On this page we are going to review the reels we use every day on the boats. Our reels get way more use and abuse in a single season ( and some tender care by the mates) than a typical reel would see in many years of use in other locations. Here are our thoughts:
Spinning Reels:
Penn 8500 and 9500SS spinning reels: We have used these for the past two seasons, and they are holding up great so far. While these are not used as the primary reels on the boats, they do get a lot of use for teasing duty on Fly fishing days.
Conventional Reels:
Shimano TLD25: In Guatemala this is the primary workhorse we have used for the last 6 years. These economical no frills reels that have weathered the years have proven themselves to be the ones to rely on. We have only had to change drags and some gears a couple of times on the 25+ of these reels that we have. Failures have been few and far between. These have been a reel winner.
Shimano TLD 30II: These reels have not received as much use as the little single speed siblings. They have worked well, but we did experience some failures in the reel handles. We ultimately replaced all the handles. Other than this issue these have performed well.
Shimano TLD 50II LRS: These again have been strong performers, with no failures so far. In Guatemala this is our primary marlin reel.
Penn 50W: We use these more in Mexico than in Guatemala. They are steady performers with a great history.
Penn 80W:
Fly Reels:
Abel Super 14: These are our primary fly reels and see a huge amount of usage over a typical season. They have not missed a beat since they came out of the box. The finish of these reels and the drag is great. They also have great capacity of line and backing. While some fly aficianados would consider these 14wts overkill for sailfish, we have found they are the perfect reel for our daily usage. After all of the years of use, we have not had to adjust or replace anything on these reels. For a typical fly angler this reel and drap should last a life time of use.
Abel Xstream: Purchased as a backup set of reels to the super 14s, they ahve performed fine so far in the limited duty they receive. We did have one small issue that was quickly fixed in the field by the crew. Our only point of concern so far is the limited amount of backing that we can load, but in all actuality this has only been an issue in our mind, and not in reality.
|
