offshore light-tackle reels: star drag vs lever drag

[Drifter]

Interested in opinions of star drag reels vs lever drag reels for light-tackle offshore trolling. What are the benefits / downsides to each?

I currently have four Shimano Speedmasters (star drag), as I have primarily fished for kings during the past year. Plan to do more bluewater trolling next spring for dolphin, and also plan to add a couple of reels to the arsenal during the off-season. I've caught dolphin on the Speedmasters, but not sure if the reels are optimal for targeting dolphin (at faster trolling speeds as compared to live-baiting for kings at slow troll). Which style of reels should I be looking at and why? Should I stick with the familiar star drags, or try something new (lever drags)?

Advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Drifter

[auguste]

Bought four Penn 320 LD reels . . . used them for 10 weeks of salmon fishing . . . one died during the eighth week . . . it is being fixed and as of now I do not know what broke . . . otherwise I liked the reels . . . not for use by newbies, twice I had a newbie pull the lever into free spool after I had told them not to . . . both times they had salmon on and both times they thought they should adjust the drag . . . oh well . . . shit happens

Yes I would buy more



. . . just thinking out loud . . . yes, I'm "Miss-Be-Haven"

"49.6 mph on a beautiful calm day . . . fully loaded . . . going down hill"

" The only boat without a ding or four, is the one that never gets used!!! "

[BlueMarlin]

My personal preference is for lever drags... as set drag pressures are pretty reliable during a day of fishing... once you start moving a drag around on a star drag... all bets are off.....

That doesnt mean that there arnt GREAT star drag reels out there... its just not my personal preference.

[jclaude]

Drifter
Your Speedmasters are an excellent choice for what you plan on doing, with up to 20 Lb. line. I have 4 of them that I use for dolphin and kings and they are very good.
The primary advantage of the lever drag reel is that it allows you to preset the maximum drag that can be applied to the line by the lever in the full drag postition. Typically one third of the breaking strength of the line. For example: 30 Lb. line would be preset for 10 Lbs of drag. With the star drag, once you start increasing the drag, if a fish is taking too much line too fast, you have no way of knowing how much you've increased it and there's chance of breaking off it you crank down on the star a little too much.
On the other hand, if you want to improve your arsenal and have something a little heavier, the Shimano TLD 25 makes and excellent choice for 30 to 40 Lb. class tackle. It is a lever drag reel, very light weight compared to the Internationals, and only costs a fraction of what the Internationals and the Tiagras cost. I believe that would be an excellent reel to add and to give you the personnal experience with the lever drags. They hold about 450 Yds of 40 Lb or 600 Yds of 30 Lb. Mono. Good Luck and let us know what you decide to do.

[Hydro]

No simplr answer to your questions. Depends a lot on personal preferences. If you are familiar and like star drags, i'd stick with 'em and go with what you know. On the other hand, i fish kind of the way you are describing and i like lever drags (TLDs) because i think they are smoother and easier to adjust. I also fish with a lot of novice anglers and its easier to explain the function and operation of a lever drag. But those Speedmasters are sweet and fast - i love the sound of those reels when they go off.

If the beer don't taste like fish, you ain't doin' it right.

[2ndCurse]

Drifter,
I like to troll w/ the lever drags and cast or fish bait w/ the star. After thinking about it I'm not even sure when or why I started doing it that way, but it works for me.
Tom

[seabass]

I've never used anything but star-drags so I can't compare the two. I will say that I have a Penn 320 gti that is great for kingfishing and such. Also, I've never lost a fish because of an improper drag set with this type of reel.

On the other hand, I've been kicking around the idea of buying a lever-drag reel for myself. I could see where this reel would make it a little bit easier to set the drag when live bait fishing.

seabass

[ClassicGuy]

Certainly some issue of personal taste here, but I am a big fan of the smaller lever drag reels for light trolling. I use Shimano TLD 15s, which have large line capacity and pretty nice drags. I landed a 70 lb school bluefin tuna on one last year and the drag worked very well despite the massive workout. Not on purpose, of course, but the fish ignored the lures on my four Tiagra 30Ws and hit the little tiny feather I put out hoping to pick up a dolphin as I cruised by an offshore lobster pot.

