Saltwater Reel Recommendations & Rod/Reel Setup for 11 Year Old

Hi All, I hope you are all out fishing as I write this   I have searched the boards and have a few questions after looking at some reels this week. Here they are in order:

1. I have a Tiger Ugly Stick Medium 7' Rod without a reel. Plan to use it kayak fishing and on occasional charter fishing trips out of SF and Monterey.  All research on this site pointed me to the Penn 500 Jigmaster. I looked at it, and the guy at the shop said it is very good, but it does not have the levelwind. Being a rookie, I don't know how important that is. I need to stay under $75 or so...Any advice?

2. My 11 year old son loves fishing even more than I (and I have been addicted all my life)....He told me this week he wants to buy his own Saltwater rod and reel. He uses a cheapo combo spinning/heavy reel now. Any recommendations for him? Same purpose as me; kayak and boat fishing in Monterey/Carmel.  We looked at the Penn 209 level wind. Looked nice and light.

Thank you everyone in advance. I hope many of you have a fish on as I write this

Cheers,

-Quinn

I would go with a levelwind reel. It's just so much easier and will do the work for you (laying out line evenly). Non levelwind reels are often used on charter boats b/c they're easier to maintain and undo when it gets tangled, backlashes, etc. I think some people think non level wind would cast farther as well. With the type of fishing we do from a kayak, you really don't need to worry about casting. Reel wise in the $75-$100 price range, I would go for an Abu Garcia C3 or shimano Cardiff.  It's all about maintenance. Doesn't matter if you have a cheapo walmart reel or a high end stuff, if you don't maintain it well, it will fail you.

Rod wise, I would invest in a good rod like a Medium action Shimano trevala. I've had mine for a few years now and it's held up well. I've caught everything on it except Bigfoot and Moby Dick. Ugly stick Tiger Lite is another option for a cheaper price ($70 I believe?)

Hope that helps. Good luck!

Penn are solid reels. I have a squall 15 no level wind. It's still a great reel just have to make sure you direct the line as you retrieve so it doesn't load up on one side so much . It's more for casting but I use it for everything. Can't go wrong with a vintage penn .

Thanks gentlemen! Appreciate the input.

Any recommendations on a rod and reel for my 11 year old son?

As for me, I have the US Tiger Medium. I am now leaning towards the Penn 310GT2 levelwind. It is a little above my price, but looks really nice. Any other comparables?

-Q

That was my recommendation for you and or your son. Does he have a budget? Is he sticking to spinning setup or moving to conventional reel? You'd want something lite for him. Jigging for RF all day is a tiring task. Check craigslist often. You can find some good tackles at a great price from time to time.

Thanks Herb. That makes sense. That combination may be better than what I end up with, but you are right. It will be very light. It will also last him a long time. Good point!

We have a budget of about $150 ,but I may need to chip in a bit for him

Thank you!

You could do 1 of these and a Tiger for $150 pretty good reels.

http://shimano.fishing-store.us/shimano-tr-reels.html

Thank you Mick. Great reel for my kid. I may even just get this real for myself as well. The reviews are amazing and it is nice and light!

Great tip!

I would go with a levelwind reel. It's just so much easier and will do the work for you (laying out line evenly). Non levelwind reels are often used on charter boats b/c they're easier to maintain and undo when it gets tangled, backlashes, etc. I think some people think non level wind would cast farther as well. With the type of fishing we do from a kayak, you really don't need to worry about casting. Reel wise in the $75-$100 price range, I would go for an Abu Garcia C3 or shimano Cardiff.  It's all about maintenance. Doesn't matter if you have a cheapo walmart reel or a high end stuff, if you don't maintain it well, it will fail you.

Rod wise, I would invest in a good rod like a Medium action Shimano trevala. I've had mine for a few years now and it's held up well. I've caught everything on it except Bigfoot and Moby Dick. Ugly stick Tiger Lite is another option for a cheaper price ($70 I believe?)

Hope that helps. Good luck!

+1 on the abu garcia c3. I own the cardiff as well. The c3 is smooth as butter and super light. Definitely a well made reel

Thanks Cowman!

I fish with a abu c3 6601.  I really like it and it has a fairly high gear ratio which is nice for a fast retrieve. I put the power handle on it which is really nice.

I believe the penn209 is pretty slow in the gear ratio. It may become a lot of work reeling up and dropping down again

My son just got a convector by okuma which he really likes. I think the speed is somewhere in the middle but he really likes the handle and it has levelwind. the convector is available in right or left hand retrieve and with or without a line counter all options around 65-80$ or so. He caught a 35" long his first time out and said it was a lot easier to control than his spinning reel and rod he used to fish with

Thanks gentlemen! Appreciate the input.

Any recommendations on a rod and reel for my 11 year old son?

As for me, I have the US Tiger Medium. I am now leaning towards the Penn 310GT2 levelwind. It is a little above my price, but looks really nice. Any other comparables?

-Q

I used a 321GT for many years its a good reel just keep it clean no matter what you get.

levelwind is handy, but it means one more thing to break also. 

Penn 500 is the most bulletproof thing out there, and has a very good drag system, which is important.  EZ to use , maintain, and repair.

Level wind?  Educate the left thumb.

Bushy

Thanks everyone for the replies and advice... I went to Fisherman's Warehouse here in Sacramento on Sunday. Just now getting to my replies... So, after looking at everything, I liked the Abu C3 and the Shimano Cardiff, and Penn Squall 12...After doing some number crunching, I think we are likely both going to go for the Shimano TR 100 or 200. I can't justify the cost given we are both new and likely going to be hard on the reels.  My logic is that I should get something similar and of the same brand, for my son and I.

The Abu and Cardiff, and the Penn were all great reels (not sure why, but the Penn had a huge bling factor to me).  If anyone has a reason why you don't think we should go the route of the Shimano TR, I would love to hear...

Sorry for the delays folks...Crazy week!

I would keep the size down so it is more manageable with his smaller hands and keep the weight down as well. The Ugly Stik rods work very well and most sell for under $80 and they are easy to find locally.

For a reel the level wind is much easier to manage. The number one choice of charter boat captains is the Shimano Charter Special which is a level wind reel. It sells for $130 but is a lever drag and I think you would be better served with a star drag reel.

A good star drag reel with level wind that is light in weigh and with good line capacity is the Shimano TR reel. The 100G model holds 330 yards of 14 lb. mono or 410 yards of 40# braid and weighs only 12.5 ounces. The TR sells for $70 and is something that he can use for years.

Penn makes some excellent star drag level wind reels but they tend to be a lot heavier than the TR. The $70 Penn General Purpose reel weighs 19 ounces which is a lot more weight for a child to manage for an extended period of time.

Important that the line is loaded properly to avoid problems with wind knots and the like which usually result from not having braided line wound on tightly enough. Or go with mono or fluorocarbon main line which are more forgiving.