Duel reels WDYT?

[WHEATDOG]

Please let mr know

[Mike15]

Please let mr know

In my opinion they are overpriced POS. It takes awhile to get used to and there is really no difference in smoothness from an accurate or Tiagra

[paul708]

i dont know if i like reeling backwards..their smaller reels are nice

[madgaffer]

On a charter this summer our customers brought one on board with a custom rod we released a 65 lb white and then after 3 1/2 hr fight we grabbed the bill of a est 750 lb blue marlin it went through all 6 guys in the charters twice. beautiful fish but yes its an unnatural motion to reel the other way. The price is kinda crazy tho.

[crispy167]

i didn't seem to mind the reeling backwards, thought it would be strange but got the hang of it real quick ... brought in a 125# blue shark in short order OC shark tourney this year ... also boated a 152# mako

[Innovator]

The concept behind the duels I like a lot, we fished them one season in the BBC's. Held up alright marlin fishing. Blew two up Giant fishing and I had enough. Very strange drag system with an insane amount of small springs to adjust overall drag performance, in my opinion way too complicated. I would like to see Shimano purchase the technology and apply to their reels and their drag system, and it would be a home run.

The reeling backwards is not that bad and the instant shift can keep an inexperienced angler from getting into trouble in low gear when a fish is running at the boat etc.

Anodizing held up well, I would not be afraid to use again just not Giant fishing.

[mythosbeer]

I have used the speedy 12 and it was a tough little reel with good drag for its size. I've never used the smartshift or any of the larger reels. The speedy 12 isn't a quiet reel.

Mitch

[Jon Schwartz]

Funny to see this thread because at the moment I am transcribing an interview I did with Capt. Gene Vanderhoek this summer in Kona. FWIW Gene has been using those reels on his boat, the Sea Genie II, since '99 and catching huge blue marlin with them.
They were using the 12/0 models.
For their rating, they seemed much smaller than standard reels. The Duel reels that Gene used in the place of 130's looked like 80's, but they were rated for the biggest blues they might come across. The owner of the boat cuts no corners and Gene is a hotshot captain who is well known in big game circles and has won lots of major awards, if you're curious about this here is his site www.seageniesportfishing.com

If this sounds like an advertisement for the reels, it's not meant to be, but I am literally in the midst of transcribing the interview and just got to the part where he was discussing how and why he uses them. I couldn't resist chiming in because the info seemed so relevant to your questions. When I saw them I was quite taken aback and we talked about them at length; it'd be one thing for a captain who rarely comes across big fish to use them, but he's been fishing the Kona Coast for decades and he's landed a bunch of granders, and like he says, "You can't afford to be caught with your pants down" in Kona.
Obviously I do not have the personal experience that Innovator has with the reels but maybe this info might be of some help in the discussion.
Tx guys,
Jon Schwartz
Fishing Photography, Articles, and Travel
http://www.bluewaterjon.com/

[92 feet down]

I fished on the Mojo out of OCMD a few years ago & Capt. Joe uses them. The reeling backwards is a little awkward at first, but you easily get used to it. I liked them. I thought they were great reels.

[fowlscay]

I think "wheatdog" knows the ones your talking about pretty good. I liked them I seam to remember the Penns being the last rods to get picked up . The Duels put a whipping on better BFT ,s we were catching . Wonder were they are now ?????