Salmon season is getting underway. With the rods getting better all the time and lighter too what do you think is the best reel for salmon fishing with downriggers?

I am going to look at the charter special with the lever drag this weekend. I have penn 309s right now that work fine but would like somthing a little smaller. I talked to John Keiser last saturday and he likes the charter special.
Dan

Those charter specials are awsome reels. The cranking power those things have are awsome, plus the drag is really smooth. You can really beat a King into submission with those. My only complaint about them is the clicker will wear out faster than other reels, but they are easy to reaplace.

I have a bunch of Shimano TR-200G levelwind reels that I currently use for salmon..They are light , hold a lot of line and have a smooth drag...The Charter Special looks heavier...I had a couple TLD 5 reels and currently use the TLD 25 for halibut, tuna and Mexico fishing. Looking for a lighter reel..Maybe the Penn 965?

For me it's Shimano knuckle busters on Shimano 10.5' rods. For company I have ABU 7000 levelwinds on 8.5' rods.

I've been using Shimano Calcutta 400's for the last 5 or 6 years on my Loomis STR1265c's downrigger rods, I love them.....sweeet rods & reels!

Shimano knucklebusters on 10.5" rods as well. This has been my set up for 30 years. It is the only system that keeps you in direct contact with the fish as you can reeel front and back with out stwitching a button giving you effectively two drags. It is the best system for barbless hook fishing. Once you figure out the advantage you will never lose a fish.

We use Winonas on 10 1/2' rods.

Calcutta 401 for me.What a huge difference it made versus the 6501's @ bouy 10 this past summer.I even bought another one just for pullin kwikfish in the river's.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

GP2, the smaller 100G Charter special is not all that heavy.
We use them in conjunction with our four downriggers, and they are very user friendly.
The main problem I've had with them, like all lever release reels, the lever occasionally gets pulled back (disengaged) when removing the rod from the holder by someone's coat sleave or glove.
The maitenance and repair is expensive on the lever drag system at John's, as compared with star drags.
I would definately rec'd the charter specials for DR fishing. Not good for mooching or jigging.
Maybe that I'nat'l 965 would suit you better.

gotta love it how we all have our favorite downrigger setups for salmon! Personally i've had great luck w/ my Penn320 GTi although its a bit big for silvers. I like the high retrieve when down 100' plus for Blackmouth and big kings...very durable & reliable with smooth drag. It's star drag is much more reliable than the PENN 209 where it's not wise to adjust drag with a 'fish on'.
I've been considering a Shimano TDR for some time now. heard good reports on the TDR -75.00 @ Boatersworld.

I use the Shimano TR200G They work great.I have used my buddys charter speical afew times and it works good too.The drags seem to be the same as far as how smooth they are.But I like the star drag much better than the lever drag (just set it and forget it).And the TR's are about half the price as the charters.

10'6 rods with knuckle busters for me!! I use them for downriggin and mooching, I love them! Other people on my boat usually turn up their noses at them but are easily converted once they have used then and caught a fish on one. How much simpler can you get, what do they have, 2 moving parts?

Islander MR-2 on a 10'-12' noodle rod. You can't have any mare fun than that. Just you and Mr. Salmon head to head in a game of skill.

JR I hear ya on the Islanders. Have fished them a few times in BC. When my numbers finally get pulled in Lotto I'm buying 6 of them.
"Coffee grinders" are ok for company but I like knuckle dusters for FUN.

I'm there with Islanders and 11' rod. About the only time I use levelwinds is when I'm fishing over 150' deep and having to deal with lots of shakers. Then that Islander wears my a** out. For levelwind I either use a Ambassaduer 7000 or a Penn lever drag.

I have been using the Quantum Big Iron (6:1) on a Rainshadow 1264... Not overly happy with the reel, but I love the rod...

I use and MR-2 for everything other than casting. From pulling plugs on the river, man you should see the looks I get , Big Alvins on the Columbia for springers, and anything in the ocean. I caught a 178 # HaliI with it,I dont recommend that to anyone, but by accident it was a once in a life time. I also caught 50# salmon this summer on a 10'6" 8-12 line weight rod. They have a cork drag system that is so smooth it unlike anything else.

Oh By the Way

We are raffling off three sweet prizes at our PSA Sno-King meeting this Tues the 10th. Look at the Dave Vedder thread for a pic of the prizes. Lets just say you could win a Islander Steelheader, and two sweet poles.

Tonight was show and tell night at Slabquest's house....Rods and reels....The new Lamiglas rods were great..the Dave Vedder..the 1314T Kenai Special and a couple of new Lamiglas 9' graphite rods ..forget the model #....$104 for a super graphite rod....despite general opinions these are to be dwonrigger rods...We will field test on Sunday....One conclusion was on the reel...

A Quantum Cabo.....You have to see it and feel it and check the features...killer reel..reminds me a little of the Shimano Bantam 50 but lighter and way smoother...it opens up with the press of a button to allow lubrication but comes out of the box with "hot sauce" lubricant. It will be spooled with 300yds of Tuffline 50# which has a diameter of 12# mono. The reel is designed for saltwater fishing and is smooth as silk...It is a levelwind with a really well designed double handle....retrieve ratio is much higher at nearly 5-1 than other similar reels....mounted on the 1314T it is a sweet set up...

My complaint with most of the recommendations is weight and bulk....no need for that. The lever drag is so easy to free spool by accident as mentioned in another post that I rule them out for trolling on the downrigger. I had two Shimano TLD5 reels that were great until someone took it out of the rod holder in a panic..then the lever was tripped almost every time free spooling the reel with a fish on....This weekend will see some on the water testing of many rods and reels ....report to follow/

HBP ---- You use Winonas for downriggers???? I have a pair (40 yr old) but only used them for mooching.. How do you screw the drag nut down tight enough to use on d/r, or have they changed the drag??