IM only 16 and i do alot of deepsea fishing with my dad but i only have one reel for it.(shimano spheros 12000FA) Now i want a baitcasting reel like my dads that can take on huge snapper and im starting to get into catfishing and going for alligator gar so i kinda want it to be able to take those on also. thanks for the help.
What kind of baitcasting reel should i get for offshore fishing?
August 3rd, 2010 
admin 
Posted in 
Tags: 
.jpg)
Any of the smaller Penn Internationals. The 955 model has been discontinued for a couple years now, but they can be found on eBay for relatively inexpensive although some of them go for in excess of $300. The 965 and 975 models are still being made though and they are fantastic reels. Made in the USA.
The 975 is available in several different versions. The 975LD is a leverdrag model that still incorporates the use of the levelwind. The 975CSLD has no levelwind, but is still a leverdrag. 975CS is a Casting Special… no levelwind.
I have the vital 975. I use it for casting huge swimbaits for bass on an extra heavy Shimano Crucial rod. If I can handle bass on thirty pound line with, it will sure handle any catfish or gar.
a penn squidder or jigmaster would work nice for those and they aren’t prohibitively expensive.
15 or 20lb line on the squidder, 20 or 25 on the jigmaster. there are narrow models of both which are fantastic.