Stella driving me NUTS!!

[bradizle]

Hey guys, im posting from Australia and after a Stella... older model preferred of the cheap prices these days..... but what really is bothering me is the size...
It has to run 50lb varvias big one braid...

I can only afford to get one for the mean time...

This Stella will be used in Sydney harbour for king fish that get up to around 80cm , there has been reports of big harbour kings' around 115cm ...but never know my luck ... the rats pull like freight trains in only meters of water , its ethier you land the rats or they dust you...

I want to jig them offshore aswell in about 150metre depths... more common bigger kings offshore sydney , cracking over a meter at times

Also taking the reel offshore for YFT and casting metals and poppers for tuna (TWICE A YEAR only) since my holiday house is up the coast with good game fishing...

First i thought the 8000, but then the spool capacity was only 300m of 50lb. cant jig in 150m and left with hardly anything if i hook a massive king.
then it was the 10000... then i heard that's its the same size only shorter spool... which could be interchangeable... and the 10k has a quite a quick retrieval rate and couldn't be good for me while cubing YFT and trolling or even jigging up king fish from the ocean floor..

Then the 20k... its a bloody huge reel and im only in Australia... not chasing dog tooth tuna out of tiny little holes they live in or poppering massive GT's and its bloody heavy , the 10k is lighter and wouldnt like to be popperring for hours with a 20k

I need suggestions before christmas day!!


Thank you all, Brad

[shoefish]

bradizle,
First off, welcome to SFC! I'm a little jealous of you right now, our fishing season is ending, and yours must be getting under way...I guess I need a house in each hemisphere

I'm not sure what the right answer to your question is, but I'll try to throw my two cents in, and please note that I've never fished over there so I don't know what the fish you are describing fight like.

My first thought on 300m of 50lb line (Stella 8k) is that even with 150m out, a fish would have to run a ridiculously long way to spool you- if you picture a long pendulum, a fish would have to pull an extremely long distance to pull the rest of that line off. If it was mono I think that a fish could run enough to build a big enough belly to spool you perhaps, but it would be much harder with braid.

Still, like I said I don't know your fishery and perhaps that is a very real possibility. If that's the case, you will have to look at the 10k or 20k (for the older FA models) or an 18k or 20k (for the new SW models). As a fyi, the 10k and 20k are the same size just with a different retrieve ratios and spool capacities.

If that is just too big, you may need to check out conventional reels as you can probably find a wide version that would fit the bill. I'm sorry I can't suggest one, I'm more of a spinning guy than a conventional one.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide!

Shoe

[brad regan 01]

sick name

[fostj10]

remember how much drag the 8000 is capable of. Bluefin is the only thing I've had pull that much line out with over 40 lbs of drag. And remember most of the time all your line is pulled out when you are trolling, not so much when you're sitting still.

[bradizle]

sick name

word brother!!