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Long cast spinning reels under $500.00

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I'm on a fixed-income so buying a new reel under  $500.00 is very important. I already own the Penn 7500lc. I need something that will get me another 30 yards. I fish freshwater stripes with a 2oz. bucktail 90 percent of the time. The average weight fish is about 10 to 15 pounds. I don't have much strength as I'm older now. I'm really looking at my last rod and reel setup so I need some sound advice. 

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Stan,

 

A change in reel only wont give you 30 yards.

A remark and then questions.

 

7500LC is capable of good distances, but it is very heavy and based on your remarks regarding your own strength and what you are throwing is probably too much.

Remember you have to move that reel at significant speed to generate "proper" distances

 

Couple of Questions:

1. What rod are you using?

2. What line?

3. How far can you currently throw a 2oz BT? Estimate is good for now then go into a park or field and measure this with a 2oz BT with the hook cut off at the bend.

4. How far do you want to / expect to throw one?

 

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Where are you fishing? What kind of situation are you fishing for? When you go up to 2 oz bucktail, either you are fishing deep area with heavy current or strong wind in your face, again with big wave and heavy current.  With bucktail, there is a diminish return limit regarding to cast distance, no matter how good your setup is. 

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5 hours ago, ZAFisher said:

Stan,

 

A change in reel only wont give you 30 yards.

A remark and then questions.

 

7500LC is capable of good distances, but it is very heavy and based on your remarks regarding your own strength and what you are throwing is probably too much.

Remember you have to move that reel at significant speed to generate "proper" distances

 

Couple of Questions:

1. What rod are you using?

2. What line?

3. How far can you currently throw a 2oz BT? Estimate is good for now then go into a park or field and measure this with a 2oz BT with the hook cut off at the bend.

4. How far do you want to / expect to throw one?

 

I'm using an 11-foot heavy action AirWave rated 3-6 ounce with 20-40 pound line. I'm using super8slick 20lb. line. At present, I would guess that I am casting about 90-100 yards. I'm after stripers right at the dam. They only open the far gate to spill water and that is about 150 yards away. If I can get to the edge of the rapid water I can get more fish as that's where others are constantly producing good catches. I am looking at another rod but unsure if I need a fast action or medium fast and really don't want to go more than 11-12 feet. So a new rod and reel are in order but as I said this will probably be my last splurge so to speak. Thanks for your input!

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On 6/15/2018 at 6:07 AM, Great Egg said:

Stan, you might find that the rod is more the key to distance than the reel.  A good tackle retailer should let you try their suggested combo that fulfills your requirements and goals.

I wish we had a good dealer here, it's all bass fishing around here and nobody has surf rods lol.

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On 6/14/2018 at 3:06 PM, hobobob said:

Where are you fishing? What kind of situation are you fishing for? When you go up to 2 oz bucktail, either you are fishing deep area with heavy current or strong wind in your face, again with big wave and heavy current.  With bucktail, there is a diminish return limit regarding to cast distance, no matter how good your setup is. 

I'm fishing very heavy current.

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Stan- I've got the 7500lc myself; I've fished some of the long-cast Daiwa's and Shimano's. So far as distance goes, the Penn is certainly their equal. It is unfortunately heavy, but I doubt that a different reel will be of benefit.Your 3-6 oz. rod is over-gunned for a 2-oz. payload;it won't be loading sufficiently. The 1-4 oz. suggestion is a good one.A 150-yd. cast with a 2 oz. weight is-imho- a damn fine cast. I don't think I can do it, but  you're gonna hafta pay some attention to distance-casting technique if you want to.

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My situation is similar to yours in that I needed more distance, but I am throwing plugs. I already have two LC reels, the Penn that you have and a Battle II LC that I field tested for Penn several years ago. I prefer the Battle and although Penn is scheduled to release it in the US this year I just ordered one from the UK.

