Bottom Fishing Reels: Read Before You Buy!

In this article, I’ll talk through how to choose a bottom fishing reel. I’ll go through the key features to look for and explain why they’re important or not important. It can be difficult to find a bottom fishing reel since its usually not a category when searching online for fishing reels. You generally cannot go to big name fishing store websites and see “bottom fishing” under the parent category for fishing reels. Read through this article and you’ll be armed with the information to ensure you spend your hard earned money the right way.

Spinning vs Conventional for Bottom Fishing

When bottom fishing, the choice between spinning and conventional reels is an easy one. For a dedicated bottom fishing setup, a conventional reel is the way to go. Conventional reels have higher line capacity with the high strength line you’ll need for bottom species such as grouper and snapper. Conventionals also tend to have higher drag because the larger frame and spool size can more easily support large drag washers.

Spinning reels can be used, and are usually only the angler’s choice if the setup is also used for casting, or the angler hasn’t yet mastered thumbing the spool. Spinners can provide enough line capacity as long as they’re the appropriate size for the environment. Offshore, you may need to use a 8000-14000 size spinning reel.

With either reel type, you can maximize the line capacity by using braid as your main line. Braid will give you the sensitivity you need to feel a grouper strike right away. This will improve your odds of reacting quickly enough to reel the fish in a bit before it has a chance to burrow into the reef and try to cut off your line. My article Bottom Fishing Line goes into an in-depth discussion about why braided main line is best, what strength to use for bottom fishing, and how to choose your leader line.  

How Much Line Capacity for Bottom Fishing?

Figuring out what line capacity you really need can be challenging, especially if you’re just starting out getting into bottom fishing. The best advice I can give you is to look at a TopSpot map, or an electronic map, for where you’ll usually fish. Take note of the water depth around reefs, wrecks and structure you think you’d target. Also look at a map for spots you’ll occasionally fish, like your usual vacation spot. Take note of the water depths (be sure to record the units too) in these areas.

For me, I usually fish off the East coast of Florida, out of Port Canaveral or Ft Pierce, so I looked at the depths between those two inlets, at a max distance offshore of about 20 miles. I rarely will go out further than 20 miles. I also like to go to the Keys and fish those areas occasionally.

Looking at my TopSpot map N220 for East Florida Offshore, I see that the max depth 20 nautical miles offshore, is about 110 Fathoms (220 yards, 660 ft) with a significant amount of reefs, ledges and other spots sitting at half that depth. For my occasional fishing in the Keys, it can get significantly deeper than that on the Atlantic side, but stays much shallower on the Gulf side.

My fishery has depths up to 110 Fathoms (220 yards, 660 ft), and I’ll need some margin added to that. The margin will cover any excess line used to get the depth, since my line usually has some bend in it when going down to that depth. It’ll also be enough to cover a bottom fish pulling drag during the fight. Also, keep in mind that this would be for the MAXIMUM depth location in my usual fishery! I’ll more likely be in depths of 60 fathoms (120 yards, 360 ft).

Another word of advice, the advertised line capacities of reels always seem to be inflated to me. I have never been able to hit the listed capacity, no matter what reel it is, and always get a little less than the advertised amount. So if you’re in between sizes, you may want to size up to make sure you get the capacity you want.

For my usual fishery, a capacity of 400 yards of 65 lb braid is likely enough. 220 yards will get me to the bottom and 180 yards of margin for a bend in the line and a fish pulling drag. I also don’t want to add an excessive amount of margin because minimizing my equipment for my wife and kids is a priority of mine as well.

In the table below, you’ll see how the line capacity varies for different reels that could be used for bottom fishing.

Reel	Reel Type	65 lb Braid Capacity
Shimano Stella 8000PGC	Spinning	215 yds
Shimano Torium TOR16PGA	Conv Star Drag	330 yds
Shimano Talica TAC16II	Conv Lever Drag	485 yds

Drag: How Much Do I Need and What Type?

