Van Stall users

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by Nebe

my suggestion about a conventional VS is about having all of the qualities that the spinner has- water proof drag and gears... how hard is it to do this on a conventional reel?? imagine- a conventional reel you can dunk night after night, hose it off and have it work well all season-
Id buy one.

I can't see how you could ever design a waterproof conventional that would cast worth a damn--the spool needs some free play and you can't seal that.

[Nebe]

Originally Posted by Mike P

I can't see how you could ever design a waterproof conventional that would cast worth a damn--the spool needs some free play and you can't seal that.

the way I envision it, the spool and the shaft are sealed. but the difference is the spool does not spin on the shaft. the shaft fits into a housing on each side plate that is not water tight, but has seals to hold in a lot of grease to protect the bearings- I wouldnt expect it to cast a million yards, but i think distance casting is over rated when your fishing in deep water or skishing.

Another thought is that only the main gears and drag are totally sealed and the spool/shaft are not- so you would still be able to dunk it nightly and the reel would only need a quick break down and minor washing every night to keep it tr#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g all season long. It would be nice if the design made it easy to break down with no tools too... not wing nuts, but knobs you could use with your fingers...

[afterhours]

..how long have the zbass been out on the market and how many are out there? vs' have withstood the test of time imo..i submerge mine almost daily and no problems...know a BUNCH of swimmers who swear by vs also. i'm sure if zb's prove to be the bomb i'll someday own one.

[SeaWolf]

i've had a vs250 for 5+ years now and it gets fished hard in the spring and really hard in the fall. i bought a second 250 last year.

my vs250 has never let me down. i have never had a problem with it and i did send mine back each year for the servicing, which i do not mind in the least. my reel is under water the majority of the time i take it out fishing as i wade to my rocks and the rod is used as a cane for balancing myself as i wade out between rocks. how many times have i gone night to night w/o rinsing the reel and fished it again the following night w/o an issue. i used to love my penn z's, but they cannot do that night after night w/o servicing the drags and cleaning the gear case every other week. that alone is worth the money to me and the reason why i bought one in the first place. it's all in what and how you value your time and fishing experiences.

i cannot comment on a zee bass. it seems like it may be a nice alternative, but the model i had in my hands 2 years ago was too small for my taste. i also didnt like the 2 rollers. maybe the new larger model coming out will be a nice option. time will tell. as far as i am concerned, the reel is still new to the market. the diawa saltiga hit the surf w/ high hopes, but i have seen several fail, break, or have some issue. those 3 reels are the only true reels that i have seen that can handle the extremes of serious surf fishing - wetsuitting, skishing, and a pounding surf.

no, you do not need a vs for the boat, but it does serve the purpose just fine. i know of many large sb and school tuna handled by the reels. if you think this is a lot of money for a reel, go check out the high end freshwater baitcasters.