Seamartin tips?

[bordeaaj]

Hi guys, I live in the US and just got a couple of Alveys and a Seamartin to add to my collection of more conventional fishing gear. You guys have given me a lot of valuable information about using the Alveys and I am hoping someone can do the same for using the Seamartin. Information on the web is very limited, but from searching these and other forums aside from the basketweave of the line during retreival the use of the Seamartin is very similar to that of an Alvey...high quality swivels above and below the sinker to prevent line twist, etc. If anyone has any further hints and tips I would greatly appreciate hearing about them from you! I mostly fish off rocks and ledges in Hawaii for mid-sized gamefish. Thanks again for your help!

[Nowhere Bob]

2nd hand info only.
My Dad uses one & said he was concerned by the lack of a line roller.
He carries a rag and wipes the stainless 'J' every three or four casts, to eliminate salt build up.
That said he loves it and hasn't used his alveys since getting it.

[Tony_N]

hey Bordeaaj

Also 2nd hand only. My mate uses a Seamartin as his standard bottom bashing reel with 30lb braid. He loves it. The way it criss-crosses the line on retrieve makes it an ideal reel for braid because when under extreme pressure on retrieving a big fish, the line will not embed itself into line already on the reel

Whilst it is a good idea to use swivels, it will not produce line twist in the same way as an Alvey because the line comes back on the reel the same way it leaves it (just like a standard eggbeater), whereas the Alvey sends the line off in loops from the side and retrieves it in direct line (this is where the twist comes from).

FWIW

Tony

[Noelm]

Gees TonyN at last someone who understands line twist and various reels, I have posted several times about this and tried to relay the message about spools of line and winding in all sorts of directions, but it is all unessary, ALL reels should be spooled up with the new line supported on an "axle" and turning to let the line come off straight!

[bordeaaj]

Gees TonyN at last someone who understands line twist and various reels, I have posted several times about this and tried to relay the message about spools of line and winding in all sorts of directions, but it is all unessary, ALL reels should be spooled up with the new line supported on an "axle" and turning to let the line come off straight!

I just returned from using the Seamartin for a couple of weeks plugging for GT and I can see why many recommend using a good swivel when casting with the Seamartins. As I was casting 7oz ceramic GT plugs the Seamartin was loaded with 80lb braid and a couple of meters of 150lb Sufix Tritanium Plus copolymer leader. With regular barrel swivels or even high speed bead swivels you can actually watch the twist developing in the braid after several casts. When you switch to a good ball bearing swivel above the leader you can actually watch the twist diminish very quickly with each cast until it goes away completely. That said, the Seamartin is a great reel and a blast to use and I had no problem with line twist as long as I used at least one good quality swivel. Paired with the 13ft Breakaway HDX rod the Seamartin could really rocket that 7oz plug way, way out there. Its no speed demon on the retrieve but quite a bit faster than you might think. Using the Seamartin for bottom bashing may be a little different, but using personal experience as my guide, I would support the recommendation of the use of at least one ball bearing swivel ahead of the leader to prevent line twist when using it for long distance shore casting.

[carpel]

I'm a bigger fan of the design of the sea martin then the finish .. They tend to become very second hand very quickly , paint chips, the badge is a STICKER? etc.

But more so the cranking power could be vastly improved with better gear .. They are what they are and very reasonably priced etc, but imagine a reel like that with good solid gearing and drag etc

[bordeaaj]

I'm a bigger fan of the design of the sea martin then the finish .. They tend to become very second hand very quickly , paint chips, the badge is a STICKER? etc.

But more so the cranking power could be vastly improved with better gear .. They are what they are and very reasonably priced etc, but imagine a reel like that with good solid gearing and drag etc

I agree with you on these points...but for well under a hundred $US it was a lot of fun to play with!

[carpel]

haha shimano or daiwa should produce the dogfight/ stella version , solid gearing and drag on that sized spool would be sik.. I tried one for a while and had a few problems getting and line back under weight.. did u hook up to anything solid.??

[bordeaaj]

haha shimano or daiwa should produce the dogfight/ stella version , solid gearing and drag on that sized spool would be sik.. I tried one for a while and had a few problems getting and line back under weight.. did u hook up to anything solid.??

The Shimano Seamartin Stella edition...that would be a nice, very funky, very expensive reel! If it retained the ability to gargle saltwater and sand I would would be first in line. I was fishing off the rocks and cliffs of Lanai, Hawaii for Giant Trevally mostly but was limited to mid-day hours near the tourist beach as we had a bunch of houseguests to entertain and only one vehicle to get around in. Throwing 3 & 7oz ceramic GT plugs and slidebaiting live bait on Australian slides. All I caught were a bunch of baitstealing big, mean, nasty moray eels about 4ft long and 25lbs while sliding...nothing on the plugs though I had several chases. The Seamartin didn't seem to have any problem cranking those big eels up the cliffs, but they don't put up much of a fight either.
Still debating on whether or not to get a big high speed Stella for GT plugging as they are awful expensive and I only fish a few weeks out of the year. I heard the bigger, newer high speed Tica Taurus works very well too. Great gearing, big brakes, and much, much less expensive. May have to give one of those a try.

[roz]

I don't use side cast alveys, but I have two star drag alveys in my boat, both get used for trolling and are as tough as, will handle anything imo. However I would always use backing line when spooling up.

As for line twist on the side casts, yes, good quality swivels and there shouldn't be any dramas.

r.

[carpel]

Still debating on whether or not to get a big high speed Stella for GT plugging as they are awful expensive and I only fish a few weeks out of the year. I heard the bigger, newer high speed Tica Taurus works very well too. Great gearing, big brakes, and much, much less expensive. May have to give one of those a try.

You buy a top end reel , and maintain it and only fish with it a few weeks a year , it will still be going in 20 years.. You finally do get a taker on those live baits or big plugs and they might find the weak link for you.. I am not sure as there are so many beautifully crafted reels on the market these days which i'd chose , the accurates look awesome as well .

[bordeaaj]

You buy a top end reel , and maintain it and only fish with it a few weeks a year , it will still be going in 20 years.. You finally do get a taker on those live baits or big plugs and they might find the weak link for you.. I am not sure as there are so many beautifully crafted reels on the market these days which i'd chose , the accurates look awesome as well .

Yeah, I agree. Mostly I worry about dunking an expensive reel in some of the wild surf that can sneak up on you while fishing on the rocks. I don't want to be seen cryin' like a baby over my new wet and sandy Stella. Still, I have my eye on a 16K high speed. I'll have to check out the others you suggest.