Van Staal Spinning Reels - Silver

An update! July 1 08
This one heck of a reel. The positives; the line capacity of the spool is unbelievable! The all titanium spool let’s the line cast smoothly and with very little friction.

The Negatives; In cold weather the oil the protects the gears is cold & making it hard(er) to turn. Therefore, you have to work the pole in a little more sophisticated manner. The drag is a little harder to set than other reels? That is the drag is not as accurate as other reels in the sense that it can be a little off to the right or left. So finding a perfect setting can be just a mater of luck. 

April 8th 08 The It took two weeks to get used to using the no bail system, however it cast just as good as the Stella! It’s not as smooth as a Stella, but I’m hoping it lasts longer than a Stella and it only cost 55$ to repair at the end of the year. Since this will be my first full year with this reel I will with hold judgment till mid or late summer.

Once you try a Stella it’s hard to use any other reel. The reel is an exceptional performer. The silky smooth retrieve and a gear ratio that always provides taut lines while streaking fish. I have 4 Stella’s (2500, 4000 & 2 6000’s) and have used them for the last 6 years. They are a little pricey, but with a service plan of 55$ per repair each year, you can’t miss? The price and good service plan has been the reason I have been reluctant to switch to Vanstall. I have invested 2230$ in my reels, 160$ at the end of each year for 3 reel repair. You can’t miss. However, I had a reel serviced this year and it cost me 255$ for one reel! I own 2 6000 Stella’s, because there is NO way that Stella will last 60 days of surfcasting; NO WAY! I do not briefly submerge my Stella’s; I constantly submerge my Stella’s. Last year my main Stella locked up after 58 days of fishing. I expected it and I thought it was only going to cost me 55$ to fix it over the winter, so I wasn’t unhappy. Plus, I had my back up for the fall runs. When I was told that they would not fix reels from northeast fisherman at a cost of 55$, that was it. This reel is awesome for fishing out off a boat and is the Cadillac of reels, but its “waterproof drag system” is not. Shimano actually promotes this reel as a saltwater reel, but it will only last in the surf if you do a lot of maintenance & cleaning. So I sold out and got myself a Vanstall. 

When I first started moving away from fresh water in 1994, I started using Penn reels. I still have my first & second reels from Penn . I've never really had any problems with these reels, but I needed a reel that could go all season in the sand and water without repair. At the start of the season the front drag works beautifully, but like all reels it slowly fell out of balance towards the end. I, like many people, were taken in by the introduction of reels with more ball bearings and shinny parts. The Penn has been shunned because it lacks some of that glitz, but for a starter reel its hands down the best. They're AS durable as a Stella and they are cheaper to repair! They just don’t look as cool. At the end of the day it only takes a good spray of fresh water & they are ready for the next day of fishing. 

I just got this pole & I have only used for 3 months now & its an awesome off the shelf pole!

updated photo coming?:)