Conventional confusion

[snake slinger]

abu 7000

[Diamond Tackle]

I bought 2 old squidders but have not magged them yet,i may. One of the greatest conv curf reels ever made.
Abus are nice, but the Penn 525 mag is the king of them all IMO.
slosh 30 will be my next purchase i think,cause i hear good things.How big is the drag on that reel??
Personally I now stay away from my calcutta 400 (unless im Not targeting bigger fish) since I witnessed a guy get spooled with the drag cranked all the way down(powerpro 65 ,ripping current canal fishing).Not good to lose a 30#+fish cause your drag is wimpy,wimpy.This is where the 525 Ht100 drag reings supreme(so far). Also since you metioned SAND, and BEACH.Ive dunked both my 525's, a lot.Still purring like kittens. Calc 400,or corsair 400 ?,dont even think about it.

[Saltheart]

Nobody would recommend a calcutta 400 for the canal.

Only problem with the penn 525 is that its a non levelwind. Beautiful reel otherwise.

[Diamond Tackle]

Originally Posted by Saltheart

Nobody would recommend a calcutta 400 for the canal.

Only problem with the penn 525 is that its a non levelwind. Beautiful reel otherwise.

we have a small canal here in NJ that runs up to about 6-7 knots, I was referring to it.
sorry for the confusion. I never fished the CC canal (drove over it many times but sorry to say never fished it)

levelwind, IMO is overrated (even for nightfishing)just more stuff to go wrong.
With Braids most levelwinds dont cross lay(whatever the tech term is) the line fast enough and this is why you will get a bad birds nest once in a while because the thin braids can dig in very deep quickly on a bad cast & there is no time to react. I have stopped backlashes on nonlevelwinds, midcast. You can LISTEN for it(lineslap) and actually stop it.
Digging in is also a problem when you get stuck on the bottom and have to deliberately break off by walking backwards, drag locked down. Also I notice when fishing levelwinds,you lose contact with the line,which can also cause a loose wrap on the spool,& more potential problems.
You dont have that problem with a non levelwind since your in control of how you lay the line. But levelwinds do have their place, and I will use the Calcutta 400 for some applications.
please dont think im trying to sound like an expert on this subject, its just that I am completely ADDICTED to casting conventionals over spinning in almost any situation if its at all possible.Last year an old timer at montauk(whos name I dont want to drop here) said "youre one of the very few guys out here that truly enjoys using his conventionals " That man knew how to give this kid a compliment.

[spence]

Originally Posted by Tinman

6-7 knots

-spence

[bassmaster]

no need to mag the squidder, exp will put you into nice casts with this reel, feather the bell.
this is a great reel for tossin lead and big wood and heathen fishing

[Saltheart]

Very difficult to use cortland spectron without a levelwind. Too rough on the leveling thumb for me. I also think all things considered , levelwinds lead to fewer birdsnests vbecause the line is always layed down in a predictable manner. I know I never have a birdsnest cause the line is layed down unfavorably , I get some but not cause of that.. Maybe your braid is too thin?? I don't know why you get the dig ins you mention.

I fish all conventionals except for a small spinner for schoolies. All my conventionals are levelwinds.

[Saltheart]

Hmmm I missed wee wee's comments on the cortland spectron. That's interesting cause the very reason I choose Spectron over whiplash (which would be my secomd choice) is cause it doesn't get damaged on overruns like the whiplash does!! Little difference in perception here. Are you using 50 LB spectron? That stuff either breaks or its OK , No weak spots hiding on you like when you kink the Whiplash.

Anyway , Spectron is the best canal line anywhere , you'll never change my mind about that.

[sokinwet]

By American made, get the Penn and learn to use your thumb; you'll thank me the 1st time you need to replace parts.

[likwid]

Not all Penns are made in the US anymore.

[Rob Rockcrawler]

Fishsmith,
if your corsair crapped out on you send it back to them with a brief explanation. You dont even really need a note. I sent two back, one two years ago and they upgraded me to the gold one. That one crapped last fall, sent it back to them and they replaced it with a corvallus, they say its an impovement, im not really sure if is or not but its a new reel. They are great at replacing reels. I use the corcallus for freshwater bass and for throwing lighter stuff in the salt. Have the abu 7000 for the canal and have used the corsair there too. Its a throw away reel but since ya just send it back for a new one its not quite a throw away.

