Hi everyone,

 

I'm new to fishing and I've done some research but there's just too much out there and I can't figure everything out.

 

In the next few weeks I'll be fishing for striped bass (Long Island) and black sea bass and porgies (MA, Cape Cod) both in party boats.

 

In total my spending limit is $200.00, I'm looking for something I can use in both trips (and many more).

 

I know what I want and need from a rod but reels I'm still confused.

 

I've looked at some Penn and Shimano reels but I don't fully know what to look for.

 

Which reel do you think fit my needs best?

This a freshwater bass fishing site.  You might have better luck on a saltwater site.

For party boat fishing a pretty basic set up is all that's really needed, I don't think it's that much of brand issue.  Both senators and tld's are proven work horse reels in the budget area, senators may be a little less expensive.  Just about every party boat I've been on uses senators, tld's are popular on charter boats.

 

I would be looking for a reel with a line capacity of about 300 yds of 30# mono, senators are star drag the tld a lever drag, similar sized reels the tld is a lighter (not a big deal) with a stronger max drag, might be a few bucks more.  Braid is not a good option for these reels and type of fishing.

 

One thing that should be understood, any of these conventional reels are not smooth like a bass or inshore reel, they are not designed to be nor is it necessary.  They are designed to take punishment.

Grab urself a penn feirce combo size 5000 with a 9' rod berkely big game 15 lb test 1 oz bucktails ,spoons and gulp jerkbaits get white,chartreuse,and blue.Ask around the peirs and shores for more info and have fun