The best beach casting reels, and how to find yours

Beach casting reels have to put up with a lot. Heavy leads demand a certain calibre of reel, and having good line lay can improve casting distance. The best sea fishing reels are like fricken’ sports cars, but this is not necessary. My aim is to find you a reel that will consistently do what you want it to do. First, let’s refresh your knowledge of the basics, then we’ll go through some of the best fixed spool reels on the market at each price. Then, I’ll go into more depth to help you find the best one for you.

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The best beach casing reels have fine-tuned brass cogs, more saltwater resistance and incredible line lay. Better reels have smooth and powerful drag systems that reduce tension on your line so it doesn’t snap when you hook a big fish. Cheaper reels have drags that release line unevenly, increasing line strain and fighting big fish feels like a struggle.

Key things to know about your next beach casting reel:

1. Reel size: getting the right size reel for your rod is important. It’s also handy to have a larger reel for rough ground work and a smaller reel for estuaries or sandy beaches.
2. Line recovery: A higher gear ratio means the reel retrieves line faster, but isn’t the most useful way to measure this. A better measurement is ‘line recovery’ – this is how much line comes in with one crank of the handle. A high line recovery is better for distance fishing or rough ground where fish can dive into snags.
3. Reputable brands: Look for reels from Penn, Daiwa, Shimano unless you know about a specific reel from an alternative brand. They aren’t the only good options, but are safer bets.

The 7 best fixed spool reels

The following reels are ordered price high to low.

The super high end from Shimano, Daiwa & Penn

Take as an example the Shimano’s Ultregra. It’s is a top-end premium beach casting reel that is designed for a very long life and the highest level of reliability. It’s one of the only reels we could forgive for looking so much like a carp reel…

Shimano has this thing called X-protect, which helps reduce water and dirt intrusion into the reel. If you’re as silly with reels as me, you’ll get all kinds of crap in there. This is a handy feature if you fish at surfy marks or areas where the sea breeze has a lot of water to it. These kinds of marks can ruin cheap reels within a season.

The reel also has excellent line lay, which does increase casting distance a surprising amount. It’s got a solid drag, as you’d expect, and comes with a spare pool and a line reducer, so you don’t have to use loads of backing line.

Somehow, the Ultegra weighs in at 540g. It has a maximum drag of 20kg, which is about as elite as you will get in a beach casting reel. Many good multipliers only have max drags of 8kg…

One crank of the handle retrieves about 1m of line, which is typical of a beach casting reel. This allows for decent sport with smaller fish despite having massive power.

This is just one example of a top-end reel, but I want to clarify how it’s difficult to predict which reel will turn out to be the best in 5-10 years…

The thing with choosing beach casting reels and many other fishing products, is that there is a ridiculous amount of choice and new products are constantly coming onto the market.

It’s difficult to systematically compare products with each other in a meaningful way due to a lack of long term performance data. We don’t know which reels will turn out to have performance issues if they’ve just come out…

Die hard anglers may be familiar with the practice of buying much older reels that are less ‘up to date’ but have proven themselves over years. This is one way to get around this problem. But then of course, you miss out on the latest reels that will turn out to be more reliable even than the classics, and benefit from the latest tech.

With this in mind, one simple rule to follow is to grab a top-end reel from a brand you trust. Some companies have significant advantages in production of reels due to colossal engineering budgets and quality control. When you’re looking at spending over £200 I’d be looking to buy from one of those. There are other great reels out there from other brands and to a some extent the production of decent reels has become commoditised, so you have tons of good options at more affordable prices. In simpler terms, for the very top end, Shimano, Daiwa & Penn are safer bets. Here are some I’d have my eye on!

Summary of the high end:

• From Shimano: Ultegra OR Shimano Bullseye 9120 – for the best build quality
• From Penn: Penn Conflict II – for the best value
• From Daiwa: Daiwa Tournament Basia – for the longest casting distance

Penn Battle III Longcast

The Penn Battle is one hell of a reel. Exceptionally smooth and reliable, with a saltwater-resistant spool that’s been chemically treated. The main body is graphite so it’s not as heavy as you might expect. A safe bet for a long lasting premium reel. We are still testing this reel to assess it’s durability so the verdict is not out from us yet.

The metal handle has no flex – the whole reel feels solid. The round handle is super smooth in your hand, and the reel feels robust and luxuriously smooth overall. The drag is far more powerful than is needed for UK sea fishing. But if you take it on holiday, you might one day be glad of it (if you hook a shark or monster ray…).

Note: The Penn Spinfisher Longcast is a more heavy duty reel.

Penn Surfblaster 7000/8000

The Penn Surf Blaster III 7000 LCEU is the upgraded version of Penn’s top-selling surf casting reel. It’s a pretty serious reel. Lightweight, robust and saltwater resistant (although I wouldn’t believe that too much; only mag-sealed reels can handle a good dunking). It’s got a shallow aluminium spool and an extra slow oscillation system. A reel from Penn at this price will feel sturdy, solid and much smoother than the vast majority of beach casting reels. Mostly, this makes it nicer to use. But it will also control line lay better, cast further, have a more reliable drag that goes out more evenly, etc.

The Penn Surfcaster also has a spare deep spool. It’s useful to have a couple of spools, one with lighter braid for fishing clean ground and optimal casting distance. The other with a heavier monofilament for very rough ground to minimise line damage on rocks.

