Reels

[dobber1978]

I can't afford them, just wonding if anyone has ever used and what their thoughts were, looks like an interesting system, spinning with no bail,

[Greencoachdog]

If I had one, I'd be afraid to use it!... it'd be just for lookin' at.

[PatrickGG]

Van Staal are really expensive Salt water reels and are considered the Rolls Royce of fishing reels and alls gotta say is if i ever owned one i would be to scared to take it out fishing.

Edited February 24, 2007 by PatrickGG

[OhioFisherman]

I don`t know anyone that has one, not rich enough!

[Crazyhook]

tried one out in Florida... they are awesome! I do not own and am not in a place to afford one but one sweet reel

[baowu2]

I have got a chance to try one out that my friend owns. It's a very powerful reel according to it's simple structure. But you need to have a nicely built body(arm) to use the reel for a long time since it takes some power to crank the handle. Can't compare this reel to shimano stella. Personally i would rather go for stella 10000-20000

 

baowu2

[Clampet]

I looked them up here is a picture of one:

 

[FishHeadRic]

I've got three of these now. VS150b, VS200s and a VS100s. I will never buy another spinning reel unless it's a VS or a Zee Bass. These things are Tanks! Swim with em. Dunk em. Bang them off rocks, it don't matter. I've layed my rod down in the sand and had the reel covered in sand and all ya do is rinse it off and keep fishing. The housing as well as the drag are 100% sealed and these reels only require maintence once a year. I was weary about getting one because of the inital cost but found the first one used for 525$ After a month of swimming around and hopping boulders in Montauk I knew that there could be no other reel for the way I fish. It's all about application, and need. The right tools for the right situation. If ya fish from a boat or from shore you don't need a reel that's sealed... If you're swimming out to boulders 50-100 yards off shore in the dead of nite and hooking up with 30-40lb fish, one of these should be definately concidered... yes?

 

Over the years I've gone thru so many reels. Since I moved here I've eaten thru 6 stratic's alone. The price of that over getting one reel that will last me a life time is all the convincing I needed. Only problem is now I keep buying the VS's

 

 

FHR

Edited March 27, 2012 by FishHeadRic

[FishHeadRic]

BTW The reason for the lack of a bail on the VS's and Zee Bass reels is because of the issues with premature bail closing. Some of the plugs I throw run in the 30-50$ range. Tough thing to deal with having your bail close on a cast and watching your 40$ plug snap off and shoot out into oblivian. God's honest truth, in my opinion reels are so much easier bailless. Less parts, less fuss and absolutly no chance of snapping off a lure on the cast.

 

 

FHR

Edited March 27, 2012 by FishHeadRic

[BillM]

Someones been looking through the Bass Pro Saltwater catalog, lol!

[MCTFisher9120]

I've got three of these now. VS150b, VS200s and a VS100s. I will never buy another spinning reel unless it's a VS or a Zee Bass. These things are Tanks! Swim with em. Dunk em. Bang them off rocks, it don't matter. I've layed my rod down in the sand and had the reel covered in sand and all ya do is rinse it off and keep fishing. The housing as well as the drag are 100% sealed and these reels only require maintence once a year. I was weary about getting one because of the inital cost but found the first one used for 525$ After a month of swimming around and hopping boulders in Montauk I knew that there could be no other reel for the way I fish. It's all about application, and need. The right tools for the right situation. If ya fish from a boat or from shore you don't need a reel that's sealed... If you're swimming out to boulders 50-100 yards off shore in the dead of nite and hooking up with 30-40lb fish, one of these should be definately concidered... yes?

 

Over the years I've gone thru so many reels. Since I moved here I've eaten thru 6 stratic's alone. The price of that over getting one reel that will last me a life time is all the convincing I needed. Only problem is now I keep buying the VS's

 

 

FHR

you got me thinking about swimming around in the pads and slop for my kind of fishing...then i remembered there isnt pretty sand and beaches to walk on and drag my reel through...Won't need a Van Stal this year

Edited March 27, 2012 by MikeTheBassFisher

[MCTFisher9120]

VS100 at 11.2oz, the VBS100 at 16oz...no thanks. Not in a spinning reel anyhow

Edited March 27, 2012 by MikeTheBassFisher

[BillM]

Sorry Mike, but a Stella wouldn't stand up to a 1/4 of what that Van Stall does..

