# Favorite bull red reels?



## "Spanish Fly"

what is your favorite brand reels that you use while fishing for bull red or shark?


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## gundoctor

PENN


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## CajunBob

AG 7000 is all I ever use with 50lbs Cajun Red Line


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## matagordamudskipper

Penn, diawa, avet, abu garica.


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## SP

I use Newells and Accurate Converted Jigmasters for Casted surf rigs (Reds, BU's, & Sharks)


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## big john o

gundoctor said:


> PENN


Yup


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## BU

Penn----140L Squidder. Just wished it held more mono!wait, it does--JigMaster 500--minus the bearings!!!! 
Both are fine Bull Red reels and came at a low price.


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## lunkerbrad

all above but penn is the master it can handle the sand and the abuse of a full blown red run .


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## gundoctor

BU said:


> Penn----140L Squidder. Just wished it held more mono!wait, it does--JigMaster 500--minus the bearings!!!!
> Both are fine Bull Red reels and came at a low price.


Find a good used Jigmaster 505L and you get the best of both reels(Jigmaster 500L & Squidder 140L). Its got bearings, same size spool as Jigmaster 500L, plus the 505 has a faster retrieve. 
The GS555 holds the same amount of line, has even better bearings, a even faster retrieve, & a one piece graphite frame(Some of us don't like graphite frames). The GS555 costs more too.
One of my favorite reels for reds in the surf, is a Jigmaster 506L(thats the narrow one with ball bearings), I spooled it with 300yds of 50# braid and a 100yd topshot of 30# mono. It holds plenty of line that way and will out cast a full sized Jigmaster or Squidder.


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## BU

Once you get the bushings "broke in", the bushing reels--Jigmaster 500, the 09's,etc---are fine casters also. They seem to get better w/age.


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## gundoctor

BU said:


> Once you get the bushings "broke in", the bushing reels--Jigmaster 500, the 09's,etc---are fine casters also. They seem to get better w/age.


Until the bushings get a little wear on them and the hole gets egg shaped. Granted it takes a while to egg shape bushings, but I've done it.


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## Sharkhunter

penn 535


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## Freshwaterman

Diawa SL30 or Saltiga Surf. Penn GS535


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## robul

shimano symetre 4000 with 50 lb power pro.  I love fighting em on light tackle


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## Mustad7731

*Overkill on Redfish reels*

Penn Squidder 140M, Jigmaster 500L, or 545...All of these are
way more than required...I had an old timer tell me back in the
'60's that Penn 9 w/20 lb mono would catch ANY Redfish in Texas!
Mustad7731
Jackie


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## word-doctor

Penn 65 or Penn 500. Mustad, I had a guy tell me the same thing about the 9 just two years ago at High Island!

The 65 is good because it holds a LOT of 40# line--perfect for when they drag you around in a yak.


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## husky451ftr

I like the Shimano Torium 20 or 30. Holds enough 40# mono and is really smooth on casting. About the same cost as a Newell.


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## Capt Rick Hiott

I like the Penn Torque 200!


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## LDL

Penn , here also !


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## Armada_4x4

zebco platinum 33...lol


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## Brian Castille

We use Penn 330 Gti's, Ambassador 7000's and TLD 20's. The best reel for the money in my opinion is the Penn 330 Gti.


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## Captain Dave

2 /3 ditto Those 330's are a great buy and if FTU has some used inspected used ones on the table behind the counter it is even a better deal.

The AB7K witha Allstar Graphite pole make one night ultra light setup for these fish.



Brian Castille said:


> We use Penn 330 Gti's, Ambassador 7000's and TLD 20's. The best reel for the money in my opinion is the Penn 330 Gti.


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## iridered2003

i have to say my abu 5500 or 6500. have caught many of bullreds on them and a few smaller shark. the old school squiter or jigmaster are killer reels also. i just like it lite. i hooked up and landed a 20 lbs kingfish last week on my 6500 tied to a rig about 30 miles out. that was fun. need i say more


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## lunkerbrad

my tackle room


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## haparks

ur gonna laugh but i like the abu garcia 5500c-3 cuz last year we got into a school of bull reds and we were usin big rigs with 50 to 80 lb test and it was a turkey shoot--it was to easy so i decided to break out my freash water bass rig and i only lost one cuz i got wrapped on the anchor line


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## Wakerider1424

Penn 330


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## BU

lunkerbrad said:


> my tackle room


Is that Hemingway? Love that picture.


