reel advice

[fabiotobasco]

I work on an offshore oil rig in the gulf of mexico. the guys I work with were set up to go fishing but one of the guys left and took his reel with him. the rod is still out here though. I'm thinking about buying a reel to put on it so that I can fish for tuna off the rig. Most of what they catch out there is black fin, with some yellowfin and mahi mahi. I'd like to get something decent and durable but don't want to spend too much. Can I get a decent one for under $100? what do I need to look for? Am I going to have to worry about it fitting on the rod or is it pretty much a universal thing? I'm from illinois and I've never bought anything other than little reels from wal mart so I'm kind of out of my element with this kind of fishing. Like I said price is an object but I don't believe in buying junk and if I can't afford a good one I just won't get one - or more likely I'll use my powers of rationalization and buy it anyway. Thanks in advance for your help

[dc8hunter]

go for a reel with a high gear ratio like 6.3 to 1 or so. You want to be able to rip diamond jigs through the water as fast as you can for those blackfin tuna. I have used a Diawa saltist and a shimano speedmaster and have had good results with both. I loaded them with 50lb spectra line and use a flurocarbon leader. Make sure your 6 and 8 oz. diamond jigs don't have the cheap treble hook that has been cut and bent in place. replace them with split rings and good hooks. You should be able to find either one of those reels for about $120 dollars. My Favorite for Tuna jigging is the Penn Int. 30 torque. but it costs a good deal more. Good luck with the tuna, speed is the key!

[Warren_Brantley]

The rod and reel combo is always a good idea. You can pick up a Penn 4/0 or 6/0 on EBay cheap and load with line of decent diameter for the wear and tear it would receive. The other option I mention is simple hand line fishing using live bait. I would personally pick up 1000 feet of 1/8 inch braided nylon, some 200# test Momoi leader (steel if you want to catch some sharks), and some hooks. Then get a Sabiki rig to catch live bait. Or a smaller rig for hardtails. If you use a counter weght of 25 pounds (ex. a pulley with a sandbag) when you hook up a fish you can handline them up quickly as the pully will serve as drag. It drops down behind you as you pull the catch up. I have caught marlin with rods and reels of all types but my recent catch of one on a rope with only a pair of garden gloves has a special meaning to me. EBay has everything I mentioned at decent prices. Either way you'll have fun catching fish. Best of Luck. Doc

[bushwacker]

I use the Shamano Torium 30 ($180) but if you want a great combo rob and reel get the one Bass Pro Shop makes, OceanMaster. You can get rod and reel for around $130. All aluminum reel and I think their rod is made by Penn.

[Capt Rick]

Like Warren said,,,,go with the Penn 6/0
Here is what it looks like.

http://www.pennreels.com/01_products/reels/conventional/04_senator/specialsenator/114hsp.htm