With the advancement in spinning reel technology over the past several years, more and more anglers are starting to pick up spinning reels as their go-to reel for offshore fishing. For so long, it was said that spinning reels do not have the longevity or the fighting power needed for serious offshore fishing, which is no longer the case. While there are some clear advantages conventional reels might have, such as line capacity and drag, there are many applications where a spinning reel may be preferred. I personally like to have at least a couple of spinning reel setups on hand for all of my offshore fishing outings.
If you are new to offshore fishing or are just looking to add a good spinning setup to your arsenal, picking out the right spinning reel is a very important first step. Depending on what you are fishing for and the style of fishing you are doing can determine the best spinning reel for you. In this article, we go over many of the key things to look for in a deep-sea fishing spinning reel.
The ideal spinning reel for offshore fishing is a 8000 to 18000 series reel that can hold a minimum of 400 yards of 50 lb test line. The offshore spinning reel should be specifically built for offshore fishing such that it can withstand high amounts of torque encountered when fighting large pelagic fish who can make long and aggressive runs.
There isn't a perfect one-size-fits-all when it comes to offshore spinning reels. Some spinning reels are going to be better suited for casting to cobia or Mahi while others might be better suited for jigging for tuna. Understanding how you intend to fish and for what fish you expect to catch will help you narrow in on the best reel for the job.
Top 10 Spinning Reels for Offshore Fishing
Picking the right reel is an important step in getting rigged up for offshore fishing. After much research and hands-on reviews, we have down-selected the many reels on the market to our favorite top 10 spinning reels for offshore fishing. We feel that any of these reels, when paired with the right deep sea fishing rod, can perform well on the water and can be used to target the widest range of offshore fish.
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| Reel Brand and Model | Line Capacity (braid) | Max Drag | Weight | Gear Ratio (line retrieve per handle turn) |
| Shimano Stella SW 14000 | 400/50 | 55 lb | 23.8 oz | 6.2:1 (53 in) |
| Shimano Saragosa SW 1800 | 600/50 | 44 lb | 32.3 oz | 5.7:1 (51 in) |
| Shimano Twin Power SW 1400 | 400/50 | 55 lb | 23.3 oz | 6.2:1 (53 in) |
| Penn Spinfisher VI 9500 | 730/50 | 45 lb | 37.1 oz | 4.2:1 (40 in) |
| Penn Slammer IV 8500 HS | 600/50 | 50 lb | 30.7 oz | 5.3:1 (50 in) |
| Daiwa Saltiga 14000XH | 330/65 | 55 lb | 23.5 oz | 6.2:1 (52.9 in) |
| Daiwa BG MQ 18000-H | 440/65 | 44 lb | 30.5 oz | 5.3:1 (49.4 in) |
| Van Staal VR200 | 500/40 | 40 lb | 19.6 oz | 4.8:1 (40 in) |
| Shimano Spheros SW 1800HGA | 600/50 | 40 lb | 32.4 oz | 5.7:1 (51 in) |
To learn more about offshore spinning reels and the various things we consider when selecting our favorite, please continue to read through this article.
Spinning Reel vs Conventional Reel for Offshore Fishing
There is an age-old debate on what style of reel is better for offshore fishing, conventional styles such as the Penn International VI, or a spinning such as the Shimano Stella SW 14000. Each of these reel styles has its place on the water and which one is best really depends on what you are doing.
The spinning style reel has really earned its place as being a good go-to reel for many fishermen. These spinning reels are easy to operate and can be used by beginner and advanced fishermen alike. The biggest advantage when it comes to spinning reels is their castability. This is especially important when you need to get your bait far away from the boat to get to the fish or just keep your line away from others. When I am sight casting for dauphin along the weed lines I am almost always using a spinning reel.
On the downside, spinning reels in general will have less line capacity when compared to conventional reels of the same size. As an example, the Shimano Stella SW 14000 spinning reel will hold about 400 yds of 50lb test braid line where a Penn Internation 12 VI conventional reels will hold 840 yds of the same line. This extra length associated with the conventional reel really becomes important if you are doing a lot of deepwater bottom fishing or are targeting really large and aggressive fish who could take a lot of line during the battle. However, for most common fish caught when deep-sea fishing, this isn't going to be a problem.
I think the biggest negative to using a spinning reel when offshore fishing is the reel position. Because the spinning reel is positioned at the bottom side of the rod, vs the top with a conventional reel, you are not able to rest the rod on the boat when a fish is pulling hard against you. While resting the rod on the boat isn't good practice in general, sometimes with bigger fish anglers sometimes need some extra leverage and it can become unavoidable.
I personally like to have both a spinning reel or two on my boat as well as a set of conventional rods. Having the best tool for the job really helps with your success on the water and makes the experience much more enjoyable. I generally have a couple of bottom rigs, trolling rigs, and a kite rig with conventional reels and a couple spinning reels for cobia, dauphin, tripletail, and whatever else crosses our path that we can cast at.
What Size Spinning Reel for Offshore Fishing
Offshore fishing offers anglers an extremely large variety of fish that can be caught. What you are fishing for will dictate the size range of the spinning reel that you should be using. The larger, more aggressive species of fish the larger the reel requirement. In general, the size fish that most anglers will be targeting when deep-sea fishing can be categorized as either medium, medium-large, and large.
