Any questions. russ@reelfoto.demon.co.uk.

Not always true, but when fishing into dark, deep water for a Conger eel which could tip the ton or bouncing a big bait downtide of a rusting wreck for a springtime Ling that could bump the scales around to forty or fifty pounds, then you want a rod and reel capable of standing up to the rough and tumble of deepwater wreck fishing. The rods rating should be closely linked to the breaking strain of your line, if you are using 50lb breaking strain line then the rod should be marked up as IGFA 50LB CLASS or similar. The reel should have a retrieve rate that is not too high and then again not too low, else winding in after every drop becomes a real arm aching chore, about 3.5:1 or slightly higher is good on deepwater reels. Add to that a drag system that can be trusted to stay at the setting to which you have set it and a clutch that will slip smoothly without jerking at the hookhold and unduly pressurising your knots with a shuddering judder, then you will have an outfit capable of doing battle with the big bruisers and winning the fight!!This sort of tackle is not tackle you buy every couple of years, so it’s worth buying good gear and looking after it. Look for a responsible company that understands what you are using it for and have a facility to service and repair your pride and joy, maybe years down the road. My friend Ian Rose “The Reel Doctor” has often said to me that a spray with WD40 after every trip will at least double the life of most reels, especially reels that have been deluged with sea water when spray and the occasional gallon or six of sea water comes crashing over the gunnel.”All up!” shouts the skipper and reeling arms go into overdrive to get the end tackle up asap, so that not a moment is wasted before the boat goes around for another drift. Funny isn’t it, there are always one or two anglers that are always last up, is it because they will not work as hard as the rest of the crew, is it because their reels are very low geared? Often it is none of these things. Most likely it is because they are the sort of anglers who have a hundred yards of line on a reel designed to take four or five hundred yards. They are probably reeling as fast as they can, but because every turn of their reel is only recovering a fraction of what it should, they are always last up!It is a good idea to put a good layer of backing line on a spool of a big reel and then put just enough good line on to fill the spool to within a quarter inch or so of the spools rim. If you are spooling up with superbraid which often comes in 200 yard spools, it will often go on right over the top of your old monofilament. Just make sure that the monofilament is spooled on evenly and tight before connecting the superbraid and winding it on. Should you decide that you would rather use superbraid all the time, it may pay you to look at a smaller reel with a level wind mechanism, so that you do not have to use your fingers to lay the line evenly on the spool. Water softened fingers are easily cut by the abrasive and very thin superbraid lines. Levelwind reels, once regarded with a jaundiced eye by deep water anglers, are a good idea with this new line. I know I am now a believer after years of regarding the level wind as something of a gimmick.Fairly recently someone asked me how much line was really needed on a reel for wrecking. A simple enough question, but it made me pause and ponder the answer. I have had a few decent shark, more than my share of conger and I suppose the longest run I have had from any fish, regardless of size has been thirty yards, maybe fifty, and that was a decent, fast moving shark. So if you fished a real deep water wreck at 60 metres and allow another fifty percent for the drift of the line you are up to something like a hundred metres of line maximum. So the question has to be asked, why is a monster reel that will take 400 yards of 50lb or 600 yards of 30lb line necessary?It makes a lot more sense if you only ever use 30lb line, to buy a reel that will take say, 200 yards plus backing, carrying a spool of new 30lb line in your tackle bag in case you get hooked in the bottom and lose a lot of line. If you then make the decision that you are only ever going to use superbraid, then a reel half that size again, with a higher retrieve rate might be all that is necessary, makes you think doesn’t it!Some of the new generation of small super reels such as the Shimano Calcutta will handle superbraid superbly well. The quality of the engineering in these reels will take all the rough and tumble that fish caught around our shores are likely to dish out and they will last a long time into the bargain, provided they are well looked after, i.e. wash, wipe and WD40’d.The Reel Doctor. Ian Rose. 01 803 529 953.

Any questions. russ@reelfoto.demon.co.uk.