Greetings from Portugal\Europe

[NunojRibeiro]

Hello Alan

Let me first say that I like Your work very much. I always see your tutorials with great interest. Congratulations for your dedication to the sport we all love.

My name is Nuno J Ribeiro and I´m from Portugal Europe. Here conventional reels are rare. We use mostly Spinning reels. Its like that for years. Fisherman here just dont look to Conventional Reels and in stores is rare to see for sale.
Only Black Bass fisherman use the liltle baitcasting reels and thats it, concerning "rotating spolls" (besides big game of course).

I have an oportunity to buy a Daiwa Saltist 30T.

I intend to use it to botom fishing and jigging.
I would like to know your opinion about this reel.

-Is it good for Jigging or the faster models are more suitable?. I mean the diference between 30T(orque) and 30H(i speed)
-Is this reel trouble free or it needs minor upgrades to flawless performance?

Only two questions for now

Best Regards
NunojRibeiro

[alantani]

welcome!  i would avoid the daiwa reels for now. 

the daiwa saltist and saltiga have an anti-reverse roller bearing and an ambassaduer style dog as their only two anti-reverse mechanisms.  i do not feel confident recommending this system for large fish situations.  the shimano trinidad and torium have the same system, but the dog can be upgraded to the spring loaded dog that is found it the most expensive "trinidad DC."   all four reels benefit from a carbon fiber drag washer upgrade.  interestingly, some of the saltists come with the upgrade already, but it is hard to figure out which ones do and which ones do not. 

[NunojRibeiro]

Thank You for the help.

What conventional reel would You recomend??.

I have a Daiwa Millionaire 7HT but I dont want to put im in heavy loads.

The target fish is mostly Snaper and Sea Bass (Europe Labrax). 10 kilos fish would be a life trofy to me

Also I like very much the Spinning reels from Penn. SpinfisherM and the Slammer. What sizes You recomend to the target fish mencioned above to these Penn reels.

Thnaks again for de help.

Best from Portugal
Nuno

[alantani]

the shimano trinidad, torium, tld star or speedmaster would be fine.  http://alantani.com/index.php?board=9.0  also take a look at the penn baja special. http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=14.0  i'm not much on spinners.  perhaps some of the other guys can chime in.  alan

[codhead]

Thank You for the help.

What conventional reel would You recomend??.

I have a Daiwa Millionaire 7HT but I dont want to put im in heavy loads.

The target fish is mostly Snaper and Sea Bass (Europe Labrax). 10 kilos fish would be a life trofy to me

Also I like very much the Spinning reels from Penn. SpinfisherM and the Slammer. What sizes You recomend to the target fish mencioned above to these Penn reels.

Thnaks again for de help.

Best from Portugal
Nuno

Hi Nuno

You've probably sorted your reel out by now but here's my take anyway:

In the UK, the 7HT is classed as a clean-ground reel. A great casting reel but not really up to the grunt required for bass (labrax) from the rocks. If you are looking for a great saltwater spinning reel at a great price, then take a look at the Daiwa Sealine Bull Hi. I use the 5000 size for bass from the boat and Emma uses the 6000 for huss fishing from the rocks. In my opinion, the 5000 or even the 4500 would be ideal for your bass fishing.

[paal]

........
The target fish is mostly Snaper and Sea Bass (Europe Labrax). 10 kilos fish would be a life trofy to me

Also I like very much the Spinning reels from Penn. SpinfisherM and the Slammer. What sizes You recomend to the target fish mencioned above to these Penn reels.
.......

Hi Nuno,
I didn't see this before now. I agree with you on two things; I love fishing for sea bass (I live in Norway, and this is the farthest north they can be caught), and I also think the Penn Slammer is one of best spinners around when it comes to value for money, for this type of fishing.
The size of the reel depends on different factors. In my opinion, it's important that the reel is matched with your rod. The other thing is line capacity and casting distance. Most people fish braided lines these days, and with braid you can step down one size in reels. Smaller reel means smaller spool, which for spinners mean smaller drag surface. But the Slammer has a very nice drag system, so I don't think you need to worry about drag for your fishing. I also think that a ligther setup gives better sport with the seabass, but I usually fish from a boat. Things are a little different if you fish from land, with a lot of kelp around.
I have a Slammer 560 that I use for saltwater jigging (halibut, cod, coal fish), but for seabass I would probably go for a 360. That should be a nice size alround.
A piece of advice on the Slammer: on my 560 there is a small ball bearing in the line roller. After only a few days of fishing salt water made its way into this bearing, and it seized. Penn uses sealed bearings with a locking ring on the Slammer. Which means they can be opened, cleaned and packed with grease, and sealed again. I realized then what Alan is talking about, and took apart the reel and packed all the bearings. This is a very easy reel to work on, a perfect platform to get started on some serious reel servicing