Multiplier with Level-Wind

I'm thinking of buying a decent new multiplier for shore use. I already have a Penn Mag 525 slidy (not Supermag) which is a bit of a beast to tame but it does the job. Problem is that I get hand and finger cramps when manually laying down the line on retrieval and I would like to buy a multiplier with level wind to cut down the amount of manipulation I have to do. I'll still use the Penn Mag when I can so I'll be keeping it: just a matter of reducing what hurts.

I'd like to buy a multiplier with level-wind that's a bit of an all-rounder. I know many shore anglers shun level winds but I'd like the convenience. I tie a pretty tight leader knot, and to be truthful I'm no big shakes at distance casting so I think I would go for the convenience of level-wind to prevent hand cramp and impending RSI (Repetitive strain Injury) from manually laying down line on retrieval.

Probably a sign of impending middle age, but I want to enjoy my fishing for years to come without too much pain :)

Any tips on reels would be welcome.

Thanks,

E.L.

[IDPearl]

Strage that you should be getting cramps in the first place. You don't need to use your thumb and finger to lay the line. Just put your thumb over the line ant move it from side to side on the retrieve. As long as you have some resistance you'll be fine - ie. a rig if you're fishing or on the bulk spool if you are loading the line.

At the moment, I'm distance casting with just a 125g lead and still get a good line lay with no birdies - even over 200m cast.

If you are finding the Penn a bit of a handfull in the cast, you either need to improve your casting technique or use some thicker oil in the bearings.

I can send you Neil Mackellow's tuning guide by e-mail if you like.

Hope that helps.

Last edited by IDPearl on Mon Jul 31, 2006 5:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

If you want to distance cast a level wind is useless as you can't get your tumb over the spool. Otherwise use a fixed spool.

Donagh

I used a Millionaire S - belonging to Lee337 last night.

It has a level wind and it went like stink - really good casting and an improvement on my normal casts - i thought it was really good and I am considering buying one....

Well worth a look.

JUDE

It has a level wind and it went like stink - really good casting and an improvement on my normal casts
JUDE

But have you seen his normal casts?? :lol: :wink:

Just kiddin Jude. The MLS is not bad but you can REALLY feel the drag kicking in as the cast progresses. If you were determined to go down the level wind route, I would look closely at the Abu range - the cs sportsmag or cs mag elite. With these two reels it is a simple affair to chance a few pieces and convert them to CT ( no levelwind ) if you find it is not what you expected.

Lee

Any of the ABU range can be bought with the level wind. if you want something that can handle all occasions get a 7000 of some description. Most of the smaller reels are hard to get the thumb in.

As ID pearl said you lose a bit of distance but if you are sure thats what you want.

Many years ago I had a millionaire that went well.

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/idpearl/525Mag.jpg[/img]

If you're fishing this weekend and don't want to mess around with bearings and oil, take some line off so that the line level is a couple of mm below the edge of the spool.

When you're winding in, relax your grip a little to prevent getting cramp and just put your thumb over the line on the retrieve.

As you get more comfortable with this reel, you will find it to be one of the best multipliers on the market. It is far superiour to the ABU's for all round ability.

The picture mentions liquid greese. :shock: You will need to warm greese a little to get it fluid enough to soak into the bearings. To slow it down a bit quite quickly, you can also add a few drops of 3in1 oil to to the bearings. This coupled with max brakes should see you fine.

Kev

Liquid greese refered to is an RF brand of heavy oil used to make a reel very slow. Some anglers heat oil before putting it on their bearings but this is not necessary if it is Rocket fuel.

Donagh

So E.L., any improvement??

Just wondered how you were gettin on.