Casting Practice Using a Penn 113HL on Ballistic Rod!

Recently anglers have asked what i thought about using the Penn 4/0 for shore casting. Normally i used it on the boat but for deep water up to shore it's a good powerful reel that holds a lot of line. This 4/0 was filled with 150yd of 80lb Jerry Brown Braid with a 230yd mono top shot of 50lb Trilene Big Game at Charley's Fishing Supply in Honolulu, HI (with prior permission from Roy the owner to film on location).

I could use lighter line to cast farther but with reef & coral abrasions i felt more comfortable using what was recommended by Charley's. This was the high speed model BNIB and had the original stock bearings. I averaged 60yd casting, could never get past 80yd. If i used heavier banks it would've helped, also using 40lb instead of 50lb monofilament but with reef & coral i used 50lb.

Using thicker mono also allowed me to use my thumb to break the spinning speed directly instead of thumbing the sides. This was shot years ago in different segments so i spliced everything together & shortened it. The guy doing the spooling at Charley's, Ken, is one of the best on island (if not THE best). He knows his knots to lines & is a wealth of information.

If you plan on using large reels just remember you're casting distance. Try to fish areas where there's deeper water in front of you. Also your arm strength. Meaning if your line is stuck do you have the strength to snap the line? For me i never use mono thicker then 80lb & braid stronger then 100lb as i normally fish solo & i know i can break these by myself. Back when i did this i use to cast 4 Ballistics (2-35's & 2-40 Rods), also from Charley's.

When it comes to gear i suggest using what YOU have faith in. Color, name brand to price tag or popularity means nothing. Only YOU have to trust your own equipment. Do your research. Watch videos. Use social media. The biggest plus is watch what others around you use. Listen to their positive to negative reviews. I like YouTube because you can watch the gear in use.