Effectively Casting Conventional Reel ?

[The Moe]

Hi, This is Moe, I'm new to this great forum.

Currently, I have a Daiwa Sealine900H conventional reel that I bought from flea world for 15 bucks!. It was very dirty but with the help of Alan's great tutorial here, some schematics, tooth brush and some acetone it is now looking and performing like new!

Mainly, I am a freshwater fisherman. trophy Blue and flathead cats are my targets. I do a little (once a year) saltwater fishing when I'm in Florida on vacation. every year, my family rent a charter boat for deep sea fishing and go without me. Because I am very susceptible to severe sea sickness 

So, even when no one I know actually love fishing more than I do, I find myself fishing off the pier. 

I have a few good Abu Garcia Ambassadeur baitcasters in my arsenal and I'm really good at using baitcasters but never had trolling or conventional reels before. They obviously very similar to a baitcaster except they are more robust and lack the oscillating guide mechanism. My question is: are those conventional reels castable? if so, how reliable ? Any special techniques or tips to consider?

Thank you!

[thorhammer]

Moe, welcome!!!!

For starters, a 900H in good shape for $15 is gonna get some people's left eye all twitchy on site....thats a GREAT find.....we'd all take a pallet load at that price.

to answer your question on casting, YES conventional reels can be cast very well and for over 200 yds if set up properly for that task...and of the right size. youre not gonna hurl a 900 that far but you could get reasonably proficient with it to lob a big bait and weight off the pier. the Daiwa's like that are beasts in terms of construction, and any parts that may wear can be replaced (drags); check the drags out. you'll just have to learn the sweet spot to educate your thumb, but really not all that different from the Abu (ecellent reels) in that regards. if it were me I'd thumb the spool flange instead of that big spool of line tho.

[steelfish]

casting convetional boat reels from the shore its being done from many years ago but take into considaration that not all big conventional reels are capable of long cast from piers, rocks or beach but some of them cast as good and as far as the best spinning rig.

some of the best "boat" casting reels from shore are:
- Saltist 20h /30h gray model or new BG
- Newell reels 220 / 229/ etc
- Sealine SHA 20, SHA 30  or the famous Sealine SLOSH (SL20SH, SL30SH)
- Calcutta 400 / 400TE
- Abu garcia 7000c3
- Penn fathom 15
- Penn 525mag
- Penn squidder
- Penn squall 12 / 15


and few others bigger casting reels with few tricks on the bearings can help you to cast 8oz for many yards from rocks or reefs

also, most of them are used to fish with cut bait, cast and wait, and the ones with levelwind are used to cast and retrieve irons, spoons, plastics, etc, if you are going into the world of casting big heavy conventionals you will need a proper long casting rod to help the reel to reach better distance.
you will never reach the same distance with a 8ft boat casting rod than with a 11ft surf conventional rod.

[The Moe]

Thorhammer,

Thank you for the quick response. Yes, I believe I was quite lucky with my find as soon I punched in the model number on my phone when I was at flea world that day. The guy selling had no clue what it was worth.

I have managed to disassemble the 900H completely (down to the last removable detail) and gave all the non composite parts an acetone bath. re-polished the chrome, upgraded the drags to carbon fiber. and synthetic lubed are the movements.

Regarding practicing good casting techniques, and since the spool is quite wide and spooled with 130# line, do you think I should use a leather tongue? ( a leather flap you can attach to the reel frame and flip on top of the spool to protect your thumb while casting) Do you think it would make casting more manageable than with the thumb on the spool body? Thank you for your advise!
 

[CapeFish]

casting convetional boat reels from the shore its being done from many years ago but take into considaration that not all big conventional reels are capable of long cast from piers, rocks or beach but some of them cast as good and as far as the best spinning rig.

some of the best "boat" casting reels from shore are:
- Saltist 20h /30h gray model or new BG
- Newell reels 220 / 229/ etc
- Sealine SHA 20, SHA 30  or the famous Sealine SLOSH (SL20SH, SL30SH)
- Calcutta 400 / 400TE
- Abu garcia 7000c3
- Penn fathom 15
- Penn 525mag
- Penn squidder
- Penn squall 12 / 15


and few others bigger casting reels with few tricks on the bearings can help you to cast 8oz for many yards from rocks or reefs

also, most of them are used to fish with cut bait, cast and wait, and the ones with levelwind are used to cast and retrieve irons, spoons, plastics, etc, if you are going into the world of casting big heavy conventionals you will need a proper long casting rod to help the reel to reach better distance.
you will never reach the same distance with a 8ft boat casting rod than with a 11ft surf conventional rod.

