Penn Sargus, Shim Saragosa, Cabo

[mythosbeer]

We will go in Feb. I can see it then.

Sounds like a plan to me!! I am truly addicted now! All it took was to find the AJ's! They have been thick too! I only made it from the bottom to the top twice without getting hooked up...and both of those times I was getting bit...just not hooked up.

Looking forward to it Jim!

Mitch

[TBaker]

iuno about the cabo/sargus, but i have a saragossa 18k, iuno how many big aj's i caught on it, but its more then a handful , it has performed flawlessly, never skipped a beat. more drag then i want to hold, smooth too.

for $300 , hard to beat.
Jesse

I'll definitely second Jesse here. Caught some big AJs on the 18k down your way, no problem. Doesn't have the drag system the Stella has, but plenty strong and since AJs don't make the really long blistering runs like tuna, its really not a problem. And, frankly, I've put in Carbontex drags and with some additional use of Cal's grease on the drag mechanism, I'm not yet convinced that it can't handle a pretty sizable tuna. Hope to find out this year!

The real issue, besides drags, is the ability of the gears to take the stress of the big boys. I know the Sargosa can take it, can't speak for the others. I have seen a Fin Nor offshore spinner get destroyed by some 40-50 lb AJs. After about the 3rd fish, it sounded like a coffee grinder. Gears were gone.

But don't think its just the low end or spinners. We've busted the high gears on 3 Accurate 665s, 2 on your large AJs. Accurate put plenty of drag capacity in the reel, but they didn't engineer the gears to take the pressure a big AJ can exert at those higher drags. They're addressing that issue now.

[Sea Draggin]

I have seen a Fin Nor offshore spinner get destroyed by some 40-50 lb AJs. After about the 3rd fish, it sounded like a coffee grinder. Gears were gone.

I have always wondered about that. Was it the Ahab or Offshore? Because the guys at the reel shop tell me it the best made as far as guts. But then I know there was some issues for you guys.

[TBaker]

I have always wondered about that. Was it the Ahab or Offshore? Because the guys at the reel shop tell me it the best made as far as guts. But then I know there was some issues for you guys.

I believe it was the Offshore, but not 100% certain. It was one of Glenn's reels. Note that Fin Nor says you can get 60 lbs. of drag with it. Now that may be true, the drag on the reel seemed fine. But the gears really went. It was an ugly sound.

Almost any reel CAN handle almost anything, under particular circumstances. I'm sure we've all heard the stories. The real issue is whether its built to handle the type of fishing you want on a regular basis. Those VERY large AJs you have there in NC put an enormous strain on the guts of any reel, but will not make a 200 yd. run that can melt a drag (sort of like GTs, I suppose). So, a Saragosa, which seems to be built like a tank, can put out very high drag, but has a much less sophisticated drag system than a Stella (I've looked and its very different), seems to handle them very well.

But it isn't just a high end/low end question. As I said, we've busted some Accurate 665 2-speeds on AJs, and that is definitely a high end reel. On the other hand, I'm getting a Penn 113H Baja Special (for $170 ) to try out this year and I fully expect it to work well. Built like tanks, just lower tech.

[flyerphan13]

First, I know there are a lot of posts in this forum that I need to read through, but I am spent after the shows and don't have the mental capability to do right now, but I will.

However.....I need some feedback on entry level spinners. I just went straight with the Satigas, so I never messed with the less expensive ones, with the exception of Joeys Cabo that died after two trips.

Q1........What entry level spinner would you recommend and why.

Q2........Has anyone used the Sargus?

Hi,

I have a few Sargus reels, and I feel like they are the best reel on the market for under $100.

[Fish Biz]

Thats a shame about the Fin Nors I've never fished um but was leaning towards them for some set ups(loaners) i don't give out the Stella. Some one would be swimmin if they dropped that one over. Tim

[Joey Herring]

Thats a shame about the Fin Nors I've never fished um but was leaning towards them for some set ups(loaners) i don't give out the Stella. Some one would be swimmin if they dropped that one over. Tim

I swam for my sargoosa 18000...slipped out of my hand (injured thumb) with a 40 lb AJ on the other end in 500ft of water...GOT IT!!!

[mythosbeer]

haha, I almost went swimming after I dropped our tail wrapper on our last trip! That was only $100 so I can't imagine what I would do if I dropped a rod n reel over. I imagine the scuba gear would be coming out

Mitch

[mythosbeer]

I have heard or read somewhere that the gears are the only week point in the sargus. I guess I'll have to test that out.

[mythosbeer]

Thought I would bring this back up.

What do you guys think about the Daiwa BG's? I have heard they are tough and last forever...but haven't heard anything from jiggers.

Any others that may be good choices for beginner setups or loaners? Any under $100? Any good for smaller/shallower?

Mitch