Heavy payloads of five ounces and more are much easier to cast on conventional reels. Conventional reels handle heavy line better than spinning reels, are more sensitive and have more torque. The drag mechanism is usually better than the drag on a spinning reel. And, since most conventional reels have a clicker, they work better with fish finder rigs than spinning reels.

Why do I need heavy line? Or more torque?
It may not matter to you. If you're fishing an open sand beach with no obstructions, light line is fine and you can let a fish run. But if you fish around a jetty, or near the pilings of a bridge, you might need to haul a fish away from an obstruction. A big fish in an inlet can use the current to stay away from you long enough for the hook to become loose in the jaw. That's when the higher torque and heavy line ability of a conventional reel is so useful. Remember, the faster you land a fish, the less wear and tear the fish has suffered by the time it is released. Long fights on light line kill fish.

Why is it easier to cast a heavy load on a conventional reel?
The drag on a spinning reel carries the load of the cast. If the drag isn't set heavily enough to hold the load during a cast, the drag will slip. Your finger gets cut and energy is lost from the cast. That's why regulars using heavy spinning tackle tape their fingertips, to save themselves from line cuts. Mono can give you a nasty cut, and braided lines are worse because they're so much thinner. On a conventional reel, the thumb holds the spool. Most casters can hold a heavier load with their thumb than the reel drag can do. For this reason, and for the use of a clicker with fish finder rigs, a conventional reel is better than a spinning reel for fishing bait.

Why can't I just screw down the drag on the spinning reel?
Repeatedly tightening and loosening the drag puts a lot of wear on soft washers. Many spinning reels use Teflon washers that are very slick but just can't be made to hold a cast with a heavy payload. Sooner or later, you'll either forget to tighten down enough for a cast, and get cut; or you won't loosen the drag enough, and a good fish will break you off. Why invite a mistake?

Aren't conventional reels hard to use?
Modern reels are a lot easier to use than old ones. There is a learning curve, but it's pretty easy. Most current conventional reels have an anti-backlash mechanism, a brake, that slows the spool as it turns over the course of a cast. This will save you a lot of grief, though you still have to use your reel hand thumb. Older reels, like the Penn Squidder, require more skill to use. There are a few modern reels without a brake, and we'll get to those.

Why is a conventional reel more sensitive? What does that mean, anyway?
Line on a spinning reel runs through a right angle turn, across the bail, to get back to the spool. The line revolves around the center axis of the spool. You can't keep a finger on the line as it comes in. Any weight or impact or change of tension has to be felt through the reel. On a conventional, you can keep a finger on the line, if you want, and there is no revolving right angle turn to muffle sensation. You'll feel more of what goes on at the end of the line. The gain in sensitivity is most apparent when fishing live bait, and when fishing jigs. This difference in geometry is also part of the reason for that superior torque mentioned above.
There is an ergonomic advantage to conventional reels. Put a spinner and a surf conventional of the same line capacity side by side. The spinner will be bigger. The conventional will fit with less stretch into your hands. This is a subtle thing, but it's real, and most anglers who fish with both kinds of tackle would probably agree. It's one of those things that grows on you with practice; the more you fish, the more you feel it.

What about the level wind? Do I need one? Does it make my cast short?

It depends on what you're doing. The level wind makes a lot of sense for fishing with lures. Without a level wind, you must spread line back and forth on the spool with your thumb. If you don't have to do that, you'll notice more about the water in front of you. The level wind saves you work. Anglers who fish live bait, or use very heavy mono, or who absolutely have to get that last yard of distance on a long cast, may prefer an open faced reel without a level wind. It's easier to get a really strong grip on the spool without a level wind in the way, so open faced reels are the tool of choice for maximum distance casting. I'd guess that 90% of all conventional surfcasting is best done with a level wind reel. They are certainly easier to use, so they ought to be preferred if you're a beginner. The loss of distance in casting is small, and the gain in convenience is substantial. It's only when the absolute maximum in distance is necessary that an open faced reel has a substantial advantage, and this is not often the case in the Northeastern U.S.

Is this just your opinion, or does everybody agree?

Of course it's my opinion. What else could it possibly be?

Don't be cranky, I'm new at this. What's the best level wind reel?

