Casting rod and reel

[Tarpon4me]

Check this out, it would take a MASSIVE reel to hold 300+ yards of 50 pound test line. It would take atleast a 4/0 size reel. And make no mistake about it, you're not going to cast a 4/0 reel. I don't care if you have a 20 foot rod and 6 ounces of lead, it's not going to happen. Conventional offshore reels are not designed to cast, nor will they. However, there is a fix for the problem, sorta. You can get a saltwater series reel like a Shimano Calcutta, which holds over 300 yards of 20 pound test mono, and spool it up with 40 or 50 pound braid/dacron; which has a very small diameter. You'll have the heavy line you want/need, and a very high quality, castable reel. The only problem is that Braid has no stretch. Saltwater fishing and no stretch line are bad bed partners. So, with that said, you'll have to use a mono tippit, that is, if you want to catch the fish you hook, or watch them swim away with your hooks and sinker. Keep in mind, you don't want to buy a cheap knock off reel either. You're going to be using a line that is way over the normal limit of the reel's drag system. You need a high quality reel that can stand up to the abuse. If the reel you buy doesn't say International, calcutta, Accurate, or Pflueger I wouldn't even give it a thought. Actually, Abu Garcia just came out with a new big game reel. I use Abu Garcia, and wouldn't trade them for anything. It's an Ambaser 10000 and holds 430 yards of 20 pound test, so it would hold about 300 yards of 30 pounds test. It's also a level wind reel that is very castable, even with it's larger size. 400 yards of 45 pound braid would fit nicely on the reel and it only runs about 139 bucks. I've caught 5 foot sharks on my Abu 7000's, so the 10000 should hold up just fine with the heavier line and larger target fish. A little food for thought from an east coast saltwater vet.
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