My thoughts on spinners versus conventionals for jigging those 80-175 lb. Bluefins

2009-05-31

This is a copy of a post I wrote for an internet site about the use of conventional versus spinners for anglers new to jigging and I focused on the flue fin tuna we see every summer off the mid-Atlantic coast in the 100-175 lb class which should be showing up shortly out off Cape May and ports to the south. If you do not invest in a really top of the line spinner like a Stella 20000 SWS or possibly a mid-range one the like the Saragosa 18000 F, then it has to be a conventional if you plan to target tuna jigging in the 80-150 lbs class like we do in our area. I have used and seen just about every spinner made over the last 15 years used for jigging for tuna, and until recently, none of them held up to the size tuna we target. You will end up destroying your spinning reel unless it is designed for these fish. I feel this also holds true when jigging at night in our local canyons for Yellowfins when they get to be in the 70-100 lb class like we saw in 2007. The use of spinners for jigging larger game fish has changed recently with the offering of the new top of the line spinners that offer 25-40 lbs of drag at free spool which is required if you plan to get the tuna to the boat without a long drawn out fight since most will be released this coming season with the current regulations. Many anglers new to jigging prefer spinners as they are easier to use overall but purchase anything less than a top quality one and you can say good bye to your reel. Conventionals cannot be cast by many anglers without a major back lash and or even when the jigs are dropped down and again spinners solve this problem. Worse than this is, and I have seen it so many times, when the angler accidentally hits the drag lever and instantly causes major bird nests during the heat of battle with a tuna. This is less of a possibility when using a spinner. We have seen it all and suggest a top spinner for beginners new to jigging for overall they are easier to use. The problem I see currently with spinning tackle is that reasonably priced spinners’ aren’t capable of handling those 100 lb plus tuna and I am not even sure the mid-range ones are really up to the job without a good set of Smooth Drag washers installed to replace the factory ones. If money is no object and your target is smaller fish, then it is wide open as many decent quality spinners will work fine but for the bigger tuna, you just cannot use anything less than the top of the line ones and they are expensive. Most of our jigging customers prefer spinners but conventional offer more guts when fighting those 100-150 lb bluefins or the canyon Yellowfin in the 65-90 lb range. Some quality reel manufacture need to offer a spinner that rivals the Stella 20000 SWS but priced in the $300.00-$400.00 range maximum or even cheaper and I am sure this will happen sometime in the near future but right now I am not sure there is any really top quality spinner priced close to that in the market. Unfortunately most of the top quality spinning reels used for jigging big game fish are priced way beyond the what most anglers can afford except for the dedicated jigging pros. This especially holds true in these difficult economic times. I personally do not know of anything that comes close to the Shimano’s Stella when jigging for the bigger tuna we target.

This is a list of spinning reels for jigging posted on SportFishmen.com by G-man who is one of the top dedicated jig fishermen anywhere.


Spinning gear. It’s pretty simple they are all one speed and you should try to find one that you can use in the 4.9:1-4.4:1 gear range.

TOP SHELF INVESTMENT Spinning Reels – My first choices from $600-$1,000

SHIMANO STELLA - JPD or Japanese Domestic Models
1. Stella 20000 at 4.4:1, 55 pounds of drag,
2. Stella 10000PG at 4.9:1 and 55 pounds of drag
3. Stella 8000 at 4.9:1 and 55 pounds of drag

SHIMANO STELLA USA model
1. Stella 20000 at 4.4-1 and 55 pounds of drag
2. 80000SW-PG which is 4.9:1 and 55 pounds of drag

I love my Stellas and personally feel they are the best however there are other manufactures that make great reels such as …

1. Accurate Twin Spin SR 30L at 4:1 and 40 pounds of drag
2. Accurate Twin Spin SR 20 at 5:1 and 30 pounds of drag
3. Diawa Saltiga Z -6000 at 4.3:1 and 33 pounds of drag

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD $200-$399

1. Shimano Saragosa 18000 at 4.9:1 and 40 pounds of drag
2. Quantum Cabo 80PT at 4.9:1 and 30 pounds of drag
3. Shimano Twinpower 10000

ENTRY LEVEL just something to get you in the game

1. Shimano Spheros 14000
2. Penn Sportfisher SS 950 at 4.2:1
3. Quantum Boca 80 at 4.9:1

Reel Choices Conventional
I am not an overhand/conventional jigger although I do have experiences trying all of the reels mentioned below

There are many things you should consider when purchasing a conventional reel for jigging. The first would be 1 speed or two. Personally, I always like a two speed reel in case I do hook up to that fish of a lifetime having the lower gear does make a difference. The other factor would be to get a narrow reel so it makes your outfit light and effective and doesn’t give you any wobble when jigging. Here are some reel I would suggest

TOP END INVESTMENT Conventional Reels – My first choices from $600-$1,000

1. Accurate Boss 665N 2 speed
2. Shimano Ocean Jigger 4000-5000
3. John Baker 6-12
4. Alutecnos Gorilla 12-20
5. Studio Mark Blue Heaven L50
6. New Jigging Master Reels

SECOND TIER OF REELS are all great reels just lower on price point

1.Saltiga 40-50 – Kil Song has probably caught more fish on this reel than any other reel made
2.Pro Gear Oceanus
3.Avet HOO-X
4.Shimano Trinidad
5. Shimano Torium



Tip if you can afford to wait to save and get a top shelf reel, I would highly suggest it as they are a long term investment that will pay dividends long term and besides you will burn through about 3 entry level reels which could pay for your top shelf reel and if you ever need to resell your reels, they will sell close to retail.