I'm in reel trouble!

[Stowaway]

I'm looking for a new reel that I can use for Halibut and Tuna. I'm a lefty so there aren't to many options. I've been looking at the Avet's and from what I've seen on this board they get some good praise. So I've decided to go with them, but which model? I'll be using a braided line of somesort, anywhere from 65-100lbs. I'd like at least 400-600yrds. So, which reel would the Dogs recommend?
Thanks in advance

[Bluefinn]

Avet EX left hand.

[My Limit]

I take it those are serious reels. Do they reel up a lot faster and easier than a Penn 330? I'm willing to spend the money, but want to know it's worth the extra cash.

[bait boy]

Speed of reel is only a function of gear ratio and diameter of spool.
Drag is a whole other story and avet is better than the 330 due to size of drag surface.

easier to reel is tricky. The difference is level wind or not. I love my level wind (330gti)for halibut especially for bait checks from 600 ft, and the drag is more than adequate for halibut. I have had to replace some parts like the main and pinion gears but after 3 years of tuna and halibut and oversize sturgeon, I'd be tired too if I didnt get much but a bath every few weeks.

I have since graduated to tacklehoism and now dont even think of that cheap stuff any more my latest reel is a tld30 II next is trini 30

[Reel Creel]

Avets are money give South Paw a PM and see what he thinks. If I had the $ id buy a set.

[Stowaway]

A friend of mine fishes out of the SF Bay Area and he's says everyone down there are giving excellent reviews on them. Maybe I should pick up a few for different applications.

[Ragnar]

I'm in love with my Avet reels!
I'm currently waiting for another (my 3rd) one to arrive soon.....
Bait checks form the depths of the chicken ranch are a breeze in high gear.
It will handle just about any big fish for years and years.
You will not find anything on the market today that compares to the quality and value of an Avet. Plus they're made right here in 'Merika.
I'd go with the suggested EX-2 speed left hand.
P.S.
These are super nice for tuna, large and small!

Good luck,
Ragnar

[retaliate]

Yea I have the same problem, I don't like right hand retreive reels, the biggest lefthand with levelwind I could find is penn gti 321, or okuma convector 30 lx, or cabellas
depthmaster gold (okuma 30), these are marginal for halibut, & tuna, I did pick up two righthand retreive with levelwind reels from cabellas (okuma catalina 45 with linecounter) for $100.00, they look like good reels, stainless gears, & 4 stainless bearings, I needed something a little bigger for the chicken ranch mostly. I still don't like righthand retreive tho. hopefully the manufactures will get their act together soon & start offering larger lefthand retreive levelwind reels.

[Stowaway]

I saw somewhere that Penn accepts special orders and will make a lefty out of any reel at 20% over actual price.

[Stowaway]

Now the question of which EX. Do I go with the EX 2-speed or the EXW 2-speed? And should I consider going with the pro EX models?

[crabbait]

Go with the PRO EX4/2W if you realy want the halibut line capacity but it will be overkill for albacore. The PRO EX4/2 is an awesome reel but I am not sure what the capacity would be if you ran straight Spectra. I have mine loaded with 300yds of Spectra and a 50lb mono topshot for tuna fishing. I have both if you want to compare them.

[Reelentless]

The EX-W (wide) version wobbles too much unless you wear a fighting belt with a gimble. The standard width EX holds more than enough line. I run straight 50lb mono on mine and have never been spooled.

[Stowaway]

How many yards of 50lbs mono to fill it? And which brand mono?

[Reelentless]

For Tuna I use 350 yards of 50# Izorline.

I wouldn't use mono for bottom fishing though. Too much stretch and drag. This reel will hold 450 yards of 80lb spectra easily.

[WP]

I will never buy any other heavy salt water reel, other than the Avet. The EX 2 speed is the next best thing to electrics for halibut and is great for tuna too.
Dave

[retaliate]

Thats the first I've heard of this, let me know if this pans out. Thanks

Albacore - JX, JX2, LX or LX2 Two speed is nice but not "Needed" for albacore





Halibut - EXW2 The only way to go!





The PRO EX 50 is to big for anything but Bluefin and Big Eye.

[Stowaway]

I should receive my reel sometime before Thursday. :grin: I got the EX4/2-speed Lefty. I'm hoping 65lbs spectra should be sufficiant. It came free with the reel and it has a 100yrd backshot of 60lbs mono with almost 500yds of 65lbs spectra on top.
Thanks for all the help!!!
If I can find where I saw the info on the Penn Lefties I'll post it.

[Reelentless]

Good choice on the reel. 65lb is what we used last year and didn't have any problems.

You will love that reel!