[NIB]

I understand what T-man is tryin to say.He likes to lay the line on by hand because the level wind does not overlay the braid well.in other words on the retrieve he moves his guide thumb back an forth much faster creating a wide crisscross pattern that helps to keep the line from diggin way into the spool when tryin to free a stuck jig. If I was gonna trow lures in excess of 1 oz I would use my 7000/7500 BG ABU's wit the level wind smaller lures get the trophy 6500 or a BG 6500.I also have a few 7700 morums that I will punish when in need of a stronger reel.there not as good casting but the one piece frame is a tourqe monster also no longer made.I use any thing from 50- 80 lb braids or 25-50 lb mono depends on what an where's.

[fishweewee]

I chunk with a non-levelwind, day or night. To mitigate birdsnests, I will usually use 25 lb. test MONO (attached to 3 turns of 50 lb. test shock leader via a modified uni knot). The SloSH is my chunking reel.

Now - for plugging and jigging with a conventional you'll have fewer problems with mono. I prefer to use the non-levelwind Abu 7500 CT Big Game or Abu 7500 C3CT (both of which are sadly discontinued - Pure Fishing, what the HELL are you thinking?). I use Sufix Tritanium (the BEST mono out there, period), 20 or 25 lb. test attached to 3 turns of 30-40 lb. shock leader.

For plugging and jigging with BRAID, I prefer to use the Abu 7000 CL Big Game reel (which has a levelwind), especially at night. The old Berkley Whiplash (now reincarnated as Spiderwire Stealth) is good line for this application (nice and stiff). I'll use a small SPRO swivel to connect the main line to the leader. Saltheart is gonna disagree with me, but I HATE Cortland Spectron for casting - it digs into itself too easily and scores itself way easily (causing breakoffs). Spectron is ok for boat applications where you are just dropping line to the bottom.

[likwid]

Originally Posted by Tinman

Digging in is also a problem when you get stuck on the bottom and have to deliberately break off by walking backwards, drag locked down.

IMO you shouldn't use the rod/reel to break loose hangups.

Do it with a pair of gloves and save your drag/rod the abuse.
I know atleast one person who's killed main gears doing this.

[RIROCKHOUND]

While no convench expert; I own my share;
Quick thoughts on mine..
Pen 525; great reel, on my 1089 it is a killer set-up to throw anything from loaded redfins to 3oz... its a FAST reel.. no levelwind isnt a big deal, been using convench since I was 3 in the boat, so dont have to think twice about it...

Abu 7000C3... nice reel, levelwind, not big big bucks, so far so good... matched on a 1209....

Abu 6500Mag Elite.. love this reel for everything from slinging eels to fluking (in the bay from a skiff) even has doubled as a blackfish reel in 100ft of water when my trust senator was acting up...

Penn 965... great boat reel, hates water, has a cheap worm gear, but I like the drag on it...

Penn Squidder... still my trusty go to on a glass rods around the breachways... it's my Old school stick... matched with a CalStar live bait rod...

thats my 0.02

[Diamond Tackle]

Originally Posted by likwid

IMO you shouldn't use the rod/reel to break loose hangups.

Do it with a pair of gloves and save your drag/rod the abuse.
I know atleast one person who's killed main gears doing this.

Who said I was using the Rod ?,Im not bustin my GLoomis for a .50 cent jig, Im not goofy. You lock her down point the rodtip to the snag +THUMB the spool and walk backwards,something is gonna go & I gaurentee you it wont be my gears. 9/10 its the knot at the jig or the leader or the hook will straighten just enough to let go, im using 65lb braids.
Gloves are for sissies btw

[likwid]

Originally Posted by Tinman

Gloves are for sissies btw

Booger teach you his ancient chinese sekrit of wrapping it around his erm... yeah.... uhhh I mean MIDGETS