Stella or VS?

[fish2light]

Some say stella is better some say VS is better? Who has these reels and what is your experience? I’m looking on getting a Stella on my New IMX surf rod. Thank you for the good and bad.

[Abuman1]

I don't know what the Vs is, but iv'e heard that the stella is not worth the money. If you want a reel that's good for surf fishing, and has high line capacity, Iv'e only heard good things about the Fin-nor offshore spinning reels. They are all alluminum, have a heavy drag, and are priced around $150.

[fishkiller01]

i have both of them ! for surf i def go with VS or ZB u can dunk it and don't have to worries about sand or anything can't go wrong with VS.

[fish2light]

I've seen the Vido's for Staal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf7OQmfOkxU It's great.

I hoping to here something about stella.

I've Got IMX 8'6 1/2oz to 3oz rod trying match it to a good reel.

[supersano]

VS might be a better suit for surf fishing. Stella looks way too delicate for the beach sand.

[wislake]

I don't own either reel but I do know that Alan Hawk has done some really nice reviews of both. Just do a search for "Alan Hawk reels" on google.

[C0BRA]

They are both great reels. I'm guessing you'll be plugging with this setup? For strictly surf use, I'd get the VS w/o the bail. The size VS depends on which model IMX you're looking at.

I had a Stella SW5000XG on my surf rod. I had problem with my bail closing on hard casts with lures 3oz and up. It seems like the friction lock used to keep the bail stationary on my particular reel wasn't strong enough. I lost a few of my favorite custom plugs and wanted to throw the Stella over the outer bar .

If you will be throwing primarily bucktails, soft plastics, and rip baits, I doubt you'd have a problem with the bail closing on the Stella. I do believe that the larger model Stellas like the 18000 and 20000 have a bail-less kit option, however those are too big to be plugging with all day IMO.

[haoz]

They are both great reels. I'm guessing you'll be plugging with this setup? For strictly surf use, I'd get the VS w/o the bail. The size VS depends on which model IMX you're looking at.

I had a Stella SW5000XG on my surf rod. I had problem with my bail closing on hard casts with lures 3oz and up. It seems like the friction lock used to keep the bail stationary on my particular reel wasn't strong enough. I lost a few of my favorite custom plugs and wanted to throw the Stella over the outer bar .

If you will be throwing primarily bucktails, soft plastics, and rip baits, I doubt you'd have a problem with the bail closing on the Stella. I do believe that the larger model Stellas like the 18000 and 20000 have a bail-less kit option, however those are too big to be plugging with all day IMO.

x2

but I'm wondering, 8 foot seems a lil short for surf casting.

[C0BRA]

x2

but I'm wondering, 8 foot seems a lil short for surf casting.

It depends on the situation, if the fish are hitting in the first trough and closer, 8'6" is plenty. If they are hitting over the second bar and beyond, you'll want at least 10'.

I prefer the longer rods regardless, for better control of the fish when beaching them.

[lordhell]

VS definitely better for surf fishing apps.. Stella SW is king of spinning reels on a boat though.. long proven track record for big pelagic fish.

[PittsBoy]

VS for the Surf but stella for anything else! You gotta love the stella refinement.

[fish2light]

waiting on Stella swb2013 reviews, after that i'll chose

[Lawaia]

Stella would be the better choice for surf fishing if you’re not going to dunk it all the time or constantly get your reel wet it, it can withstand salt water spray, some waves hitting you but I wouldn’t use it for “skishing” or chest deep surf fishing. The Stella casts much better, has better retrieve, much smoother overall more refined than the VS. The VS is made for extreme surf fishing where you’re constantly dunking it in water, fishing in waves where they are constantly pounding you, reeling underwater, exposing it to sand, it is built like a tank, but it doesn’t cast has far and isn’t as smooth as a Stella. I own both, I prefer the Stella for the type of surf casting I do.

[Lexy 123]

VS definitely better for surf fishing apps.. Stella SW is king of spinning reels on a boat though.. long proven track record for big pelagic fish.

I'm with lordhell on this.
I owned few Stella and used the 8k SW for surf fishing but I had to be very careful try not to get the surf hit my reel. I have to clean really good after every trip.
On the other hand, my friend used his VS150 swinging to the surf all the time and laughed at me. A big plus about his reel is it's super light.
On the other hand, when we went on some offshore trips to go after YFT, I had good time with my 20k SW compared to his VS300.

[fishingman88]

Own both and I use the VS for everyday surf fishing. I use my Stella for the boats. I just couldn't stand seeing my Stella get dirty in the surf. However, the VS is a workhorse. Definitely not refined, but you will never have to worry about protecting your reel form the surf. I wade into the water, dunk the reel, place it in the sand, and then rinse it off in the surf.

If you're not getting dirty, then get the Stella. If you plan on fishing hard and seeing lots of sand, get the VS.