Van Staal: The NO LIMITATION spinning reel now with a new bail system and powerful enhancements (continued)
 

Field Tests: Van Staal reels have been known for their ruggedness and the VSB can certainly handle multiple species of big, hard fighting fish. Saltwater anglers all over the world abuse these spinning reels and each battle is won thanks to the dependable and powerful Van Staal reel.

JIP hangs on as he lets the Van Staal VSB spinning reel and G.Loomis rod do all the hard work

We set out to test the VSB100G against our local fish with techniques including tossing irons for rock fish, casting minnow lures for landlocked stripped bass, and even light gear Albacore tuna fishing.

Fully machined out of 6061-T6511 aluminum the reel is solid all around

Casting: Even though the VSB100G can toss smaller lures if spooled with light line, we loaded the skirted spool with 50 pound braided for certain tests and 12 pound mono for others, and only tossed larger lures for the species of fish we were after. We paired the Van Staal spinning reel with a G.Loomis Pro-Blue rod and hit the water to gather some performance results. After many casts with plugs, irons, and swimbaits, we found the casting to be as excellent as the traditional models known to surf caster, those who only use gear that meet their long casting demands.

A nice long handle and large knob provides great power during retrieve

Retrieve: The retrieve on the Van Staal spinning reel is as good as we expected giving you confidence in every turn of the handle. Thanks to the solid body construction, oversized hardened stainless steel main gear, and large anti-reverse clutch, the VSB puts you back in control when you have a big fish at the other end of the line. When I hooked into a 20+ pound Lingcod the fish immediately dove for its safe hole. I quickly buttoned down the drag and cranked the handle, and the fight was on. The enlarged anti-reverse clutch provided a solid hookset. The long handle, large knobs, and the reel’s 4.75:1 gear ratio really translated all its power to the battle, and it’s a force that you can feel has you grasp the Van Staal VSB. At the end of a long hard tug-o-war I emerged victorious thanks to the abilities of this reel and the confidence I had in the quality of the VSB to get the job done right especially when the fish was applying so much pressure to the reel’s components.

A big lingcod falls victim to the VSB100G

The bail arm is manually operated and for good reason. When manually disengaging or engaging the bail you ensure that it’s done correctly each and every time, especially when the reel is in constant contact with saltwater or even for those who occasionally, accidentally dunk their entire reel in sandy waters. With no springs or other parts to corrode or wear off, a manual trip bail will continue to perform as it did in day one.

The manual bail system puts the line back right onto the roller

Another benefit we found to having a bail system is that when braided lines are used you have a way to guide the razor sharp line back onto the line roller. In traditional Van Staal reels anglers used their fingers to put the line back on the line roller before retrieving. Now with the new VSB and its rugged Titanium bail wire this task is much quicker, less troublesome, and considerably safer for anglers.

Hardened stainless steel is used to make the large main gear housed in this solid body

Drag: Van Staal’s waterproof drag system is well known amongst anglers and it’s as dependable as other parts of this stunning spinning reel. Completely buttoned down, this patented sealed drag mechanism produces a hefty 27.5 pounds of force, a good amount of pressure that allowed me to yank a big Lingcod away from its hole. At this setting the VSB drag was extremely smooth even after a lot of use and the occasional dunking of the reel in sea water. The sealed, waterproof drag system keeps all elements out and ensures the drag will produce the needed performance to battle large game fish.

Van Staal's patented sealed waterproof maintenance-free drag system