# Best Surf Fishing Reels



## Fishing_Fool (Apr 6, 2015)

This is the first year I've really been hardcore into surf fishing. After every outing I thoroughly wash/clean my reels with fresh water but I'm still having a heck of a time keeping them serviceable. One reel, a "Star", has already gone to Davy Jones Locker. I'm targeting pompano, whiting, flounder and like species. What reels do y'all recommend that are good in the salt? Thanks a bunch!!!!


----------



## Rightbrained (Apr 5, 2013)

I am far from being a seasoned surf fisherman but I have gotten good service from Shimano and Penn reels. In fact, I have a relatively cheap Shimano Sedona ($55-$60) that I have used for several years in the bay and surf and it has never even had a hiccup . 
I do thoroughly rinse all my gear with fresh water ASAP after fishing in the salt.


----------



## Capt. Mako (Aug 21, 2014)

Spinners or conventional? Both made by Akios and I highly recommend their products. Here is their website. I haven't bought or used their spinner, but if it is like their conventional reels it should be excellent. A lot of commercial pompano fishermen use Mitchell 498s with manual pickups and they last for decades. Now they are not submerging these reels; I assume you are not.
I use Salt-x or any of the salt-fighting products to clean up. Just hot soapy water will do the trick. No point in using high-pressure water either. Just dunk your reels in soapy water and spray lightly and air dry. I clean my reels internally a couple times of years. No problems. Do the same with your rods. Many use furniture polish on their rods to give a layer of protection. I'm sure others will chime in with their secrets, too.? Here is the Akios site:
Check on Florida Surf Caster's Website and look at the sponsors section and
you'll see the Akios section and also some of the rod makers who are sponsors. I use custom 13' rods and AFAW and a variety of others. Any of those are great for pompano, red-fishing. Most commercial guys only target pompano where the money is. Don't care about sharks or other species. 

http://akiosfishingtackle.com/


----------



## Fishing_Fool (Apr 6, 2015)

Thanks for the replies guys. That's why I love this forum so much. I spoke to a guy fishing Ft. Morgan last Sunday who was from Mississippi and recommended this site to him to keep up with reports and such. Really nice guy who was a pretty good pomp fisher from what I've seen. But anyway, I prefer spinning reels for everything except freshwater. I will check into the site and thanks again!!


----------



## NoMoSurf (Oct 2, 2007)

Yep, pretty much what Capt Mako said. I don't know about the Akios reels. I've never heard of them. But everything else was spot on. I rinse my warm rinse mine daily and use Ardent Reel Guard on mine. My fishing partner uses SaltAway on his. 

Before every trip to the coast, mine get a good cleaning with a spray cleaner with carnuba wax and I wax the rods and eyes with car wax. They get rinsed daily while there. And upon returning home, They get a complete teardown and service.

I use the following:
1 vintage Mitchell 302 (customized inside and out)
1 vintage Mitchell 402 (customized inside and out)
2 Pfleuger President 5000's (5000 and larger are saltwater rated with S/S internals)
1 Penn Fierce 5000 (my wife bought it for me for Christmas and it has turned out to be a surprisingly robust reel)

The Mitchells are 30-40 years old, the Presidents are 6-7, and the Fierce is 3 now. All still work flawlessly with no corrosion.


----------



## Reel Justice (Apr 22, 2014)

Penn SSV 7500 LC had it about a year. Had it gone through by Ocean Master when I got it. Have been very pleased.


----------



## Lawdog88 (Oct 9, 2009)

No pro here by any means (and there are some really super surf fishermen who post here), but what Capt. said about the 498's, with mpu = will last for decades - and longer. But they are old school and sometimes hard to find. Some folks think that their gears and guts are inferior to the 302s / 402s; I respectfully disagree. 

I also fish 302s and 402s in the surf, and have since the early 1960's. I also use fiberglass rods. IMO, they are overkill for pomps, but hey, getting 'em to the beach and into the cooler by any means, works.

Everybody has their preferences, and for the Penn crowd, somebody said they are making their 704s and some other surf reels in Penn, again, and are selling for a reasonable price for a sturdy, USA made reel ($200 or so). I have an older version of one of them as well, and it is rock solid. If you just want to impress the fish, they do have a line of USA spinning reels for about $700.00.

http://www.pennfishing.com/PENN%C2%AE-Torque%C2%AE-Spinning/1285666,default,pd.html#start=1

Anyway, that's some older guy's preferences for how it used to be done and can still be done. You might like the new stuff, though, so somebody else will have to opine about that.


----------



## NC Surf fisherman (Oct 8, 2015)

I used Penn reels for years and had good luck with them but I have switched almost all the way to Alvey reels because of the easy maintenance and the huge line capacity. They are built in Australia and sold by a few people here in the states. Try https://fishingreels.me/surf-fishing-reels/ to look them over.


