Level Wind Reels – Pros and Cons

November 21st, 2009 Posted in Travel and Leisure

One of the most common questions posed by inshore saltwater anglers is which reel type to purchase. The two options, a level wind conventional reel or an open style conventional reel have both advantages and disadvantages depending on a number of features. This is a decision that nearly ever angler is going to have to make at one time or another, so having the information on the benefits and pitfalls of each type of reel is critical to purchasing the right one.

Offering an answer to a saltwater inshore angler requires understanding how they are going to use the reel, what type of line they intend to use and most importantly, their own personal preference. Each of these questions is important in reaching a final decision about what type of reel is best.

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.

You may have already seen our article about the various types of lines that are available on the market. Keeping in mind that it wasn’t all that long ago when the line of choice for the bulk of anglers was monofilament which has its own set of issues. Today, Monofilament is one option of course, but more anglers are electing to use braided Dacron lines. These lines simply do not have the spooling problems that are traditionally found in monofilament lines.

Monofilament line is the line of choice for many anglers – it offers stretch and it’s cost effective. It does have its downsides however and these downsides make the use of a level wind conventional reel very practical unless you want to spend time learning how to guide your line back onto your reel with your thumb. While this practice is common and not hard to learn, it’s highly unlikely that when you’re reeling in a big fish you are going to be paying all that much attention as to how you’re rewinding your line if you are using an open wind conventional reel.

It is probably this single characteristic that means that an angler has to learn how to use their thumb to guide the line back and forth on an open reel. This allows the line to spool nearly evenly back on an open, non-level wind reel. This does take some practice, and unfortunately when you’ve got a fish that is destined to become one of your best catches, chances are pretty slim you’re going to be considering how evenly your line is rewinding.

The bottom line here is if you’re using monofilament most of the time you’re probably going to want to consider a level wind reel while if you’re angling with braided line most of the time, an open wind conventional reel is probably perfect for you.

Ask any repair shop owner, myself included, and you’ll find that the level wind reel is one of the top items that are repaired annually. It doesn’t matter who made it, each manufacturer is treated equally in this case. Level wind reels are far more susceptible to failure than open reels. This could be in part that when you’re fishing with a 20lb drag, and you land a good sized fish, additional pressure is put on the line guide system. Combine this additional pressure with salt and sand that might be missed during cleaning and insufficient lubrication and you’re no doubt going to have your level wind reel fail. If you use open faced conventional reels, you are not going to have this problem.

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 300FB, Daiwa Viento, and Shimano Stella FD.