Levelwind Or Non Levelwind?

[fisho1990]

g'day raiders just after some advice on overhead reels for distance casting (beach or rockhopping) and the pro's and con's of having a non-levelwind setup......

I usually use spin gear for such fishing but an old bloke was telling me non-levelwind overheads are better for distance and more comfortable when fighting bigger fish???

any advice would be appreciated as i am looking into buying a calcutta 700 (without the levelwind) off a mate and i dont want to buy it if it wont suit the style of fishing im looking at.

cheers, Fisho1990.

[LittleNoah]

I'm certainly no expert but I'm led to believe you can cast further without the levelwind.

The levelwind one's aren't really designed for casting.

I've got a charter special and was told by the bloke at the baitshop when I bought it that I would be able to flick it a bit just to get my rig away from the boat a little bit but I wouldn't be able to cast lures around or anything like that.

[shane87]

Spool weight will also have an effect on casting distance and i think the 700's are quite heavy. If you are comfortable with laying the line on your reel without a levelwind then its definately the way to go. I use a 7000 abu with the levelwind removed and it casts very well.

[pjbink]

I'm certainly no expert but I'm led to believe you can cast further without the levelwind.

The levelwind one's aren't really designed for casting.

I've got a charter special and was told by the bloke at the baitshop when I bought it that I would be able to flick it a bit just to get my rig away from the boat a little bit but I wouldn't be able to cast lures around or anything like that.

That is because the charter special is a lever drag. With all the drag washers attached to the spool it is very heavy and so difficult to cast. Level winds are designed for casting but will rob you of a small amount of distance in some situations. They can be a hinderance when beach fishing as they can tend to cause a problem when they pick up sand. They are also something extra to go wrong/ maintain and are not favoured for game fishing.

What sort of rock and beach fishing will you be doing? It's a bit of an unusual choice - the calcutta 700. It's a rather wide reel with a slow retrieve rate which would rather limit it's use.

Edited February 13, 2009 by billfisher

[fisho1990]

That is because the charter special is a lever drag. With all the drag washers attached to the spool it is very heavy and so difficult to cast. Level winds are designed for casting but will rob you of a small amount of distance in some situations. They can be a hinderance when beach fishing as they can tend to cause a problem when they pick up sand. They are also something extra to go wrong/ maintain and are not favoured for game fishing.

What sort of rock and beach fishing will you be doing? It's a bit of an unusual choice - the calcutta 700. It's a rather wide reel with a slow retrieve rate which would rather limit it's use.

mostly casting baits for salmon, tailor, jew and kings.. i have an old calcutta 400 i have had for years and i can manage pretty long casts from that just after something a little bigger to get larger baits out .

[WANNAFISH]

Fishos in the America even dismantle and get rid off the level wind as they said you get a better or longer cast out off it. Well I asked the same question why not buy a non-level wind OH in the first place. But this guy I know who did the same thing said that he wanted to know which one is better. So instead buying 2 reels he bought one and then he could tell the difference between them two.

[pjbink]

mostly casting baits for salmon, tailor, jew and kings.. i have an old calcutta 400 i have had for years and i can manage pretty long casts from that just after something a little bigger to get larger baits out .

It should be OK for that, even with the level wind. If the baits are reasonably large then you will get quite a bit of drag due to wind resistance, this will tend to overide the small amount of drag you will get from the level wind.