 

Dunk your Stella in saltwater a few times and let us know how it runs if it's not cleaned immediately, lol.

[FishHeadRic]

I have been eyeing a stella 5000sw. Nothing smoother! Beautiful reel and it should be for Shimano's flagship reel. but like l stated before, the right tools for the right situation. I know they are fully sealed and dunkable but not durable enough for what I'm doing. The new Diawa Dogfight is one beautiful reel as well but I've found what I'm looking for in the Van Staal. No need for me to look further.

 

FHR

[FishHeadRic]

VS100 at 11.2oz, the VBS100 at 16oz...no thanks. Not in a spinning reel anyhow

 

 

My VS100 is going on a 9' lamiglass rod. Anything lighter would not balance this rod correctly and leave a tip heavy set up. The VSB reels were designed for the Tuna guys. Even a 40lb tuna will strip 100 yard off your spool in the blink of an eye... Would you trust hooking up with one of these fish with a Penn Silverado? Like I stated before... It's all about application. Mike, you're not going after tuna up there. You would have no need for this reel so why knock em.

 

FHR

[BillM]

Ric, do you get any sea trout that far north?

[FishHeadRic]

Bill we do have Weakfish up here. Kinda rare but they are here and every once in a while I find em mixed in with the Stripers and Bluefish schools. Tastiest fish I've ever eaten but with the lack of them lately I haven't had the heart to bring one home since I've been back.

 

 

FHR

[BillM]

My oldman loves fishing for sea trout, although I'd like to find somewhere we could catch them from shore a bit closer then Florida

[FishHeadRic]

Bill, Texas is a chalked full of 'em. They are here certain times of the year, (mid-late summer) but really hard to locate on a regular basis. Hard to land as well. That's the reason everyone calls em weak fish. The mouths tear really easy.

 

 

FHR

[DRIFTER_016]

My oldman loves fishing for sea trout, although I'd like to find somewhere we could catch them from shore a bit closer then Florida

 

 

I'll be out chasing them in Tampa Bay on Thursday Bill. :thumbsup_anim:

[BillM]

I'll be out chasing them in Tampa Bay on Thursday Bill. :thumbsup_anim:

 

Awesome man! We usually fish Honeymoon State Park, about 30mins north of Tampa when we are down there.. All kinds of fun stuff! Pomps, whitings, sea trout, bonnethead sharks, etc.. Always a great time when we are down there.

[craigdritchie]

Little history lesson here. The Van Staal does have a bail, guys. It's the roller your line goes over. That design is called a manual bail, because you have to manually grab the line with your finger and thread it over the roller. Many decades ago (40s and 50s) the majority of spinning reels were built this way, including ultra-lights. You could still get manual bails on some of the earliest Mitchell 300 reels, and some of the DAM Quick models that were sold into the early 1970s. As with the Van Staal, they're still used in heavy duty salt water applications where the ultimate strength is required.

 

You've seen the bail on the Van Staal. Here's another photo of a manual bail on a Mitchell reel.

 

 

Around the same time (50s) some manufacturers offered what was called a semi-automatic bail. Imagine a normal spinning reel bail from today, but cut the bail arm in half and only keep the half that's attached to the line roller. The idea was to automatically pick up the line and thread it under the roller for you, so you didn't have to touch it.

 

Here's a picture of a semi-auto bail, also on a Mitchell.

 

 

And here's a drawing from a 1950s ad.

 

 

These worked okay, but sometimes in windy weather the bail would miss the line. They were soon replaced by the full wire bails we all know today. Here it is for comparison, once again on a Mitchell.

 

 

 

 

Finally, there is no comparison between a Shimano Stella and a Van Staal. I like the Shimano, and it is a smooth reel. But comparing it to a Van Staal is like comparing a cardboard box to a tank. They're two different animals, for two different purposes.

Edited March 27, 2012 by Craig_Ritchie