Van Staal vs. Saltiga

[hyperstriper]

i just recently bought a 10ft lamiglass and i'm really not sure what to do about a reel. I've been told that van staal won't be putting any reels out till mid 2004....i have also been waying out the pro's and con's of both the van staal and the saltiga and i'm really still leaning towards the van staal, depending on when they come out and if the quality has dropped at all. what do u guys think?

[hipkvw]

I LOVE the Saltiga but I cant see it taking what the VS will. Bob ECT already stated you cant swim with it. i know my VS has been under many times. I'm waiting to see what happens but I will be purchasing a new VS. Quality will remain the same. I was reading on a site here or somewhere that AVET may have a reel in the works to compete with the likes of the VS. We'll see.

[Bob ECT]

Two very different reels.

One smooth as glass, one big and clunky.

The Saltiga actually has better waterproofing then the VS. Neither are truely waterproof though. Drop them in a bucket of water for a day or so and you'll find some water in both. The VS though is oil filled so any water that gets in is dilluted by the oil.

The oil saves the reel, but is also a pain in the butt on the service end. The VS will cost you $40 a year for annual service or your warranty is void. They are also well known for frequent oil leaking from blowing seals, requiring more service.

The Saltiga doesn't have oil, but does have better waterproofing. It's designed to never need service and never be opened. It's incredibly smooth and much stronger and has a better drag system. It'll feel more like the spinning reel you're used to fishing were the VS is something totally different.

By not swimming with the Saltiga I'm mean for the guy's who truely spend their day swimming while fishing. Not dunking the reel or wading out to a sandbar. I'm talking about the guys in wetsuit who swim out a 1/4 mile and fish. The VS is better for that because when water does get in there, which it will, the oil will help offset it.

Another thing to consider is the companies. No one likes VS's annual maintenance ($40) or you're warranty is void policy. They're also well known for chronic gouging of customers on repairs. If you didn't keep you annual maintenance up to date, $200-300 repair bills are common. Hopefully this will change under Zebco, but customer relations has never been VS's strong suit. It's by far, my biggest complaint with them. According to Zebco, this will stay as they are.

Both reels are good and each serves a purpose. The question is do you really need the VS? I don't see many NJ anglers who truely need it. I think most people like that it's easy to wash off.

I know a few people who both, they all prefer the Saltiga, but the also didn't really need the VS because of their fishing style. They're the average NJ surf fisherman. Lots of splashing, lots of sand, occasional dunking, and some wading out to sandbars.

[Bob ECT]

Oh yeah. Avet does have a spinning reel in the works but it's a way's off and they haven't decided on the design yet.

Accurate reels also has one in the works. It'll be more designed to compete with the Saltiga. Good for everything, not just the surf.

[ 01-08-2004, 11:38 AM: Message edited by: Bob ECT ]

[Bob ECT]

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[ 01-08-2004, 11:38 AM: Message edited by: Bob ECT ]

[hipkvw]

Hmmmmmmm, Now you have me thinking.

[Fishaholic29]

I have to say, although the VS isn't a 10 BB reel, I don't think mine are clunky at all! In fact, after a few uses, they seem to loosen up quite nicely. I am curious to know how their statistics match up, Ie. gear ration, line capacity, etc... Bob, do you know what the max drag pressure is on the Saltiga? I would imagine higher than the VS, as it is designed for braid. I suppose my opinion is bias, as I do swim quite a bit and have my reels submerged quite often. Does the Saltiga conventional have any similar waterproof characteristics to the spinning version? I would love to see Accurate come out with a spinning reel. I just got the Twin Drag 870M and it is an absolute powerhouse! Bob, do you have the new Avet that was featured in this weeks Fisherman magazine? Not sure what the model number was, but comparible to a 4/0, with more line capacity and heavier drag.

[Bob ECT]

Not sure on the max drags of the smaller models but I know the bigger 6000 models due out in the US soon can handle close to 30lbs of drag. I was playing around with a 4000 model, the smallest one, last night and they do crank down. Didn't measure it since it was spooled up but it was probably close to 20lbs. They'll definitely be higher then the VS, because they designed to fish braid for stuff like tuna. The VS doesn't need a whole lot of drag, it's main purpose is bass.

If you do swim alot I'd stick with the VS just because of the oil.

Accurate is testing theirs now. It'll have twin drags, one on top, one on the bottom. They don't surf fish much out there, so I'd expect more of a tuna chasin reel, that can also be used in the surf.

We have the Avet EX's in stock. They're the 4/0's, very nice reels. The bigger 50lb 6/0 models should ship from the factory in a week or two.

[hyperstriper]

hmmmm now what to do...haha.....after looking into both of these reels it seems that the saltiga weighs more and doesn't have the line capacity the VS does....i'm mostly going to be fishing up in rhode island with this reel

[hipkvw]

VS is the tightest reel I ever used. Klunky def. was a bad description. I would say tight. At least till it is used a while. Penn SS reels are Klunky ;)

[hyperstriper]

size wise.......would the saltiga z6000 match up with the VS 200 or 250?

[Keeper Seeker]

I use a 100 90% of the time , 150 the rest, cant imagine using a larger reel than that for stripers. But then I'm not using bait or fishing from a boat. I'm fishing backwater, beaches and rocks, and constantly casting, and casting, and then casting again. I would think that any reel larger than that would seem "clunky".

[hyperstriper]

keeper,

I'm up in rhode island that's where i'll be doing most of my spring and fall fishing....that's hwere i go to schools.......i have been getting my a$$ kicked up there w/ 8 and 9 ft rods..........