Bottom Fishing Reel

[BigBadBrad]

Looking to upgrade my bottom fishing arsenal.

currently I have some older Penn GT320s and was looking for something which picks up line a lot quicker and maybe a nicer drag/feel.

What model/type of Avet reels do you guys like? JX 4.6? HX 4.2? I do lots of halibut and ling fishing.

Cheers!

 

[adanac]

Go with the JX, lots of reel for halibut and ling in our water, also doubles as a nice tuna reel. The narrow spool minimizes the need to guide your line , as you do with other models .

i fish talicas now , but i used to fish two JX as my bait rods on anchor, then i would fish two SX for the guys fishing on the back corners jigging swimbaits . landed halibut up to 175 on the little SX.

 

[Whole in the Water]

I have a Avet JX G2 and really enjoy it, great mix of power and bit smaller size so better rod balance and easier to handle.

 

[Old Blue]

Go small. Honestly the MXJ's or Penn Fathom 15's or similar size are more than enough line capacity, power and if you go 2 speed line pick up.

The lighter weight is pretty nice too. Fathom 25's 2 speed Gen 1 are a beast if you can find them too.

 

[blueugl]

Go electric you will never go back.

 

[Olde School]

Shimano TLD20 2 speed.
Not the prettiest, but Shimano functionality and durability through and through.
eBay for used ones
You can also mod them. We added sweet handles to ours.

 

[Captain PartyMarty]

I find the Avets JX reels to be ok! That said expect to replace bearings and there expensive at a $60 bucks. I tried out the shimano Speedmasters last season they performed well, my avets are staying at the dock this year.

 

[eroyd]

I bought a Speedmaster last year. Works as advertised but wish I would have waited and payed a little more for a Talica. The Talica's seem to come on sale and aren't that far above the Speedmaster. Basically the same reels but the Speedmaster has more plastic parts, including the drag lever and some housing. I don't like plastic.

 

[Flashman]

If you are ok with a star drag, these are pretty nice. I've got a set of the 5NS. No plastic, small and pretty light. Plenty of drag, high retrieve rate. Also on sale for a significant discount, almost enough to take the edge off the exchange rate, almost....

Okuma Tesoro Star Drag Reels

The Tesoro is a 2018 model reel, first shown at ICAST July 2017. The new star drag reels got a lot of attention from anglers, with the improvement in casting of leverdrags it seems there’s a preponderance of lever’s and less star drag reel options for serious anglers who are looking for a high...

charkbait.com

 

[eroyd]

Anyone know where to get those big Alvey reels from? Probably not what the op is looking at but would be a pretty bullet proof basic reel that would be good for the job.

 

[Rayvon]

Anyone know where to get those big Alvey reels from? Probably not what the op is looking at but would be a pretty bullet proof basic reel that would be good for the job.

I use them,bought 2 direct from Australia,it took months to get them.The 725C model is what you want,they sometimes (rarely) come up for sale used.Bullet proof ,one way drag and no rod wobble.

 

[ship happens]

Anyone know where to get those big Alvey reels from? Probably not what the op is looking at but would be a pretty bullet proof basic reel that would be good for the job.

They don't ship outside austrailia anymore.

 

[Hardy Guy]

JX is a nice size. Go 2 speed if you can. As stated the Talica are very nice. Expect to have pinion bearing issues eventually with any lever drag reel. The raptor line of the avets are a step up from the regular and have better drag numbers. I recommend a pre fishing service if you are fishing a lot.

 

[searun]

I have fished many hali reels from Avet, to Speed Master and now Diawa Saltaga. The Saltaga is by far the best. Avets seem to have issues with bearings that don't seem to last a full season. The Shimano Speed Master so far has stood up and performed as advertised. So far very impressed with the Diawa Saltaga. Best feature is ease of adjusting the drag, both the lever drag as well as the micro adjustment which has a large adjustment wheel for quick micro adjustments. Handy when backing off the drag just enough to let the line down without needing to mess with controlling the line drum.

 

[adanac]

I use them,bought 2 direct from Australia,it took months to get them.The 725C model is what you want,they sometimes (rarely) come up for sale used.Bullet proof ,one way drag and no rod wobble.

Never understood why guys would fish these when there is so many awesome modern options , with much better pick up rates ( bait checks ) and double as great tuna reels .

On the topic of rod wobble , acid wrapped rods take care of that .

 

[Rayvon]

Never understood why guys would fish these when there is so many awesome modern options , with much better pick up rates ( bait checks ) and double as great tuna reels .

On the topic of rod wobble , acid wrapped rods take care of that .

They are simple,inexpensive and get the job done.In Victoria I rarely fish deeper than 220 Ft. so retrieve is no biggy (1 Ft. per turn of reel). I don't understand why anyone would want a high ratio geared reel to catch a fish that only runs in one direction,DOWN. If your lucky (rich) enough to have a boat capable enough to run out for tuna ,then having a reel to do both makes sense.I've watched too many inexperienced people struggle with a top mounted reel with the rod wobble. IMO halibut are easy to catch ,you don't need to spend $1000 on a rod/reel to catch them.

 

[leaseman]

Penn International two speed in gold......have then on my River boat for when customers come for a day!

 

[ship happens]

Never understood why guys would fish these when there is so many awesome modern options , with much better pick up rates ( bait checks ) and double as great tuna reels .

On the topic of rod wobble , acid wrapped rods take care of that .

I have some 6.5 inch ones that have a way better pickup rate then my LX 6/3 avets. Take any of these small reels, especially the JX sized reels and before you know it your down to the bottom of the spool. Spool diameter is where you get your pickup speed. My 6.5s hold 330 meters of 40lb mono. So if you deploy 250 feet of line the spool stays the same size basically. They do 20 inches of line on one revolution of the reel. Even when there's 2-300 feet of line out

 

[sly_karma]

Anyone know where to get those big Alvey reels from? Probably not what the op is looking at but would be a pretty bullet proof basic reel that would be good for the job.

I'll be in Australia Mar 1-15. If you can get them to guarantee shipping to a NSW address by the 14th, I can bring back one or two.

They don't ship outside austrailia anymore.

 

[adanac]

I have some 6.5 inch ones that have a way better pickup rate then my LX 6/3 avets. Take any of these small reels, especially the JX sized reels and before you know it your down to the bottom of the spool. Spool diameter is where you get your pickup speed. My 6.5s hold 330 meters of 40lb mono. So if you deploy 250 feet of line the spool stays the same size basically. They do 20 inches of line on one revolution of the reel. Even when there's 2-300 feet of line out

To each their own but I’ll be sticking to my lightweight compact leverdrags , part of the fun for me is fishing lightweight / strong , new gear .