Thread: Conventional Reel for surf

Glad to help.

What do you plan to target? redfish or pompano?

I'm a big fan of Penn 525MAG if you can find one , get a USA made if possible, You can add more mags,use ceramic bearings,Lt. oil,and it will
throw a bait out there.
If you can't, the one that replaced it The Squall isn't bad at all,Or step up to the Fathom
All of them with magnetic braking are very forgiving to cast.

Originally Posted by Pier#r

Glad to help.

What do you plan to target? redfish or pompano?

Let's say reds or generally just chunking cutbait and waiting. Would you recommend a different rod for red vs pompano? Keep in mind you are dealing with a 'simpleton' at the bottom of the learning curve.

I would definitely recommend different rods to target those two species.
Light vs heavy (or medium vs medium heavy or heavy).
but if you chose that reel you are quite capable of picking a rod to fit it (and YOUR budget)...

For reds you will probably want to put a 300 yard spool of 30# braid on that reel.
The rod line rating should reflect that (probably 20#-40# and 3 to 8 ounce lures).
At least a 10 footer (two piece) medium heavy or heavy power.

there are many good conventional rods to choose from:
like a Tica, Tsunami, St Croix, Penn, Bass Pro, Ugly Stik, etc.

Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by jollymon

I'm a big fan of Penn 525MAG if you can find one , get a USA made if possible, You can add more mags,use ceramic bearings,Lt. oil,and it will
throw a bait out there.

Witler,

If you pick up a used USA Penn 525 Mag, be sure to add 4 additional Neodymium Rare Earth magnets on the reverse side of the Mag Slider . . . Don't worry, it's very simple to do !

Shoot me a PM and I'll give you some tips on where to locate USA 525 Mag reels !

Tight Lines !

Originally Posted by Ez2cDave

Witler,

If you pick up a used USA Penn 525 Mag, be sure to add 4 additional Neodymium Rare Earth magnets on the reverse side of the Mag Slider . . . Don't worry, it's very simple to do !

Shoot me a PM and I'll give you some tips on where to locate USA 525 Mag reels !

Tight Lines !

I started with adding 4 also but took 2 off ,Found it slowed it down to much,I was loosing distance.
Experiment a bit with different combinations till you find what works with your castings style.
The 525 Penn's are very forgiving to cast,So are Avet reels also US made(Well California if that counts)
I've upgraded it Avets ,if you get put off by the price, remember if you find Penn 525MAG in very good condition
by the time you swap out the bearings.add magnets and upgrade the drag washers you will have spent the same give or take.