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SD2OR with a trophy fall walleye

Topic: Request for jigging reel recommendation  (Read 6622 times)

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pmmpete

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What kind of reel, or what specific reel, do you recommend for jigging deep for big fish?

I do a lot of jigging for lake trout, and catch some pretty big fish.  The majority of the jigging is between 170 and 240 feet deep, but the reel needs to have enough line capacity to jig below 300 feet with 30 pound braid.  I like to release the line spool or bail, put the rod in a rod holder, and let my jig descend to the bottom.  I'm currently using a spinning reel, which works OK, but would like to use a reel with a line spool like a baitcaster reel.  A baitcaster works well for smaller fish above about 250 feet, but they have short handles, and I find it hard to reel in big fish with a baitcaster reel.  In addition, baitcaster reels usually have pretty small line reels, and barely have enough line capacity to get down to 250 feet with 30 pound braid.  I have tried using a level wind trolling reel, but the line spool has more drag than a baitcaster reel.

So what I'm looking for is a large-capacity reel with a long handle with a big knob on it, which has little drag on its line spool so I can get my lure to the bottom fast.  What kind of reel, or what specific reels, do you recommend?
« Last Edit: April 10, 2019, 06:38:03 AM by pmmpete »


snopro

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The LEXA-LC300PWRL-P has served me well in similar conditions to your intended application.  Power handle, line counter, plenty of line capacity, one ounce freespools to 200ft quickly, and it comes in blue.


PNW

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Zach.Dennis

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Penn warfare.  Comes at a great price point. Holds enough line at 30lbs it won’t be an issue. It’s gear ration allows for a 36 inch retrieve with each revolution. There is also an oversized power handle to help crank them in. It also comes with a line counter. I picked up mine on sale for around 60 I believe. I love the reel for bottom fishing and when I need to prevent slack line. If the drag is set properly you can crank to your hearts desire and the fish shouldn’t create slack
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bb2fish

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Okuma Coldwater Low Profile  354DLX is a bait caster with line counter that possibly fits all your criteria.  You could jig with that (even to suspended fish with the line counter), and won't break the bank.


MonkeyFist

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What you want is the Accurate BV-300.


Squidder_K

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All of the reels  mentioned are good choices. I like a lot of the older Penn's myself, easy to rebuild and upgrade.  Alan Tani's website covers reel rebuilding in depth for just about any person to rebuild a conventional reel. From old Penn's to modern reels he covers them.
https://alantani.com/

Something like a narrowed Penn 113 would give you the capacity for all the line capacity you would ever need, drag stack can be upgraded to a 7 stack, handles...there are a bizzlion different ones out there.

That said I have used an updated Penn Surfmaster 100 very successfully for bottom fishing  down to 200 feet without issue.  has been upgraded to a 5 stack drags, and Stainless guts where possible.

My next project is building a custom Left Hand Squidder in a 146 size (narrow).

 A "tanked" Jigmaster or 113 can be the ultimate bottom fisher, as long as weight doesn't bother you, as that will be there only downfall.

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JasonM

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Okuma Coldwater Low Profile  354DLX is a bait caster with line counter that possibly fits all your criteria.  You could jig with that (even to suspended fish with the line counter), and won't break the bank.
The Okuma Coldwater Low Profile CW-354DLX is what I use for the situations that you're describing, but in the salt water. I have 30lb Berkley X9 (super smooth) braid on one and 40lb Berkley X9 braid on another. It has the bigger power handle and max of 25lbs of drag. It also has the thumb bar instead of a lever on the side like most line counter reels that size, so it's easier to control free spooling down to the bottom or whatever depth that I see fish on the fish finder. Any reels of that size or larger should have plenty of line capacity for your task, especially if you are only using 30lb braid. The CW-354DLX model has the handle on the left. I'm right handed, but I like the reel handle on the left so my stronger arm is the one fighting the fish.

You can regularly pick them up for around $100 or a bit less. Here's one example, for $89.95 plus shipping.

http://www.fishermans-marine.com/okuma-cold-water-354-series-low-profile-line-counter-reel.html


Clay

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Not as deep as you fish but I have been using the just released Shimano Tekota A trolling reels for vertical jigging this spring.  Line counter with spool tension adjustment that would get you to the bottom quickly.

The Penn Fathom is another higher end reel that I considered before I bought my Shimanos. 

Good luck finding the perfect reel for you.
Many go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not the fish that they are after. Henry David Thoreau


kingdr1300

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Daiwa Sealine SL-X SHA


pmmpete

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Thanks for all of the helpful suggestions which you made about jigging reels.  I ended up getting a Shimano Tranx 300AHG.  It's a 300 size baitcasting reel, which is bigger than the standard size baitcasting reel so it handles more line, it has a power handle, and it has 7.6:1 gearing, which produces a retrieval rate of 40" for each turn of the crank when the spool is pretty full.  The more common gearing is 5.8:1, which produces a retrieval rate of 30" for each turn of the crank when the line spool is pretty full.  The power handle makes it easier to bring in big fish, and the 7.6:1 gearing lets me retrieve lures and fish from the bottom faster.  Today I winched 21 lake trout up from around 175 feet with the reel.

The first picture below shows the difference in size between a standard baitcasting reel (on the left) and the Tranx 300AHG (on the right).  The 300 size reel can handle the amount of braided line I need to get down below 300 feet, and the power handle is way easier to use than the typical double paddle handle.

I prefer a baitcasting reel because I find the spool release and handle easier to use than other kinds of reel when jigging within 6 inches of the bottom, and because baitcasting reels have very little friction in their line spools, which lets me drop lures to the bottom faster than other styles of reel.  One reason baitcaster reels drop lures fast is because the level wind mechanism disconnects when you release the spool to cast or drop a lure.  The level wind mechanism in level wind trolling lures creates friction, as does the line counter mechanism, so they drop line more slowly than a baitcaster reel.  Braided line catches on the lip of the line spool of my spinning reels, making a little "tug-tug-tug-tug" as it plays out, which reduces the speed that a lure descends.  If you are jigging with a great big heavy lure, it'll drop pretty fast regardless of what kind of reel you use, but if you are jigging with a lighter lure, the low friction in the line spool of a baitcaster reel is a big advantage.
« Last Edit: May 21, 2019, 09:47:59 AM by pmmpete »


pmmpete

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I'm happy with the Shimano reel. It drops and raises lures fast, it works well for jigging, and it cranks up big fish easily.


Spot

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I love seeing the progression of this thread from initial questions, thru discussions, purchase and finally catching! 

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Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.  --Mark Twain

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Captain Redbeard

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I love seeing the progression of this thread from initial questions, thru discussions, purchase and finally catching! 

+1


bogueYaker

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I realize that this thread is about a year old, but it looks like Penn is releasing a low profile reel in October of this year that boasts a 43" retrieve; currently priced around 180 USD.

https://www.pennfishing.com/penn-reels-baitcast-reels-low-profile-penn-squall/squall-low-profile-reel/1524830.html