Torium 30, Saltist 50, Penn Fathom 40, Jigmaster 500, even Trinidad 50 size reels cast very well, you just need the right rod and sinker weight, in case you are in need of heavy tackle to cast with. To handle the setup better, place the reel at the bottom, that way you don't have a heavy reel sitting half way up the rod

[thorhammer]

hmmmmm......casting 130...thats gonna likely have memory and look like weedeater string coming off....good points made above about proper rod choice...since i posted first response, ive been thinking about casting my 9/0 when I get home and what i would put it on for that purpose. i have 100 lb on it, which is still a bit heavy. If i were gonna cast from shore I'd think 50 or 65 mono with 80 lb shock leader will work, not to mention anything you may fish for with that rig is going to make a long run that you cant chase down. you probably wont have but 200 yds of 130 on it. you could also back with braid and topshot with 100 yds for casting, and kill most anything you might find.


re casting, i'm def going on spool flange; with that heavy of line the spool surface will be "bumpy" and harder to control smoothly than on the flange. i know what youre talking about re a finger cot or post tongue (guys used to make them from old boot tongues) but personally i'd rather have the "feel".


I have a bunch of the reels the guys described with exception of fathom and saltist, all are great. you would find the Abu 7000
an easy move up from your 5500 / 6500's.

i have a real-deal 11' Heaver that i think i will hold the 9/0 to try in the test pond out back....those catfish are gonna crap when a 10 oz lead hits lol


i will advise how this turns out

may include pics of missing thumbprint

[thorhammer]

Ok, that was entertaining.....when I got home i cracked a beer and shucked 115L off its planer rod (hence 1oolb test). pulled tail plate and hit both bearings with Hot sauce, because....why not?

ok, the Heaver for the experiment: a buddy found a yard-saler for $4 and gave it to me some tinme back.....UGLY...it's either Fenwick or Lami honey gold (dunno which yet) which had been painted black with a brush. wire guides...three only.  wraps in bad shape. grips....electrical tape over cord cross wrap (actually pretty grippy but ugly enough to raise blisters on a slab o concrete...); and.....the reel seat had been cut off.....

oh, did I say Heaver? what I meant was 11' Rebar.....3" deflection with 24 oz lead; 3/4" with 12 oz.


Sooo... i started with 24 oz....I managed to get 30 yds (no professional overrun). I'm  2-fitty with pretty large hands....it weren't enough....if Julius Peppers was going drum fishing, mebbe.....I went down to 12 oz lead; it may well have been split shot. however i was able to get 40 yds out of it.


Observations:as  previously, no reel seat....so i rigged it deckhand style. not wanting my 9/0 in the pond due to only using clamp and tape, i opposed two 30-200 clamps over forward reel foot with SS screws and nuts. Now folks....this rig is junkyard sexy at this pernt in the game...

droipped down to 12 oz and gfot 40 yds. with areel seat a few inches higher and 60 lb, MEBBE could get 45-50 yds. bottom line is 9?0 bottom bar is in the way for anyone but Shaq to thumb fo rcontrol. BUGT it can be done. If i was ti get serious about this i would hot rod a 113H; cut down a lami 13'8" blank rihan dwrapo with  five guides only. then throw 40 lb with a shock leader. sort of a a NC ]take on ulua fishing...

[steelfish]

Here in Baja a lot of locals (Im from a city but working in this fishing small town since 10 years ago)
Anyway, some of the old guys use 113, 500L, sealines 50h to cast bait frim the rocks really long casts on 40lb mono line

[Shark Hunter]

Welcome Moe,
If your 900H is spooled with 130lb mono. It probably has about 200 yards on it. I would spool it with 80lb tops.
As far as casting it, as John so eloquently tried, I don't think that is going to happen.
Since you get sea sick easily, a Kayak is probably out of the question. I would just go the end of the pier and lob it out there as far as you can.
I have a couple 900's, but like a senator for its line capacity. I can fit 1000 yards of 100 lb mono on a 12/0. I kayak my bait out from shore. Paddle back in and wait. A 300 yard drop is ideal, sometimes further. If you are next to a pier, I try to kayak out just past it. Your 900 is a fine reel and should handle a nice fish, but 130lb mono on a 900 is not how I would fish it.

[CapeFish]

Ok, that was entertaining.....when I got home i cracked a beer and shucked 115L off its planer rod (hence 1oolb test). pulled tail plate and hit both bearings with Hot sauce, because....why not?

ok, the Heaver for the experiment: a buddy found a yard-saler for $4 and gave it to me some tinme back.....UGLY...it's either Fenwick or Lami honey gold (dunno which yet) which had been painted black with a brush. wire guides...three only.  wraps in bad shape. grips....electrical tape over cord cross wrap (actually pretty grippy but ugly enough to raise blisters on a slab o concrete...); and.....the reel seat had been cut off.....

oh, did I say Heaver? what I meant was 11' Rebar.....3" deflection with 24 oz lead; 3/4" with 12 oz.


Sooo... i started with 24 oz....I managed to get 30 yds (no professional overrun). I'm  2-fitty with pretty large hands....it weren't enough....if Julius Peppers was going drum fishing, mebbe.....I went down to 12 oz lead; it may well have been split shot. however i was able to get 40 yds out of it.


