I need a good heavy duty spinning reel for some offshore fishing.I know most guys use baitcasting reels but i never liked them.I plan on using it for tuna ,amberjacks .
Looking at Shimano's specs, both the Spheros and Saragosa 8000 has a max drag of 27#. You have to go up a 14000 to get 44#. Even 27# is more then then I have on my Torium 20 which maxes out at 29# though.Just had a good trip out of VB and used Shimano Spheros 8000FB on a Shimano Trevala medium and medium heavy rod for handling AJs up to 51.5 inches. The Shimano FB and Trevala rods were designed specifically for this kind of jiggin for AJ and tuna. And they are reasonably priced. The reel goes for about $139 and the rod $119. One reel had 30 lb braid and the other 65 lb braid. That reel can generate up to 44 lbs of drag.
My friend in MHC NC also swears by the Diawa Cabo series reels for this type of fishing. The same model size in a Cabo is actually a little bigger reel and spool, and sports 44 lb drag max system. It sells for about $160.
Good luck with whatever you end up buying!!!!
LO:thumbup::thumbup:
The old Ahabs , while very heavy , were beasts of a reel . They went out of business a few years back and have been resurrected . Haven't tried any of their new stuff but I'm sure it's not the same as the old made in USA gear . They are owned by W.C. Bradley Corp. now . Think Zebco . I still have old 8# and 12# Ahabs . In their day , Fin-Nor was the top of the line when it came to offshore conventional reels .What do folks think of Fin-Nor reels? Look pretty robust to me and not too spendy.