Im looking for a reel for a meat stick ,to use in the canal , looked at a Newell reel are they any good? never seen them before, they don't look very sturdy , has anyone ever used one before ???

Yep - they are a staple at the ditch. :bl: Good reel, but not for a beginner. Look at the Abu's - perhaps a 7000 series for a "meat stick":rude:

Newell reels are very sturdy ... a lot of the long range tuna guys out on the West Coast use them for the yellow fin and they do well with them ... should last here too.

Yea. I use a 220 for casting. Decent reel.;)

We used Newells on "the Back" for years. Very 'fast" reel. If you are not good at throwing a convench, don't get a Newell. Great surf reel!!!

Bought my first one in 1985. Still have it, along with six other 229 models. They are very sturdy and have very good drags. If you decide to get one, pony up the extra $$ for the metal spool original P229F model that is in production.The graphite ones kind of suck. Its well worth it and sells around $185. Best ditch reel there is IMO. No levelwind, so you need to educate your thumb.

I love my newels..Built like a squidder if penn where to update their models once in 60 yrs.

Don't be fooled by the way they look--they're built like a tank.

The learning curve isn't as steep as a lot of people think, either, especialy if you get an aluminum spool model. They're easier to cast than a Squidder and not nearly as fast as an unmagged Avet.

The new drags are as good as anything out there, too, IMO.

Thanks , I think I might go with the abu 7000 and work my way up to the faster Newwell ..

Newell is the only kind of reel a friend of mine will use, and from what I've seen of them they are very good, solid reels.