Which reel to use

Looking for a new boat or yacht to start casting lines from? Van Isle Marina has a wide range of yachts for sale moored at our docks. Take a look at our selection online or come and see us in person.

Click HERE for a photo tour of our marina. Types of Fishing Lines. Easy and Delicious Crab Cake Recipes. Kinds of Groundfish in BC Waters. Kinds of Trout in BC Waters. Kinds of Shellfish in BC Waters. Cleaning Fish on a Boat. Follow Us. If a child you know wants to try out fishing as a hobby, a spincast reel is a great way to get them started.

This provides reasonably accurate performance, and handles most of the more complicated tasks for you. On the downside, spincast fishing reels tend to be relatively small, which limits their field of application. In summary, the spin caster is a convenient and user-friendly reel to start your angling career , and it is solely intended for catching small fish.

As implied by their name, they are used to fish with artificial fly lures that weigh almost nothing. In order to cast this kind of weightless lure effectively, the weight of the fishing line is used for casting, instead of the weight of the lure. To be able to achieve this, fly fishing line is thick and strong, more like slender rope than fishing line. The design of a fly reel is similar to that of a centerpin reel , which are a traditional type of fishing reel used by anglers in the past, but that are now hardly used anymore.

Just like a centerpin reel, a fly reel consists of a single spool that rotates around a center pin, and is designed to handle thick fly fishing line effectively. Traditionally, fly reels were built without a drag system, so the angler had to apply drag to the line by pressing his thumb on the spool, though nowadays most of them do include a drag system.

Fly reels come in a wide range of sizes and strengths, built for fish of various sizes, ranging from brook trout to salmon. In the past, this type of fishing was reserved for salmonid species, but nowadays it has been adapted to many other scenarios, including saltwater fly fishing for species such as mackerel and trevally.

Offshore reels are basically large spinning reels that are extra powerful and extra durable. They must be able to handle conditions that would ordinarily wreck other fishing reels. This includes battling exceptionally strong fish, such as tuna, or sailfish. In addition, they must also be able to handle the corrosive saltwater conditions without impairment of their performance. Because of the punishment that offshore reels need to handle without flinching, they tend to be among the priciest reel models around , especially if you want the best quality available.

The trolling reel also called conventional reel or big game reel is used for offshore trolling for big game fish such as marlin or sailfish, as well as deep sea fishing. In some cases, it is also used for heavy freshwater trolling for salmon or muskie.

The conventional reel has a very simple design with a rotating spool, and is basically built for size, strength, and the ability to hold a lot of heavy duty braided line. One of the essential features of a trolling reel is its powerful and smooth drag system for handling extended battles with exceptionally large and strong fish. Apart from the strong brake system that can be adjusted easily either with a lever or star system , it also has a large capacity for heavy pound braid.

A very useful feature of big game reels is their dual speed system. Conventional reels sit above the rod and operate as a cylindrical spool that winds line back onto the spool when the handle is cranked. A button or lever activates freespool to let line out and most come with a built-in clicker that helps alert the angler to a bite when the fish takes line. Conventional reels tend to be a little more expensive and complex but are useful in some situations, especially when targeting seriously big fish — bluefin tuna or large sharks , for example.

This is when a big two-speed conventional reel holding over a thousand yards of braided main line is necessary and a spinning reel would be useless. For an angler with a bit of experience or someone willing to practise, a casting-orientated model is also a great way of targeting larger fish from the shoreline or beach — striped bass, for example. A baitcasting reel is similar to a conventional reel in that it sits above the rod and retrieves line in the same way, but it has a lower profile and is generally more suited to light freshwater applications, such as lure fishing for bass.

Specific baitcasting rods are also sold with special grips to aid grip and casting. This is an important point to consider when choosing the best reel for the job and a good rule to remember is that all saltwater reels will be fine for use in freshwater, but not all freshwater reels will survive saltwater use.

The main differences between a reel made for saltwater or freshwater use, are usually the corrosion-resistant materials utilised and extra attention paid to sealing the reel as much as possible against saltwater intrusion into the mechanisms of the reel.

Obviously, with lots of moving parts, totally sealing a real against saltwater corrosion is hard but some more expensive high-end reels available utilise clever magnetic oil systems and high-tech bearings to solve the problem.

This often makes saltwater-specialist reels more expensive but more durable compared to their freshwater counterparts. Properly washing a reel in warm freshwater with a mild detergent and use of a corrosion-resisting lubricant spray like Corrosion X will prolong the life of any reel.

Freshwater anglers would do well to wash their reels regularly in clean water and use a suitable lubricant and oil to maximise their smooth operation, too. Sizing of fishing reels suffers from having little universal measurement system that the manufacturers agree on, but there are a few general rules that most can be seen to adhere to. Therefore you should be looking to match this reel up with a 12 foot or longer beach rod, a heavy 8ft GT Popper Rod, or a boat rod spin type.

Line class choice is really up to your personal preference but generally we would recommend you go with a rod that is rated above 14Kg. Spinning Reel Size: 16, Choosing a fishing rod to go with this size reel: Suited to boat fishing for either bottom bouncing or jigging or for use for shore based beach and rock, an ideal choice in rods to go with a 16, spin reel would be a rod that is 12ft or longer for land base fishing styles and a size between ft for boat fishing.

In terms of line class our recommendation would be to look for a rod with that is rated above 14Kgs. Spinning Reel Size: 18, Choosing a fishing rod to go with this size reel: For heavy surf fishing, an 18, model will match up well with a 12 foot or longer surf rod with a rating of Kg or above.

Spinning Reel Size: 20, Choosing a fishing rod to go with this size reel: Beach and boat fishing is what anglers can normally expect to use a 20, sized spinning reel for.

For use on a boat look for a spin type boat rod that is rated anywhere from Kg and that broad range is because can depend on the intended target species and type of line used be it mono or braid.

As braid lines are quite thin in diameter this is why you can usually use heavier classes of line and still have a decent capacity. Spinning Reel Size: 25, Choosing a fishing rod to go with this size reel: 25, reels are fine to use for either beach or boat angling styles and when it comes to selecting an appropriate rod go for a rod that is at least 12 feet or more in length with a line rating of 15kgs and above for beach fishing or in terms of boat fishing, go for a rod that is between ft in length with a line rating of 24kgs plus.

Spinning Reel Size: 30, Choosing a fishing rod to go with this size reel : 30, is the beast of all beasts. It is a heavy duty monster sized fishing reel tailored to serious boat fisherman on the hunt for serious sized fish. Use this reel on a boat spin rod with a rating of Kg or above.

These sizes are frequently used in conjunction with ocean boat fishing rods of around foot and are also used on 8ft, 9ft or 10ft fishing rods for shore based fishing with most fibreglass rods rated between Kg.