# Mitchell Nautil reel??



## Jolly Roger (May 21, 2004)

Going to get a spinning reel for use from the yak. Anyone have any pros or cons on the Nautil. Waterproof seems to good to be true.


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## Robbie (Jun 7, 2004)

*Hey JR*

KCON has a couple of these reels. He swears by um! Shoot him an email.

See ya on the sand!!

Robbie


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## Diamondwrapper (May 21, 2004)

We fish them in the surf up here in New York and they are a great casting reel. The drag feels prety good too. Most of us remove the bails. I find that it's just easier fishing without the bail on the reel. If you can find a yellow 7500, grab it because I don't think they make Nautils any more. The black reels just didn't hold up as well for some reason.


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## Diamondwrapper (May 21, 2004)

Bail removed


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## Bigfish_04 (Jun 21, 2004)

How do you cast a spinning reel with out a bail? Isn't that the thing that puts the line on the reel? Dont have many spinning reels, use more baitcast.


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## Diamondwrapper (May 21, 2004)

I've got a couple of Nautils, Penn550 Slammers, and a Vann Stall. None of them have bails. It's all done by feel. After the cast you extend your index finger to the line and when you feel it you pull it towards the blank and start turning the handle. The line goes right on to the pickup. Most of our fish are in the 15 to 40 pound range (Stripped Bass) so we use 50 pound Power Pro most of the time. Most of our fishing is done in the dark while standing on rocks that are a hundred yards off the shore line. We wear wet suits and have steel spikes on our shoes so we don't slip off into the deep water. Every thing is covered with seaweed and it's slippery as hell.


We fish bait and lures depending on the situation. Big Pikeis, darters, and 1 1/2 to 2 oz bucktails are very popular. Live eels get a bunch of action also.

I've never gotten any large sharks from the beach but they are here. Sometimes when we're on the rocks at night their swimming right around us. Most of the guys that target sharks go offshore and get Great Whites, Makos,Blues, and Threshers. I did get a 200 pound sting ray from the shore last fall with a Vann Stall and 65 lb. Power Pro on an 11' St. Croix. I was using bunker chunks for bait.


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## Surfrat (May 21, 2004)

*Re: Well,....*



Bigfish_04 said:


> How do you cast a spinning reel with out a bail? Isn't that the thing that puts the line on the reel? Dont have many spinning reels, use more baitcast.


A bail system on a spinning reel snaps back into place after the cast and on the first crank, gathering the line placing it on the roller assembly,... it's covenient and that's about it. The bail can get dented and snap back on you while in the act of casting, breaking off your line. Penn offers manual conversion kits on the 7500-9500 SS Spinners, w/the kit you remove the bail system and store it for future use, and then install just the roller arm assembly, which holds and directs the line to the spool. This same thing can be acheived by cutting off the bail wire w/a dremel tool etc., as seems to be the case in this thread w/the Nautil that DW has done. When using this type of alteration, one manually gathers the line after the cast w/your hand and places it on the roller. I prefer this system to the bail, and it's been around for way many years back to the 40's (Crack-Luxor). The VanStall reels employ this same strategy,... ($$$$$$$$$$$$). It takes a little getting used to, but after you do you don't have to worry ever, about the bail getting bent or snapping back on you when you are in the act of casting to South America.


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