Hello Tackle Experts

Few questions for you tackle experts out there. Well, I'd like to begin by saying I
have not been good in training myself with manually laying the line on my Avet
reels. I love using them primarily for rockfishing because I don't need to cast them
far and they are compact and super light. I have been the typical spinner guy
since day one I started fishing at age 10. Is there a reel out there that has the
lever and level wind feature in one? I need a model that would be sufficient for the
rockfish season coming up. Also, I will need something like it strong enough for
sturgeon fishing as well. Thanks in advance for the advice.One more thing, I need
the reel in LEFT HAND ONLY please. This muscle memory thing is a challenge already in it's self.

Jedmo

Try a Shimano Calcutta 401 TE. It's a star drag, not lever drag but is a great reel for what you want. Small enough to cast fishtraps and strong enough to land yellowtail and tuna. Bulletproof.

Jed

Here are some choices. I think the lever drag adds complexity and more bearings which eventually fail so I have been fishing mainly star dag reels. I own a Penn 975 and 975 CS and love them for casting. Okuma also makes a LD-LW but couldn't recommend it. 

Shimano Charter Special $130
Penn GT2 $140
Penn 975LD $300

scott

Thanks for some suggestions Scott but unfortunately, the ones you recommended
does not come in left hand model.

Thanks also Kayote for the reel suggestion. I'll keep that one in mind since they
have it in the left hand model.

Any more suggestion I'd greatly appreciate it.

Jedmo

Instead of paying the $$$ for a calcutta, I got a cardiff.  It has served me well with just a rinse and occasional oil.  401A comes with clicker, left handed, and star drag.  Paired with my Trevala, its an awesome and not so expensive combo!

I saw your "tackle" room.  You don't need another reel, use one of those already "instock" 

Do yourself a favor and take a look at the Daiwa Luna 300 size in Left hand retrieve.
Hands down the best choice for the money 
All the great features of the Calcutta TE at about $239.99 and all metal construction

I use a Shimano 401 TE and the Revo Toro = both left had retrieve

PM sent Jed

I saw your "tackle" room.  You don't need another reel, use one of those already "instock" 

No go ahead Jed get some more gear and donate your old stuff to me

Do yourself a favor and take a look at the Daiwa Luna 300 size in Left hand retrieve.
Hands down the best choice for the money 
All the great features of the Calcutta TE at about $239.99 and all metal construction

I love my Daiwa Luna 300 left handed reel.  I have it on a loomis pro blue.  Plenty of power for big trout swimbaits and rockfishing.  I have a couple of calcuttas and they are just about equal for me.

i have had my penn jigg master 500 series for 20 years( side note time for new line ) and it always works, from sturgeon, rock fish and used to be salmon

I use the Calcutta te 401 myself. The luna is a fine reel also. If money is an issue look at the Penn 321 gti about 100.00 Good luck.

Jed - I own a Daiwa Luna 300 also and it is great for jig tossing but not that good tossing live bait. The Penn 975CS is a much better bait tosser. I would lose the lever drag requirement. You are limiting yourself with too many requirements. A well tuned greased star drag will perform just as well as a lever drag for most of our usual fishing if not better. Chuck traded in his Avet for a star drag reel. I rarely use more than 12-15 # of drag kayak fishing. Star drags usually cast better and are lighter than lever drag reels. One last thing is that if you are mainly make verticle drops and not casting, you want a reel with good freespool so you can get to the bottom quickly. If you choose a reel with centrifugal or magnetic brakes, check the freespool on the minimum brake setting. Levelwinds also slow the drop so if I was primarily fishing verticle spectra on a budget the Penn 500 or Newell 220, 280 would be good choices. I am primarily using Newell reels (320, 338, 533) on my East Cape and Kona trips this year.Yeah there are better reels out there and lever drags and 2 speeds are cool but Newells are light, dependable (if you take care of them) and will out cast most reels. If you are checking out Newells, the reissued P series is better made than the S series but doesn't cast quite as far. As far as ease of maintenance the Daiwa Luna is not too bad and comes with corrosion resistant bearings but it will not take the abuse and neglect that a Calcutta TE will. So if you don't want to service your reel regularly (e.g., Mooch) spend the extra bucks and get the Calcutta TE.   Scott             

  I have every size of Calcutta and have loved them for years.  The new 250TE that I purchased a year or two ago was the smoothest casting level wind I had every had.  The first day out with it throwing a rat-l-trap I could not believe how the line came off of this reel!  I was throwing a fairly light lure a very long way!  Of course he 250 is more of a striper/bass sized reel, the next size up (400)  would be better for rockies/sturgeon.  I abuse my reels and am terrible at lubing them but they still all do really well!