Recommended Saltwater Conventional Reels - High End, Mid Range, and Budget
There is a lot of hoopla and hype in the marketing of fishing tackle, just like in most things. It can be hard to separate the substance from the sizzle. We have tried to do that to the best of our ability on this site by highlighting some things that have worked well for us. Below are recommendations for the best high end, midrange, and budget range convenstional reels that we know of. These are our unbiased opinions as we am not compensated by any of these tackle companies. We don't care what brand you buy,. We have personally used every item listed below, and most of the fish shown on this website (at least in our photos) were caught on tackle described on this site.
Heavy Tackle
This tackle is for tackling the biggest and toughest fish in the ocean, from Marlin to Tuna to giant Grouper. I usually don't fish tackle bigger than 50 size as I only fish standup and anything bigger is kind of cumbersome unless you have a chair and I don't fish with chairs. I have landed 600lb Marlin with 50 size tackle and I have personally never felt the need to fish anything bigger although obviously it exists.
High End - Accurate ATD Platinum
If you want to pursue the biggest fish in the ocean like big Marlin, Tuna, Goliath Grouper, etc this is your reel. It holds a lot of line and has immense cranking power and drag, but is very light for a reel of this magnitude. It is not cheap, but if you are going after fish this size you need a bigger budget anyway. The twin drag system is a significant upgrade over any other drag system. If you can't catch it with this reel, then it can't be caught. There are other good reels in this class from Shimano, Daiwa, and Penn but they are heavier and don't have the twin drag. Here are some of the features:
Patented TwinDrag™ System
Seven Class 5 ABEC stainless steel bearings
Titanium friction washers
Stainless steel gears
Greased AccuDrag system
ATD reel bag
Two year warranty
AccuCare Reel Service
Proudly designed, manufactured and assembled in the USA
Left-handed models available upon request
Here is a link to the specs: Platinum Specs
If you use it you will not regret it.
If you want to pursue the biggest fish in the ocean like big Marlin, Tuna, Goliath Grouper, etc this is your reel. It holds a lot of line and has immense cranking power and drag, but is very light for a reel of this magnitude. It is not cheap, but if you are going after fish this size you need a bigger budget anyway. The twin drag system is a significant upgrade over any other drag system. If you can't catch it with this reel, then it can't be caught. There are other good reels in this class from Shimano, Daiwa, and Penn but they are heavier and don't have the twin drag. Here are some of the features:
Patented TwinDrag™ System
Seven Class 5 ABEC stainless steel bearings
Titanium friction washers
Stainless steel gears
Greased AccuDrag system
ATD reel bag
Two year warranty
AccuCare Reel Service
Proudly designed, manufactured and assembled in the USA
Left-handed models available upon request
Here is a link to the specs: Platinum Specs
If you use it you will not regret it.
Mid Range - Accurate Extreme BX-2
Big game reels that are worth using are not cheap, but if you don't want to spring for the Platinum this is a good less expensive alternative. It also boasts the excellent twin drag system, has good cranking power and line capacity, and has an easy to use 2-speed gear system. It will catch big fish but the gears are not as strong as the Platinum and neither is the anti-reverse. Still, it should handle whatever you throw at it. There are several sizes with the 30 and 50 being suitable for big game. Below are some of the features:
Patented TwinDrag™ System
Seven Class 5 ABEC stainless steel bearings
Greased AccuDrag system
Titanium friction washers
Stainless steel gears
Boss reel bag
One year warranty
AccuCare Reel Service
Proudly designed, manufactured
and assembled in the USA
Left-handed models available upon request
Here is a link to the specs: BX2 Extreme Specs
Big game reels that are worth using are not cheap, but if you don't want to spring for the Platinum this is a good less expensive alternative. It also boasts the excellent twin drag system, has good cranking power and line capacity, and has an easy to use 2-speed gear system. It will catch big fish but the gears are not as strong as the Platinum and neither is the anti-reverse. Still, it should handle whatever you throw at it. There are several sizes with the 30 and 50 being suitable for big game. Below are some of the features:
Patented TwinDrag™ System
Seven Class 5 ABEC stainless steel bearings
Greased AccuDrag system
Titanium friction washers
Stainless steel gears
Boss reel bag
One year warranty
AccuCare Reel Service
Proudly designed, manufactured
and assembled in the USA
Left-handed models available upon request
Here is a link to the specs: BX2 Extreme Specs
Budget - Shimano TLD II
If you want to target big fish on a budget, this is a good way to go. The frame will not hold up like the aluminum Accurates, and you may get some flex on big fish, but you should be able to land some Bubbas with this. It is a two speed reel which comes in handy when you have to winch big fish like Grouper off of the bottom. It is a good basic reel. Here is a link to the specs: TLD II Specs
If you want to target big fish on a budget, this is a good way to go. The frame will not hold up like the aluminum Accurates, and you may get some flex on big fish, but you should be able to land some Bubbas with this. It is a two speed reel which comes in handy when you have to winch big fish like Grouper off of the bottom. It is a good basic reel. Here is a link to the specs: TLD II Specs
Medium Tackle
Medium size saltwater conventional tackle could mean a lot of things, but for this purpose it's basically anything you would use to fish 50-80lb braid or so. As an example, this would be tackle you would use to catch tuna from 30-100lbs approximately. For anything smaller I either use baitcasting or spinning tackle.
