Avet Pro EX 50/2 Two Speed Reels

The Avet Pro EX 50 is the San Diego Special, SDS on the front crossbar, and an established model designation rather than a regional nickname. It is one of the most respected and most widely fished reels in the long-range fleet, and it has accounted for a lot of big yellowfin. The reason starts with the frame: the top is open, so you can watch the line the whole time and clear a wrap without taking your eyes off the fish. That open top is also the line between this reel and its wide sibling. The EXW 50 carries a top crossbar, and only the narrow EX 50 wears the SDS label.

This is the go-to size for long-range yellowfin. Long range here means trips over ten days running to Hurricane Bank, where the fish are well over 100 lb, many in the 200 lb range and some in the 300s. Several world records out of that same water have gone over 400 lb. What makes the size work is mechanical: larger gears, a larger spool and more drag, which is exactly what long-soaking a mackerel or a caballito asks for, and chunking as well.

We have watched this reel earn that reputation first-hand. Back when we were running charters we had fishermen aboard from all over the country, and a lot of them were fishing Avet 50s they had bought from us. After tangling with cow-sized tuna, the 50s were the reels that had not failed and did not feel squirrelly afterward, the one product that came through the whole thing without a hitch. There is still no more fishable reel in this size class, in our opinion.

Rods. For the rail there are only a couple of good options: the UC or , or the RGPX 76 Viper. Closer to home those same rail rods cover high-speed trolling for 100-200 lb bluefin and kite fishing. A dedicated trolling rod is the better tool on paper, the , or an , but plenty of buyers still take the rail rod for its versatility: it gets you around your outboards, and it saves moving the boat to keep a fish in front of a rod holder. Even if, honestly, fighting a fish out of a rod holder on a private boat is the more effective way to do it.