Penn Rival

The Penn Rival Longcast is a high-end beach casting reel that can handle anything you throw at it. The spool maximises casting distance by freeing the line from the spool with less friction. The graphite reel body has a smooth feel under load, and the aluminium spool is braid-ready and saltwater resistant. The reel has a solid and smooth front drag with a maximum drag of 8kg. This makes it ideal for hauling the biggest fish you’ll likely catch when UK shore fishing.

The T-shaped handle knob and 4:3:1 retrieve are pretty standard. But a reel at this price from PENN has more torque than a cheaper reel, so you can crank the handle against much more resistance. Perfect for pulling congers away from snags! The reel holds half a kilometre of monofilament. Realistically, this actually just means you’re going to need a load of backing line!

The reel weighs 669g. This is perfect for long casting sessions, although few would buy something like this for flinging feathers!

Daiwa Shorecast

The Daiwa Shorecast is a high-end reel at a reasonable price point. It feels super smooth and robust, and as you can see, it has an excellent line lay. The rugged appearance could have you mistaking it for a Penn reel. Indeed, the experience of using this was similar to that of the Penn Battle beach casting reel.

The reel in the above photo paired well on a 12-14ft rod. Excellent for the price.

It’s a bit larger, but another similarly priced reel on Veals at the moment is the Shimano Beastmaster which also looks like a solid reel.

Okuma Surf 8K

The Okuma Surf 8k presents itself as a robust product. It can withstand the most challenging conditions we encounter in the UK. These conditions include bumps on rock marks and dropping out of the boot of your car. You might lean your rod against a shop to go in. You get a pasty, pie, sausage roll, or haggis, depending on your location. Then, you might find your rod has slipped, and your reels have hit the curb. A plastic reel with a low build quality might not handle this well. However, the Okuma surf will likely emerge unscathed.

The max drag is 18kg – this is nuts!

It has an 18kg drag – which is insane. Most multipliers used for shore fishing have 8kg drags. That means this thing can be adjusted to take out minimal line when playing huge fish. More often, it will be useful when pulling free of snags!

The reel boasts exceptional line lay and operates smoothly. Okuma has developed a system enabling the reel to dry itself more quickly. Some anglers might not find this particularly useful, but my reels often get dunked, making it a useful feature to reduce inevitable salt damage over time. The reel also has a system to prevent water ingress. However, relying on these systems in reels is unwise!

The reel has a gear ratio of 4:7:1, which is actually not that high. It’s better for playing fish like bass that you don’t need to crank like you would, say, a huss. One turn of the handle retrieves just over 1m of line. It has a gear ratio of 4.7:1. One turn of the handle spins the rotor around your spool 4.7 times.

The reel weighs 763g and is covered by Okuma’s 5-year warranty (check this with the shop you buy from). Overall, a great buy for a very solid beach casting reel.

SONIK SKS 8000 SURF REEL

SONIK produced one of my first beach casting reels, though I can’t remember its exact size. It served me well as a beginner. This reel is a good budget option for anglers seeking more than just light summer harbour wall fishing. It comes with a metal spool and a large diameter bail wire. The large bail roller and the powerful front drag system provide control and fighting power. The reel has 5+1 ball bearings. However, you can’t always trust this as a quality indicator. Sometimes, companies increase the number without enhancing the reel’s function. The reel offers a smooth retrieve with a 4:6:1 gear ratio.

The oversized soft grip handle knob provides comfort. Veals states that the Songs SKS can hold 220 yards of 20lb monofilament line or 300m of 0.4mm. This beach casting reel is a great budget option, yet it still delivers sufficient performance for casting with serious leads and rigs. If you plan to purchase a budget reel for beach casting, we suggest opting for larger sizes. These handle leads more efficiently. Avoid using a budget reel that’s slightly too small. It could strain more than it can handle with heavier leads. We don’t recommend spending less than the price of the Sonik SKS. It’s probably the cheapest beach casting reel we would suggest. Reels priced below this can struggle with heavier leads. They may also have poor line lay, which can lead to breakages and tangles.

Final thoughts on choosing a fixed spool sea fishing reel

1. Match Reel to Fishing Venue: Select a reel based on where you’ll be fishing. For clean beach venues with light lines, choose a shallower spooled model. This means you won’t have to waste loads of backing line or have line in your spool that never gets used. It also makes it easier to notice when line is damaged and needs replacing. For mixed or rough ground requiring heavier, thicker mainline, opt for a deeper spool.
2. Spare Spools: Consider models with spare spools or pick up an extra one. Pre-load the spare with line and shockleader in case of break-offs – saving time means more time fishing!
3. Line Level: Choose thinner lines for greater casting distance and ensure reels are properly filled to reduce friction during casting. You want a tiny bit of lip on the reel, maybe 3mm. If you have 1cm of lip, your line won’t fly out the spool.
4. If you spend more you can cast a bit further: High-quality reels feature slow oscillation. This means your line will be wound onto the spool perfectly evenly, with no gaps. This helps you cast further, as there’s less friction.
5. Clutch: High-end reels often have a quick drag system for the clutch, essential for controlling line tension during fights with big fish. Lower-priced reels may have clutches that take more turns to adjust.
6. Gearing: Look for reels with hardened gearing for durability, especially when fishing over rough ground. Pulling into snags puts a lot of strain on reels and you want the components to be solid.

Alright then – well that’s about all for the fixed spool beach casting reels. Now what about the multipliers?