[retaliate]

I agree 65lb is plenty, I thought about going to 80lb, but breaking off a snag with 65lb is hard enough. & I never lost a big fish on 65lb yet. A big Tuna would probably spool me, then break off, but these 20lb to 40lb Tuna are no problem with 65lb, & I got two 100+ pound Hailbut to the boat, but unfortunatly, my gaff partner failed to land either, maybe 80lb or 100lb line would have helped on the one the line broke, but the second one & probably the biggest broke at the swivell. Going to use a harpoon again this year for the big ones, hopefully it won't break like last year.

[DriftR]

I use Accurate 270's and 665 H reels. Great reels, stand up to hard duty. Can be ordered left or right. Manufactured in California. They have tested these reels out on many long range tuna trips in CA. I have used mine for the past three years and absolutely no problems. I spool the 270's with 65 pd Tuff line XP with topshots of mono. The 665 gets the 80pd Tuff line XP with mono topshots. Smoothest reels I have ever used or owned. Has a lever drag set system. Awesome big grip T-handles or a round knob handle.

[retaliate]

Do the lefties come with levelwind?

[crabbait]

Saltwater reels for pelagic species don't have levelwinds for a few reasons:

- The levelwind kills the casting distance.

- Knots tend to hang in levelwind mechanisms. Imagine you are gripping the rod with the drag screaming as the end of your 50lb mono topshot comes sailing along and the knot with the 80lb braid hangs in the levelwind. Train wreck.

- Levelwind mechanisms tend to fail when line is stripped off the reel under heavy pressure.

- Levelwinds are a safety hazard as they will mutilate the errant finger.

Take a look at any biggame saltwater reel. No levelwinds.

[retaliate]

Thoes Avet(s) look awesome, but do they come lefthand retreive with levelwind?

[crabbait]

I guess there is no point in responding since you have not read my last post!

[Hunt'nFish]

Awesome discussion! I too am a lefty and have wrestled with these questions of size, gear ratio, drag, line capacity, level/no-level. And as mentioned above I have one each 321gti, Convector 30LX. Out on the Hill for halibut it is work winching a 3lb ball from 750ft depths! Uhg!! :tongue:

Something lower geared, and bigger but still lefty w/ levelwind would be nice for halibut. Perhaps a Penn341 or 346?? I can only wish. But I have to admit I've been eyeing these Avets all winter. I can see Skein's point on the levelwind being a hazard on TUNA! And train wreck is very accurate.

The EX-2 speed sounds about perfect. Big enough to spool 300yds of 65lb braid and still have room for some mono topshot.

I found the comment about the Penn lefty factory conversion interesting. SO does that mean I CAN have a couple Penn346's built? Perhaps in 2:1 as well?

[Hunt'nFish]

BTW, Lee welcome back.
How is the Tolley coming along?
Tracker

[retaliate]

Sorry, I see your last post now, yea I've got my finger chewed a couple times, & have seen levelwind mechanisms break before, but I still perfer levelwinds, as I never got good at spooling a reel with my thumb, I know for really big fish, levelwinds can cause more problems than their worth, but most of our fish I don't consider really big, I've got mixed feelings about hooking a big Tuna, would love the battle, but he would probably destroy my gear, we seen a big one jump last year, & it's just a matter of time till someone hooks into one. Thanks for the reply, thoes Avets look awesome, but I'll stick with levelwinds for now.

[crabbait]

You might take a look at the narrower Avets like the JX or even the PRO EX 4/0. The sppols are deep but not very wide and are easy to feed line back onto.

Hey, I was just like you a couple years ago "...where's the levelwind?" Now I don't even think about it when I am using a saltwater reel. It is just another thing the thumb rapidly learns to do.

[Stowaway]

It took me a full days trip to get used to thumbing the line
on my first open face. Now it's like second nature and I don't even realize I'm doing it. It didn't take me long to convert from a levelwind.

All Tackle dot com will convert Penn reels into a lefty at double the cost of the reel. The only catch is they don't do the level winds.

[tomictime]

deep setup is Avet JX2 N w 65# P-Line Spectra on a 5' 5" Seeker Blacksteel (G6455XHAR)..and for shallow < 200' duty and smaller chickens Avet MXJ in 4.5:1 ratio w 30# P-Line Spectra w 20# Izor topshot..Those live on Seeker G658 Inshore rods...

You guys are in soo much trouble..you are doing NOTHING to improve my tackle HABIT....just demoted the Penn 330GTI's to "visitor" status....

[Stowaway]

The reel has arrived! :grin: WOW is it perty! I'm new to these 2speeds and preset drag reels. Don't these things come with instructions? Wait....I'm a male, what would I need instructions for...just drop it down and figure it out on the way back up.

Don't adjust the drag unless you have the reel in freespool.