fixed spool sea fishing reel

Hi Folks

I have to confess to being one of those visiting coarse fishing types who crop up here every year around holiday time

I have a telescopic spinning rod that goes in the suitcase when I go on holiday... however, I'm thinking about buying a reel to go with it, specifically for sea fishing. So my first question - is there actually any difference between a reel that is sold as a "sea fishing reel"? Is it more corrosion resistant? are the seals better? The one time I did use a general purpose (quite cheap) coarse reel in salt water it seized up as soon as I got home (despite being rinsed in fresh water after I finished fishing).

If the answer is that "yes", they do work better in salt water - can anyone reccomend me a decent reel for under £30 that they use? I guess I'm looking for something with a spool capactiy of around 150 - 200 yards of 12 - 15lb mono? Mainly pier, rock or lure (maybe light boat)

Thanks all
Jim

It all depends on the type of sea fishing you want to do. There are some instances where you would be better off with a multiplying reel, especially if you are surf casting more than 8 oz or are faced with very large fish.

But for general fishing a large FS reel will be found adequate. I have a large and very tough Daiwa reel which I keep at my son's place in Cronulla NSW. It has landed all sorts of species.

All reels, no matter what it says, should be rinsed under the tap to get rid of any sea water. Salt water is extremely corrosive.

Sorry, but I can't recommend much under £30.00. Have a look at the big Okumas, there are some there for about £50.00

A Penn captiva may fit the bill Jim. Do a google and some will show up around the mid £30's.

If it's just for the odd session a large baitrunner will do provided you rinse well with freshwater after use. Failing that the likes of shakepseare do budget saltwater reels which will do a decent job for a few sessions a year.

When my multiplier was out on loan I had great success using my Diawa Opus fixed spool for pier work. It coped admirably and brought many decent sized doggies and a 4lb bass to the drop net with no problems.
You can pick the opus up for about £40 new much cheaper second hand. Im not saying its ideal or that better isn't available I imagine a purpose built sea reel of a similar price would be better but it is a chunky dependable reel and in my experience has coped well.

Thanks guys

I guess what I'm confused over is whether something marketed as a "sea fishing reel" is actually different in some way to the coarse fishing reels I already use

A fixed spool is essential the same for both. Sea reels tend to be larger due to hold larger lines/capacities. Some models, as you mentioned a may even have corrosive resistant parts or coatings or the gearing may be different to cope with bigger fish and larger weights but there is no real reason a large, strong course reel couldn't cope for lighter use.

if your using the reel on a spinning rod then you don't want a reel that will un balace the rod, so a 4000 size would be a good size to cope with most fish and their weight is generally alot lighter than a 5000 or above and would have the capacity for enough line to cope with big fish. also if your using the reel for lure work you really want to use braided line as there is no stretch so your intouch with the lure constantly and the lure works alot better so you want a reel that lays braided line well on the spool. you'll never get a great reel for under £30 so if your planning on catching big barracuda or gts you'll need to increase your budget.
a penn battle btl 4000 is a great reel with ht-100 drag, oversized bail arm to cope with large fish, high gear ratio for lure work and corossion resistant.

Hi Jim,
I fished on every holiday I've had over the past 30+ years, in any water that was available be it rivers, ponds, lakes, oceans or lagoons.

For all my fishing I've used an telescopic 8ft rod, only re-ringed once with the Fuji SIC rings when they originally came out.

My reel throughout this time was a Grey plastic Sheakespeare President fixed spool with four spare spools.
I opened the reel up when I brought it and filled with grease (LMP Castrol), polished the roller and greased that as well.
I then sprayed the entire reel with furniture wax, especially the screws and joints then wiped off the excess.

The spools were filled with clear mono line in 3, 6, 10 and 20lb tests.
With this gear I caught everything from barracuda to bonefish and small(ish) tarpon to sting rays.
I've fed the guy who swept the beach in Mexico, all manner of species many which I still do not know, fish for food or bait, experienced the line zipping bonefish and uncatchable big black rays, and lost loads of hard pulling and toothy critters along the way.

My advice is to get a reel thats you can cast with and as many spare spools as you can afford, prepare it well (as above) and shower with it when you get back to your digs.

Much more important than a high end reel is what you take in your tackle boxes, so you can take advantage of all the opportunities.

I always take two 12"x14" multi-partition tray types stuffed full with everything from shads to wiggle jigs, trace wire to drilled bombs.

My old Shakespeare is now retired (like me) replaced with a Z4500 Saltiga (IMO the finest fixed spool ever) but the rod is still the same dependable stik.

Hi Greg

I know I'm asking a lot and the budget is low, however the reels i fish with on the rivers and lakes only cost me £25!! So didn't see the point in spending a lot more on something I may only use once a year?

Good advice Mick, i can see how that would actually make a difference! And it is always tricky knowing what to pack!! This next trip is on a business journey and i try to only take a carry-on case with me. So space is at a premium.... luckily, there's also plenty of decent local tackle shops where I'm going so I'm hoping that a little bit of local advice will let me just get the bare minimum. The pound - USD exchange rate is ok at the moment too, so I'm hoping I won't be spending too much!

If it's only holiday fishing what about these: 3 x 3BB SEA BEACH FISHING REEL FIXED + 3 SPARE SPOOLS | eBay

Sure not the highest quality I'm sure but you have two more if one fails and he offers a 12 month guarantee .

Ron.