INDIANANGLER

Hi friends im planning to go in for another reel for spinning for barras from shore. Right now im using a penn 650 ssm have not faced any problem with it yet. But i find it a bit heavy. What brand and model should i go in for.

I have some doubts in my mind.
1: How much line should a reel hold to have a decent fight.
2: Is it of more advantage to have a 5+1 or more ball bearing reel compared to a 4+1.

Mario,

Try the Shimano Stradic ST8000FI , it has 5+1 ball bearings, a spare
spool (handy for quick change if line breaks or snarls - you could also
have one loaded with different lb.test or one with mono and other with
braided line).

The drag is stated to be waterproof and it has an incredible 13 kilos
of drag strength.

Line capacity for braid is 240meters of 40lb. Power Pro (which should be
more than adequate for you).

The weight of the reel is 560 gms. (not sure how much Penn 650Ssm
weighs).

It also does not cost too much (A$245 in Sydney, maybe a lot cheaper
elsewhere).

Coming to your questions:

1. It depends upon the fight in the fish!

2. It depends on the quality of the bearings. There are reels that boast
of 12 bearings and are yet way inferior to those having half as many.

The more well known manufacturers put more bearings into each
higher model of their reel and price it accordingly.

For example, the superb Stella 8000SW has 14+1 bearings, same sort
of capacity as the Stradic mentioned above, yet costs in the region of
A$900 !!

You are now on the way to spending more money because your next
purchase is going to be a new rod for the new reel!

Join the crowd and enjoy.

Regards,
Kingfish

Just a thought ...would a shimano 4000 series reel loaded with 20/25 lbs braid be going too light ?????
reels would be light upto 5kgs drag ...n 250 mts of line atleast.
should be a light set up if rod is also not a heavy one .

For Barras, 150 yards of 40 lb line is more than enough.

If you are fighting the fish correctly, that is pulling the fish with your rod and then taking the slack with your reel, ball bearing does not have any role in the fight whatsoever.

What I will be looking at while buying a reel is the combined drag created by the rod and reel (5 to 10 Lb drag is more than enough), the weight of reel, its spool positioning and the quality of drag(This is most important).

Regards,

Ali.

@websinner - the 4000 sized reels would be my choice for catching fish in
estuaries or from a boat.

It is a much lighter reel and would be very comfortable for prolonged
casting but perhaps a bit small for casting from the shore for barras
and other larger species.

Having said that, provided the angler is experienced and has the requisite amount of skill and patience, he can land those large barras that mario is so good at catching!

Kingfish

My only advice on the matter is to spend your money wisely. Do not buy the very cheap stuff as you will then have to buy twice. also do not buy the very expensive stuff as after a certain point extra money does not translate into tech or construction superiority. Also spend time making sure the rod and reel are matched (balanced). This will reduce fatigue and help you fish longer.

How do you guys rate the "Abu Garcia Soron STX" series for Saltwater use? I bought the STX 60 for US$140.

Hi Mario,

As you already have a penn 650 ssm, you should look at a reel that is a size or two smaller. Size 4000 or 5000 reel up to 16 oz. I also second what M'ken says. balance your setup. I have personally given up on heavy reels for spinning and rarely use rods above of 7 & 8 ft in length, paired with size 4000 penn reel (11 oz) and daiwa 4500 (14 oz) with 20 lb & 30 lb braid.

I haven’t caught a big barra of late, but I used my 7 ft 10 to 20 lb rod for GT popping (3 KG ones), and had no problem.

If you are looking at a second medium budget reel, I would say penn slammer 560 is a good choice (lil lighter than 650 SSM) at less than 4K its a good reel and will last you a life time. I have personally taken a 16 kg fish on 30 lb line with this reel.

Santosh

Thanks to all of you for sharing your views and the advice its realy been helpfull.