The drag should always be set around 25-30% the breaking strength of the line. I will normally choose 65 lb braid, but occasionally will go up to 80 lb braid for bottom fishing. That means I need to be able to set my drag between 16 lbs and 24 lbs (about 25% of 65 lb braid to about 30% of 80 lb braid).

When looking for a reel to buy, the advertised drag number is the max drag. You’ll want some margin from your usual setting up to the max drag for the reel. Drag washers degrade over time, so you’ll gradually tighten the drag to get the same drag setting.

The minimum max drag (confusing phrase, right?) for a bottom fishing reel should be about 20 lbs. When considering a lever drag reel, you’ll want your “max drag at strike” to be about 20 lbs. With lever drag reels, your 25-30% breaking strength of the line drag setting will be set in the strike position.

Below, you’ll see some potential bottom fishing reels and how the max drag compares.

Reel	Reel Type	Max Drag	Max Drag @ Full
Shimano Stella 8000PGC	Spinning	55 lbs	N/A
Shimano Torium TOR16PGA	Conv Star Drag	33 lbs	N/A
Shimano Talica TAC16II	Conv Lever Drag	22 lbs (@ strike)	40 lbs

As far as the type of drag that’s best for bottom fishing, it really doesn’t matter. As long as you have the capability of setting your drag where it needs to be, the choice can be one of personal preference. I personally like the feel of a conventional with a star drag, but I know some guys who prefer lever drag so they can see if they accidentally adjust the drag.

Low or High Gear Ratio for Bottom Fishing? And What Retrieve Rate?

Gear ratio and retrieve rate are usually related to one another. The lower the gear ratio, the slower the retrieve rate usually is, although the spool diameter is also a factor in the calculation.

A lower gear ratio means more power. You can be surprised by how big a strong a fish you can pull in without much effort when using a low gear ratio. This is especially important in bottom fishing because of how critical the first few seconds after strike are.

When you hook into a fish like a grouper or a snapper around a wreck or reef, the first thing they do is dart back into structure. They’ll almost inflate to try to keep themselves stuck in the structure. Then they’ll thrash and try to cut your line.  Read more about the different species you’ll catch bottom fishing and how they act in my article Bottom Fishing Fish.

You’ll need to immediately crank the power on the fish and get them away from the structure. You’ll need a low gear ratio, high power reel, and you’ll also need the boat to be positioned so that your retrieve pulls the fish away from the structure.  We’ll leave the boating skills up to the captain, but you’ll be doing yourself a favor by bottom fishing with a high power reel.

In the table below, I pulled together some reels that could be used for bottom fishing and their gear ratios and retrieve rates. The Torium is also offered in a high gear ratio, so I added that to the table for comparison purposes. The PG model is the one marketed towards bottom fishing because of its low gear ratio and high power.

Reel	Reel Type	Gear Ratio	Retrieve Rate
Shimano Stella 8000PGC	Spinning	4.9:1	37 in/turn
Shimano Torium TOR16PGA	Conv Star Drag	4.6:1	34 in/turn
Shimano Torium TOR16HGA	Conv Star Drag	6.2:1	46 in/turn
Shimano Talica TAC16II	Conv Lever Drag	3.1:1 low 5.7:1 high	22 in/turn low 41 in/turn high

Retrieve rate is related to gear ratio, but less important. A faster retrieve rate will be beneficial when reeling in hundreds of yards of line from the depths of the ocean. Sometimes you’ll reel in your line without a fish on it and it’ll be the most boring, long retrieve of your life. This never happens to me though, ha!

Single Speed vs 2 Speed Reels

This scenario shows the advantage of a two speed reel. When dropping your bait and waiting for a bite, your best bet is to be in low gear to put the power on the fish. If, by some chance you end up striking out and coming up with only your cut bait, switch the reel to high gear and crank it in faster.

Anti-Reverse for Bottom Fishing

Anti-reverse is the feature that prevents the spool from spinning backwards before the drag engages. This feature is usually designed with a one way bearing or a ratchet and pawl system. Anti-reverse systems are extremely important in trolling applications because of the hard and fast strikes from pelagics. For this reason, a lot of trolling reels will have redundancy built in to the anti-reverse system by adding an extra pawl (dog) or two to the ratchet and pawl system.

