTani.com 's alley. 

You made a real difference in Jose's life...with rebuilt reels.

Right on Rick!

[Keta]

Nice dorado, too bad Jose had to eat the skippie

[johndtuttle]

awesome, thanks for the follow up post.