Observations:as  previously, no reel seat....so i rigged it deckhand style. not wanting my 9/0 in the pond due to only using clamp and tape, i opposed two 30-200 clamps over forward reel foot with SS screws and nuts. Now folks....this rig is junkyard sexy at this pernt in the game...

droipped down to 12 oz and gfot 40 yds. with areel seat a few inches higher and 60 lb, MEBBE could get 45-50 yds. bottom line is 9?0 bottom bar is in the way for anyone but Shaq to thumb fo rcontrol. BUGT it can be done. If i was ti get serious about this i would hot rod a 113H; cut down a lami 13'8" blank rihan dwrapo with  five guides only. then throw 40 lb with a shock leader. sort of a a NC ]take on ulua fishing...

LOL this is crazy  . to give a reel more line capacity, use braid backing and then mono topshot, simple solution, but it is unfortunately not going to give much space on the reel filled with 130lb, this is not really casting material and also not sure what yoyu want to catch from shore with that unless you have the drag to use with it and a pole to tie yourself too. You will be amazed what you can catch with much lighter tackle, we have recently had two grey sharks caught in South Africa from the beach, both going over 700lb and the one was caught with around 60lb line and the other one a bit more, maybe 80lb

[thorhammer]

fully agree, see my first post re braid backer and mono topshot long enought to touchdown cast. NO ONE wants to pick out a 9/0 braid backlash......

[The Moe]

Thank you guys for all your responses. It seems like everyone here is saying that a successful, reliable cast with the 900H is depending heavily on having the proper setup all around.

So,

1. Adequate weight and tackle
2. Reduce line test from 130# to 80# max or lower.
3. Adequate rod.
4. Practice Good technique.

About the rod, any recommendations? I found this:

Daiwa Beefstick Casting Surf Rod 12' Heavy.   Model Number BFSF1202HRB 12'  

I know there are other ( better ) options out there but I am trying to find something that does the job well enough and not break the bank.

Also, I thank thorhammer for the casting experiment. Oh, I have to ask CapeFish Regarding his comment about keeping the reel in the on the BOTTOM instead of the top for better management. Do you mean while initiating casting? If so, how to you recommend controlling the spool in that position?. Interesting point indeed.. Thanks!
 

[thorhammer]

Moe, beefstick is probably heavy enough to handle the load.

HOWEVER, one way Daiwa keeps these below $35 is to use smaller reel seats and small guides. make sure you check that reel foot will mount to seat, and that any running line to shock leader / top shot knots will fit comfortably through the guides, otherwise with 12 and bait you will be knocking out guide inserts. I reiterate, I got 40 yds wih just lead....you are probably looking at 25-30 yds with a piece of bait big enough to be worth using this setup. If you need to get further than that, I'd sell the 900 and get two SL 500's (daiwa, not Mercedes set up with 65 braid and 150yd 50 lb mono top shot to cast.


i must admit it was fun trying to launch that catapult....normal casting technique out the window...

best,

J

[steelfish]

Daiwa Beefstick Casting Surf Rod 12' Heavy.   Model Number BFSF1202HRB 12'   

beefstick 12" will be too heavy and way too stiff, you will be in the need to use 8oz or 10oz to charge the rod, better go with something in the 10" range.

I really like surf fishing and with few year of experience I learned that with rods larger than 10ft you better go with something above $100 dlls at least, on that 10" mark and below you can get the job done in a decent way with the big5 (sport store), dicks, etc rod specials in the $50 range.
ugly stick in one good option and cheap.

but my best recomendation is to save a bit more and try to score another reel for cheap, maybe a jigmaster 500 or a sealine SHA30, a penn beach master 200, something a lot smaller, that will make everything easier for you, with something like that you will be able to cast pretty good from the pier and still use it as boat reel.

[The Moe]

Daiwa Beefstick Casting Surf Rod 12' Heavy.   Model Number BFSF1202HRB 12'   

beefstick 12" will be too heavy and way too stiff, you will be in the need to use 8oz or 10oz to charge the rod, better go with something in the 10" range.

I really like surf fishing and with few year of experience I learned that with rods larger than 10ft you better go with something above $100 dlls at least, on that 10" mark and below you can get the job done in a decent way with the big5 (sport store), dicks, etc rod specials in the $50 range.
ugly stick in one good option and cheap.

but my best recomendation is to save a bit more and try to score another reel for cheap, maybe a jigmaster 500 or a sealine SHA30, a penn beach master 200, something a lot smaller, that will make everything easier for you, with something like that you will be able to cast pretty good from the pier and still use it as boat reel.

Interesting.. Well I do see the point of having a smaller, more manageable reel instead but I am still amused by my lucky find Sealine 900H and it's robust and beautiful design and would love to fish with it efficiently if possible. Regarding rods.. Well I happened to have an 8.5' Ugly Stik Big Game rod that use with my vintage Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5500 C3 baitcaster. Can that rod considered to be within better range for the 900H ? Thank you