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.
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.
Push them to use some older, simple and dependable tweaked Penn Senators and you won't need to worry about replacement parts as much ;) ;D.
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
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!
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!
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.
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.
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. :-\
Quote from: alantani on April 01, 2012, 06:16:03 PM
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.
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
i would even look at a penn long beach 60 for basic fishing.
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.
penn gls 45 uesd on ebay
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.
For they type of fishing your talking about I would look at some TLD 20 or 25's. Just upgrade the drag washer and your good to go. Their in the price range brand new even with the upgraded drags. They take a pretty good beating and a single speed should be fine for what your talking about IMO.
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
Quote from: Alto Mare on April 02, 2012, 09:22:35 AM
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
Thanks for the input, guys. It is much appreciated. My plan for today is to contact a couple of American charter boats captains that fish in the area I will be going and ask them for their thoughts on reel selection for the panga guys. I'll post the responses from them once I hear back.
I was looking at the 113h this morning and noticed that it too has a graphite frame. I know it has stainless steel frame rings, but do you think the 113h is significantly stronger than something like the TLD 20 or TLD star 2040?
i don't know about relative strengths, but for any of these reels you likely have to go above 20 pounds of drag to put the frame at risk.
Yes and arn't they already using the TLD's? Seems like a no brainer to me, new reels with an already parts supply from the old reels. Also these guys are in Costa Rica it's not like their going to upgrade the reels, unless you do it for them before hand. Do people think that their going to jump on the web, order parts with their credit card and have stuff shipped to them?
Quote from: Westii on April 02, 2012, 03:56:22 PM
I was looking at the 113h this morning and noticed that it too has a graphite frame. I know it has stainless steel frame rings, but do you think the 113h is significantly stronger than something like the TLD 20 or TLD star 2040?
You're right, the newer models comes with a graphite frame. Sorry, I wasn't specific enough. If you take a peak at
at my reels here, you will notice that all have the tiburon frame, this is why I mentioned narrow, standard and wide. I'm not crazy about graphite, but as Alan mentioned, I'm sure that they're just fine if fished within their limits.
SoCalAngler makes some good points. Years ago, when my son was younger, we would go to the east cape of baja every summer. I'd leave the locals hooks, monofiliment line, swivels, zuker lures, etc. These items were all much harder to get than here. The standard bait (mack) casting outfit was a Penn 113h on a 7ft. rod. New 113h's with 50 lb. mono cost around $100. Long lasting, easy to service & would be highly prized by the locals. I think it's important to not loose sight of the fact that these are simple, indigenous, bait fishermen... they aren't fishing from the deck of a large, long range San Diego sportboat, so they don't need Tib frames, hollow spectra or trick parts.
If they need an 80# outfit, I would suggest 6/0s with Penn Aluminum frames.
Quote from: doradoben on April 02, 2012, 09:05:15 PM
SoCalAngler makes some good points. Years ago, when my son was younger, we would go to the east cape of baja every summer. I'd leave the locals hooks, monofiliment line, swivels, zuker lures, etc. These items were all much harder to get than here. The standard bait (mack) casting outfit was a Penn 113h on a 7ft. rod. New 113h's with 50 lb. mono cost around $100. Long lasting, easy to service & would be highly prized by the locals. I think it's important to not loose sight of the fact that these are simple, indigenous, bait fishermen... they aren't fishing from the deck of a large, long range San Diego sportboat, so they don't need Tib frames, hollow spectra or trick parts.
Good point, doradoben. You're right, SoCalAngler also makes a good point. This is what it's all about, we talk about and at the end he gets the right reel...I think :-\ ;D
I have to agree with the rest of the 113H crowd. Simple-to-maintain is good. Basic workhorse is good. I guess if I was going to gift a reel it would be a 113H with a S/S gear sleeve, extra HT-100's and bearings. Extras like hooks, line and lures would be nice, too.
My 2 cents.