Reasonable anglers may disagree. Reels that are currently popular include the Abu 6500, 7000 and 7500; the Penn 965 and 975; the Calcutta 400 and 700. All these reels have good points and weak points. The Abu 6500 CS Mag is the standard by which casting excellence is measured. The drag is mediocre and the reel needs to be broken down for cleaning under regular use. Some anglers wish it held more line. The 7000 and 7500 reels are bigger, and arguably a better choice for bait fishing. They also like to be disassembled for regular cleaning. The Penn 975 is the most rugged of the bunch, has a much better drag than the 6500 and more line capacity, and doesn't seem to annoy anyone too much. Some anglers complain that the level wind crossbar on the smaller 965 gets in the way of the caster's thumb. The Calcutta 400 is very finely made, casts well and has an excellent drag. The tolerances to which it is made are so fine that it is easily jammed by sand. The finish is subject to corrosion, and the reel is mechanically more complex than the others. The graphite drag washers are fragile and easily damaged during disassembly and assembly. This makes it hard for the casual user to get inside for cleaning.

For detailed user reports, read backwards though the archived threads. There are posters who praise each reels mentioned. Other people swear that their reel was awful and they were happy to give it away.

What about the open faced conventionals? What are the choices?

The Abu and Calcutta reels are available without a levelwind. The Abu 6500 CT Mag and 7500 CT and Calcutta 400S have much the same strengths and weaknesses as the level wind versions. Magnetic brakes are the hot design trend of the moment, and are used in the Penn Mag GS 525 and Abu Mag 6500 reels. A Mag 7500 CT reel from Abu should appear soon.

The latest arrivals in the market are Daiwa's revised Sealine reels, the SL 20HV and SL 30 HV. The Daiwa reels have a good reputation with surfcasters in the South. They are said to cast well, and the drags are very good. The position of the gear box annoys some users, and West Coast boards show many complaints about dog failures and limited supplies of spare parts.

Mag GS reels from Penn in bigger sizes should come to market in 2001; I've been testing a prototype Mag GS 535. The GS reels have huge drags and gear trains, probably the biggest and strongest of all the reels listed. The brake on the non Mag versions of the GS reels cannot be reset without removing the sideplate.

There are also open faced conventional reels that have no brake and are totally dependent on the casters' thumb. The Newell 229 and 235 have many long time users, including myself. Current production reels are not as well made as the G reels of the recent past. The Penn Squidder is still available, but it's not as friendly as the other reels mentioned.

Are there any other reels made for conventional surfcasting?

This review is limited to reels that are either discussed at length on SOL or other boards, or which I've used myself for a few years. The Abu Morrum don't have many local users. The reel was initially introduced with SX model numbers, without the Morrum name, and then re-introduced to the market with M model numbers after some internal redesign. It's hard to tell from most posts whether the poster has an early SX or later Morrum reel. There are a few anglers surfcasting with ProGear reels, which are beautiful but which need lots of TLC to stay nice. Daiwa has several new Millionaire baitcasters on the market. At least one of the new Millionaires has a sideplate that screws directly into machined threads on the frame. Just a little bit of corrosion on those threads, and you'd have the devil's own time getting the reel open for cleaning and repair, so someone else can test that baby and report back. The Fin-Nor baitcasters are also new on the market.

All the reels made with highly machined aluminum frames, the Shimano Calcutta and Trinidad, Morrum, ProGear, Millionaire and Fin-Nor baitcasters have very fine mechanical tolerances. This makes them sensitive to sand ingestion. Corrosion will be more visible than on the Newell and Penn reels.

What reels have you actually used?

Newell G229, Penn GS 525 (not the Mag version) Penn GS 535 Mag prototype, Penn 980 Magforce and Calcutta 400. Right now the GS 525 is my main reel. The spool takes 300 yards of fifty pound test Whiplash. My dream surf fish is a tuna in the surf, and this reel has enough drag to use that Whiplash and give me a fighting chance.

Do you really need all that line and a huge drag?

Only to catch the fish of my dreams.

Any advice on casting, and on what to buy?
Tim can sell you a nice reel and rod, email him and ask. Support your teachers. The surf business doesn't offer a lot of profit, so large chain stores won't have anyone on staff who is a surfcaster, and they don't carry the best surf rods. Good advice and good tackle comes from small stores and Internet shops that are semi-specialized in surf fishing, or are owned by a surfcaster.

The easy way to successful conventional casting is to take it easy. Ninety percent of backlashes happen because the caster is trying too hard for that last yard of distance. Fill your reel with 15-20 lb. mono for your initial experience and go fishing.

Relax. Keep the first few casts short. Mono absorbs water and becomes more pliable as it does, and this makes it easier to use. Get the line used to the water and your thumb used to the line. Make a couple of short casts each time you change lure weights to retune your thumb; the casting process involves feedback. Thumb the reel to stop rotation just before splashdown. If a fluff starts to happen during the cast, apply a bit more thumb pressure and slow the reel. If it's still there, take your time and pick it out. Most small backlashes dissolve with a little work. Do not try to yank it free, you're more likely to bury the problem deeper into the spool. Braided line is harder to pick out of a mess, especially at night, and that's why you should start with mono.

Have fun!

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