The medium to medium-large-sized offshore fish is going to be the fish most commonly caught while deep-sea fishing. These fish include a range of bottom-dwelling fish such as red snapper, grouper as well as more open water fish such as cobia, dolphin, cobia, tripletail, mackerel, and smaller tuna.
For the majority of fishing done by most anglers offshore, a 8000 to 18000 seier spinning reel is recommended. The best size reel in this range for the wides range of fish is a 14000 size reel with a quality strong drag system. This sized reel can handle most larger offshore fish to include large cobia, wahoo, bull dolphin, amberjack, medium sized tuna and sailfish.
When it comes to large pelagic fish, such as larger species of tuna, large swordfish, and marlin a spinning reel may not be the right choice. While there are larger saltwater spinning reels, these offshore giants may need a reel that has more capability than most spinning reels can deliver. Take a look at our favorite offshore conventional reels that we recommend for larger species of pelagic fish. <TBD link to article about conventional reels>
Can You Fish Offshore with Light Tackle Spinning Reel
Another question I am commonly asked about is, can you use light tackle spinning reels when offshore fishing. My answer to this is always yes, as long as you are targeting smaller offshore fish.
Light tackle spinning reels can be used when offshore fishing. However, it is still important to have the right tool for the job so light tackle should only be used when fishing for small to medium sized fish. Lighter tackle gear is primarily used, when offshore fishing, to catch baitfish but can also be used to catch smaller offshore fish such as juvenile dauphin, tripletail, spanish mackerel, and a handful of other small offshore fish.
One of my favorite offshore fishing activities is casting with my lighter tackle gear around grass lines and oil rigs. Even though they aren't great table fair, Bonita and bluefish are a blast to catch on light tackle. The extra advantage that is given to the fish by using light tackle really helps to increase the fun level to me. You can also run up on a school of chicken dauphin and really do some damage with a light tackle reel and a colorful jig.
If you are doing some serious bottom fishing, trolling, or fishing for any fish with significant size, it is time to put your light tackle down and step up to the plate with the right sized gear. While I have caught some good fish offshore with my light tackle setup, I have also lost a lot that could have been landed with the proper gear. I always like to have a light rod setup on the boat, but I only break it out for bait or when I know the fish we are targeting are smaller and the reel can handle them.
Can You Bottom Fish Offshore with Spinning Reel?
A common style of offshore fishing is bottom fishing. Some of the best tablefare fish, such as snapper and grouper, are caught around reefs, wrecks, and other structures on the bottom of the seafloor. Many anglers who might not have a bottom rig set up, or someone looking to get into bottom fishing might ask, can a spinning reel be used to bottom fish.
A spinning reel can be used for bottom fishing while deep sea fishing. However, in general, most anglers prefer conventional reels over spinning reels for bottom fishing applications. This preference to conventional over spinning reels is primarily due to line capacity, drag capabilities, and ergonomic advantages that the conventional reel has over a spinning reel when bottom fishing.
If you are only bottom fishing a couple of times a year, for instance when snapper season opens up, a spinning reel will certainly land you plenty of fish. However, if you plan to set up for a large number of bottom fishing trips, a good conventional reel is recommended.
How Much Line Capacity is Needed for Offshore Spinning Reel
The primary driver for selecting the size of a reel is its line capacity. Having a high-capacity spinning reel is very important for offshore fishing. When offshore fishing, anglers are often bottom fishing in depths over 200ft or trolling lures 50 to 100yds behind the boat. A properly sized fishing reel will have a line capacity that can hold enough line to get your bait to the fish while also leaving enough line on the spool to fight the fish.
Since most deep sea fishing applications required line in the 30 to 60 lb test range, we recommend an offshore spinning reel with capacity to hold at least 300yds of 50 lb braid. This amount of line will be able to support most bottom fishing and trolling applications while also allowing enough line on the spool to fight most offshore targeted fish.
For some larger species of offshore fish such as bluefin tuna, marlin, or swordfish, a larger diameter line may be needed. As such a larger reel will be required to pack the same amount of line on the reel. For this reason, we recommend a conventional reel to target these larger fish.
How Much Drag is Needed For Offshore Fishing
The amount of drag needed for offshore fishing depends on the fish you are targeting and should be limited by the lb test line you are using. The max drag of a reel should be anywhere between 50% and 100% of the break strength of the line you are using. So, if you are someone who uses no more than a 30lb test line, a reel with a max drag of 15 to 37 lbs.
In general, we recommend a spinning reel with at least 40 lb max drag to accommodate the wide range of offshore fishing setups. Since the most common line that is used when offshore fishing has 30 to 60 lbs break strength, a reel with a max drag of at least 25 lbs is recommended. For larger, more aggressive, fish such as wahoo and tuna where higher grade line is commonly used, a reel with at least 40 lbs is preferred.
You will notice that all the reels in our top 10 lists at the top of this article will have at least 40 lbs of drag. If you are using a line rated higher than the max drag of your reel and you find yourself in a situation where you can't slow a fish down, additional pressure may need to be applied using your hand to either attempt to slow the fish or intentionally break your line to avoid spooling your reel.
