# Best Shimano Spinning Reels for Cobia?



## sel1005 (Jan 10, 2008)

Cobia are on the way, and I am pretty much a diehard Shimano fan. Have used the smaller ones for all sorts of fishing, but never really fished for cobia (but what's left for us to fish for now?)

So, the question is this: which Shimano is best for cobia sight fishing / casting? I will be trolling withShimanoTLDs / 30 widesin the rod holders, but when we see one and want to make that perfect cast to it, which Shimano reel / rod should we have loaded up and ready to go?

Fishing offshore, would you use 7 ft or 8 ft rods? Thanks


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## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

I am satisfied with my Spheros but if you want to spend more money you can go up from there.


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## JOHNJOHN205 (Oct 2, 2007)

saragosa, spheros, baitrunners all will work


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## Pinksnappertrapper (Dec 7, 2007)

Stella


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## sel1005 (Jan 10, 2008)

How do you rig them up? Mono or braid? I would think maybe 30 lb line, but is that too light? From a boat, what size rod is best for casting out to them? Thanks again


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## lobsterman (Sep 30, 2007)

For Cobia mono works great butI have them rigged both ways. I would say it is a personal preference.


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## Matt Mcleod (Oct 3, 2007)

I had a 14000 spheros that I used to cobia fish and I liked it a lot. The saragosa is a good one too. Since you are fishing from a boat I would use a rod that is 8' or longer with 25-30 lb mono line.


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## Findeep (Oct 12, 2007)

I use a Spheros 14000 on a 9ft Key Largo, 30lb Momoi w/ a flourocarbon leader 40-50lb. Love the Spheros, great for the $$$.


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## sel1005 (Jan 10, 2008)

9 ft rods? wow, thanks guys, because I would have thought those were only for surf fishing. The ones I have seen come in med-med heavy-heavy. Would a medium heavy be OK off the boat?


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## Kim (Aug 5, 2008)

Depending on how much you want to spend, Thunnus, Sustain or Stella.


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## MGuns (Dec 31, 2007)

Personnaly I stick with Penns. For Cobia I use a 7' Key Largo Cobia/Kingfisher rod and a Penn 7500 or 8500 strung with #40 Berkley Big game dark green.


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

+1 on the spheros. They are great all around reels and perform as well or better than many more expensive ones. I like a 7-8ft rod too but something lighter than the older "traditional" E-glass cobia stick. 20-30lb mono is fine as long as you get at least 200 yards or so.


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## tyler0421 (Jan 10, 2008)

> *Pinksnappercatcher (3/1/2010)*Stella


+1 Cant beat a stella!


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

i have always used 706z or van staals, but this year i think i'm going to get a Saragosa 14000, also the spheros 14000 is a great reel.

on a side note. if you do plan on pulling lures behind you while sight fishing, have 2 people down there to get those lines in quick, fast, and in a hurry when you see a fish... otherwise you'll have a true cluster on your hands.


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## younghooker (Oct 7, 2007)

Spheros 18000 with Half Hitch or All Star 8 ft. cobia special.. 30 lb. sufix with 2+ ft. 50 lb flouro leader.. 7/0 ownermutu lite hook for eels/bait... go sloooow heading east :toast what John B. said about trolling.. :nonono we don't do it unless conditions are bad for cobes


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## Captain Jake Adams (Oct 3, 2007)

All of the above mentioned are great reels and will be plenty adequate for catching cobia, it's just a matter of preference and how much money you want to spend. The Stella is no doubt the best reel of the bunch but they carry a pretty hefty price tag. I personally own 4 of the Spheros and have fished them for 5 seasons and cannot say anything negative about them. For the money, they are outstanding. The Stellas will bea little smoother and more fancy but in my opinion, provide no extra benefits to actually catching fish. Again, with proper care for any of the reels mentioned, you will be fine. Good luck this season


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

> *younghooker (3/2/2010)*Spheros 18000 with Half Hitch or All Star 8 ft. cobia special.. 30 lb. sufix with 2+ ft. 50 lb flouro leader.. 7/0 ownermutu lite hook for eels/bait... go sloooow heading east :toast what John B. said about trolling.. :nonono we don't do it unless conditions are bad for cobes


1/0 Gamakatsu 4x TREBLE!!!


