Drag on a Valiant-600s

Started by thunnus69, June 28, 2019, 06:23:17 PM

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thunnus69

I got a sweet deal on a Valiant 600s lite line special.  It has a 7-1 gear ratio which is ideal for the "deeper" drop pargo trip I have planned in Costa Rica later this summer. My question is given this reel's upper limit of 20#s drag can I add a belleville washer(or similar spacer) to it to bump up the drag? I own Penn internationals many of which have been Cal modified.  The Penns are easy to clean, grease and service (by me) but I'm reluctant to crack open the Valiant without some guidance. And, by the way I just spoke to the "great one" (Cal) and he said they don't touch them, which only furthers my reluctance.
Help please.
-Joe

akfish

My first thought: Do you want to fish heavy drag on a reel with a 7:1 retrieve ratio?? Second thought: I'll bet you can get a different cam from Accurate to bump up the drag is you really want to. Finally, a 7:1 retrieve ratio won't be fun to fish with deep drops if you have a couple pounds of lead.
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Juneau, Alaska
907.789.2448

MarkT

62" per crank doesn't sound like a formula for a fun deep drop session.  These look more like they're intended as kingfish tournament reels.

MODEL   WEIGHT(OZ)   GEAR RATIO   BRAID CAP   INCHES PER CRANK   MAX DRAG   
BVL-600S   19   7:1   650yds/20lb (mono)   62″   20
When I was your age Pluto was a planet!

thunnus69

Thanks for the replies, all good points.  We will be fishing some local humps about 400 feet deep for 3-20 pound snapper, rigging whole dead squid.  Last time we did this I used an international with a 3.8-1 gear ratio and I swore next time I would get a high speed reel.  We troll on the way out for sails, wahoo and tuna.  I figured the 7-1 could help with that too.  Just though a simple shim or Belleville would help me gain more line quicker and tat the higher drag could be a plus. 

Rivverrat

#4
I dont know a lot about your type of fishing. Hand a few different reels of a differing flavors & sizes out to fellas here & you'll get differing thoughts based on how & what the fella fishes for. Such as, a lot of reels fished with 60 line will do quite well with 80 or in some cases even a 100 lb. line for me & what I fish for. One thing most will agree on is a reel with a skinny spool & frame that cast well with appropriate line is the dogs dangles.

 Anywhoo.... A reel that grabs 60" or more of line with each crank of the handle is usually built for a single purpose & deep dropping I think, might not be one where its at its best. More drag on a reel with this fast gearing that already produces 20 lbs. is something I dont think you'll want. Unless there is an issue with the reel.
I'm thinking to give a reel with this high of a ratio the slightest chance of working for tuna, wahoo, & deep drop fishing, choosing the right rod or better yet, rods is of the most importance. I've never caught a tuna over 50 lbs. never caught a wahoo.

However based on my understanding using this reel for any of what you describe, makes me ache. But I'm not always right. Have no strong desire to always be right. Just my thoughts nothing else. Please let us know how this works out. I'm honestly curious... Jeff  

thunnus69

Thanks Jeff.  This will be a bit of an experiment for me too.  I've been a custom rod builder for 15 years and keep 20-30 rods down there.  I do plan to cast to tuna near my favorite honey hole and will be sure to let you know how it works out.  I'm also bringing an accurate BVL 1000 for its inaugural trip, I plan to troll live bait for behemoths with the 1000.  Should be fun, you never know what you'll get at our honey hole.  We've caught mahi, big yellowfin, sails, marlin, big grouper and cubera all within a half kilometer of each other. Lets hope the fishing gods are on our side!

Rivverrat

You've some reels, being the Valiants that are like no other.

I wondered about these when they first appeared given they are so extremely lite.

All reports I've got are with people saying they are holding up very well.

thunnus69

Rivverrat, I have owned ATD's, Boss Extremes, but mostly Penn Internationals.  I am hooked on the Valiants, they're lite and soooo powerful.  My original hesitation was about the anti reverse bearings with no dogs in the Valiants.  The old Boss reels had issues but having owned Valiants for 3 years I have no complaints.  Accurate's 2 year free service is a plus too.  Honestly though, I don't think I have caught fish that I can say really tested these reels where as the same fish on my Internationals were a work out but no failures there.  I'm curious when or if these Valiants will ever fail, time will tell  Accurate seems to have worked out the earlier bearing issues.  If things continue the way I hope, I plan on getting rid of many of my international, except for the ones Cal has modified for me.  I just don't need all that weight.