Recommend a proven, durable saltwater spinning reel combo
 

I'm asking this as I'm hoping a spinner is a good starter rig.The type seems multipurpose and might let me bypass the bird nesting and such while I just figure out yak fishing and rigging my boat.

Opinions?

Am I right to think I need something heavy enough to handle braid?

I expect to be off PV in the kelp and off LB and Newport. Kelp bass and maybe halibut . . . (I don't know exactly what I'm targeting. Am still learning, but hope to get a rig heavy enough to handle something large if it comes my way.)

Any good stock combos you're seeing out there?

This may be a little lighter than what you are looking for but I have a penn fierce on a 7' st. Croix mojo bass rod (idk the # rating I'm not at home, think its 10-17). Its beem good to me at tossing light stuff as well as my smaller swimbaits. Biggest I've caught with it was an almost legal halubit and a 7# sandbass. The penn fierce is a durable and inexpensive reel. So it won't kill you if you lose it on the water
EDIT: this is my bay class btw (san diego bay). And you can also use braid on this reel which I would suggest in the kelp

We've been using a Penn Battle reel for a while now and I'd recommend it as an inexpensive (around $100) durable reel. It's all metal, ready for braid, has sealed stainless bearings, and has a decent drag. I've never had a problem with it. http://www.pennreels.com/products/re...g-reels/battle

I bought a really nice saltwater Penn spinning reel. Used it some. Found I was using a conventional reel way more often as they are such nicer reels for saltwater, IMO. I ended up losing the set up as I hate leashes. Never replaced it, as I never have had the need. Go conventional .......

Agree with conventional, but he's looking for a spinner.
Back to the original post: if you have the money, a penn spinfisher V is the goods. Indestructable and probably the most proven. But the penn fierce I mentioned earlier is bulletproof too but not as fancy, at $60 its solid and has done everything I've asked it too. I have the 3000 size

no

Penn slammer 560 with 30lbs power pro on a good 20-30 rod like a Seeker. 20-25-30 topshots.

It's a step up from the Spinfisher and worth the few more bucks. Best spinning reel I've ever owned, I've caught tuna Yellows and stripers on mine and it's a great reel.

http://www.charkbait.com/cs/csrp3.htm


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I saw a guy put a serious hurt on some yellowtail and bluefin down in Mexico. He was fishing a Shimano Sustain on a Terez, I have a couple buddies that use similar setups in Fl. Its expensive though.

Alan Hawk has one of the best spinning reel review sites. Tons of great info and pics. Check it out here http://www.alanhawk.com/reviews/reviews.html

The alanhawk review is very informative and detailed. It mentioned the reel is not water tight as advertised. So i would think twice for using it on kayak.
Also mentioned about failure on pinion gear, anybody experienced this?
I was looking at penn spinfisher

I'm not locked onto a spinner as to WHAT I HAVE to get.

'Just a little scared off by all the birds nest comments over time and looking for a good first rig.

Daiwa saltist 4500. You can catch anything on that reel and the drag is superior it has a super smooth drag on bigger grade fish (caught many tuna, wsb and yt on it). If you want a baitfeeder and to spend a bit less try the penn spinner fishers.

I grew up on the east coast and they use a lot of spinning gear in saltwater even for tarpon.

I have used the shimano baitrunner which is very reasonable and the baitrunner feature is nice when using live bait.

http://www.basspro.com/Shimano-Baitr...b0_34348535431

On spinner vs conventional... a lot of what I've read is noted in this thread. Most So Cal guys have suggested conventional. http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ead.php?t=9027

The fear of backlash/bird nests as a noob had me looking at a spinner.

But, SO often, I'm seeing the Sealine recommended.

Do most use the standard convention version of the Sealine or levelwind or counter? I'm guesting the first.

Standard version. Its cheaper, less moving parts, less to maintain, lighter weight...

Backlashes are gonna happen even with cast control and a trained thumb. Less often as you gain a better feel for your gear. Hell even with spinners I get the occasional wind knot or tripped bail. Go out and practice, don't worry about your gear... you will have bloopers. And don't forget to take pics... I'm one of the few who finds beauty in birdnests. :D

You need more than one setup so plan on eventually getting both. I use a spinner for casting lighter lures/bait, and use a conventional for dropping bait straight down to the bottom and for casting heavier lures/baits.

For conventional you might want to look at a reel with a mag brake to minimize backlash. As far as level-wind, I never needed one but definitely worthwhile if you fish with lures a lot.

Depending on your application, try out a seaworthy baitcaster like an abu garcia revo toro or a shimano curado 300ej. Helps the transition to conventional. Have caught yt halibut and wsb with the revo toro. Fun lil reel (50 size)

Penn baytle series

I own 2 Shimano Baitrunners and both have been 100% reliable and have caught yellowtail up to 20 Lbs off cattle boats.

I have both Penn Battles and Spin Fishers, both of them have held up well for me. I have handled large red drum on both (back on the east coast) and White Sea Bass locally on both. The only reasons I would recommend spending the extra money on the Spin Fisher over the Battle is the Battle has a plastic butt piece on the reel body, which has broke on several of mine and the Spin Fisher has a better drag.

If you are military, Bass Pro Shops will extend their 10% discount to the combos, but not the reel by itself. The Penn Battle Combo with the Battle rod ends up being like $10 more than the reel itself and seems to be a good rod for the money. I did not buy the Spin Fisher as a combo so I cannot comment on the rod that comes with it.

I would recommend staying away from Cabela's Salt Striker Rods and Reels. They are a decent product for the cost (made by Okuma) but their service sucks. You get refered to an outside reel repair service who never answers their phone. Cabela's will also not give you the Okuma reel number so you can order a simple part like the "Thumb Screw" that goes on the opposit side of the handle.

As with any reel, if you use them for saltwater fishing, you have to clean them after every trip. I made the mistake of waiting until the next day to clean reels after fishing all day, which lead to scaling and rusting quickly.

I grease my reels on a regular basis, usually every 8-10 trips out or every other month, or if one gets submerged, it gets a full cleaning and re-greased. This seems to keep them running smooth, I sure other people have other maintenance methods and schedules, but this has worked for me.