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## gundoctor

BU said:


> Is that Hemingway? Love that picture.


I believe thats Zane Grey, he was a much more avid fisherman than Hemingway.


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## BU

gundoctor said:


> I believe thats Zane Grey, he was a much more avid fisherman than Hemingway.


Thanks. I know Hemingway did some big game fishing while living in Bimini. Thats some major gear Grey had!!!!

http://www.zgws.org/zgfishre.html


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## RatherBFishing

I love my penn 545GS, 330GTI, and Jigmaster. You cant forget the dawia Saltist.


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## SurfRunner

I like Penn 535's with 20 lb line for bullreds on the beach.

30 lb. tackle for piers


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## live2fish-fish2live

avet 4/0 spooled with 65lb braid, handles most everyting the surf has to offer, except when you sharks start getting over 200 lbs.


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## JD761

live2fish-fish2live said:


> avet 4/0 spooled with 65lb braid, handles most everyting the surf has to offer, except when you sharks start getting over 200 lbs.


I've used that reel before, and it is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overkill for bull reds. Would work fine on sharks up to 8'.


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## Mustad7731

*Catching Multiple Bull Reds @ Once*

The reason he needs a 4/0 with 65lb line, he catches bull reds 3 or 4 at a time...LOL.
Mustad7731


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## sea ray

WOW! You guys break out the big guns. I feel underpowered with my shimano citicas and ambassader 5500c


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## haparks

u the man with that 5000c3 its the best on the market fer the money i think



sea ray said:


> WOW! You guys break out the big guns. I feel underpowered with my shimano citicas and ambassader 5500c


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## iridered2003

i've caught many bullreds on my 55ooc3 and it still works fine i think


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## DMC

Penn 975



















I can and have caught big reds on smaller tackle, but I prefer to land the fish without wearing it out so I has a better chance of survival once it's revived and released.


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## DMC

Capt Rick Hiott said:


> I like the Penn Torque 200!


Never seen that one before. Darn, there goes another few hundred dollars.


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## Jolly Roger

sea ray said:


> WOW! You guys break out the big guns. I feel underpowered with my shimano citicas and ambassader 5500c


Might be because most of reels being recomended on this thread with the purpose of surf fishing. A reel like a 5500c does not work good for Bull reds in the surf, does not have the line capiticy to get very far out.

I perfer Daiwa's 30shv for bull reds. The older jigmasters and squidders work good also.

As for the New Penn reels, Penn should add P.O.S after there name now days. The reels that penn are making now are piles of china ****. Only a matter of time before all Penn reels are being made by children in China.


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## StanC

been using the jigmaster since 1975 still have two that i bought back then still workng just some minor repairs wash oil and fish


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## gundoctor

StanC said:


> been using the jigmaster since 1975 still have two that i bought back then still workng just some minor repairs wash oil and fish


Keep that up and your grand kid's kid might finally wear it out. 
They are bullet proof.


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## pg542

Old Penn Mag-Power 980 or 990. Fearless casters straight into a hard onshore wind. I've owned a lot of Penns and these are my favorite surfcasters by far. I sure wish they still made them (in America).... Amb 7000 is a great caster but a little short on line capacity. Braid would help a lot on that, but won't do much for the limited drag strength. Great for bullreds. Any body have any comments on Amb 9000 or 10000?


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## surf

Well since you asked. The only reels I own are PENN. In 2006, my 2 fishing buddies and I probably caught and released 200 reds, the smallest was probably 35". The penn 9500 is my reel of choice, next would be my 30 year old 309. The 320gti (my late father used) caught a many before being retired for centimental reasons. The new 330gti will catch anything short of a 5' shark.
the new style 9500 is a work of art, they did away with the reverse, which was the only complant about a 9500. The 209 is a bit tricker but does the job when asked to. the 109 stays close for bait and specks, same for the 9m. Have yet to catch anything worthy of the 9'0. Now this is all about reds, sharks are a different story. We don't see many over 3'.


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## Redfishr

All my old jigmasters, squidders, and 3/0 specials are long gone.
I use Ambassador 7000's now for Bulls.


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## troutless

What Jolly Rogers said, I also use the Diawa SHV30, and a old Penn Squidder. But the Diawa cast's so much better.


