What would be the right size reel for a 12' surf casting rod. When I bought it I also picked up a Penn Battle 5000, after talking to my fishing partner he said it might be too small, so I went out and got the 7000. Is there a rule of thumb about length of rod and reel size. my goal is simple, I just want to cast out as far as humanly possible.

In general for a spinning rod you want to cast for distance, you want a tall, wide, shallow spool. The more the line has to bend from the wraps to the spool lip, the slower it will come off. Reel selection has more to do with balance on the rod than anything else. Just like buying a handgun here, what ever feels right.

Rule of thumb is you want about 250yrds of mono line capacity. For a 12' bait rod, I'd use 20lb mono. I've never used braid because I haven't been fishing in a long time. My 12' bait rod has a Penn SS 7500 which holds about 250 yds of 20lb test mono. I would use 7000 on a big bait rod and the Penn Battle 5000 on a 8' plugging rod with 12-15lb test mono.

 

Have you ever seen the videos of long casting techniques? I could never get the hang of it.