Thread: Reels

What kind of reels do the main guys us on the pier? And where can you get them?

LOL
Take yer pick.
On a given day on the pier you will likely see anything and everything from 'cheapo' Walmart combos, to 'Yard Sale' or E-bay specials, to grampa's hand-me-downs, to off the shelf, or custom tackle or 'high dollar' stuff.

Different strokes... ;-)

Like Peir#r noted, it all depends.
The die-hard regulars who king fish a lot mostly have Penn's on their king rods.
I have an discontinued Shakespeare on my king rod, a Penn 712Z on my Spanish rod, and a mix of Shimano, Bass Pro and Diawa reels on my other medium action rods.

Do you want to spend big bucks? Then go with high-end Penn or Shimano.
Relatively inexpensive? Mid-range Penn & Shimano.
Inexpensive: Bass Pro has some of their brand that are bargains.

J&M has some good deals on King rod/reel combos that should last forever.

For the everyday king and cobia guys its penn 706z or a mitchell 302. But u will see the select few that dropped the cash on a zeebaas or a van staal. Most all will be on a custom spinning rod.

Okay men i appreciate the help.

If you go with bass pro brand, take extremely good care of it because if it ever needs a part it's almost impossible to find them. I have bought them before (before I learned better) and they are decent but you get what you pay for. I'd go with a good brand name reel, even if it is one of the cheaper economy models if price is a factor. Just my 2 cents worth! (I'm partial to Shimano, but I don't fish for kings.)

About 4yrs ago I bought a Shimano combo from J&M, can't quite remember but it was around $50-75. I've used and abused that thing and it still works like the day I bought it. I've caught hundreds of fish with it, from inshore to deep water. I took it out on a tuna trip for a bait rod and actually landed 1-2 BFT in it. I'm sure it won't see the next generation but its been a reliable reel.

Penn 706 and 710 with a Mitchel manual conversion are my favorites

If you would give us a little better idea what your fishing for and what you budget is we can help you out.

It depends on your budget. I am just a vacationing pier fisherman. I have a penn battle 8000 and 6000 and 2 penn fierce 6000. My rods are big game rods from walmart (I use them on Mississippi blue cats and love them for the price. I have never had a problem with them on the pier. As far as the reels I actually like the penn fierce. If I was a full timer down there I might go with higher end rods and reels.