July 23, 2024
By Alan Clemons
Saltwater anglers inshore and offshore need powerful and reliable fishing reels, whether they’re fighting a surging redfish in a skinny bay or brutish bottomfish in deep water.
The right tackle setup definitely helps with successfully getting fish in the boat. Here are some of the best new saltwater fishing reels that found the spotlight at the 67th annual ICAST Show in July.
Quantum Strive Quantum Strive For years one of the mainstays of the freshwater tackle world, Quantum has gone totally salty with its products and headquarters in south Florida. The new Strive spinning reels are designed for inshore action, and possibly more, with a host of features and several years of testing and refinement. The Strive has a Sealoq 6 sealing system to protect the internals from water, sand and salt, none of which are good for gears and such. The reel is designed with a rigid aluminum frame and CFX200 carbon fiber drag system. Strive comes in six sizes from 2500 to 8000. quantumfishing.com
Penn Fathom Electric PENN Fathom Electric Saltwater Reel. (Photo by Alex Suescun) The Penn Fathom Electric reel, voted Best of Show at ICAST, is powered by a Lithium-Ion battery with a 5aH capacity, offering long-lasting performance with an optional plug-in backup. Options give a variety of programmable modes for custom drops throughout the trip. Key features include auto-stop for hands-free retrieves, override for manual jogging, a line counter providing true line-out measurement in feet or meters and more. The Fathom Electric has a maximum winding power of 35 pounds and speeds of up to 750 feet per minute, varying by reel size. It reaches depths of up to 1,000 feet and performs well in kite fishing and light trolling scenarios. Sizes include 30, 50 and 80. pennfishing.com
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Bates Salty Hundo 100 Salty Hundo Saltwater Reel New from Bates Fishing is the Salty Hundo 100, a pretty gorgeous and sleek baitcaster for inshore action. The low-profile reel has a one-piece anodized bar-stock aluminum body, shallow design and should be great for those who like to palm a reel during the retrieve and fight. It has an adjustable dual-brake system, maximum drag of 15 pounds, and brass, ceramic and stainless steel internals to ward off the effects of saltwater. Gear ratios are 7.1:1 and 8.1:1. The Salty Hundo weighs a dainty 5.8 ounces and wears a sporty Nautical Blue-Gunmetal Gray finish. You can spool 100 yards of 30-pound braid, and then go snatch fish. batesfishingco.com
Okuma X-Series Okuma X-Series Okuma’s X-Series spinning reels are crossovers, pulling double-duty for saltwater and freshwater action. These reels are designed with a lightweight but rigid aluminum body, C-40X carbon-injected rotor and side plate, and multi-disk Carbonite drag washers. These have a 22-pound maximum drag on the 2500 and 3000 models, and 24 pounds on the 4000 model. The anodized AL70 aluminum drive gear and spool shaft are precision cut and help keep the weight down. Smooth retrieves are aided by stainless steel bearings, a machine-cut brass pinion gear and anti-reverse roller bearing. okumafishingusa.com
Okuma Tesoro Okuma Tesoro Okuma’s new Tesoro spinning line features the company’s Alumilite body, side plate, and Cyclonic Flow Rotor construction. These reels have full waterproof design rated to submersion to 3 feet for up to 30 minutes, corrosion resistant stainless-steel bearings and multiple washer Carbonite DFD drag system. The titanium spool shaft helps reduce weight. Seven models in the lineup range from 4,000 to 20,000 size spanning a 6.2:1 gear ratio with the former to 4.4:1 with the two largest models. An oversized reel knob handle helps during the fight. okumafishingusa.com
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Penn Battle IV PENN Battle IV The Penn Battle IV, available in September, features the new Hydro Armor System to help better protect the reel from saltwater intrusion and corrosion. This fourth-generation Battle series has additional seals strategically placed in key areas including the handle, under the dust cap and beneath the spool on the main shaft. Additionally, the updated spool design eliminates through-holes in the spool body, to better prevent intrusion from the elements. The reel has Penn’s HT-100 Carbon Fiber Drag System and a durable full metal body and side plate. The spool is ready for superline without requiring backing and has line capacity rings. The Penn Battle IV is available in nine sizes, from 1000 to a 10000 size. Also offered are DX models in 2500 to 8000 sizes, available exclusively through PENN dealers. With the DX range, an additional stainless steel bearing is added, and the CNC machined gear is upgraded from aluminum to brass. pennfishing.com
Daiwa Seaborg Daiwa Seaborg Yes, the gleaming Daiwa Seaborg 1800 M-RJ reel looks like the helmet from Iron Man with its sleek red-gold color scheme and size of a small melon. It has similar powers, too, giving anglers more options when going after big, deep fish. The power-assist Seaborg comes in three sizes. The Seaborg 1800 has a new MagMax-G motor almost twice the size of its predecessor, giving anglers about 170 percent more power during a retrieve. Nine large carbon washers were added, boosting the maximum drag to 110 pounds. Elsewhere on the boat doing something and a fish hits? The Seaborg has a remote operation assist, too, with just a few touches of the remote button fob. It’s available in the largest 1800 model, along with smaller 1200 and 800 sizes. Want to reel without the power assist? No problem, as the manual right-hand setup has a powerful 2.3:1 ratio. daiwa.us
