What types of reels to choose and at what prices for a fishing trip in Gabon?

Hello everybody,

Today I am going to talk more about the choice of your reels for a fishing trip in Gabon. Last time I wrote an article about the types of rods you need to chose for a trip in Gabon and if don't read it don't hesitate to click on the link !

Reels are the second equipment the most important in a fishing set up. If you don't have the good one, you can lose all your fish. For example if the reel brakes are low or if you don't have enough braid capacity. It can quickly become a nightmare during your trip.

Sometimes, we think that for have the best equipment we need to spend a lot of money but just like the rods I have tested different reels and I can advise you on what to buy for your trip. There are plenty of reels with a very good price-quality ratio. Through this article you will find advices with specific informations and a presentation of different good reels for your fishing trip.

There are a lot of different types of reels with a lot of specific informations but don't worry, I will help you clear it all up. Here is what I propose you as informations that I think important to choose your reels for your trip :

- If you take three rods for your trip, you will need three reels : favour reel sizes 4500, 6500 and 8500

- The braid capacity is really important for the reels that you are going to put on your big rods. For example for a 6500 reel, the best capacity is 350m of a 30/100 braid. For a 8500 reel, the best capacity is 500m of a 35/100 braid. For the reel who will be on your light rod, a capacity of 250m for a 20/100 braid is enough. The capacity of your reels depends also on the diameter of your braids. 35/100 represent a 80 lbs braid, 30/100 a 60 lbs braid and 25/100 a 30 lbs braid approximatively.

- Chose reels with strong brakes for those ones on your big rods. For the 6500 reel, the best braking power is around 15-18 kg, for the 8500 the best is around 18-22 kg. For your light rod, the best braking power for your reel is around 10-13 kg.

- The reels for your strong rods must bring back a certain length of braid per turn of the crank. If this length is too short, you will find it difficult to bring your fish back and vice versa if it is too long. The best is to combine these two length. For your big reels, the length of braid per turn of the crank must be around 106cm but not under 100 cm and not over 120 cm. For the light reel, it will be enough to have a length per turn of the crank around 90cm.

To sum up these informations, you need to know that the best way is to chose three different reels with different braids capacity and different braking power. For the biggest ones, favour 6500 and 8500 sizes with a braid capacity from 350 to 500m and a breaking power from 15kg to 22 kg. For the small one, favour a 4500 size with a braid capacity around 250m and a breaking power around 10kg.

You don't have to paid a shimano stella or a daiwa saltiga which are really expensive (around $1000) for fishing in Gabon. Now I would like to give you my choices and for me these reels are the best :

- For a 30 lbs rod : PENN SLAMMER III 4500, DAIWA BG 4000, PENN BATTLE HIGH SPEED - 4000 HS

- For a 60 lbs rod : PENN SLAMMER III 6500, PENN SLAMMER III HIGH SPEED 6500

- For a 80 lbs rod : PENN SLAMMER III 8500, PENN SLAMMER III HIGH SPEED 8500,

I hope you will find this article interesting and useful for your trip.

Thank you for your reading :)