Question
Name: Thomas C
Subject: anti-reverse
Message: Great show Tom. My question is about the anti reverse switch on spinning reels. Should I use it or not?
(Sent via Saltwater Experience TV Blog)
Answer
Hey Thomas,
Thanks for your question. It is a good one.
Anti-Reverse on a spinning reel is a feature that prevents the reel from turning backwards and engages the drag. Some reels come with an Anti Reverse switch that allows the angler to choose whether it is engaged or not. This feature has helped people "back-reel" rather than allowing the drag to fight the fish. This is an old school technique which can be very effective on smaller fish. One notable fishing celebrity who advocated back reeling was Jerry McKinnis of The Fishin Hole (one of the greatest fishing shows of all time and one of my favorites). Jerry loved to fish for Smallmouth from a canoe and often advocated this technique.
While it may be a great technique for a 3 pound smallmouth, it is not a good idea for a tarpon or any other fish capable of pulling some serious drag. I DO NOT advocate back reeling for any saltwater fish rather than using the drag.
There may be other advantages to having an anti reverse switch on a spinning reel, but I don't see it. In fact, the switch in itself seems to be a weakness to me. Many of my reels, over the years, have functioned perfectly until salt gets into the Anti-Reverse switch and the reel soon fails.
Daiwa Saltist sans Anti Reverse switch
Daiwa also noticed that the Anti Reverse was a weakness and simply eliminated it from most of their high end saltwater reels. The end result is that the reels are better and far more durable in my opinion.
My opinion, Thomas, is that it is unnecessary for all of my own applications.
One of my favorite reels that does not have an anti reverse switch is the Daiwa BG MQ reel. It retails for just a little over $200 - $289.99 and will serve the saltwater angler extremely well.
The Daiwa BG MQ is available in different sizes: 3000 , 4000 , 5000 , 6000 , 8000 , 10,000 , 14,000 , 18000 and 20,000. These sizes represent reels that can handle anything from catching bait to small snappers to redfish, bonefish and permit all the way up to the biggest tarpon, sharks or offshore species.
I hope that helps.
All the best,
Tom Rowland
S15:E6 - “The Lower Keys Highway” (2020)
Captains Tom Rowland and Rich Tudor head to the Lower Keys for Tarpon and various types of Jacks.
S15:E5 - “Blackfin In The Keys” (2020)
Captains Tom Rowland and Rich Tudor venture to the Atlantic oceanside of the Keys for Blackfin Tuna.
S15:E4 - “Up From The Deep” (2020)
Captains Tom Rowland and Rich Tudor head out from their Middle Keys home base to deeper waters.
S15:E3 - “Flamingo Returns” (2020)
Captains Tom Rowland and Rich Tudor enjoy a productive day in the Florida Bay area of the Everglades
S15:E2 - “Key West Birthday Slam” (2020)
Captains Tom Rowand and Rich Tudor are joined by Key West guide Nick LaBadie.
So over the years, we've used the braided line for really everything that we do now. Both inshore offshore I've gone a hundred percent braided line. If I need extra stretch or something like that or clearer line I can just put a long Top Shot on my braids.
S15:E1 - “Triple Tail In The Everglades” (2020)
Captains Tom Rowland and Rich Tudor bounce around the Florida Bay Everglades and take advantage of some rare activity by the interesting and delicious Atlantic Triple Tail
One of the key elements to having a soft, dry, comfortable boat ride on the water is trimming your boat efficiently. Starting off the boat is trimmed all the way down, that will help us get on plane quickly. Once we get up to about 30mph we will start to trim the motor up and there is a sweet spot there when you get the trim perfectly.
As a fishing guide you have to really protect yourself from the sun - if you are outside every day you have to be very careful. It used to be Zinc-Oxide Sunscreen, you would see guides cover themselves completely with this stuff to avoid sunburn. But one time I was guiding and I had a customer come and say his wife bought him this thing and he let me try it on. It was a Buff Multifunctional Headgear and within minutes of putting it on I know it was a game changer.
Towing our boats all around the Keys and all over the US. Over the years we have had some issues with our trailers and recently we found Ameratrail and they really take care of our most expensive toy. They upgraded this year and made their great product, even better. The axel has sealed ball bearings which is guaranteed to be maintenance free for 5 years.
If you only had one reel to fish with, what would it be? When fishing for redfish, snook, bonefish, small tarpon and jacks I have a go-to outfit. I use a 3 or 4000 size reel, the 4,000 with more line capacity and the 3,000 for a lighter outfit. What I usually look for it one that will be durable and stand up to all kinds of abuse. On a charter boat the reels are going to get stepped on and dropped, they will get salt all over them.
Anti-Reverse on a spinning reel is a feature that prevents the reel from turning backwards and engages the drag. Some reels come with an Anti Reverse switch that allows the angler to choose whether it is engaged or not...
Braided line is essential for inshore fishing. Learn how Daiwa J-Braid compares in strength, castability, and round profile performance and why it is my choice
St Croix is known the world over for producing some of the highest quality rods on Earth. Did you know that they also produce some of the best fly rods?
The new St Croix Sole is a unique idea in fly rods. It is a 2 piece fly rod, but the breakdown is unusual. The tip section is where the rod breaks down and the rest of the rod remains a one piece. This is a cool concept for the fisherman that fishes both fly and spin because when you break down the rod, the one piece portion is the same length as all the spinning rods. It is easily transported along with all the other rods.
As a charter guide you need a go to spinning reel. A battle-axe that can handle anything but is durable enough to stand up to the abuse that customers can sometimes inflict when the equipment is not their own. A spinning reel like this has to also be affordable because charter guides are going to routinely buy a bare minimum of 6 and most guides have about 20 in rotation.
My favorite rod is a St Croix Legend XTreme Inshore Spinning Rod. I like it in the 7 foot Medium/Heavy action.
Hello, World!
Bonefish, permit, and tarpon all in one day. Watch Tom Rowland, Rich Tudor, and Captain Nick Labadie land a Grand Slam in Big Pine Key using Daiwa TD Sol Inshore rods, BG MQ spinning reels, and J-Braid. See why this Daiwa saltwater setup dominates Florida Keys flats fishing.