 

For more distance I took a different approach. It seems to me that once you have some basic LC equipment (and a new rod might be in order for you before a reel) the only way to get more distance is to add more input or energy into the cast. To do this I have started to train in a specific way. I took the bottom half of an old 11ft rod that I no longer use and cut the collector guide off. I went to the local sporting goods store and bought set of resistance bands. This a bunch of tubing bands of different strengths and two 'handles'. I took the rod and inserted it firmly into one of hollow hand grips. Now, I attach the end of the band to something firm, in my case the hand rail of a staircase, and practice my casting motion against the resistance band. I stand at two distances from the staircase to practice the first half and second half of the cast. Doing this has helped me in two areas. It made me focus on the mechanics of my cast, foot placement, arm action (push-pull) angle-arc of the rod, etc. And of course it has improved the strength of those muscles I use in the cast, legs, shoulders, core, arms. I saw an improvement in the mechanics of my cast almost immediately, it took about two weeks for the muscle power to show up in a noticeable way. I am about a month into the program. Now when I sit here at night watching my sorry ass NY Mets find new ways to lose ballgames I get out my casting exerciser and "bulk up". One word of warning, the first time I did it I wasn't paying attention and put a 10in scrape mark on the ceiling in my living room. Good thing my wife wasn't home, I was able to paint it over before she saw it.

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Most will probably say 11 ft is adequate. I think I would consider a MH rated for 2oz like a 1oz to 3 oz. For throwing 2 oz, part of the energy comes from the rod like a MH. Throwing 4 or 5 oz and above would mean a different setup I think. I know they use 15ft rods for 5oz throwing in the UK. They also say 20lb braid with a shock leader for this setup. If you are on a budget, I would just get a new rod. Ideally with enough money, a lighter reel like a 4000, line lubricant, maybe 15lb braid with the drag setup correctly. A thinner braid cuts through the air and water better. Also, consider a good surf casting conventional reel. All the long distance casting records are on conventional reels but they have a high learning curve.

Try this also...don't throw but use the left hand as a lever to let the energy come from the rod. In the thumbnail, you see the bend in the rod. This is definitely not a heavy rod. Using the core and whole body was also good advice.

 

Edited by Draekon
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13 hours ago, MikeBlue said:

My situation is similar to yours in that I needed more distance, but I am throwing plugs. I already have two LC reels, the Penn that you have and a Battle II LC that I field tested for Penn several years ago. I prefer the Battle and although Penn is scheduled to release it in the US this year I just ordered one from the UK.

 

For more distance I took a different approach. It seems to me that once you have some basic LC equipment (and a new rod might be in order for you before a reel) the only way to get more distance is to add more input or energy into the cast. To do this I have started to train in a specific way. I took the bottom half of an old 11ft rod that I no longer use and cut the collector guide off. I went to the local sporting goods store and bought set of resistance bands. This a bunch of tubing bands of different strengths and two 'handles'. I took the rod and inserted it firmly into one of hollow hand grips. Now, I attach the end of the band to something firm, in my case the hand rail of a staircase, and practice my casting motion against the resistance band. I stand at two distances from the staircase to practice the first half and second half of the cast. Doing this has helped me in two areas. It made me focus on the mechanics of my cast, foot placement, arm action (push-pull) angle-arc of the rod, etc. And of course it has improved the strength of those muscles I use in the cast, legs, shoulders, core, arms. I saw an improvement in the mechanics of my cast almost immediately, it took about two weeks for the muscle power to show up in a noticeable way. I am about a month into the program. Now when I sit here at night watching my sorry ass NY Mets find new ways to lose ballgames I get out my casting exerciser and "bulk up". One word of warning, the first time I did it I wasn't paying attention and put a 10in scrape mark on the ceiling in my living room. Good thing my wife wasn't home, I was able to paint it over before she saw it.

I'm working on my casting tec. and have improved about ten yards. I'm now trying to figure out what kind of rod to buy. I'm throwing a 2oz jig 80 percent of the time. I'm not sure what kind of action to get now, a fast or medium fast. I think I'm using a heavy with fast action tip airwave rod. My rod has straight guides and now I'm also looking at the angled guides.

Edited by Catman Stan
wrong person for statement I made.
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150 yards is a long way with 2oz.

A very long way.

I would hazard that a rod better suited would help, as would thinner braid, but casting lessons would go a long way to help, if not achieving the magic distance, at least getting closer

I am intrigued now, as to what I could manage.

I'll try in the park

Edited by ZAFisher
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Rod rated 3/4-4 at 10-11', long cast reel, 20 or 30lb braid, and something other than a bucktail will get you there. Try throwing a heavily weighted pencil or needle or a jig with no hair and a bullet head (think savage sandeel).

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. -Thoreau
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