Any insight on which will cast farther if distance is the sole concern - ABU 6500 class vs. 4500/4600 class? Assume bearings and such are the same.

Is the narrow spool a better caster because it has less inertia from spool/line weight and thus able to be tuned faster w/o backlasting?

Is the wide spool better because inertia and slower depletion "dumps" line into the cast better?

I'm thinking light surf action, trying to hit Bermuda.

You've got two things to consider - the wider spool is going to be releasing line from further outside resulting in a little sharper angle at the first guide. But, because it's wider, the line diameter on the spool isn't going to drop as quickly as line leaves it as it will on the narrower spool model.

Still, I'd tend to go with the narrower spool due to a more direct line path, but I'd have to think on it a little longer.


..........

I would say a narrow spool has the advantage and especially on a level wind. You can hear the line being ripped across the spool when it has to come out of a tiny whole on the level wind. I think every inch the line goes back and forth it takes a small distance out of your cast. Maybe not much but, some.

Its been a long time since I have dealt w/ baitcasters often and I have a hard time remembering this bit of information but on those reels, doesn't the levelwind actually go side to side as the spool revolves on the cast? If this is so, then the spool width would not matter, as the levelwind would follow the line as it is taken off the spool (to some extent). In this case I would say that the 6500 would have the advantage as the spool empties much slower on the cast, and the spool does not need to rotate as fast continuously as the smaller models....

Some do go side to side and some disengage and stay put. Even the ones that go side to side in my experience never match up to the line coming off the reel. And I have spectra on nearly everything now so the spool diameter shrinks much less than even a wide reel with mono. The distance factor is just my opinion and I'm sure will be different for each set up and operator. The level wind issues and spectra issues are fact for my gear. So the best setup for me would be a nonlevel wind, narrow spool, filled with spectra.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/03/2007 02:14PM by Kevin Masuda.

I have used both quite a bit, and loved the 4600. I used it mostly for bass/pike fishing. The narrower spool casts lighter baits a lot easier, and with all baits fewer birds nests.

If the 4600 will hold enough line for you, it's great.

Marc

I'm not sure what the specifics are on why this is the case but it seems that the smaller reels tend to cast farther than the larger reels. I've been to a number of long cast competitions and talked with the competitors about what reels they use and why and most of those in the open class of the competition use reels the size of the Penn 525 mag and ABU 6500's. Using these reels (which are heavily modified with bearings, oil, balanced spools, etc.) they can almost spool them throwing a 5oz tournament sinker with (I think) 12lb line more than 250 yards. The only answer I've ever gotten to the question of using a larger reel from these guys is that they can't throw them as far. If I had to take a guess it would be because of the additional mass that has to rotate with the larger reels. As far as going to anything smaller than the 525 or the 6500 I'm not sure if they would cast farther or not. At some point I would think that going any smaller than a certain size would start to hurt your performance (not to mention limit your line capacity).

If you are looking for some long casting reels that also fish really well I would stongly suggest that you look at the Penn 525 mag and the newest version of the Diawa (SVX?) 20. Both have about the same line capacity (Penn holds a little more) and both have very good drags. You can also look into the ABU 6500s but they need some modification to keep up with the Penn in terms of casting and they also need upgraded drag washers if you plan on catching anything that requires it. I use all of these reels at hatteras for surf fishing for drum and they all perform well (after some mods to the ABU). If you want to look at getting some of the tournament type of reels or want to get some upgrades for an ABU let me know and I can get you to a guy who sells the components and builds them.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/03/2007 02:49PM by Burton Short.

The smaller the spool the less force and inertia it takes to get it moving, so it will begin spinning and remain spinning with less energy expended. Also, the level wind really takes away from distance in a cast. All of the best reels for distance casting have no level wind on them. I also use the new Diawa series, The SHA, and it is one of the best casting reels on the market today. But once again, even in this series, the bigger the reel the less distance you are going to get. So you have to check your specs and see what line rating you want it to handle and how much line you need it to hold and then go as small as you can. I personally have a SL-X40SHA (magged) with almost 400 yards of 25lb. line on a 13 foot Breakaway rod. It's a really amazing combo for the money. That reel can bring in a 6 foot black tip with no issues.

Jeff

What Marc and Burton are saying is true, at least in the Sportscast long distance competitions it is. The narrower the spool the less the mass that needs to be instantly accelerated when the thumb is removed from the spool.

The Ambassadeur Ultramag reel releases the level wind mechanism to reduce the drag the level wind would induce on the revolving spool, but this mechanism is removed on tournament reels. Though high end bearings are available for many reels (ie. AVEC 7) they are not necessarily used. Instead a bunch of both OEM and high end bearings are cleaned of all lube and then spun rapidly (10,000 rpm) on a spare spool axle mounted on a dremel tool to break them in. Then the fastest "loosest" bearings are then selected, lubed and spun again, and finally the fastest are selected and mounted on the spool for use.

Spool balance is achieved by the manner in which line is loaded onto the spool. Spool speed control is acquired by using light oils of different viscosities. The best anti-backlash control is achieved magnetically, or manually by thumbing the spool.

My best cast in a tournament was 726' on the Ultramag II using 12lb test line. On the really long casts you are on the very edge of control of a very squirrely reel. They are not good fishing reels for this reason. The 5-6 Ultramags and Big Game 6500CTs I used have never been fished.

Lou

Hi Lou,

726' is a great cast!

I'm not in your category, but still trying.

I do hope to make the Baltimore tournament this year. Will I meet you there?

Anyway, for .28 mm line I am using an ABU 5500 Pro Rocket with level wind removed, ceramic bearings and a Mike Benfield magnetic conversion kit.

It is my understanding that a square spool, one that has an equal diameter and width has the optimum characteristics for long casts.

Only one of my ABU reels has seen water. It is an inexpensive 5500C3. I removed the level wind and plastic gear drive that is mounted on the spool. It holds approximately 200 yards of 14# line.

Best wishes,
Don

If i'm not badly mistaken I think that a few of the world record long distance casts were made with souped up 6500 abu's. I think the reason they use these versus the 5500 or the 4600 is the spool capacity because if the 5500 only holds 140 of 12 and you're casting 800+ feet then its not going to cut it.

But i could only imagine casting a weight 8oo+ feet i mean the spool would be moving so fast it'd set your thumb on fire.

The 300 yard distance was broken using a Conoflex rod quite some time ago.

There are various tournament weights and lines and I do not know of any strict requirements.
150 grams (5.25 ounces) - .31 mm line and 125 grams (4 ounces) - .28 mm line are the two most common.

Tommy Farmer is the US national champion for 125 grams and I believe he used an ABU 5500 to cast 813 feet.
Although I do not consider myself a good caster, I did cast my 5500 a measured distance of 696 feet with 4 ounces and .28 mm line. At the end of the cast, the knot for the balancing line was showing, so there was another 30 or more feet of line left on the spool. Additionally, the spool was not completely filled. And if you mound the line you will certainly have more than 800 feet of line on the spool.

If you are casting 150 grams and .31 mm line, you will need a reel larger than the 5500.
(Well, maybe a 5500 would work fo me.)

Don