PENN Squall II Star Drag Conventional Fishing Reel SQLII40SDLH $129.99

aabbccbbaa

Feb 7, 2023

1,343 Posts

Joined Oct 2021

Feb 7, 2023

aabbccbbaa

Feb 7, 2023

1,343 Posts

Quote from froznwalrus

:

The important question is how far can YOU cast with this. There are so many things that go into casting distance. Are you going to put this on a 6' boat rod or a 12' surf rod? How much weight are you using? Line diameter affects casting distance. Are you doing an OTG cast or a pendulum cast?

Fair questions. I am thinking of trying out a conventional reel for perhaps an unconventional application - crab snaring. I am currently using spinning reels paired with 9 to 12' surf rods, which is the standard setup over here on the west coast. Lure weight (crab snare + bait + lead weights) ranges from 5 - 15oz depending on surf conditions. With my current gear and skills my casting distance maxes out at around 75-80 yards. I am looking at going conventional to improve my casting distance and also to have more power on the retrieval - it can be a real workout retrieving a large crab (sometimes 2!). With my spinning gear I've settled on 65-80lb braid (with a short length of heavy mono shock leader) - I guessing I could probably go slightly lighter with a conventional reel. As I usually crab from a pier, I think it would be best to stick with an overhead cast.

A couple of months ago I happened upon a Garcia Mitchell 624 in excellent condition at a thrift store. Actually, it looked like it had never been used. But at the time I didn't know anything about these old reels and my wife who was with me somehow was able to convince me that I didn't really need it, so I passed. I went home and did some research, got buy-in from the wife and went back 2 days later but alas it was already gone. Maybe I should look for another one or similar on eBay... But I digress. Thanks for any advice you can give!

jplee3

Feb 7, 2023

10,117 Posts

Joined Jul 2007

Feb 7, 2023

jplee3

Feb 7, 2023

10,117 Posts

Quote from Giantcrazy

:

Same here. The deals for LH reels come often, especially if you're into used gear. I tried once, just too unnatural for me. I'm sure some people can, and more power to them, they're getting in on some great deals.

For one the handle sits up too high on bcs and conventionals....i just can't get used to that.

But the other concern with switching to LH conventionals especially is if/when you get on a charter boat and everyone else, including the deckhands, primarily use right-handed. If you get into a big fish and need help fighting or handling it, whoever you hand it off to will hate you and you may end up losing the fish too lol

Hoodedcrow

Feb 7, 2023

232 Posts

Joined Dec 2010

Feb 7, 2023

Hoodedcrow

Feb 7, 2023

232 Posts

Used to fly fish the intracoastal waterway, ocean side like on Ocracoke Island, always stiff, in your face wind blowing it seems. Then there is always the knee high diagonal sand storms like sandpaper, that gives The Mummy movie a run for it's money. All part of the experience 😀

froznwalrus

Original Poster

Feb 7, 2023

113 Posts

Joined Sep 2013

Feb 7, 2023

froznwalrus

Original Poster

Feb 7, 2023

113 Posts

Quote from aabbccbbaa

:

Fair questions. I am thinking of trying out a conventional reel for perhaps an unconventional application - crab snaring. I am currently using spinning reels paired with 9 to 12' surf rods, which is the standard setup over here on the west coast. Lure weight (crab snare + bait + lead weights) ranges from 5 - 15oz depending on surf conditions. With my current gear and skills my casting distance maxes out at around 75-80 yards. I am looking at going conventional to improve my casting distance and also to have more power on the retrieval - it can be a real workout retrieving a large crab (sometimes 2!). With my spinning gear I've settled on 65-80lb braid (with a short length of heavy mono shock leader) - I guessing I could probably go slightly lighter with a conventional reel. As I usually crab from a pier, I think it would be best to stick with an overhead cast.

A couple of months ago I happened upon a Garcia Mitchell 624 in excellent condition at a thrift store. Actually, it looked like it had never been used. But at the time I didn't know anything about these old reels and my wife who was with me somehow was able to convince me that I didn't really need it, so I passed. I went home and did some research, got buy-in from the wife and went back 2 days later but alas it was already gone. Maybe I should look for another one or similar on eBay... But I digress. Thanks for any advice you can give!

