I was bitten by the light tackle/big game bluewater bug back in the mid-70s and have never recovered from that first experience – thank goodness! When I had the chance to field test Maxel’s mighty mite Ocean Max #10 jigging reel, I literally jumped out of my Crocs for the chance to try this one out on the briny.
The demand for high-quality, feature-rich, downsized jigging reels designed specifically for use with super braid lines has definitely expanded over the past few seasons, dovetailing with the surge in bluewater tuna jigging throughout the northeast. The driving force behind this is the enjoyment, exhilaration and the quality of the experience versus the sheer quantity of a dozen thunnus stuffed in the fishbox. There’s “that less is more” theme yet again.
Many manufacturers have jumped into the arena to support this new game, and Maxel has been one of them. I talked to Folsom Corp’s Sales Manager Nick Cicero who reps the line to learn more about the history of Maxel fishing reels, which have been around for the past decade. There’s been a lot of “talk” on the various internet chat rooms and local tackle shops about Maxel and Jigging Master reels being used in the same comparisons. Although Nick did not say anything specific about this connection for political reasons, he did go on to say that the Maxel Ocean Max reels that he represents are very similar to Maxel’s Sea Lion lineup and like many of the other competitive high-end jigging reels, his Ocean Max reels are, “assembled in China with precision components from Germany, Japan and the USA.”
The Maxel 10G reel is one of seven in the Ocean Max lineup that ranges from the smallest 05G with a capacity of 440 yards of 30-pound braid, to the largest 12G model capable of spooling 550 yards of 130-pound braid. The 10G is in the middle of the pack, but is very impressive in that it can get a run-stopping 36 pounds of drag at the “strike” setting and a whopping 43 pounds at “full,” all while featuring a gradual ramp up the drag scale and total free-spool. At only 24.8 ounces, it’s relatively lightweight and holds 550 yards of 80-pound super braid, retrieving 35.6 inches of line with every turn of the oversized comfort cranking handle. I had some field test experience with the #9 Ocean Max reel a few seasons back, but it was a bit too narrow for my multi-mission usage plan and lost too much line spool diameter when I dropped down to deepwater wrecks. The slightly wider #10 reel totally solves that delimitation with only a half-ounce of added weight, so it was the perfect reel for my application.
The Maxel Ocean Max #10 is the ultimate switch-hitter and can perform at least a half-dozen different missions and can do them all extremely well. I loaded my #10 reel up with a small amount of mono backing and then spooled it with 600 yards of Western Filament’s hi-vis canary yellow 65-pound TUF-Line, followed by a 50-foot top-shot of Berkley’s ProSpec 60-pound mono. I matched it up to a new Cousins Fishing Tackle (made in California) CJB-65L 6-1/2-foot jigging rod that is rated for use with 40- to 50-pound line, but works fine with the 65-pound super braid.
As this season unfolds, I will employ the Maxel #10 reel and Cousins rod as my #1 go-to outfit for bottom dropping my favorite wrecks, tile fishing on the edge, sight casting jigs to marauding schools of pelagics, tuna jigging, sharking, tuna trolling and tuna chunking. That is seven separate and distinct missions that this rod/reel outfit will be challenged to address. And I am totally optimistic about the outcome at season’s end. Based on my preliminary use, dropping some jigs and clam baits on a “secret” 30-fathom wreck earlier this spring, this rod and reel tandem were totally made for each other. The Maxel’s 4.5:1 retrieve ratio is fast enough to work a jig or to reel ‘em up quickly from 200 feet of water to refresh a bait, but it’s still “slow” enough to turn the crank handle when working a big fish to boatside using heavy drag settings.
Some of the notable standard family features on all seven of the Maxel Ocean Max reels are your choice of three colors (gunsmoke/silver; blue/silver; copper/black); a dual carbon fiber drag that is the secret to its stopping power; eight ball bearings for silky-smooth operation; click recesses in the sideplate to lock in your favorite pre-set drag setting; an oversized crank handle with comfort grip; heat-treated precision stainless steel gears; plus a durable anodized machined aluminum one-piece frame to keep it all together when dialing in heavy drag settings. Each Maxel Ocean Max reel is backed by a five-year warranty, so you know this performer will keeping doing its thing for seasons to come. For more information and pricing, visit the website.
