# What kind of reels are best for pier fishing?



## Pi Lvr83 (Oct 6, 2011)

I am having trouble reeling up "junk" fish with my zepco reels. I know there are differences in reels but do not want to spend $100 for a reel. What kind of mid level reels should i be looking for so I don't have to spend my time hand landing fish?


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## SHunter (Jun 19, 2009)

I got lucky last year and bought a Quantum Cabo for less than $100. You might look in some of the tackle shops to see what they have and if the price is not what you want. Also, check places online like Cabelas. Offshore I have always used Penn and I bought them locally several years back.


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## Mac the Knife (Nov 29, 2009)

*Reel for sale*

*209 Penn LEVEL WIND, For Sale*







*209 Penn LEVEL WIND, For Sale* $ 50.00
Penn 209 LEVEL WIND FOR SALE ,Excellent shape , clean and shiney, *$50.00* 
Attached Thumbnails


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## floridafisherman (Oct 1, 2007)

The Penn Battle series reels are in your budget and will get the job done.


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## a (Oct 2, 2007)

first, i would trying pulling the fish in with the rod....the reel is just where you put the slack line!


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## Pi Lvr83 (Oct 6, 2011)

That is my problem, i can pull up with the rod but when I am fishing from a pier...I cannot pull the rod up to get enough slack to reel. When I try to reel in the slack, it is real hard. Feels like the reel will break.


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## chevelle427 (Feb 6, 2011)

saw a 302 with rod at the flea market Sunday for 40 bucks


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## tofer (Oct 7, 2009)

Pi Lvr83 are you fishing Navarre Pier? The biggest question is what you are targeting, but a cheap spinning reel like a daiwa combo from any of the local shops will do for most of your smaller species like spanish, whiting, rat reds, speckled trout, ect. 5 # and under fish, you want to fish probably 8-10# test. That will last for a while but some of the low end shimanos and penns will do for some time with some good care. (Rinse everything with freshwater every trip.) For getting fish on the pier, you'll either want handline small-med fish, or use a landing drop net to net and bring up bigger fish. Now if you want to target some larger species, just upgrade to something that will hold around 250-300 yds of 15-20#. You can target redfish, kings, small-med sharks, big black drum. You'll want to buy something decent for that type of fishing. Go visit half-hitch in that area or Broxsons. They can both help you out gear wise and give you some good advice on anything else.


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## TURTLE (May 22, 2008)

*Call Bob Van De Walle @ 934-9479. He rebuilds all kinds of reels with better then stock parts. I have bought many sizes and shapes and love all of them, never had a lick of trouble from any of them. I got a Mitchell 402 from him that I use every trip and if you put it on a peir rod there is nothing it can't handle. It holds a rediculous amount of line as well but there are Penns and others all in the $65 range to choose from.*


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## Yankeefisher56 (Dec 3, 2008)

Cant go wrong with a Mitchell 302, and add on the crosswind, manual, and HT0100 drag upgrade. You can grab a used Mitchell 302 on ebay for rather cheap, or try and find a Penn 706z used. I would imagine the new penn battle 6000 would do great on the pier also I use a 5000 on my kayak and it stops the kings every time and has a smooooooth drag.


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## SHO-NUFF (May 30, 2011)

Hit the garage sales on Saturdays also, and get there early. I have bought 75% of my rods and reels at them. 
Saturday, I picked up a nice Penn 712 on an ugly stick for 20 bucks.


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## Pi Lvr83 (Oct 6, 2011)

Thank you for the information. There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum.

Thanks again,

Greg


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## Panhandle Pier Rat (Oct 15, 2011)

*well said!*



a said:


> first, i would trying pulling the fish in with the rod....the reel is just where you put the slack line!


Well said! I'm not a crane operator either!:thumbsup:


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