I've never even heard of crab snaring. After some research it looks pretty interesting. I definitely think a conventional reel is the way to go if you're looking to maximize distance. I primarily shore fish for catfish in the James River. I use the Squall II 15 casting special. Paired with a 12' surf rod, 6-8 ounces of lead and a decent chunk of bait I'm getting 150+ yard casts pretty easily. One thing that looks like it would definitely affect distance is the aerodynamics (or lack thereof) of the crab trap apparatus. My mind instantly goes to a place where I could see that the use of a water soluble thread used to tie together the snare to make it more aerodynamic in flight might make a difference. Then again, I've never done this kind of fishing and I'm just spitting out the first thing that comes to mind.

1

aabbccbbaa

Feb 14, 2023

1,343 Posts

Joined Oct 2021

Feb 14, 2023

aabbccbbaa

Feb 14, 2023

1,343 Posts

Quote from froznwalrus

:

I've never even heard of crab snaring. After some research it looks pretty interesting. I definitely think a conventional reel is the way to go if you're looking to maximize distance. I primarily shore fish for catfish in the James River. I use the Squall II 15 casting special. Paired with a 12' surf rod, 6-8 ounces of lead and a decent chunk of bait I'm getting 150+ yard casts pretty easily. One thing that looks like it would definitely affect distance is the aerodynamics (or lack thereof) of the crab trap apparatus. My mind instantly goes to a place where I could see that the use of a water soluble thread used to tie together the snare to make it more aerodynamic in flight might make a difference. Then again, I've never done this kind of fishing and I'm just spitting out the first thing that comes to mind.

Apologies for the late reply, I didn't realize you had replied! I just looked up catfishing on the James River - wow those are some big catfish! For crab snaring from the pier, distance is not that critical though it can be an advantage since you could have dozens of people crabbing in the same general area in a given day. If crabbing from the beach then being able to cast out far is required - folks who do this often wear waders so they can walk into the water when casting. That said, the majority of folks here use spinning gear for crabbing.

I think that aerodynamics definitely plays a part but I wonder how much so when it's being pulled through the air by a lot of lead. Still, I've experimented with using smaller snares as well as less loops per snare (in California the legal max per snare is 6 loops). Thanks for the suggestion of water soluble thread - I had not thought of that and will look into it. If anything it should also have the benefit of preventing the loops from getting tangled up during casting.

By the way, when you say you use a surf rod, is that a spinning surf rod or is it an actual casting/conventional surf rod?

1

froznwalrus

Original Poster

Feb 14, 2023

113 Posts

Joined Sep 2013

Feb 14, 2023

froznwalrus

Original Poster

Feb 14, 2023

113 Posts

Quote from aabbccbbaa

:

Apologies for the late reply, I didn't realize you had replied! I just looked up catfishing on the James River - wow those are some big catfish! For crab snaring from the pier, distance is not that critical though it can be an advantage since you could have dozens of people crabbing in the same general area in a given day. If crabbing from the beach then being able to cast out far is required - folks who do this often wear waders so they can walk into the water when casting. That said, the majority of folks here use spinning gear for crabbing.

I think that aerodynamics definitely plays a part but I wonder how much so when it's being pulled through the air by a lot of lead. Still, I've experimented with using smaller snares as well as less loops per snare (in California the legal max per snare is 6 loops). Thanks for the suggestion of water soluble thread - I had not thought of that and will look into it. If anything it should also have the benefit of preventing the loops from getting tangled up during casting.

By the way, when you say you use a surf rod, is that a spinning surf rod or is it an actual casting/conventional surf rod?

I use a casting surf rod with my casting reels.

1

aabbccbbaa

Feb 14, 2023

1,343 Posts

Joined Oct 2021

Feb 14, 2023

aabbccbbaa

Feb 14, 2023

1,343 Posts

Quote from froznwalrus

:

I use a casting surf rod with my casting reels.

Got it, thanks!

1

PENN Squall II Star Drag Conventional Fishing Reel SQLII40SDLH $129.99

$129

$190

Community Voting

Leave a Comment

22 Comments

Leave a Comment

Related Searches

Popular Deals

Trending Deals