Saltwater Fishing Reels

Saltwater fishing reels come in all the same flavors that freshwater reels do, only they are built for saltwater use. This typically means that they are a bit more rugged, and a whole lot easier to clean. Saltwater reels are also usually quite a bit more expensive than their freshwater counterparts.

To choose the type of saltwater reel you would like to use, consider exactly where you will be fishing. Typically, if you are fishing in open water you will want much heavier gear than if you are fishing closer into shore. This is largely due to the size of the fish and types of species you will see in each environment.

For open water fishing, you will want a heavy duty reel, usually a baitcaster. Saltwater baitcasting reels are built to take very heavy line weights, and are easy to disassemble for cleaning all that saltwater off the works. The drag systems on the saltwater baitcasting reels are designed to accommodate the varying resistance of the catch automatically. Because of this the saltwater baitcaster is the logical choice when going after the monster fish you find in open water fishing.

For shore fishing, you are going to want something entirely different in a saltwater fishing reel. Here, the logical choice will be a spinning reel, just like the ones you use when you're lake fishing for bass. The main difference between the freshwater and saltwater versions of the spinning reel is that the saltwater versions are usually made from stainless steel in order to better resist the corrosion that occurs from repeated exposure to saltwater.

Cleaning is an essential part of caring for your saltwater fishing reels. It is a well-known fact that saltwater and precision equipment (like a fishing reel) don't mix well, particularly if they are not well card for. You should hose down your saltwater equipment thoroughly at the end of each trip. If you don't you may find that you will need to replace that expensive saltwater fishing reel much earlier than you had planned.