Don't worry about it. Its not a big deal.:) I use a 706 myself, but I'm keeping my options open. You didn't say anything bad, its just that we were worrying about the topic going into the topic we all know too well: "The Van Staal Wars".

Have a great holiday and New Years!

i put almost 130 nights in this past season. the vast majority of those nights were for more than just an hour or two as you know Russ. mid april into june, i am on the water 5-7 nights a week. from then until november it is 3 - 5 per week plus the 2 weeks i spent on cutty/cape/block and the many other extended weekends i took. i push my gear to its limit and i am willing to pay to what is needed for that which works the best for me. that is why i am getting the stella. like i said, i'll stack her up next to the saltiga this year and see which dies first.

i guess i am lucky i haven't found anything wrong with abu 7000's aside from not being waterproof. i don't want to have to replace that fleet. :smash:

keep the reel reviews coming in if anyone else has any. :kewl:

I fished a Spheros8000 3 nights a week all season long.It got a dunking several times.Other than rinsing with fresh after every outing I did no other maintenance other than a midseason breakdown to degease and relube with superlube.The reel performed flawlessly.

I certainly don't put my equipment through the same rigors as some of you guys,if I did then the way the reel performed might have been different.

Even though I bought a 704 to put on my new 9ft Lami I still may end up putting a Spheros on it. I like the reels that much.

PS.Opinions are like buttholes,we all got one.Relax guys its way to early in the winter for this stuff to be starting yet.

TTimber-

The warranty is my only concern about these reels -- 1 year only, on paper. However, as Sandman talked about Shimano treats the Stellas, and other reels, like they have more than a 1 year warranty. Their customer service is great.

The guy at Daiwa I talked to last year about the Saltigas gave me the same impression, that they'll stand behind the reels longer than 1 year.

Awesome Thanks for the info Joe. I dont mind paying a lil more for something if I know the company stands behind a product :btu:

Toby,

I think this thread has missed some key points. What about the weight of a reel, it's ability to recover after falling down on a sandy beach, and it's line capacity?

I need a surf reel that's lightweight but strong and matched to my equally lightweight but strong graphite 10 foot rods. (Serious bicycle riders understand the meaning of "lightweight but strong".) Van Staal reels excell in this category. Per ounce of reel the VS's are among the strongest.

I also need a reel that will instantly recover by simply dunking it underwater in the first wave after it's been dropped on a sandy beach. I tag and release what I catch (need two hands for this)and as a result I need a "goof proof" rod/reel that will occasionally fall over and get caked with sand. The Van Staals are the most goof-proof reels I've ever used.

Lastly, I want a reel with a lot of line capacity so that I can trim off several dozen yards of line after each trip and not need to respool so often. The Van Staals hold the most line per ounce of reel weight.

As an aside, if you are burning through drag washers (any brand reel) on a frequent basis I'll bet you fish with your drag set very tight. Loosen up the drag and you'll see that even cheapo drags last a long time.

For the past 6 years I've fished with a VS 100 on my boat and a VS 150 in the surf. No problems. My next spinning reel will be another VS reel too because I need a lightweight, strong, goof-proof spinning reel with lots of line capacity. I haven't found another reel offering all those qualities.



Bill Brett

Honestly, I see myself replacing my reel every few years, about 3-5 years on the average. I don't think any reel, no matter how well built or sealed it is, can withstand the effects of salt or the beatings it takes on the beach, the rocks, off a boat, or just on the pavewent when you're hustling to get to the beach.

Yes, it's expensive to have to expect to replace that reel, but it's just like a car, it's all eventually disposable for the newer and better reels that come out every few years.

I'd love to get a Saltiga or a Stella just because of the way you guys talk reverently about it, but I think it's just a little too rich for my blood, but certainly if I had the money, I'd throw it that way.

It's all about what you feel is what you can afford or what is best suited for your needs.

It's ridiculous to see how people talk in negative tones about those who are better off than we are and can afford that expensive piece of equipment. I remind myself and others that if we ever won the lottery, for sure we'd be buying the pimpest reel on the east coast.

