Sturgeon Bank Reel question

[BigFishFever]

Hey all

I am trying to get setup for some bank sturgeon action...and need some advice on bank reels...Hoping to hit FMS tomorrow due to there sales..

Any suggestions on some reels?

Thanks

[Small Fry]

I don't know what brands but most of what I have seen don't have the line guides. I have been looking at several Okuma reels and they seem the be good quailty for a fair price.

[crabbait]

Tell the guys at FMS you are looking for a sturgeon reel for bank fishing. A Daiwa 50 series is pretty common, and as Small Fry suggests, most are not level-wind reels.

The level-wind really cuts the casting distance. It takes a little while to learn to put line on a reel level but it is worth the effort in casting distance. Remember leather gloves.

[johnykim]

the daiwa sealine-x 50 and 30 are the most popular.....50 for the oversized and 30 for the keepers.

[LIV2FISH]

Picked up a Quantum Iron off of Ebay a while back specifically for bank fishing for sturgeon and have been very happy with it. Casts like a dream and holds a lot of line. Just my .02

[sunshinefisherman]

Okuma reels and they seem the be good quailty for a fair price.

I agree. I have two Okuma Titus reels (not gold). They are a very good value. I have T-50 II which is a big 2 speed lever drag that holds a TON of line. I use it for oversize and halibut. The huge spool makes this reel impractical for casting (unless you LIKE bird's nests.)
My other one is a T-15 with a much smaller spool and it casts beautifully. It is my primary bank reel for salmon and my boat reel for sturgeon.
I purchased mine on eBay for considerably less than retail. $230 for the big boy and $90 for the smaller one.
I am looking for a T-10 (the smallest they make) for my salmon bank rod.

Highly recommend!!!

[C-lice]

I got a brand new Daiwa 50H off of eBay for like $50.00. As I recall there were a bunch available at that time in that price range. This seems to be hands-down the most popular bankie reel where I fish.

[Shark Bait]

The Daiwa Sealine-X 50SHV has 6.1:1 gearing versus the 4.9:1 of the 50HV. The extra retreive speed is nice when fishing in the rocks as you can almost get 12ozs + bait up on plane and out of the rocks. So far the higher ratio hasn't seemed to hurt me in the fish fighting department. The Daiwa reels don't suffer from slow spools and you can really get some awesome distance out of them. I ended up ordering it as no one carried them in stock.

When I first started casting an open face reel like the Sealine I would always get the mother of all backlashes at least once a trip. That was always good for a few laughs.

[BigFishFever]

Thanks all for the advice....its off to the store this afternoon to see what I can find!

Thanks again for the great info!