San Diego & SoCal Fishing Forums

Folks, last week after struggling to bring a 12-13 lbs tresher shark using Pflueger Contender G50HS with 6.0:1 ratio I realized that perhaps I should invest in a more advanced reel with two speeds and large enough spool to hold a bit more line. Handling 12 oz weight at nearly 200 ft depth wasn't easy either.
I see on Amazon CAMEKOON HT600-SS reel with lever drag up to 55 lbs with 4.5:1 and 2.1:1 ratios for $199 near the top of my budget for now. I guess the fast speed is good enough for yo-yo and jugging and once something large is hooked then the slower speed would help to fight better.
What budget reels would you recommend for game fishing? Is is worthy to spend $20 to $40 more and get larger models HT700-SS or even HT800-SS? Any other affordable reels you may think as alternatives? Previously I have replaced the disks on all my reels with carbon and would this again if needed. Lever vs. star drags - pros and cons? What rods pair best with such reels?

Penn fathom 2 speed. Several sizes available.

With the invention of braid, theres no reason to get a larger bulky reel....

I came to recall again old saying contributed supposedly to some Englishman "I'm not that wealthy to afford buying cheap stuff." So now it seems I have narrowed the choice between two Penn Fathom models:

Model Gear Ratio Line Capacity Braid Line Capacity Mono Retrieve Max Drag Weight Price
FTHII30LD2 5.5:1 / 2.8:1 740/40 635/50 525/65 | 405/25 330/30 255/40 38''|19'' 33lb 20.3 oz $310
FTHII40NLD2 6.0:1/1.9:1 785/50 355/65 565/80 | 410/30 315/40 235/50 50''|16'' 40lb 24.1 oz $330

What is the trade-off between weight and wider spread of the gear ratios, which in your personal opinion looks more important?

I have the 30 and the 40n, enjoy them both. It’s almost the same reel it’s just what you prefer for feel.

The 40 does feel a little beefier

Look at atrains spools....
crammed full of braid & very short topshot, thats the way to do it!!!!
Time to get with the current times...
Even deep drops fishing rockfish, you will feel a rockfish sneezing on your bait!
You can get 400 yards of 65lb braid on a tiny Penn Fathom FTH25NLD2

Thanks a lot fellows! Just pulled the trigger on the 40 model for which I have ordered 500 yards #80 braid line. Hopefully will have something to show and tell a story further about it.