I use a Spheros 6000 and a Penn 706 and I like both. I'm looking at the Saltiga for one reason (also) that no one has mentioned. Its spool will allow a further cast than a large diameter spool such as a Penn 704/6 or VS.

Has anyone done a casting distance comparison?

Purp,

Threw with mine for the last two weeks in Oct. Got better distance than I was with the Mitchell Nautil 7500GV - guessing about 35-40 more yards. Since then I popped for an additional spool for the Saltiga - the 5000GT long cast ( has a smaller spool ring for better distance). I'm still tweaking the thing. ie, goin' with lighter braid, playing with the spool support washers for a more conical spool shape. We'll see in the Spring how this thing works out.

JPowers-

How did you like fishing the 5000? I think you told me you had it on a 10 foot rod. Was it comfortable fishing for long periods of casting or did it get heavy?

Noon-

I noticed a big casting distance increase in the Saltigas and Stellas over the Van Staals.

Joe,

Yep - hung it on a 10' Breakaway. To be honest, I thought it would be damn heavy at almost 29oz but it wasn't. I'm usually throwin' 4oz jigs for 4 hour stetches. I don't exactly know why it didn't get tiring but it didn't - at all. And I'm not a big guy - only weigh 150lbs and haven't got biceps to write home about. No problems whatsoever.

IMO there is no perfect reel (or rod)that can do everything...that is why you need so many:D (that is how I justify it to my wife...another trick is to take her fishing and hand her a wire line rod with an 9er rig on it....then buy her a st.croix with a tridad reel with briad and a yozuri minnow...one more trip and she gets the idea pretty quick.):D

Spin reels accross the board are better today then when I was a kid...they plain sucked then, you think they break now...try in the 60's. stuff broke nearly every trip ....that is why everyone fished with conventionals. When spinning equipment was improved, I migrated back to it. Manufactures need to push the limits with higher end stuff to better the entire line. (just like race cars and boats do) Eventually the stuff that really works will trickle into the more common reels and everyone benifits.

Further, I honestly don't judge (or prejudge) a person by the model of his spinning reel or size of is outboard motor and neither do the people I have met here on SB.com. I enjoy hearing others' experiences, good, bad, happy and sad...we all can learn alot. Just be honest. If you think it sucks fine, tell me why, I really want to hear why.

I have to say I have picked up some great info here and I hope I have provided some as well. No one can know everything about all this gear out there we can all benifit.

I like trying new stuff and finding a better way to expand my enjoyment of the sport. I make some bad calls and piss away a few bucks but that is the name of the game. Chalk it iup to a learning experience. But I also find some clever tricks and gear that help me a lot. That is why it is so interesting to "talk" to someone who has done what you are thinking of doing...he might have some helpful advice to sweeten your experience.

peace and good will to all

bah humbug!:D

Nice. u know i have some old squid molds i could make ya a few interesting ones.Merry Christmas.

tlapinski, I had a stella 4000 that I fished on my light tackle set up I had it matched up with a 7'9" G-loomis custom rod. All I can say is it was the best reel I have ever fished.

It was smooth, tough and the sweetest reel I ever had the pleasure of fishing. I did accidently dip it in the salt a few times and it did not affect the performance at all.

One thing also that I didn't see here in this post but I may have missed it, is that the reel maintenance manual that comes with the reel says to put 2 drops of oil in the little oil reserve hole on the underside of the reel every 3 or 4 times you fish it. So it could be that some of you may not have seen this and done the drops and that it why it may have been grinding on you or got stiff. I did this every few times out and fished it pretty hard and it never got stiff or ground on me at all, I used it for striper, blues, bonita and albies and it worked pissa!!! Boat and shore!!!!

The only down side was that last spring while we were out fishing the tri-state tournament for MSBA, I had a fish on, it was hooked in the tail with the teaser and the mouth with the lure. The fish rolled and the barb went right thru my thumb nail so I dropped the rod when I flinched and the fish took off with the whole setup, never to be found again. I was heart broken!!! I will own another one soon as now I have the stradic and it just isn't the same!!!!