Presented from Issue 102
Spinning reels are coming to market in a new range and size every other day. The Tasmanian Angler is spoilt for choice and it’s a great problem to have. Egg beaters are what we love to call these types of reels and for good reason. We are finding them used for a greater range of fishing styles than just spinning.
Versatile and easy to use
The bigger salt water series reels are a fabulous work horses with an amazing amount of versatility. We as kids grew up with these reels and it is inevitable that our kids will become very comfortable with the use of them at an early age. It is this comfort, ability and ease of use that has these bigger spinners finding favour with a great number of recreational anglers. And why not?
Sure the conventional lever drag offshore reels have their place in competition conditions and when targeting specific species, but the ease and familiarity in using a spinning reel cannot be overlooked.
It is not every angler that can justify having five or more of that type of rod and reel gracing the back of the boat. The recreational angler needs a quality outfit that will stand the test of time and deliver across a number of fishing styles.
All hail the big egg beater
Take any large saltwater spinning reel in a size of 8500 and above, pair it with a rod between 1.60m and 2.00m and around 10 – 15kg line rating, and you have a package ready to take on all comers.
Spool up with 40 pound braid as your main line attach a # 2 ball bearing swivel and it’s only a matter of what you snap on that dictates what you could use the outfit for.
Out off the coast a little way, snap on a bit of mono down to a salmon lure on your way out to your favourite flathead spot. Once there undo your snap and replace with a paternoster rig to target your flatties. Granted it is considerable over kill for your average flathead, but now when that nice gummy shark happens to take your bait, you are in the box seat and have heaps up your sleeve to land him.
Next weekend you might be asked by a mate with a bigger boat to head out and try for a stripey trumpeter in 100 plus metres of water. No worries. Pack the big egg beater and attach a deep sea stripey rig and you are in the mix.
The decision might be made to troll back in and try for a tuna and all you have to do is snap the lure leader on to your eggy and away you go. The new salt water spinners with quality braid can now hold enough line to allow them to take on all Tasmania has to throw at you. Once the rod butt is placed into a gimble, the ease and familiarity again makes fighting a tuna much easier than a competition style lever drag reel.
Another advantage is the ability to retrieve a lot of line per turn, and wind them fat. A big Penn Spinfisher (8500-10500) will retrieve near to a metre per turn of the handle, whilst a large saltwater Shimano Stella is between 90cm and 1.27 metres per turn. So what you might ask, so do some big lever drag reels?
It becomes really important if you have a tuna or stripey trumpeter coming to the boat with a seal chasing it. Yes you can do it with a lever drag, but it is much easier and constant with an egg-beater. The reel is under instead of on top of the rod and much better balanced for high speed winding.
In the afternoon after you have washed the boat and had a good feed of BBQ’ed Albacore, you might like to head off beach fishing. Un screw the big egg beater from your boat rod, screw it on your beach rod and off you go, brilliant !
Never going to be line ball perfect for every situation, but with a bit of thought on rigs and maybe even a spare spool, the big egg beater is a consideration for Tasmanian anglers like never before.
The simplicity and ease of use is again the standout feature of these style reels. We have grown up with them and as we have matured and learnt new skills, so too, it looks like they have as well.
Kelly Hunt