[auguste]

Classic Guy

Ain't that the way . . . the little ones want to test the big equipment and vice versa . . . oh well, you caught it and had fun . . . thats whats important!



. . . just thinking out loud . . . yes, I'm "Miss-Be-Haven"

"49.6 mph on a beautiful calm day . . . fully loaded . . . going down hill"

" The only boat without a ding or four, is the one that never gets used!!! "

[Drifter]

Thanks to each of you for your input. It's greatly appreciated.

Based on the responses, I'll probably give a lever-drag reel a try.

Thanks again,

Drifter

[BLFTUNA]

Looks like you've made up your mind, but just wanted to add my experiences.
I'd definately go with the lever drags. Much bigger drag surfaces on them, and single disc so no sticking. The drags will last many times longer and be smoother at break free. As mentioned, they can be adjusted during the fight and returned to the pre-set adjustment at will, so you'll always know what pressure you're fishing with. Lever drags tend to be sturdier reels too, larger spool axles, greater spool capacities, and more clutch dog's. They generally tend to have more ball bearings supporting the gearing and spools vs stardrag reels.
Now here's where the heat comes in...go with Shimano! Operating in a charter business for 11 years we converted from Penn to Shimano for durability and drag smoothness, and never went back. Every boat on the dock went Shimano except the two that were sponsered by Penn, and they got new reels every year, or their reels factory serviced every year. In 9 years, and dozens of Marlin, 1000's of tuna, many Mako's, we never had a Shimano fail, and only had to replace the drag washers 1-2 times on them! These reels only had a total tear-down cleaning every three years, and worked perfectly when I left. The reels we used were the TLD 25's, TLD 50W, TLD30-2 speeds, and Tiagra 50W-2 speeds & 80's. The TLD-25's saw the bulk of the tuna chunking service on Yellowfin's until those fish starting coming at 80+ pounds. Then we shifted to the 50W's. Now most of the TLD-25's are Bluefish reels, and have been replaced with the 30-2 speeds which are beefer reels of the same size.
This will probably irritate those Penn supporters, but I can only go with what I've experienced, and Penn lost it several years ago, hence the buy out. 'nough said. Good luck on what you buy.

[Drifter]

Thanks BLFTUNA- I would probably lean towards Shimano anyway. As mentioned, I have 4 Speedmasters, one Calcutta, and a couple of Shimano spinning reels (including the excellent Stella). The only reels that capture my attention other than Shimano are Accurate and Avet. Thanks again.

Additional comments are certainly welcomed...

Drifter

[timd]

You mention the Avets, I bought a JX 4.1 to 1, spooled it with 50# Power Pro. I caught Kings, Wahoo, Snapper and Grouper on it this summer. Smooth and Rugged, I can't find anything wrong with it including the price. I'm taking it to Cabo the first week of January, will try to catch Tuna and Striped Marlin on it then!
You need to check them out before you buy Shimano.

Tim

[marlinmike]

I think the Penn VSW line has stepped back into the competition. Either one is good, I do like the TLD's on light graphite poles, awsome action.

[bode]

drifter
i have 4 tt30's (very sim to the tld 30's) on the trading dock. the wife and boy can't get by without the level wind and i don't use them enough. will be buying shimano charter specials after i sell these.
later.

[AGULHAS]

lever for trolling. easier to keep the line from running when you increase trolling speed. adjustments are easier and easier to read at a glance.

[Blue C's]

I own both, fish both. I think the biggest advantage of the lever drag is when a novice is fighting a fish, I can reach over and adjust the drag alot easier. It is also easier to see where it is set which you cannot do with a star drag. Nice to know that when you preset the lever drag, not even a novice can screw it up. When I or one of my fishing buddy's, who know what they are doing are using either one, it doesn't make a difference.

[gbutler]

Drifter,
Just got a pair of the lever drags Penn Int 975 LD that I use for king fishing (moved coasts and needed to downsize some of my equipt.)

So far only two kings but very happy with the ease of use of the drag.

Good luck with what ever you decide.
Greg