It’s a fairly regular occurrence in my shop – an inshore angler (saltwater) will drop in and ask for our assistance on purchasing a reel. Many want our guidance on whether to purchase a level wind conventional reel or an open style conventional reel. These products are completely different – the open style conventional reel doesn’t have the level winding features. While both styles of reel have definite benefits, they both also have their unique challenges.
The best answer to this question is simple – take into consideration how you fish, your personal preferences and finally, what kind of line you intend to use most of the time. These factors will help you make an informed decision about which reel type is best for your needs.
A level wind reel is perfect if you’re fishing almost exclusively with monofilament line. A level wind uses guides that will ensure that your line rewinds smoothly without the bunching up that is common in an open wind conventional reel when you’re reeling in that big catch. The reel uses a simple pawl that runs back and forth across the front of the reel on a worm shaft. This is completely unlike an open style conventional reel which has no guide line. Those who use open style conventional reels will find they have to take certain steps to ensure that monofilament line is correctly spooled back to their reel.
While part of deciding which reel is the right one for you, the overwhelming factor in the final decision will almost always be personal preference. I have had many surfcaster anglers tell that there is no way they would even consider a level wind reel. The factor they take into consideration are dual – first level winds are far more susceptible to damage – even a few grains of sand can clog up a good reel. The other reason has to do with casting ease – many surfcaster anglers feel that even these tiny level winders have a negative impact on their casting prowess. It’s almost impossible to argue with the first – there’s little doubt that a line guide provides one more surface that contacts your line – this is a hindrance that an open faced conventional reel simply doesn’t have. There is no doubt that the fewer moving parts that make up an assembly will result in fewer failures. It’s important to keep in mind when talking about and to surfcasters that they often tend to wander off on foot to remote areas to cast – and they carry only one rod and reel. Under these conditions the last thing you want to be concerned about is reel failure.
Various types of fishing lines are discussed in another article, but for the purposes of reels, you will want to review the line you use most often. If you’re more likely to use monofilament line, you’re more likely to lean towards a level wind reel. Frankly, a level wind reel is best for monofilament line because of the problems that trying to rewind the line manually using your thumb for a guide. Monofilament line tends to bunch up and will literally pile up near the frame and get high enough to interfere with proper reel functioning. If you’re using braided line you’re unlikely to run into these problems as it simply winds better without a lot of help from the angler.
Monofilament is a great line – it’s cost effective, it’s lightweight but it does have some downsides. One of them which can be problematic when you’re reeling in the catch of the day is this lines tendency to pile up in one spot on the spool when you’re reeling it in. Let us face it – we all understand the mechanics of reels – the more line that piles up the more likely it is to get high enough to interfere with proper reel operation. Worse yet, this line can bind the spool against the frame which creates even more problems. It’s a bit ironic – these types of issues almost always occur when you have a fish headed right for you – the line piles up at the back of the reel and you’ve missed your opportunity.
Anglers can guide monofilament line with their thumb, ensuring an even wind. However, if you’re using a braided line, you’re unlikely to need to learn this trick. Braided Dacron line for some unknown reason rewinds onto the reel nearly perfectly with little interference or help from the angler. This means that you’re not going to have to worry about your line when you’re bringing in a large fish.
For anglers who use braided line, this typically is not an issue. Because of the additional weight and its overall construction, braided line doesn’t tend to bunch up on an open wind reel. In fact, braided Dacron line tends to go back on the reel as nearly perfectly as one could expect with very little attention from the angler. For those who prefer braided Dacron lines, an open wind reel is definitely the one to purchase.
I will tell you, and you can confirm with any repair shop owner that far more level wind reels come in for repair than open wind reels. The reason for this is very obvious – an open wind reel has far fewer moving parts which result in far less opportunities for failure. It’s important that anyone purchasing a reel is aware of this issue, and understands that there is no manufacturer that is spared these additional repairs. The fact is that the overall construction of the level wind reel with its additional small parts will result in more breakdowns. The additional pressure resulting from a large fish, minute grains of salt and sand all combine with the pawl to put additional pressure on fishing line. Throw in failure to properly clean and lubricate a reel and the end result is that the reel is going to fail at some point. Open faced conventional reels simply do not have these drawbacks.
Take into consideration your personal preferences and the type of line you’re going to be using and combine this with whether you’re rigging or casting and these factors will help in making your final decision of whether to purchase an open wind reel or a level wind reel and you’ll ultimately make the right choice.
With all the different types of reels out there things can get confusing. Doing your research before hand can save yourself a headache. Some of the most popular reels include: Seaborg SB300FB, Daiwa Viento, and Shimano Stella FD.
