Saltwater reels recommendations

The world record Flathead (123#) was caught on crappie tackle.

 

Thats not a river cat.

 

No thanks. Those hardheads are obnoxious in the canals. Gafftopsail cats are kinda neat, but still not something I would target. They just don't get big enough to be very interesting.

 

Flatheads live in a lot of rivers.

 

Me, too. But, big flatheads are pretty fun!

 

When I hook a big flattie it feels like you're snagged on a branch. The things don't freak out until they see the surface.

 

Probably slightly more resistant to prolonged submersions.

 

They're both awesome, can't go wrong with either.

 

Just wanted to follow up. I went with the shimano saragosa swa in the 5000 size. Thanks again.

 

You should look at the line of Tsunami reels. Specifically Tsunami Shield, it is a highly sealed salt water rated reel. I would not use a reel over 3000 size in my opinion. A 3000 can handle the majority of inshore species. Tsunami also offers the SaltX, which is almost on par with a Van Staal. Far too expensive imo. A Tsunami Shield will cost about $100, a SaltX is about $400.
I just looked on Amazon;
Tsunami Shield is $120
Tsunami SaltX is $300

 

I did look at the tsunami and seemed to have real good feedback. I did already buy the shimano. Ive used it a couple times now and have been very happy with it.

 

I’m a Shimano user as well. They’ve never disappointed.

 

When I started getting into saltwater fishing, it seemed like most folks were using Penn and Shimano. After a bunch of research, it sounded like the Shimanos were smoother, and Penns were a little more durable. Knowing how I treat my gear, I went with Penn. I think I have about 8 of them now, and nothing but good experiences.

 

Yeah between the 3, they all would have been great. At some point, I needed to stop reading reviews and just pull the trigger. Ive been on the piers a bunch this month for salmon and really like it. Just need the salmon to cooperate better.

 

Still have the saragosa and runs like a champ. I did want to get another reel setup, so I went with a diawa BG. Wanted to spend less but very impressed. Line capacity is huge on this. Wish I woulda went one size down, have to add alot of backing. Wanted a 3000 but found the 4000 for like 20 bucks cheaper and the cheapskate side of me made me do it.

 

I’m a fan of the Daiwa BG if only for the fact they have no anti-reverse