High End - Shimano Trinidad
This is a very good offshore conventional reel. It casts well and is great for casting jigs to yellowtail, bombs to wahoo, or bait to tuna or dorado. It has strong gears, a strong drag, and a fast retrieve ratio. I like the narrow versions as these allow you to focus less on making sure the line comes in evenly. Star drag reels tend to cast better than lever drag ones, so for casting lures these get the nod over the Accurates. The Daiwa Saltigas are also an option here but I haven't used the new ones so for now I recommend the Trinidads. :
This is a very good offshore conventional reel. It casts well and is great for casting jigs to yellowtail, bombs to wahoo, or bait to tuna or dorado. It has strong gears, a strong drag, and a fast retrieve ratio. I like the narrow versions as these allow you to focus less on making sure the line comes in evenly. Star drag reels tend to cast better than lever drag ones, so for casting lures these get the nod over the Accurates. The Daiwa Saltigas are also an option here but I haven't used the new ones so for now I recommend the Trinidads. :
High End - Accurate Extreme BX
This is the single speed version of the BX2. Just like you would expect from Accurate, the reel is very light but very strong. It doesn't cast as well as the Trinidad, but in my opinion is better for bottom fishing or trolling or any other application where casting is not as important. The twin lever drag system is unparalleled for smoothness and strength. Good for all mid size Yellowtail, Snapper, Grouper, Tuna, etc. Here are some of the features:
Patented TwinDrag™ System
Seven Class 5 ABEC stainless steel bearings
Greased AccuDrag system
Titanium friction washers
Stainless steel gears
Boss reel bag
One year warranty
AccuCare Reel Service
Proudly designed, manufactured
and assembled in the USA
Left-handed models available upon request
Here is a link to the specs: Accurate BX Specs
Mid Range - Shimano Torium
The Torium is very similar to the Trinidad in terms of gearing, but the frame is cheaper and some of the parts are lower quality. You get what you pay for. It does have a tremendous amount of cranking power for this class of reel and it casts well. Good for all mid size Yellowtail, Tuna, Amberjack, Snapper, Grouper, etc.
The Torium is very similar to the Trinidad in terms of gearing, but the frame is cheaper and some of the parts are lower quality. You get what you pay for. It does have a tremendous amount of cranking power for this class of reel and it casts well. Good for all mid size Yellowtail, Tuna, Amberjack, Snapper, Grouper, etc.
Budget - Penn Jigmaster
If you are new to saltwater fishing and don't want to commit much money to it you can start off with this reel. It does not compare to the reels above, but many good fish have been caught over the years on this old standby. Can be used for anything from Calico Bass to Pacific Barracuda to other smaller saltwater fish. Not recommended for braided line.
If you are new to saltwater fishing and don't want to commit much money to it you can start off with this reel. It does not compare to the reels above, but many good fish have been caught over the years on this old standby. Can be used for anything from Calico Bass to Pacific Barracuda to other smaller saltwater fish. Not recommended for braided line.