In bottom fishing, the strikes are not so hard and fast to necessitate redundancy in this design feature. A grouper or snapper strikes cut bait far differently than a wahoo strikes a trolled squid. When choosing a reel for bottom fishing, a double pawl or triple pawl anti-reverse system is only recommended if you plan to also use the reel for trolling.

A reel like the Shimano Torium size 16 has a single pawl anti-reverse ratchet system. The Shimano Talica size 16 2 speed has a double pawl anti-reverse, but size 20 and up actually has a triple pawl anti-reverse. This is one of the reasons for the price jump between the Talica size 16 and the Talica size 20 (the other reason being the gear ratio).

Levelwinds for Bottom Fishing

Something you’ll have to get used to with a conventional reel for use offshore is likely the lack of a levelwind. It’s rare to find a conventional reel with the line capacity needed for trolling or bottom fishing with a levelwind. I’ve noticed that even if the model is made by the manufacturer, my local fishing store won’t carry it because it doesn’t sell.

Levelwinds distribute the line across the width of the spool when the line is retrieved. There are some types of levelwinds that also move back and forth during the cast in an effort to decrease the friction on the line and improve casting distance.

This feature is usually designed with nylon gears so that it will be the first part of the reel to fail if the reel experiences pressure it cannot withstand. This is a safety feature to prevent something worse from breaking off.

In the harsh saltwater conditions of offshore fishing, levelwinds are susceptible to corrosion and degradation. They can also fail to keep up with the line screaming off the reel like it does when you hook into a wahoo. Levelwinds are known to be more trouble than they’re worth on big offshore reels.

When choosing a bottom fishing reel, I recommend making sure that it does NOT have a levelwind feature and opting to learn to use your thumb. If this is very unrealistic for you or other anglers who will use the reel, you may be better off with a spinning reel. My article Bottom Fishing: Everything You Need to Know has more information on common setups for bottom fishing.

Versatility: Use Your Bottom Reel for Trolling Too!

As much as we’d all like to have specific setups for specific applications, the reality is that it can take years of fishing to build up your arsenal of rods and reels. To find the best reel for you, we must also consider what else you want to use the reel for and figure out if it has the necessary features to do that.

What Features Do I Need to Use My Bottom Reel for Trolling Too?

There are a lot of similarities between a reel that is ideal for bottom fishing and a reel that’s ideal for trolling. It’s very common for fishermen to use the same reel for both applications, especially when first venturing into one of the techniques. When choosing a reel that can work well for both bottom fishing and trolling, you’ll want to pay extra attention to two features: the anti-reverse and the clicker.

A bottom reel with a redundant anti-reverse, like the Shimano Talica that has a double pawl system for size 16 and below, and a triple pawl system for size 20 and up.

The presence of a clicker is also a key attribute you’ll want. It won’t matter much when you’re bottom fishing because you’ll be holding the reel and you’ll be able to easily tell when you get a strike. However, when using the reel for trolling, it’ll be sitting in a rod holder and you’ll need to watch it or be alerted when a strike occurs so you can start fighting. The clicker is what provides you with the alert. The Shimano Talica and the Shimano Torium both have clickers.

What Features Do I Need to Use My Bottom Reel for Casting Too?

Less commonly you may see anglers use the same reel for bottom fishing and casting. A spinning setup would easily work for this as spinning reels are great for easy casting. However, what should you look for in a conventional bottom fishing reel that would make it work for casting?

A brake system and a cast control or spool tension adjustment is needed. The Shimano Torium has a cast control system that adjusts the spool tension. This helps to slow down how fast the reel spins when casted. A spool spinning too quickly can easily birds nest into a mess. There is no braking system, so it relies completely on the angler’s thumb. I wouldn’t recommend using a conventional reel with no brakes for casting unless you’re a highly experienced angler.

I hope this article helps you choose your bottom fishing reel. To see which one I settled on, read my article Why I Bought THESE Bottom Fishing Reels. Tight lines, y’all!