Van Staal VM 150
 

If anyone has one, do you like it??
Any and all comments about the reel will be appreciated.
I have googled it.

Thanks
Jim

Get a 200 or a 250. 150 doesn't hold enough line and you will be sorry when you get spooled.

285 yards of 30lb braid not enough?

X2...

If anything, a vs 200 balances a 10 foot rod more.
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In the first place no one puts braid directly on the spool because it will slip. You need to give it a bottom shot of mono.
Almost all of us who have been in the surf for a long time use 50# braid or 20# Big Game or Ande Back Country mono.

As an old lawyer friend of mine once said to me
"I've given you my good advice. You can now make your own bad judgement call."

There pretty heavy from the specs they give, too heavy for a reel that size.

From what I understand a lot of guys are using them for boat duty only.

I decided to not get one after looking around at them and talking to people who have used them and reading all the reviews I could find.

For $150 more (550) you can usually fine a nice used VS 150 or 200.

Good luck if you decide to go that route.
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this

I think it's a great reel for the boat, but doesn't hold up that well in the surf, from the people I've talked to who've used it in that way. If you're not going to dunk it, it'll probably hold up OK. A used VS for a few bucks more is the best value.

I think that if a bass takes even 150 yards of braid from you your drag is waaay too light... just IMO ;)

I guess some didn't read the title of this thread very carefully.

Jim is asking about the VM150 not the VS150.The VM is a massively watered down version of the VS.At 4 bills not worth it.The price diff between a VS150 and a VM is a hell of a lot more than $150 more like $300.

Get a Saragosa and call it a day.

Uh, I like mine from both boat and surf, I don't dunk but it gets wet, and I've had no issues with it. I like mine.
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i fish a vs 150 on an 8' st. croix legend rod.rod weight 7.4 oz,vs 150 reel about 12.4 oz.fish from the surf or standing chest deep waters in rivers.never a problem and even though i mainly catch schoolie i get luckly every now and then and get bigger fish.bailed 150 weight is like 22 oz and would be a boat reel pretty much.the vs150 i use has a line cap of 400 yds 0f 15.i use 20 or 30 suffix 832 on mine and if i get spooled it will have to be a tuna.all that being said if your gonna be throwing eels,big plugs,fishing breachways the a 10 ft vs 250 would be my choice.line cap is 490/50 braid.it all comes down how your gonna fish it.keep in mind i'm an older guy so i only fish lite now,younger days fished heavy.

I'm not buying the "You're gonna get spooled" line anymore. Seriously, if the drag is up to the task, with 200 yds of line, you'll be fine with any bass that you might catch.


I'm more than willing to change my opinion if ANYONE has first hand experience of fighting a BASS, going down MORE than 200 yds of line... then landing it.

Like Tatoo once said... if you're fishing with that much line out... you're not fishin, you're wishin.

At least in regards to what chef and I said... used VS. I agree with you- the VM for $400 isn't worth it IMO, but that could definitely change based on what kind of fishing you do. Glad it works for Ducketts.

But, if one's willing to drop four bills on a new VM 150, then saving an extra $150 for a used VS150 probably wouldn't be that big of a deal, and would be the better investment long term.

Exactly what jack k said, mine was a fathers day gift, so I didn't drop anything on it.
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Another thing to consider... you may be able to find a used previous generation saltiga 4500 in good shape for about the same price ( I was lucky to on here a couple of years ago). They are hard to beat in my experience.

Google up "Van Staal VM150 A Day At Montauk" there is an excellent write-up and break down of this reel with a lot of pictures.

I've used the reel but don't own it. The reel has a good feel and cast well. To me it will hold all of the 50# braid you will every need but you will need to keep it full. Meaning if you break off 50 yards you may need new line depending on the type of fishing your doing. The reel is a little heavy for the size but not to bad. The drag worked real well. I don't think i would reel in with this reel underwater but I'm sure it can handle plenty of good dunkings without a problem.

While you might be able to get a used VS200 for about a 150 more you would have trouble getiing a used bailed one at that price. So if you want a used bailed it would be more like 200 to250 more.

i love my bailless vs, so much easier and smoother to operate this coming from someone who used a 704z for a long time

any advantage to a bail surfcasting?? the only argument ive heard FOR a bail is when using a boat and doing a lot of verticle jigging. the line on the roller might come off during the slack occurring in the line. mythbust please, true or false?

i guess my question is what the hell do reel companies mess with bails for?

I guess it's because of old people like me who have used bailed reels for years and see no reason to change. Had a VS 200 for one season and hated it. Couldn't sell it fast enough.

I have the VM150, fished it for the fall run eeling in big surf where it was dunked numerous times. I haven't caught a 40+ pounder with it, but It handled the fish with ease. Great drag, durable, $400 VS $800 for an entry level rock hopping reel is well worth it in my mind.

I own a Saragossa 14 and 8 and actually sold my 8000 to get the VM because of the type of fishing I was doing. Plugging the canal I preferred the 8000 hands down, but on the rocks where the reel sees a lot of sand and water the VM is the way to go.

The line capacity is fine on the VM for shore fishing

A hundred years ago I used to hacksaw off the bail arms of my slap happy penns, daiwas and shimanos. Took all of 2 seconds to feel at home with my vs's.