Buonarroti Posted February 7, 2020 Report Share Posted February 7, 2020 New to surf fishing with Cranes Beach, Ipswich MA being my go to place to fish. Those of you that fish this beach, how important is it to have a completely sealed reel (VS, etc). I have not purchased any equipment yet so any information would be helpful at this time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianBM Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 (edited) Ahhh.. Not a spot burn, but close enough so that some excitable soul will complain of a spot burn. Sorta. I know nothing of the spot, and not much more of Massachusetts, save that it's infested with Red Sox fans, who will repent greatly in the world to come. I do have some good news anyway. Whether you need a "completely sealed" reel or not depends less on where you fish than how you fish. If you don't think you're fishing unless you find people giving you CPR once a month, then you do want a VS or ZB reel. If you are happy to fish without swimming alongside a Great White shark, or if you actually fish only one night or a few hours at a time, you don't need it. This doesn't have much to do with location. On the rare occasions that I visit Montauk, I'm content to fish with very un-sealed reels. Many anglers there would sooner be seen in a pink tutu as carrying a reel not labeled HARD CORE. Some of them actually do swim out to rocks, and stuff. A majority don't, but will occasionally take a pratfall in the surf. Pratfalls come with the territory. There are a lot more reels that will survive the odd dunk, if maintained, than can be dragged out to a rock by a swimming angler and back again, without needing disassembly. Edited February 8, 2020 by BrianBM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianBM Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 If you want, I'll transfer this to the Massachusetts Forum. Lemme know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buonarroti Posted February 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 Thanks Brian...Very helpful Please move to Massachusetts Forum.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zak-striper Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Buonarroti said: New to surf fishing with Cranes Beach, Ipswich MA being my go to place to fish. Those of you that fish this beach, how important is it to have a completely sealed reel (VS, etc). I have not purchased any equipment yet so any information would be helpful at this time... It's not Crane Beach specific. I fish the beaches of the Cape and the Vineyard a lot. I've already destroyed enough $150 - $300 reels because of the sand and salt to pay for a VS. I'll be buying a VS this year because if I don't I'll spend enough on less expensive reels to pay for another VS. My only concern about buying the VS is that it's not a long cast reel. Max distance isn't always needed but it often enough is. The most recent reel I destroyed on the beaches, a Shimano Ultegra XTC 10000 could throw poppers and metals a country mile. Edited February 8, 2020 by zak-striper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buonarroti Posted February 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 Thanks Zak.. Did you consider the Penn Torque II.. I understand it’s also sealed.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianBM Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 There seems to be a consensus that the Torque II isn't as well sealed as either the VS or ZB, and not even as much as the Torque I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlumFishing Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 You don’t need a sealed reel for Crane, it’s relatively flat and shallow. Fun fact o’ the day: Next time you are doing your business and see the below logo, you can thank the Crane family for donating the land and beach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Somethingsfishy Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 Not too many places on the North Shore where you need a sealed real. Fished there for decades without one and done just fine. (member formerly known as 'Abodeon') Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dah seee Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 You don't really need a sealed reel for the area you are fishing. A semi-sealed reel that can take a splash and spray from the salt is adequate enough. Something along the lines of a Penn Spinfisher/Slammer or even a Shimano Saragosa. If you will be wetsuiting and swimming to the sand bars then that's a different story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searobin Posted February 8, 2020 Report Share Posted February 8, 2020 19 hours ago, zak-striper said: It's not Crane Beach specific. I fish the beaches of the Cape and the Vineyard a lot. I've already destroyed enough $150 - $300 reels because of the sand and salt to pay for a VS. I'll be buying a VS this year because if I don't I'll spend enough on less expensive reels to pay for another VS. My only concern about buying the VS is that it's not a long cast reel. Max distance isn't always needed but it often enough is. The most recent reel I destroyed on the beaches, a Shimano Ultegra XTC 10000 could throw poppers and metals a country mile. Not sure if you specifically mean the vs as opposed to a vsx, but if we are fishing similar places you are more than happy to try a few casts with my vsx200. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the distance, same approximate distance that I get with a Penn 7500LC. The one caveat I will say is that I’m a bit slightly underwhelmed with the drag, but as a pure beach reel, very happy with my purchase. Love not worrying about sand, just a dunk and a couple grinds. Will see how it holds up long term. (*member formerly known as ‘nygnyrredsoxfan’) Ditch Troll #340 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishinbill Posted February 9, 2020 Report Share Posted February 9, 2020 Before I moved, I fished that area a lot and never felt the need for a sealed reel. The surf generally is not large, and I don't remember any places there where you'd feel the need to swim or otherwise dunk your reel - especially with the strong tidal currents that go through there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandbar1 Posted February 9, 2020 Report Share Posted February 9, 2020 (edited) Why not start off with a good water resistant (not fully sealed) reel like a Shimano Saragosa or Penn Slammer first. See if you like the sport and if you find yourself fishing situations that warrant a VS. Then upgrade later on if you feel the need. Put the money you saved into the other essentails, plugs, waders and a good belt, and a decent rod. Edited February 9, 2020 by Sandbar1 fishinbill 1 Chasing false echoes Send lawyers, guns, and money - Zevon When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro - Thompson DITCH TROLL 333 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Tuttle Posted February 9, 2020 Report Share Posted February 9, 2020 I never had a sealed drag reel. If your reel gets funky, clean it or go to Surfland and have Martha fix it. She's got an awesome set of tools. fishinbill and PlumFishing 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Tuttle Posted February 9, 2020 Report Share Posted February 9, 2020 And having been bumped in the thigh in that area, I wouldn't be in a rush to test the waterline of your waders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to register here in order to participate.
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now