QuoteI have to agree with the rest of the 113H crowd. Simple-to-maintain is good. Basic workhorse is good.
x2
Also agree re: the upgraded TLD star 15/30 or 20/40 (or 3GT/4GT) for everyday inshore use.
Cheers, Justin
This is exactly the type of discussion I was hoping to get from this forum. My current thinking is that I really can't go wrong if I bring down a selection of TLD's (maybe 20's), 113h's, and TLD stars with some extra parts for everything. I'm thinking that this should cover the vast majority of what these guys fish for every day and should serve them well for quite a while.
I'm still waiting for advice from some American charter boat captains operating in that area.
Thanks again guys.
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. ;D
Quote from: alantani on April 03, 2012, 12:16:22 AM
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. ;D
or woman? :-* Careful Alan. Lois will thump you next time you're on the islands. :D
Quote from: alantani on April 03, 2012, 12:16:22 AM
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. ;D
And sculpted! Sorry Alan, I had to ;D
Quote from: Alto Mare on April 03, 2012, 12:35:26 AM
Quote from: alantani on April 03, 2012, 12:16:22 AM
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. ;D
And sculpted! Sorry Alan, I had to ;D
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
Quote from: broschro on April 02, 2012, 12:03:53 PM
Quote from: Alto Mare on April 02, 2012, 09:22:35 AM
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.
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".
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
that's why i suggested the long beach 60's.
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.
Quotethat's why i suggested the long beach 60's.
Sorry - must've missed that.
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
Nice one Rick - what a great story.
Well done and thanks for sharing (will look forward to the pic, too ;) )
Cheers, Justin
Here's a shot with Jose, me, my son, and Jose's little boy, Jose Carlos:
(http://i1159.photobucket.com/albums/p623/rjwest22/DSCN0168_zps1fdf8058.jpg)
Here's another of my bull dorado (personal best). That's Jose's boat behind me.
(http://i1159.photobucket.com/albums/p623/rjwest22/DSCN0169_zps716b4333.jpg)
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!
Nice dorado, too bad Jose had to eat the skippie ;D
awesome, thanks for the follow up post.
Good job. Lots of good men and women on this site. Dominick
well done!
Quote from: johndtuttle on January 08, 2013, 02:57:07 AM
awesome, thanks for the follow up post.
x2! westii i know this is off topic but how's the cedros sd doing?
Very nice, Westii!
Sal
Thanks Westii, it leaves me with a warm feeling knowing that old reel is being put to good use, maybe Jose can wear the little remaning chrome off in the next 60 years. Jimmer
Quote from: Mel B on January 08, 2013, 12:22:40 PM
Quote from: johndtuttle on January 08, 2013, 02:57:07 AM
awesome, thanks for the follow up post.
x2! westii i know this is off topic but how's the cedros sd doing?
Hi Mel. I didn't bring the Cedros SD on this trip. It's still one of my favorite reels, but I haven't been able to really test it on big fish yet.
Quote from: Westii on January 07, 2013, 10:30:56 PM
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
very old post, and the OP is no longer active in the forum.
but I bet Jose is still using the long beach 60, 114 and tld 25 up to these days..
a lot stories like that one on many zones in Mexico, giving a usable reel to a panguero is one of the best gifts he can recieve ever.
113h gets my vote!
You guys know what nugget I pulled from reading this thread?
Doc Tani nailed it again suggesting the 60! Jose loved it the most.
Genius intuition in modest disguise.
Old post but the spirit is timeless,
Hope someone posts an update on Jose some day.
Old thread Ive not seen. For the money Tld 20-2 speed , 30 2 speed ' TLD 15 or 20. Per friends request (Panga charter) a W Palm, FL cracker that has live their 14 yrs . Using as stock they last a long time with some care. Longevity matters in Centro AM.
When my son went there about 10 years ago he left them 2 Penn 706 spinning reels. They were overjoyed..!!