Let's just say when Michael was in Florida he wanted to fish tarpon under the bridges with this big 6000 size spinner...but it has a graphite spool...
He said he just wanted to at least get a tarpon on the line and feel its power...
I felt like a broken record when I say "You're playing with fire"
To me, there's no point in hooking a fish and then having that fish snap you off within seconds and having that fish trail yards and yards of line behind it. A tarpon can run out 100 yards of line within seconds (heck, the Yellow Jack ran out a 1/4 of my spool within seconds...and I had 300 yards of 50lb Sufix 832 braid on that spool!). And we were fishing bridge pilings where it was impossible to follow a fish or pull them around the piling from the bridge. It was simply silly. It a whole different game if you are targeting from a boat so you can follow the fish around on a short, tight line.
With all due respect, MikeH, I think it would serve best for Michael to make an "investment" buy and get a saltwater grade reel...you can always use a saltwater reel for freshwater fishing, but some freshwater reels are not good for saltwater fishing at all. The internal components may not be corrosion resistant enough, and the metal material may not sustain repeated higher drag pressure and extremely fast run (say a jack or a shark). At least then he could "lock down" the drag and at least try to horse a fish without worrying about internal failure. When you're on a trip and a reel breaks down on you, you're out of the game. All that money invested to arrive at your destination, and a gear failure prevent you from enjoying the fishing you traveled to experience...that's just silly to me too.
They don't have to be $800-1000 Stella or Saltiga, but a respectable and track record proven saltwater grade reel is probably the best choice. Make the investment once, and you'll have a reel that will last 20 years. I've been selling some gear and making these investments. My reels are all under $200...but they have proven track record and solid construction for the gear class.
The difference to me is whether you pay $150-170 for a quality saltwater grade baitrunner (Shimano Baitrunner or Penn Spinfisher V or Penn Slammer Liveliner), or pay for a cheaper $80 Okuma Epixor that will need to be replaced again a few years down the road.
Truly, I'm very happy with my Shimano Baitrunner. It has handled a couple of big bat ray in the 50-60lb class, and now a southern stingray in that 20-30lb class. Zero corrosion, zero maintenance, smooth as butter...not much more you can ask for. Although the body is graphite, the track record from everyone fishing it around the world shows the body is rigid enough (within reason) to handle some very big fish (even 100lb+ Mekong Catfish and 200lb+ Arapaima...Baitrunner is the workhorse for fishing guides in Thailand). I have absolute confidence in that reel.
But if possible, the Penn Spinfisher V would be a great upgrade since it has gaskets and seals to make it very water resistant (not waterproof...but I'm not skishing with that reel), and it does have HT-100 carbon drag plus a full metal body. That just says quality saltwater design to me.
