Avet LX Raptor 6/3 MC Two Speed Reels

Rods. The JX and the LX are the same reel internally, so the rod list is the same for both — pick the reel on capacity, not on what you are going to bolt it to.

Live bait: UC RUS 80 Monster, RUS 76 HP, or the RCP 70 HF and 70 HP — hard-pulling rods, good for big-fish bait, though the shorter length costs you casting distance. Yoyo iron: the RUS 76 HP is the pick, with the RCP 70 HF and 70 HP also in the mix — though honestly, most people just use their typical 40 or 50 lb live-bait setup for yoyo irons, and a shorter rod simply helps. Dropper loop and sinker rigs: the same rods as yoyo, because power matters more than casting distance when you are not casting. Casting lures: UC RCE 900 Del Mar or the RGP 900 9E. Trolling: UC RCX 55XH or 60XH stay versatile enough for other species; if the rod will only ever troll, the Okuma PCH-TRS-561M or a UC RCX 54H or XH is the better tool.

And one that surprises people: the Ripple Fisher Ultimo 86M-B. At face value a strange pairing, but the rod was designed in Japan specifically for casting large lures on a conventional reel instead of a spinning reel. A growing niche there runs a JX or LX with PE8 or PE10 braid and a heavy leader, on the reasoning that a knot passes through the guides far more easily on a conventional than on a spinning reel. Big stickbaits and poppers for yellowfin, and casting wahoo bombs.

On the magnetic cast control, there are two clear buy signals. If you are new to fishing a conventional reel in saltwater, buy the MC version — it will save you time and frustration, and it does not degrade your cast one bit. And if you are going to fish mostly braid connected to a shorter leader, there is no question: get the MC. The magnet builds resistance in proportion to spool speed and then tapers off on its own as the spool slows, so it does the most work early in the cast, when a spool is most likely to over-run.

On left-hand retrieve, Avet is not like anyone else, and there is a reason. Harry, one of Avet's owners, is a lefty — so they go out of their way to build a left-hand model in almost every size and model they make. Among American manufacturers, Accurate and Seigler look after lefties too; nearly everyone else offers one or two models, if any. And a question we get a lot: does Avet make left-hand reels in colors? They did, six-plus years back, in a few colors — then stopped, for a practical reason. The only part that differs on a left-hand reel is the gearbox, and colored parts vary from batch to batch, so they kept ending up with mismatched colored parts. It is simply easier to build them in silver. A silver lefty is a manufacturing consequence, not a shortcut.

A note on availability. Avet holds a large stock of parts and assembles reels as they are ordered, so most Avet reels are not sitting on a shelf at the time of purchase. We order and receive from Avet three to four times a week, so a reel we do not have typically lands in three to four business days — longer on larger or specialty models. If you want an odd size, color or a left-hand retrieve, that is usually a short wait rather than a dead end.