fixed spool or multiplier?

I have read that the latest trend in among tournament fishermen especially in the southern hemisphere is the use of hi end fixed spool reels.

It is said that they have a greater retrieve rate, hence saving valuable time, but do they have the power to lift a big un.

can any one recommend a f/s boat reel?

Shimano reels seem to be really popular in the southern hemisphere. Have a look at there website http://www.shimano.co.uk. Hi end ones are really expensive. Not sure the benifits justify this or that there would be any benifits over Multi at all in Irish waters. Just my opinion.

I use these for tope fishing in the shannon estuary

You should not be using the reel as a winch anyway. Rather the rod should be used to pump the fish up, while reeling down with the rod.

I have had no isseus with tope and conger to 40lbs on these reels

However, for deepwater fishing, 100 feet plus,I still prefer multipliers

FWIW

Kev

I tried out my f/s out of Kilmore yesterday in club comp.

I had CC&BN Wrass to 4lb mark Pollock to 4lbmark Pouting/ Poor Cod* and a couple of nice Cod 1x6lb&1x10lb.

I took two F/S reels a cheaper ABU Garcia (Something or other) €35 locally and a Shimano (Power Aero XT10,000 Baitrunner) £160 U.K Online.

I Started With The ABU and I immediately found the F/S alien to me, We hit fish straight away producing Pouting and Wrass fishing baited feathers.
ABU
Cons:The reel handled the smaller fish fairly o.k but began to feel the pressure with the larger fish and doubles. When dropping the weight I found that control of the release was virtually non existent especially with heavier weight, because the line just slid through wet fingers.
Pros:I found that retrieving fish and empty traces twice as quick as the multiplier a definite advantage during comps I.E you can get up and down quicker than MPR and you can get a good 30 more seconds in the water at lines up, handy wen drifting this could make all the difference to final tally.

Shimano
Until I put this reel on, the verdict on the F/S reels was going the same way as the Lisbon Treaty. But this was chalk to The ABU's cheese. Firstly For those that dont know what the baitrunner feature is let me explain.

The B/R feature is a two stage drag system the inner drag will set your drag in the normal way i.e from 0% to 100% in about 20 turns. Then the outer drag button will set your drag in about a 1/4 turn.
So if you set the inner drag to 50% the outer drag will set the spool from complete lock 100% to 50% lock in a flash.
HERE ENDITH THE LESSON:wink:

So I set the drag to 0% so the weight rolled the line of the spool with the bail arm locked over, you then can control the speed of the drop by slowing the spool with your finger, then set your outer drag quick as a flash. This gives you all the control of any lever drag reel.

About an hour before the end of the trip I hooked into a 10lb cod and this was a fish that knew how to fight.
Although I was fishing heavy enough gear I gave me a chance to see How the F/S dealt with lager fish.
The first thing I noticed was how much easier it was to play the fish, as I was holding the rod in my stronger right arm the B/R drag was so much easier to set than a L/D system, and as most handles on F/S reels are reversible this has got to be an advantage for south paws also.

The only crib that I would have about the F/S for boat fishing is that the reel sits a tad too low on the rod and it is a bit more bulky than the MPR,

My verdict so far on F/S over MPR is that the F/S is a good reel to use on the drift however that is not to say I will be leaving the Penn and the TLD at home, I still have to fish it in a smaller anchored boat, for tope ray etc.

If you are going to use a F/S get a good quality Bait runner reel with a medium gear ratio 3.5:1 to 4.5:1 for a bit extra grunt when needed.


*What is the difference between a poor cod and a pouting?

You need to look at the rods these guys are using with the fixed spool reels. 5 meter telescopic rods. when there fishing comps at anchor these guys can do an underhand flick 70-80 yards.
Remember there not looking for big fish just lots of fish, and quick.

The main problem with fixed spool is the main shaft bending when under alot of pressure ie big fish. That's why you'll see the high end shimanos costing so much . They are well made with super materials that can take these strains. But at the end of the day it's hard to get away from the old rule of thumb.

HIGH TORQUE = LOW SPEED
LOW TORQUE = HIGH SPEED.

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