# Spinning Reels Offshore



## tofer

So I'm just curious on some of the pro's and cons of using spinning reels offshore on a boat. Do most work ok just for simple bottom fishing for snapper, smaller grouper, mingos ect? I know of course a big AJ or grouper will probably break you right off, but I'm just more comfortable with spinning gear and have more use to it fishing inshore. I was thinking of picking up just a medium size spinner like a 560 slammer or spheros or something of that sort and 30 # braid for for lighter duty bottom fishing. I have several larger spinning reels for kings, cobia, ect as well. (baitrunner 6500, mitchell 302s, 750ssm.) I also do have a 6/0 for the bigger stuff and shark fishing. Just hoping to get some opinions from the guys who fish offshore regularly.


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## MrFish

Spinning reels are used offshore quite a bit. An AJ breaking you off, typically has nothing to do with the reel, unless you can't steer him away from the wreck, rig, etc. That can happen with conventional too though. Make sure your reel is the right size. Some of the Spheros will work fine. I haven't traditionally bottom fished with one, but we do put a small weight and a cigar minnow to pick up big sows off the top. Lighter rod and reels are fun on snapper, grouper and mingos, but be prepared to have them break the line or you not being able to stop them. There are trade-offs with everything.


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## Chris V

Modern spinning gear is just as efficient and sturdy as conventional gear of the same size. You can also get a quality spinning reel for the same price as a "middle" range conventional. An AJ or big grouper should be no issue for an offshore spin setup to handle. I've used reels like the Shimano Spheros, Baitrunner, Daiwa Exceler, Saltist and Penn Slammer and SS series to catch Yellowfin Tuna, Tarpon and other hard fighting species in excess of 100lbs. All these reels can be found under 200 bucks (Daiwa Saltist 6500H is $239.99) and are quite capable of handling any large game you are going to encounter offshore. 

There are pros and cons to both spinning and conventional of course. These are the main differences I can point out:

1) Weight--- A spinning reel that holds 300yds of 20lb mono will weigh considerably more than a conventional with the same capacity. Conventional is definitely more compact.

2) User friendly--- Spinners are much better to quickly throw a bait at a fish when considering the average angler and often windy conditions. I throw both but theres no doubt theres less chance for an error to occur with spinning.

3) Ridiculous drag ranges--- Even mid range spinners can provide max drag pressure in excess of 30lbs. This doesn't mean that the drag is of good quality. Thin drag washers or those made with sub-par materials will wear faster and need to be replaced more often. Most Shimano, Penn, Daiwa and other "offshore" type spinners possess drags up to the task.

4) Torque--- Because of the nature of how a spinning reel retrieves, they have considerably less winching power than a conventional reel. The main lifting component is the rod. Some spinners have more torque than others but in the end, if you try to winch up a big AJ using the spinning reel more than the rod, you will end up stripping some gears. The only Spinning reels I've used that I can legitimately say have true winching ability are the Shimano Stella (esp. 8000PG) and the Daiwa Saltiga. The downside to these two of course is the mortgage-like price tags that go with them.

I could probably go on but the bottom line is that a decently made spinner should do everything you need it to offshore.


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## Robbr

That's good info Chris. Thank you. :thumbsup:


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## markm0369

Chris has the right idea, I fish for snapper all the time with a good size spinning reel no problem, one of the issues though is usually if bought in a combo, your big spinning reels come with a 7-8 ft rod. the longer the rod the more leverage the fish has on you not you on the fish. plus they are not usually as stiff as a 6 ft boat rod so some effort is also lost but really with the level wind just pull and crank they are eaisier for the wife and kids to use without the birdnest issues. just put on some 50# power pro, a couple ft of leader and a weight you are good to go


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## tofer

Thanks for the info guys, I think I'll give it a go with some spinning gear I already have. If nothing else, it'll be fun. I've got a Penn 750ssm that I think will work fine for a good lot of it, and I can get a boat rod for it and be good to go for a simple snapper rig. Then I have a good king set-up I use on the pier that I could bring for live baiting/trolling for kings. I also have a 6/0 that ought to take care of the bigger boys.


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## wetley49

+++1 on the Penn spinners. I have two 750ssm reels that I use for bottom fishing, kings, cobia, and tarpon. They are both on 7ft rods and so far I've had no issues with them. In a nutshell, Chris V said it all.


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## FenderBender

You'd be amazed at what can happen, last year we caught a 128 lb AJ on a Penn 7500 and a ling rod with 25 lb test. A spheros is a great won't break the bank reel capable of catching tuna, and you can upgrade the drag washers for about ten bucks to make it even better.


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## TURTLE

*I personaly love catching big offshore fish on my spinning reels. Either one of the larger Penns 7##'s or my Mitchells. Put some good braid on them and a strong Ugly Stick and you will have a blast , I know I do. It feels more like fishing to me then using bottom setups.*


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## Xanadu

In order to use a spinning reel like a conventional reel to catch heavier and hard fighting tuna, aj's, billfish or whatever, you need to outfit it with the right rod. You need to think of the rod as the lever and set it up like a stand up conventional rod that has plenty of backbone so you can use the rod to lift and the speed of the spinner to pick up line efficiently. If you've got a big rod that flexes all the way to the last eyelet, you're going to cast a mile and be able to do fine on kings and ling, but you'll never be happy locked up to a sounding 120# yft.

Fast tips and strong backs combined with something like a Stella 10 or 20000 and you can catch anything you want with the right rod.


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