Fish-Hawk.Net

When I was 14 I broke my wrist on my left hand across both the bones. It healed okay but never felt as strong after the break. I don't like to hold my rod in my left hand especially when I am fighting a big fish. Now all the other types of reels seem to be made for both left and right handed people but not trolling reels.

I'm looking for a leadcore baitcasting trolling reel for 8 colours that is left handed. The only company that I know that does this is Okuma reels. I had one of the saltwater ones and it lasted about 5 years. It's cheaper to buy it new then repair. I'm looking for a reel that will last me the rest of my life...one of higher quality. Any suggestions?

Without doing any maintenance on the reel, no reel will last you the rest of your life, unless you're planning on booking out at the end of the summer.
Bearings and drag washers have to be maintained and the factory doesn't put enough grease or oil in them to last.

Looking for a lifetime reel, get an Avet. The Avet Pro series would meet your reqs. They are available in Left Hand as well. True quality.

A few other people recommended this reel on other boards. Does anyone sell them in Ontario?

ABU GARCIA 7000i
Model # 1120006 (left)
hold 325 yds. 17 lb. mono
Approx. cost $150.00

the ONLY reels that will last the length you are looking for, but don't make them in a left hand, is the shimano tekota.

i own a large number of them, never did a single thing to them (oil, grease, anything) and have never had one burn out/fail/etc.

I'm pretty sure Okuma makes a high end reel that is left handed.

for curiousity sakes, as i had never heard of it, i checked out that avet reel...

they only come in VERY SLOW retrieve speeds....

i wouldn't consider one for leadcore.

Actually, most of the Avet reels have both a High and Low gear, with a side shifter. H 3.2:1, L 1.3:1 for the Pro series. The HX series is H 5.4:1
L 2.4:1

3.2:1 would work fine for Leadcore IMO... very similiar ratio to a Penn Special Senator.

steve-hamilton wrote:for curiousity sakes, as i had never heard of it, i checked out that avet reel...

they only come in VERY SLOW retrieve speeds....

i wouldn't consider one for leadcore.

a 5.4:1 is the slowest reel i would use for leadcore...

i have an old penn 309 that i used to use for 5 colour leadcore, and i couldn't handle it...it was 4.1:1.

have a look at the daiwa saltist reels.

they make a rock solid reel that will hold 8 colours of core, and is 6.4:1 gear ratio...

when running leacore, i personally think gear ratio is the single most important factor.....

and i sure run a ton of leadcore.....

(8 tekota's loaded with different sections of core)

Take a look at this Okuma reel

Isis Left Hand Round Baitcast - IS-400LX

but like everyone says taking care of the reel properly is the only way that they will last you a life time.

Pete

Thank you for your advice!

It's not like I am going to kick the reel around the basement and then pour salt on it. I do basic maintenance with my reels every winter. I simply want a reel that can last 25 years without crapping out on me.

With 10 colours out, my Penn is a bit slow at the bottom but OK nearer the top. I've never tried a faster ratio reel on leadcore though I can appreciate the benefit!!

steve-hamilton wrote:a 5.4:1 is the slowest reel i would use for leadcore...

I'm not totally up on what those ratios mean. You brands boasting things like, 24" on every crank. Can you figure that out by looking at the numbers of the ratio? I want a reel that can hold 8 colours. With my old reel you had to crank like an crazy to get the line in if all colours were out and keep slack off when a fish was on. More crank for the turn will be an added bonus of the new reel.

Many sites post their line retreival speed. For example, check out the Okuma site for Convector reels.
http://www.okumafishingteam.com/family/250467/Convector

A 5:1 reel will turn the spindle 5x for 1 turn of the crank.
As you noted, the actual line distance moved is a function of spindle diameter, so with a lot of line out, much less line is retrieved per crank.

If a fish makes a fast run toward the boat, too low a ratio will allow slack in the line, and a lost fish. The 2-speed reels are for exactly that. Crank it into high with lots of line out, then down-shift when the fish gets closer to the boat when you need to muscle it in.

scuro wrote:I'm not totally up on what those ratios mean.