When Van Staal announced they're coming out with a new spinning reel design for boat use at a more affordable price, I was ecstatic. Finally a VS at a good price point. I own a VSB250 and loved it. Once the VM150 finally came out, I checked it out at our local tackle shop and played with it a bit. The reel felt solid and much easier to crank than the traditional Van Staal reels. The gray colored anodized reel body and spool makes the reel look badass! At size 150, it was a bit small. I didn't pull the trigger, and was undecided because of its small size. So I waited for months for feedback from other anglers who have used it. I didn't see any reports of major issues with the reel. The only issue I read about is that the automatic bail closure mechanism would engage and close the bail on the cast. It turned out that because of the weight of the handle, it would turn and engage the auto bail closure if the handle is in the up and forward position on a cast. Not too major of an issue. Some anglers have removed the auto bail closure mechanism and transformed it into manual bail closure, a quick fix. I just made sure the handle is in the down position before casting and never had any problems with the bail inadvertently closing on the cast. When I finally decided to get one, all tackle shops were out and on backorder. I had to reserve one with Charkbait and wait for the new stocks to arrive. When it finally arrived, Charkbait was able to spool it with 300yds of 55lb Daiwa Boat Braid. Awesome! A solid small reel with adequate capacity for fish fighting braid line. I was stoked! When I got home, the first thing I checked were the screws. I do this to all reels I buy. I found the screws on the frame were not tight and easily turned without much force. So I removed them all, applied some Loctite, and screwed them back in tight. It's ready to go!
Manufacturer's Specs:
Line Capacity: 350YDS/30LB Braid
Gear Ratio: 4.9:1
Weight 22.5 OZ
Drag: 30LBs (as advertised by tackle shops)
Side by side with its big brother the VSB250.
Size-wise, I thought a much better comparison would be with the Shimano Stella 8000PG. The VM150 still looks a tad smaller than the Stella 80000PG.
I was finally able to test the VM150 on a recent day trip (my previous blog "Preparing for Another Trip"). I hooked some YFT and Yellowtails with it. I paired it with my Major Craft KG Evolution Shore Jigging rod. The reel is solid and smooth cranking. The sound of the drag is suuweeeet, and it makes you want to hookup with even bigger fish! This reel is capable of landing bigger fish that other reels of the same size would probably get destroyed. I was able to shoot a couple of videos during some hookups. I kinda messed up the videos I took. This was the first time I wore the Go Pro camera with a head harness. I kept messing with it since I can't tell if the camera was indeed shooting a video of the action. It resulted in missed coverage of the entire action. To sum it up, the VS VM150 is an awesome little reel with big fish fighting ability at a good price point. I love everything about it--the all metal construction, awesome paint scheme, smoothness, power, and that wonderful drag scream! Surely another reel you want to add to your arsenal. Some videos of the VM150 in action. Fish on!
Hooked to a YFT Listen to that drag scream!
Fish spit the bait out!
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