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## Corpsman (Oct 3, 2007)

> *Captain Jake Adams (3/2/2010)*All of the above mentioned are great reels and will be plenty adequate for catching cobia, it's just a matter of preference and how much money you want to spend. The Stella is no doubt the best reel of the bunch but they carry a pretty hefty price tag. I personally own 4 of the Spheros and have fished them for 5 seasons and cannot say anything negative about them. For the money, they are outstanding. The Stellas will bea little smoother and more fancy but in my opinion, provide no extra benefits to actually catching fish. Again, with proper care for any of the reels mentioned, you will be fine. Good luck this season


Well said Jake.


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## sel1005 (Jan 10, 2008)

Seems Saragosas are $100 more than Spheros for similar functionality? Have not heard of Stellas in this mix, are they for the same type fishing (cobia / bull dolphins?) I would prefer to have a good all round rig, not maybe the very best as I can't afford them, but I want something that will give me at least 3-4 seasons if well maintained.


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## wrightackle (Oct 29, 2007)

That extra one hundred dollars for the Saragosa would be money well spent. I know others in this thread have had good luck with the Spheros but my experience with them was not too good. Maybe the big spheros hold up better than the 8000 size that tore up on me. I was reallydisappointed that the Spheros did not have ball bearings supporting each side of the main gear. The side opposite the handle just had a nylon bushing.


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## fish4ever (Jan 6, 2010)

I have an 8' Key Largo (MH) rod if you need one. $60 and it's yours.:usaflag


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

> *sel1005 (3/3/2010)*Seems Saragosas are $100 more than Spheros for similar functionality? Have not heard of Stellas in this mix, are they for the same type fishing (cobia / bull dolphins?) I would prefer to have a good all round rig, not maybe the very best as I can't afford them, but I want something that will give me at least 3-4 seasons if well maintained.


I've had my spheros' for 7 seasons now. Have had zero problems. Stella's are awesome reels its just a matter of how much you want to spend. There's no doubt they will handle anything you hook into.


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## chad403 (Apr 20, 2008)

Get a Penn 950, you can take them apart , and put them back together without springs popping out at you. Dont get me wrong shimano's are great. But working on them is a pain. 

My opinion of you want 10+ tried and trued years of service, get you a Penn 950 on a Key Largo rod. 

If you HAVE to go shimano, get the sustain.


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## redeyes (Jan 14, 2008)

I've never had a problem with my Penn 7500 or 8500 except replace the handles after they start to stick from corrosion.

They've had a lot of drag pulled out.


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## barefootin (Jul 28, 2008)

I think that any of the mid to upper range Shimanos will work just fine. If you can afford the Stella, go for it, they hold their value much better than other reels. You can actually sell a used one for near what you paid.


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## Good Answer! (Mar 25, 2008)

I use a Calcutta 700 on a Chaos rod. I really like how the 700 cast.


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

> *chad403 (3/4/2010)*Get a Penn 950, you can take them apart , and put them back together without springs popping out at you. Dont get me wrong shimano's are great. But working on them is a pain.
> 
> My opinion of you want 10+ tried and trued years of service, get you a Penn 950 on a Key Largo rod.
> 
> If you HAVE to go shimano, get the sustain.


yes, they may be easy to take apart, but i think i'm gonna disagree on the 'tried and true' part... they may last a season or so, but these reals are notorious for breaking. 

and 2, they dont make a sustain in a 14000.


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## seanspots (Oct 4, 2007)

> *JOHNJOHN205 (3/1/2010)*saragosa, spheros, baitrunners all will work


2 seasons ago,I witnessed a baitrunner literally explode,I had to handline/land a 35lb.ling for 30 min. Gave the parasail boat guys an entertaining morning.


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## SaltAddict (Jan 6, 2010)

Just had to give my .02 on Penn. I have 9 Penn reels in various sizes ( I favor an 8500 on a medium 8' All Star rod for cobes). All my reels are @ 8 plus seasons and 1 ( 440 ss) the auto bail needs a little push. I fish the hell out of these things & don't treat them as good as I should. But they keep on catchin! I like Shimano, just never owned one. I use 20# mono with a 50# flouro. 12" bite leader.


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