bailed Van Staal

[JFigliuolo]

ok... How do you free spool with your VS? How do you put the line back on the roller once the fish takes your eel? I always come VERY close to mangling my finger.

[BernOC]

Having no need for a bail myself, others do. They should still lower the profile of the drag nob though for possible line wraps.

[Pete_G]

Personally I think it would be foolish for them to NOT offer a bailed reel. If you think about it, they are targeting a SMALL market with a bailess reel. So basically you just excluded a bunch of potential customers in a very small market. Not smart. This is a very logical option to offer, if you ask me. Joe is a perfect example, he just doesn't like bailess.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by Pete_G

Personally I think it would be foolish for them to NOT offer a bailed reel. If you think about it, they are targeting a SMALL market with a bailess reel. So basically you just excluded a bunch of potential customers in a very small market. Not smart. This is a very logical option to offer, if you ask me. Joe is a perfect example, he just doesn't like bailess.

I think Pete is right. One of the main reasons I sold my VS's and switched to Saltigas was the bail-less design. Like Joe said above, too much looking down & effort into the casting/starting to reel motion with bail-less.

If the new manual bail on the VS is like the Saltiga's bail it is a big plus IMO.

[SeaWolf]

honestly, the only time i ever look down at my vs (or when i used a 706) was when ever once in a great while i'd catch the line twice w/ the roller. it becomes second nature putting the line on the roller after doing it so many times.

my reasons for liking a manual bail, it's one less piece to worry about or fail. of course, you cannot compare a 704 bail system to new ones found on stellas or saltigas. if i'm eeling, i drop the rod and take the line off the roller, just the same as someone opening a bail. it becomes second nature.

as pete said, there are times when you need to put line on the roller quick, like w/ tuna. my experience is usually when i'm fishing in a gale and the longer i take catching the line after the lure hits the water, the bigger the bow in my line and possibly missed strikes. you learn to feel the lure hit the water, start reeling right away and maybe "feather" the line as it comes off to control distance.

now, when ohh when will that sealed drag and gearcase, non levelwind vs casting reel ever come out! that's what i want to see!

[Krispy]

If you want a bail, go with technology that matches. Id get a Saltiga, Nautil, Shimano, etc. or wait for the Accurate.
A bail on a VS is like airbags on a horse n' buggy.
VS is jumping the shark
What they should do is build a new bailed spinner from scratch with updated internals and spool design instead of slapping a bail on reel designed to be a bare bones workhorse

[Pete_G]

Originally Posted by Krispy

If you want a bail, go with technology that matches. Id get a Saltiga, Nautil, Shimano, etc. or wait for the Accurate.
A bail on a VS is like airbags on a horse n' buggy.
VS is jumping the shark
What they should do is build a new bailed spinner from scratch with updated internals and spool design instead of slapping a bail on reel designed to be a bare bones workhorse

This was actually a pretty big redesign. The roller bearing was moved from the handle up into the rotor cup on the main shaft. Same place as the Saltiga's probably is. The bail was anything but just slapped on there. If no one here is using it the reel is in the shop for people to take a look at.

The Accurate is not going to be a surf reel as far as I know. They may say it is, but that thing is built for tuna. A sealed drag doesn't make a surf reel.

[Pete_G]

Originally Posted by SeaWolf

honestly, the only time i ever look down at my vs (or when i used a 706) was when ever once in a great while i'd catch the line twice w/ the roller. it becomes second nature putting the line on the roller after doing it so many times.

my reasons for liking a manual bail, it's one less piece to worry about or fail. of course, you cannot compare a 704 bail system to new ones found on stellas or saltigas. if i'm eeling, i drop the rod and take the line off the roller, just the same as someone opening a bail. it becomes second nature.

as pete said, there are times when you need to put line on the roller quick, like w/ tuna. my experience is usually when i'm fishing in a gale and the longer i take catching the line after the lure hits the water, the bigger the bow in my line and possibly missed strikes. you learn to feel the lure hit the water, start reeling right away and maybe "feather" the line as it comes off to control distance.

now, when ohh when will that sealed drag and gearcase, non levelwind vs casting reel ever come out! that's what i want to see!

Wait till you see the picture of the casting reels. You think pics of Accurates and high end Shimanos get you excited. The VS casting reel is possibly the most beautiful reel I've ever seen...

[lurch]

Originally Posted by Pete_G

Wait till you see the picture of the casting reels. You think pics of Accurates and high end Shimanos get you excited. The VS casting reel is possibly the most beautiful reel I've ever seen...

Any pictures of the casting reel...now I am excited!!

[Sea Dangles]

Originally Posted by JFigliuolo

ok... How do you free spool with your VS? How do you put the line back on the roller once the fish takes your eel? I always come VERY close to mangling my finger.

I cast my eel and reel it in slowly with the rod held at almost 12o'clock.When I feel the tap,I lower the rod to 9o'clock.This gives the beast enough time to do what she wants and when the line tightens;BANG.Less gut hooks and better hookup ratio since the Iron Man showed me this technique.

[tattoobob]

I like the idea and I am going to wait now for the larger size like the 250
although now that I am thinking of it I need both

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by Sea Dangles

I cast my eel and reel it in slowly with the rod held at almost 12o'clock.When I feel the tap,I lower the rod to 9o'clock.This gives the beast enough time to do what she wants and when the line tightens;BANG.Less gut hooks and better hookup ratio since the Iron Man showed me this technique.

If you're fishing from a place where you can take 2-3 steps forward without falling off a rock or stepping into deeper water on the beach, you can drop the tip, step and give it a few extra seconds before it comes tight.

Another way to feed line on a manual pickup reel when drifting a live bait is to hold the line on your finger while drifiting, release the line when you feel a pick up, drop the rod to 9 and raise it quickly to 12 to throw some slack, and get the line back on the roller before it comes tight and your fingertip goes flying

[Joe]

I'm surprised at the bad reviews before its even in the stores....

[Pete_G]

Fished the 150 on my 10ft Arra 1205 tonight. A 1204 might be perfect. It balances out surprisingly well and it looks at home on there due to the flyer making the reel look a bit bigger. Submersion testing began tonight; a lot of it intentional, some not so much. I'm not that tall so I don't have to go too far before the reel is underwater.

[JFigliuolo]

Originally Posted by Sea Dangles

I cast my eel and reel it in slowly with the rod held at almost 12o'clock.When I feel the tap,I lower the rod to 9o'clock.This gives the beast enough time to do what she wants and when the line tightens;BANG.Less gut hooks and better hookup ratio since the Iron Man showed me this technique.

I was thinking more about freespooling in the current...

[Karl F]

Held one of these today, very light, bail isn't automatic, you must close it manually, doesn't snap shut when you crank, nice skirt on the spool, knob and handle, is the biggest improvement, second would be the anti reverse feels tighter..
very smooth, and very light, think it weighed meybe 12 ounces tops, with a full spool of braid.
I think they will sell a ton of these... hope they put that knob and handle on the other ones, for you guys that buy 'em.