CHATSWORTH — There’s nothing like Avet’s 3-speed reels on the market. These reels are designed for versatility and pure grinding power.
The Avet 50/3, available in several configurations, is the most popular of the company’s 3-speed models. The gear ratios are high, at 4:1, fast enough to work a jig; middle at 2:1, the primary gear for fighting a big fish; and low gear, a stalemate crushing 1:1 for the toughest of fish.
The 50/3 comes with a topless frame for easy casting and handling, and the carbon fiber drags top 50 pounds. Avet is proud to manufacture it in the USA.
The 30/3 is Avet’s smallest 3-speed model, and it holds 850 yards of 100-pound braid, with a maximum of 40 pounds of drag at full, and also comes with a topless frame.
Avet’s 80/3 3-speeds are for bigger game and feature the same gear ratios as the 50/3. The Success and other boats use them to target cow yellowfin in Puerto Vallarta. “For inexperienced big game anglers, low gear is a lifesaver,” says Ben Frazier of Avet. “Even in low gear you’re gaining 14 inches of line per crank and still moving the fish towards the gaff.”
That extra low gear can be nice to have, Frazier says. “I tell people you ride a 10-speed bike, you downshift gears until you can keep turning the pedal. When you can’t turn the handle anymore you have a low gear to maintain leverage against the fish.”
Three-speeds make good kite reels, Frazier says. When you get a bite, you have the high-speed necessary to quickly wind down on the fish.
Rick Ozaki is another long range name associated with Avet. He likes the 50/3 for fishing bait, jigs and the kite. He says most of the time he uses high and middle gear. Two to 1 is a powerful gear ratio in its own right, and then there’s the unmatched 1:1.
“When you put it in low gear it’s night and day,” he says. “Use it when you’re winding down, the rod’s pulling and you can’t get a crank.”
When he drops into low gear, it’s so easy to gain line Ozaki says it feels weird, and he’s momentarily questioned whether he still has a fish on. Low gear is that powerful. If he had to pick just one reel, Ozaki would go with the 50/3. “It’s the best reel,” he says.