----------



## Fishin Mortician (Sep 15, 2015)

I recommend that you select a long casting reel, make sure it says it is designed for saltwater use, and don't dunk it. You don't have to wash it down after every trip, but keep a close eye on the line roller.


----------



## engulfed (Jun 20, 2015)

I really like my Tica Scepter GX 10000 for hurling bait and a weight out there. It has a long cast spool and 45" retrieve rate which makes bait fishing a breeze. I have it on a 12' fiberglass surf rod and can cast it past the first bar from shore using an off the ground cast, which is easy to learn. I've not had any problems with it and have used it a lot this season. I just rinse it off when I'm done. 

For lures I like my Penn SSV, though the retrieve rate could be better! I went with them because my reels gets hit by waves when I'm casting lures on the bar. It just happens.


----------



## NC Surf fisherman (Oct 8, 2015)

I didn't get into a lot of detail about the Alvey surf reels on my last pot but Alveys are built for years of saltwater use. They have no bearings in them so saltwater doesn't harm them. They have no line roller and no pawl. If you drop it in the sand, just rinse it in the ocean and keep fishing. Alveys have huge line capacity (800 yrds of 20) and cast great. They all come with a 5 year warranty and some with a lifetime warranty. I guide part time on the outerbanks of NC and Alveys are all I use any more. I used Penn reels for years before I found these. No matter if you're looking to buy a new reel or not just take a look at these and see what you think. https://fishingreels.me/surf-fishing-reels/


----------



## Fishin Mortician (Sep 15, 2015)

I looked into Alveys, but heard that line twist was an issue. Do you have problems dealing with the line twist ?


----------



## Ocean Master (May 20, 2008)

Here is a picture of one I gave to Pompano Joe.

100% Stainless Steel, side cast. Can be used as a surf reel, huge fly reel, and conventional reel. No bearings, cork drag. While on the rod you flip the reel sideways to cast them flip it back inline to reel.

It has an adjustable clicker for line management, on off anti reverse lever.


----------



## NC Surf fisherman (Oct 8, 2015)

I have saw a lot of discussion about line twist with the Alvey side cast reels. I have found that they do put some twist in the line but if you use a line with little or no memory and a good swivel just above your rig the problem VERY minimal. I also suggest using mono instead of braid because if you fight a large fish the braid will pull into the line below it on the spool.


----------



## nostradumbass (Nov 19, 2015)

Id be outfitted with Van Staals if I could afford them. All stainless and aircraft aluminum construction. Unfortunately the majority of manufacturers have to skimp somewhere along the way to keep them affordable. I find shimano baitrunner's to be the most versatile reels to fit my needs, but then again they are even about $150 a pop. They also take more care then most too. If youre in the less than $100 range, you really cant beat a penn, ive like the finnor ahab reel as well ($150ish) as far as duribility. if you can spare $400 for a real, get a van staal and youll never buy another. otherwise any other real will require cleaning with fresh water, regreasing, and oiling on a fairly regular basis.

It's highly possible you're "overcleaning" your reels. I spray my reels down very gingerly just to get the salt residue off, then i remove the spool and soak it in warmish water for a few mins to maintain my line. If youre really getting in there and spraying your reel, its highly likely your stripping the grease needed to maintain smooth mobility in the bearings.

Ive seen a lot of good videos on youtube about reel maintenance. you might want to check them out.


----------



## Fouled_Anchor (Jul 17, 2015)

I know this is an old thread but the tried and true Penn Jigmaster makes for a pretty versatile surf reel. They disassemble in seconds, so you can clean all the sand and salt out of them quickly and easily, and there are no bearings to eventually rust and fail on you. I've got mine loaded with 370 yards of 40# Trilene Big Game (Penn is notorious for understating the line capacity of their conventional reels as anyone who has ever owned a Senator can tell you). It's around six bucks for a 370yd spool at Walmart. Some people like lighter 20# line for the surf. If you buy an extra spool you can swap them out really easily and go up or down in line weight in seconds. Depending on chosen rod length, you can do an awful lot with the reel. You can get the jigmaster combo with 7' slammer rod online at sportsauthority for $79 with free shipping and no tax when on sale. It's a good do-anything combo for the money. Especially if you can only have one rod. You can take it to the surf, pier, bridge, or bank, or out in a kayak or a boat, where it makes for a decent trolling setup. My son is currently on active duty and living in the barracks so he doesn't have a lot of space and only has one rod. Guess what he's got with him.  The newer jigmasters have the HT100 carbon drags too, which are a huge improvement over the old felt ones. There are setups that are obviously much better for individual fishing pursuits, but I can't think of too many off the top of my head that you can do as much with for the same low cost as the 7ft jigmaster combo while being as easy to clean and maintain, which is pretty important on the beach because sand can and will get into everything. And jigmasters, like their bigger Senator cousins, have a reputation for lasting decades and decades. You definitely get a lot of bang for your hard earned buck.


