When is a 2-speed reel worth it?

Ah, I see then I completely misinterpreted the use of a 2-speed it seems  . So it it's more torque, it's more like a winch  setting to pull in a big fish?

If you wanna go DEEP, an electric reel is the way to go. But for the price (and hassle), imo it's only worth it if you're going 600+ feet down, which I'm not even sure is allowed in CA from a kayak. I don't have an electric reel btw, but there's kayakers in HI that use em.

The only time I've engaged the low gear on my Shimano Talica 16II or Tiagra 50W is when fighting marlin. Otherwise, I don't think it's necessary.

Then again, I've never hooked a Humboldt squid

I guess that you've never caught a tuna...

brah, I'm from Hawaii. Caught my fair share of tuna, shibi, whatever you wanna call it.

Blue marlin, five miles out, unassisted, different story.
https://www.paubox.com/resources/kayak-fishing-marlin-hoala-greevy/

Thanks for the awesome story Hoala!

Ah, I see then I completely misinterpreted the use of a 2-speed it seems  . So it it's more torque, it's more like a winch  setting to pull in a big fish?

If you wanna go DEEP, an electric reel is the way to go. But for the price (and hassle), imo it's only worth it if you're going 600+ feet down, which I'm not even sure is allowed in CA from a kayak. I don't have an electric reel btw, but there's kayakers in HI that use em.

The only time I've engaged the low gear on my Shimano Talica 16II or Tiagra 50W is when fighting marlin. Otherwise, I don't think it's necessary.

Then again, I've never hooked a Humboldt squid

I guess that you've never caught a tuna...

brah, I'm from Hawaii. Caught my fair share of tuna, shibi, whatever you wanna call it.

Blue marlin, five miles out, unassisted, different story.
https://www.paubox.com/resources/kayak-fishing-marlin-hoala-greevy/

Brah!  Dat read was o' so good!  I needed that...tanks to da max...

hope it brought back some good memories

Ah, I see then I completely misinterpreted the use of a 2-speed it seems  . So it it's more torque, it's more like a winch  setting to pull in a big fish?

If you wanna go DEEP, an electric reel is the way to go. But for the price (and hassle), imo it's only worth it if you're going 600+ feet down, which I'm not even sure is allowed in CA from a kayak. I don't have an electric reel btw, but there's kayakers in HI that use em.

The only time I've engaged the low gear on my Shimano Talica 16II or Tiagra 50W is when fighting marlin. Otherwise, I don't think it's necessary.

Then again, I've never hooked a Humboldt squid

I guess that you've never caught a tuna...

brah, I'm from Hawaii. Caught my fair share of tuna, shibi, whatever you wanna call it.

Blue marlin, five miles out, unassisted, different story.
https://www.paubox.com/resources/kayak-fishing-marlin-hoala-greevy/

Thanks for the awesome story Hoala!

glad you liked em.
I wrote it specifically for the Hawaii Fishing News audience.
Talk about the gear, the friends, and the tactics. Leave out the specific spot.

I have a Penn Long Beach 65 with a 2.5:1 gear ratio.  I brought it out to the Faralons on a party boat in the fall.  I wanted to try the low gear and went down 150- 200 feet or so.  It was super easy to crank a fish up but it took forever and I quickly switched to a faster reel.  My Penn 25n Fathom with 4.8:1 seems about right at that depth. I don’t think the lower gear would be fun at 300 feet. But I’m still going to pack it when I get a chance to fish deeper water next year.