After being away from the coast for many years my business has expanded down to Houston. So excited to be back into the saltwater. Looking to get back into surf fishing and need to upgrade my equipment. What are some good options for reels targeting big reds and sharks. I have some older Senators that worked fine years ago, but really would like hear some opinions on what's new and reliable. Looking for line capacity up to 400yds. Trying not to break the bank either.

Thanks!

Try the abu garcia Alphamar the 16 holds 570yd of 30lb braid Also the abu 7000 series are great.I like penns myself you can get a defiance almost half the price of the garcias and get 450yds with 40lb braid. It really depends on what you want to spend. Also those old senators are bullet proof I would look into having them cleaned and lubed & just use them I have some my grandfather used and they work better than the newer ones. Good luck

A lot of people are still using those old senators. Most shark fishermen actually prefer the old ones because they were made in the USA.

Abus are good and My new favorites are Avets

are you looking for casting reels or reels to run out baits? for casting reels if you want a spinning reel. anything that holds alot of line and a decent 12foot rod, will do the trick. i would also suggest look at getting this thing called the cannon from breakwayusa.com it will save your fingers. for a conevtional casting reel. diawa makes some awesome reels for the surf. also abu's make some that will do the trick. i have a 6550 w that i use. also thing to consider is if you want a level wind or not. while i use a couple reels that have them. i perfer they dont. easier to cast and the knot for my shock leader is not affected when casting.


if you want some beefer reels for running baits. there is absolutly nothing wrong with penn senators. i perfer the old ones made in usa while they might not have the high speed ratio of some of the newer ones. the old ones are not made out of plastics and are beasts. i have a couple 4/0 and 6/0 for running shark rigs.

my top choice would be avets if you want to sell out the cash. i found my sennators on craigslist for a hell of a deal.

hope that helps a little.

Penn senators!!! U can use em and abuse em and they still run. A buddy used to say if u lost ur anchor just throw one them senators over and u can still use it the next day.

Looking for casting. Thinking about a Daiwa x50sha. Seems to be getting good reviews. Anyone have an opinion on those? Yes, Senators are great and plan on using those to run out baits. Thanks for all the help guys.

The penn spinfisher 750 or larger work very well. I have several and they have held up for along time. My 750's are on 10 ft rods which i like the best the 950 is on a 12 rod. It slings some big baits a long way but you have to reel that big rig a long time to get it back. Spool the 750's with 30 lb power prk and youll have enough line capacity to handle just about everything.