Thread: a reel question!

Like fin said, no bail, there is only a roller where the bail would be, you have to learn how to quickly put the line on the roller, its not hard at all, just hold the line with your index finger and crank the handle and the line goes right on, once u get good u will very rarely miss the roller, look up penn 706 on ebay or on J&M's website and you can see what they look like, Im to the point where I almost won't use a large reel with a bail. It takes some time to get used to, but once you do if you like them you won't hardly want to go back to bails.

Originally Posted by firemansam

awesome guys thanks for the info... just one point of clarification.. a manual would mean i would have to trip the bail to start reeling instead of it doing it on its on right?

If you don't go all the way to bailless, you can make most reels trip manually-only by removing the little "excentric lever" that trips the bail. If you throw heavy sinkers/lures in the surf, sooner or later the handle will be offcenter and rotate on the cast, the bail lever will trip and close the bail, and that heavy sinker/lure will be on the way to Cuba. However, the risk of snapoff is much less with a cigar minnow even if it snaps shut. Aside from having fewer parts to break, bail-less reels tend to have better bearings in the pick-up that actually rotate rather than groove from braid abrasion. The bail-less reel is an acquired taste, however.

I've a Battle 5000, spooled with 12# mono, on an Offshore Angler, PowerStick, 7', 10-17#, 1/2-2oz lure, Light Action.
I was initially very pleased with the Battle's drag, it is silky smooth. And its done great on some big fish.
But I've experienced two problems with the anti-reverse and no longer really trust it.
Maybe I just happened to get a bad one

Penn's Fierce has held up to all the abuse my youngest son can deal out in the surf/sand.
I changed out its original drags for ht-100s and it is a little beast.

Time to try a Conflict... But I'll never get rid of my old school Spinfisher SS reels.

hmmm i wonder if i could get used to the manual... may have to find one to try when i get home before i go off and buy one... guess i will put purchase on hold for a few months! hopefully i will have made a decision by the time i come down in May time frame

If you are considering using a manual pickup reel, then you should consider converting a 302 once you get it back to working order. The Mitchell 302 is the only reel that I am aware of that has a decent complete manual conversion kit available for it. The conversion kit is completely aftermarket but still good and can be found here: The Fisher-Man - Machined Manual Pick Up Kit

If after converting your 302 to manual, you decide you like fishing bailless, then you are left with a few options, first of which would be to keep those Mitchells in working order. You can also opt for a new Penn 6500SS V bailless or a reintroduced Penn 706. You can also go bucks up and get a Van Staal or a ZeeBaaS. Then there is the option of converting a reel that was never intended to be fished without a bail and convert it yourself. The last option is not for the faint of heart though, trust me I've ruined a reel or two myself.

Good point DRH... will look into that when i get home... i was planning on keeping the 302s for backups but if they are fixed up right i could just put them back into service... i wish i could go bucks up for a Van Staal haha even with the decent money i make down here it has to last me till next fall when i come back! IF i come back

Originally Posted by ChileRelleno

I've a Battle 5000, spooled with 12# mono, on an Offshore Angler, PowerStick, 7', 10-17#, 1/2-2oz lure, Light Action.
I was initially very pleased with the Battle's drag, it is silky smooth. And its done great on some big fish.
But I've experienced two problems with the anti-reverse and no longer really trust it.
Maybe I just happened to get a bad one

Penn's Fierce has held up to all the abuse my youngest son can deal out in the surf/sand.
I changed out its original drags for ht-100s and it is a little beast.

Time to try a Conflict... But I'll never get rid of my old school Spinfisher SS reels.

I agree on the Fierce, my father in law has one and he loves it. I've been looking at the conflict, looks really cool.

thanks for the input guys... i pulled the trigger on the Battle 7000 deliver for under 100 on eBay!! now just have to get home so i can use it!