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## FLATSDADDY

PENN 965 mountd on a 7.5 foot Falcon Lowrider medium/light action rod running Trilene Ultrathin superlimp 17# line. 
I fish mostly from boat, wade, or jetties. Not much surf fishing for me. 
I originally had 25 # mono on it but peeled it off and loaded it with 17#. It just has s different feel with the 17 # line that seems to fit the reel just right. With the 17 # line, the 965 has generous capacity, and a very smooth and dependable drag. 
Overall that set up has a well balalnced feel, not too heavy to chunk out lures with, and lots of fun playing big reds or uglies in the fall/winter/early spring. The rod/reel combination allow good, long casts even against wind as long as it isn't too windy. I keep this rig at home most of the time and use it almost exclusively for night fishing with cut or live bait now when targeting bull reds or uglies. This set up has worked very well for me. I have yet to loose a fish due to gear issues. Most fish lost were due to poor hook up or bad hook set. A few due to poor net work at the boat or slippery hands trying to pose for pics. LOL
I favor my 2500 Semetre now for most of my fishing. I also had a trusty PENN 920 Levelmatic but sold in on ebay. Loved that little reel and kick myself on the glutes for parting with it. I hope this helps.


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## madshark

Newell 344.


On 9' surf rods from pier or beach and 30-50 class stand-up rods from boat.


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## Quint

Penn 209, 30 lb test, enough said!


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## Fisher Lou

Penn 3/0. I have been fishing with them for 20 years. Easy to clean and they have never let me down yet. You can still find them on Ebay.


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## hector200

ABU 6500 CS PRO ROCKET


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## Chase4556

What would you guys suggest for a cheap bull red reel/rod? I'm a college kid on a budget, haha. I'm thinking like...80 bucks or so if possible.


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## Jolly Roger

Chase4556 said:


> What would you guys suggest for a cheap bull red reel/rod? I'm a college kid on a budget, haha. I'm thinking like...80 bucks or so if possible.


Used Jigmaster or Squidder from Ebay.

American rodsmith 12' casting from academy.

If you are surf fishing


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## Chase4556

http://houston.craigslist.org/boa/819665416.html

maybe? I"m not sure what I should be looking for in a reel, but definatly in my price range, seems to have the line capacity of some of the reels yall suggested. 320yds of 20#.


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## greddy09sc

How about Penn 320GTI? What is the difference between the GTI and the GT2?

I see a deal on a refurbished one and thinking about buying. $80+tax for reel and Penn rod.


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## 535

I'd avoid level-wind reels for surfcasting... they will get the job done, but not really designed for the job. Great pier reels when distance isn't such an issue.

I think Jolly Roger nailed it for your price range


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## chads7376

*7000LD*

I use a few ABU 7000 Lever Drag reels for the surf and I love them. They double as my King fishin reels too. I just put them on different rods.


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## Magnolia

Stupid question here. I see the Jigmaster 500 does not have a level wind on it. Just how does one get the line to go back on the reel level?


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## Jolly Roger

Magnolia said:


> Stupid question here. I see the Jigmaster 500 does not have a level wind on it. Just how does one get the line to go back on the reel level?


 Most surf casting reels do not have level winds. You learn how to put the line back onto the reel with your thumb. Not hard at all and after a few times will be second nature.


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## lunkerbrad

i use a 320 gti for reds works fine . 
but a 5500 is ok if you are in a boat or on pier now i fish passes and i have landed big fish on small reels here is a 40 inch red on a 5500 last year and 10 lb test out of slp in a hard current , 
but to the guys looking for a starter reel go with what you like and feels good to you .30 lb tackle is all you need .


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## marc

We use Alutecnos Albacore 12


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## Sometimer

I use an Abu 6500 w/20lb Power Pro. My wife likes the Abu 5500 w/20lb Power Pro. The line test is all about setting the drag pressure with a scale so that it doesn't break. As far as line capacity; I wouldn't use a 5500 unless you have a boat to chase the fish down. I had to pull anchor and do that with one of my wife's bull reds. He nearly spooled her with the current. I set my drag with 20 lb test between 8 and 10 lbs. Makes it more fun! I just use the stiffer rods rated for about 25lb test, but I've had a guy fish with me that caught some big ones with an All Star flimsy popping cork rod with no problem. It seemed like it bent in two but didn't break though.


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## Captain Kyle

The Van Staal VS150 in gold.


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## PasadenaMan

Penn 320 gt2


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## 6.5 shooter dude

Abu 6600 cl the rocket


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## Captain Kyle

Curado 300 hands down. 30# powerpro, heavy action castaway. (throws about 2oz.)


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