1 speed vs 2 speed reel
 

Here is another dumb question from my long list that I will ask one by one so you all don't think I am completely clueless.

When would you use a 2 speed reel vs a 1 speed reel?

when you have the money to afford it :biggrinjester::biggrinjester::biggrinjester:

boat guys love them. braid, heavy hooks, put the rod on the rail and wind, wind, wind. fish don't have a chance. tons of fish have been killed (um, released unharmed into the water, meg) on 500's, 146's, 99's, 2/0's, 3/0's, 4/0's, old newell's, and a whole host of single speed relics.

do we need one? how many 100lb tuna are we going to hook?

they work great on the boats though. "oooh, he's got shiny 2 speed lever drags". "ooh, he's got all grafighters".

sealines, saltists, toriums, etc. solid, work great. and they do have a ton of cranking power, even the sealines in 6:1. you'd be amazed.

well when throwing a surface iron its nice to have 6:1 and then when you hooka feeesh, use the 3:1 and just turn the handle.

when fighting a fish in the low gear then he turns and heads straight towards your yak, slap into high and keep that line tight.



do you need em... nope
are they nice to have.... yup

the tackle stores that do reel repairs love for you to be taking your two speed reels with all those nice seawater collection devices...I mean bearings out through the surf ....I had a sx avet that had bearings seize after just five or six trips but have 30 year old jig masters that take a licking and keep on ticking that has been on forty or fifty trips with no work other than a good hosing off.
I have not taken any "good" reels on the yak since.A well lubed and drag washered 500 high speed in the "jr" size will kill almost any thing at lajolla.You don't reallly need the line capacity of the bigger reels as your sleigh ride will keep the fish close.

but then I'm an old fart so what do I know!

Avets are high maintenance when used in the yak.But then again ferraris need to be tuned often...

The low gear of a 2 speed reel is designed for the end game of a big tuna or bill fish fight where the fish is straight under the boat and doing the big circles. It can also be usefull for getting large bottom dwellers, groupers and big jacks, away from the rocks at the start of the fight. Other than that i can't see too much use in a 2 speed especially for a kayak application. Mike

Most of the smaller 2-speeds like the Avet SX and MXJ/MXL, are really two reels in one... a bait reel with 4:1 gears and a jig reel with 6:1 gears. They don't have a low, winch, granny gear like some big tuna iron. So from that perspective they're nice in that you do have 2 reels in one. If you can swing one, go for it. My smallest 2-speed is an Avet JX (6:1/3:1) that I use for 40#.

I'm right here with this one. I have two reels that always go fishing with me in the big seas, and they are both Jigmasters. I have caught Yellowtail, Yellow Fin, Dorados, and anything else on these and they never quit.

Someday I may buy a 2 speed, but I'm in no rush to do so. Trust me no matter how fast you think you are reeling that iron in, it's still not faster than the fish can swim. :jig:

different perspective
 

2-speed reels are nice and very durable. I've been launching thru the surf since 2000, and carried Shimano's, Diawas, and AVETS in 1 and now 2 speed. No mechanical problems, and they perform better/smoother than the older designs. Technology does improve, despite the success guys have using older reel designs. Take care of any gear you get by fresh water rinsing, and maintain them regularly.

Here's an better thought for you- get Lever-Drag reels instear of star drag.... you will get finer, quicker adjustments for trolling live bait or rapalas, and can shift up or down load as might be needed fighting a big fish.

More important, carry 4 rigs- one with a sabiki rigged fgor catching bait, two for live bait fishing (maybe one set up with hook only- fly line... and one down-rigged with a two oz torpedo, or differnt size lines, depending on the time of year and target fish.) You want to avoid missing the bite because you have to re-tie.

Just my limited perspective...

Glad I'm not the only one. I spent my fun time ont he Polaris Supreme as a kid, throwing Iron on a 9foot ulua and a penn senator or Newel.

Caught and killed lots of Tuna and YT, and even a Halibut!:cheers1:
2 speed is for the ritch, I figure if you pay more for a reel than half of what you paid for your kayak, you should be in a boat :biggrinjester:

I have to agree with Mike. I have a pair of two-speed reels, one Penn International and one Accurate Platinum, and I use them on a boat for makos and threshers. When a big version of these fish dives, switching to the lower gear makes it easier to get them to the boat; conversely, when they are on the surface or coming up, switching to higher speed allows you to put the line back on the reel fast. It is possible that a smaller two-speed reel can be used on a kayak, but I do not think the benefits outweigh the extra cost when used on a kayak, unless the target fish are makos and t-sharks in the 250 lb. and up range.

Kevin