Hi there, first post on this forum for me. I'm shopping for a new conventional reel for shore-casting, mainly the beaches of Baja for jacks and roosterfish that can hold about 250 yards of 15lb mono. I'm partial to a levelwind for this type of casting/retrieving and am considering either a Shimano calcutta 400B or a Penn international 965. Any thoughts or experiences with either of these reels?
Thanks,
Ross
The 965 looks nice but really isn't a great caster. The penn 525 mag is a great caster though and the price is right. Very beefy drag and gears. More than either reel you mention but no level wind. The calcutta is a fine reel. I just bought one myself. I'd rather have something more powerful for roosterfish.
i got the calcutta 300 te!
First time poster hear also. As a shore bound fisherman I have been found of the Daiwa Sealine series reels. I not sure of the type of fish you are trying to catch. Here on the Southeast coast of Va. and N.C. a lot of fisherman like the Daiwa sL30SH, Sl30SHA and the Saltist 30H. Look at these reels and form your own opinion.
I use my Abu 6500C3. It's been service and all parts are either corrosionX'd or thinly coated with marine grease. Hmm, but I'm using 20# spectra...Not sure how much mono would fit though.
The Calcuttas...ooh nice reels.
Level wind- calcutta TE series (300 or 400)
Non-level wind- Saltiga 15
If there's a chance it's gonna touch the sand go with the non-level winds.... In my opinion they cast farther as well. Just make sure you train that thumb to stop it before the water or else ;), though the cast control on the saltiga works nicely.
Dom
Why not an AVET SX MC?
Or if you don't like the lever drags for shore casting you could always use a Penn International Torque 100. It's a little heavy but built like a tank. Here in my country there reels are highly regarded for surf casting over rocky bottoms because of their speed and stainless steel guts.
Did you guys miss that Ross is looking for a level line reel?