Which reels for kayak fishing?

[JA_Angler]

Hello guys. I did not properly introduce myself in my earlier posts. I am Kent from Jamaica (IT Consulting) and I am looking at getting into kayak fishing. Only been fishing since 2007 (now aged 39) and caught the bug when a jack grabbed a Krocodile spoon I was tiredly jigging off a dock. I have already benefited from Alan's drag upgrade for my Daiwa 900h and service tips from you guys for my 113h. My question is, what reel should I be getting as a conventional for kayak fishing? Reel must be able to be easily serviced by someone new to servicing, hold 350yd of 30lb mono and manage 10lb of drag. Reel will be splashed/dunked often. I saw where Alan recommended the Penn Jigmaster 500 but indicated that drag pressure above 8lb would cause problems. My fishing is primarily for kingfish up to 30lb, barracudas up to 20lb and jacks up to 30lb, mixed in with small tunas. I will then graduate to larger fish like wahoo (after becoming more experienced with the kayak), for which I believe I will need a 6/0 sized conventional with 450yd of 40-50lb mono. I get out a maximum of two times monthly. I will be using live/dead bait on the conventionals. I currently have a 113h, 114h, sealine 400h, sealine 900h, Fin-nor OFS9500, Spheros 14000FA. If I need to buy additional reels, my budget is $100 per reel for 2 or 3 reels. Please also throw in any recommendations for a bottom fishing reel for 20-30lb fish.

[Bunnlevel Sharker]

Jigmasters, 8lbs out of a kayak is plenty. You will get dragged around. A 3/0 would be good to, plenty of maneuverability still. If your worried about the drag problem use a SS gear sleeve

[Bryan Young]

Jigmaster 500 would be best since it uses bushings instead of bearings.  Set your drags at 5-6# and you're set.  Even with that drag setting, you will get pulled around while the fish is taking out line.  Good luck and have fun.

[JA_Angler]

Same reel for bottom fishing? I need to drop down to smaller line for bottom fish. If not the Jigmaster, then which for that line? Will accept suggestions for spinning reels if no conventional is suitable for 12lb - 15lb mono.

[saltydog]

With the jigmaster you can carry extra spools of line around with you, and it is one of the best kayak reels around. All you would need to do is put in a ss gear sleeve and it would serve your purpose well, we use them here in Texas for everything from light bottom fishing to offshore kayak fishing for kingfish that sometimes weigh over 40#and the occasional Blacktip or Bullshark who gets on a baited line.

[JA_Angler]

Jigmaster it is then, just that concern about whether it will cause an issue for the thinner lines. Does the newly manufactured units have a tighter tolerance to prevent issue with thin lines? And is that an issue I should really worry about when I use thinner lines with the Jigmaster? Also, how do I know which 500 spool matches any particular 500?

[saltydog]

I use 16# thru 30# mono with no issues but braid I start at 50# and add whatever topshot I need, I haven't found any issues with spools yet, but I only have 6 for my two reels.

[Bryan Young]

You could also go with a Penn 501 for the lighter stuff.  Narrow Jigmaster.

[JA_Angler]

OK, thanks everyone. Great info as usual.

[Bunnlevel Sharker]

For spinners try a battle, a friend of mine saltwater yak fishes a lot and swears by them

[saltydog]

The smaller Fin Nors are also pretty good.