----------



## 82969 (Dec 22, 2015)

Depends on how much you want to spend honestly: 

Good budget reels are:
Penn Battle's, Penn Conflicts, Shimano Spheros, Fin Nor Lethal 80/100, Penn Spinfisher V

Mid Reels: Shimano Saragosa, Cabo's

High end: Van Staal 150/200, Daiwa Isla/Saltiga 4000/5000 or Penn Torque 5 which are all waterproof, built like tanks and probably wont ever need to be replaced.


----------



## Pier#r (Oct 2, 2007)

An ounce of prevention...

Careful you don't 'overwash' your tackle.
The ONLY time I rinse my reels is when they have been directly exposed to saltwater.
Otherwise simply wipe them off with a dry rag, give it a shot of anti corrosion spray or "Reel magic" and wipe again with a dry paper towel. 
Make sure the roller bearing, moving bail parts, handle and shaft are properly lubricated (every third or fourth trip) and you should be good for years with most saltwater rated tackle (sealed or corrosion resistant bearings). 

Hope this helps!


----------



## flatrash (Dec 22, 2015)

If you want a reel that will hold up well, needs almost no maintenance, and you can give your kid one day, get a van stall. By far the best reel I've ever used. Not smooth like some of the shimanos but bulletproof. If no, get a shimano saragosa or a spheros, both really good reels, but inevitably they will fail. I'm the type of guy who doesn't religiously clean my gear, and I fish a lot, and I'm tough on my gear. I wish I had bought the best from the start, I would have saved myself money in the long run.


----------



## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

stanjwarren said:


> Depends on how much you want to spend honestly:
> 
> Good budget reels are:
> Penn Battle's, Penn Conflicts, Shimano Spheros, Fin Nor Lethal 80/100, Penn Spinfisher V
> ...


You revived an old thread to throw out those suggestions for pompano? I hope you don't want anyone to take you seriously....


----------



## welldoya (Oct 5, 2007)

I've used a Penn 7500 and Penn 6500 for probably 15 years and never had a problem. I just rinse off with a garden hose sprayer after use.


----------



## Bluefish Blues (Jul 13, 2014)

I have a cheap Quantum I bought at walmart 6 years ago and its still going strong. It outlasted a Penn I purchased around the same time. I think I paid $30 for the reel.


----------



## getbent (Oct 2, 2007)

Zeebass hands down ! Van staal close second !


----------



## fairpoint (May 9, 2013)

498's...are my choice, bronze gears,manual pick up,high gear ratio, drag is its weakest feature but works


----------



## MathGeek (Mar 31, 2012)

Shimano Spheros:

https://youtu.be/pL2RLjTmdmI


----------



## Heaver (Dec 30, 2015)

I just moved into the area from Hampton Roads, Va spending 90% of my time fishing from the surf in VA and NC. The Akios 757 and 656 are great reels, cast a mile, large spool capacity and reliable. I would also put a plug in for the Release Surf model reels, if you get deep into surf casting and are willing to throw $400 at a reel they are amazing. For bigger target fish, I resort to the Penn Fathom 25n, the are fast and have 24lbs of drag.

You can't go wrong for the price with the Penn Battalion rods. I personally use custom made setups, but if you are just dipping your toes into the addictive world of surf casting, penn makes a reliable and affordable product. 

Good luck!


----------



## Bountyhunter (Jan 18, 2016)

Heaver said:


> I just moved into the area from Hampton Roads, Va spending 90% of my time fishing from the surf in VA and NC. The Akios 757 and 656 are great reels, cast a mile, large spool capacity and reliable. I would also put a plug in for the Release Surf model reels, if you get deep into surf casting and are willing to throw $400 at a reel they are amazing. For bigger target fish, I resort to the Penn Fathom 25n, the are fast and have 24lbs of drag.
> 
> You can't go wrong for the price with the Penn Battalion rods. I personally use custom made setups, but if you are just dipping your toes into the addictive world of surf casting, penn makes a reliable and affordable product.
> 
> Good luck!


No longer called "Release" reals, now they are the "Truth" reals and I will throw a plug in for them also. They were sued recently by Release fighting chairs over trademark and did the name change. We have been using them for about 10 years on a charter boat we go out on in Reedsville, VA for stripers. That is where they are made. I have the SG model which is $299, holds 500 yds of 50 lb braid and 35 lbs of drag with lifetime warranty.

The SG is the smaller one and has been used to catch 200 lb tuna.


----------

