Charles, Check with John and Larry regarding any of the reels you might want, they can get them if they don't have them and save a few smackers along the way. I am sure you can get the convector from them. I have a few of them on my tiger rods for u-rigs and lead-core and they perform very well.

OB&T #770-965-9400

Get the best you can afford and move up from there. I'd rather be fishing with a $40 reel than not be fishing. Thank the Lord striper fishing has not crossed the line that bass fishing has with respect to the cost of the gear. And i hope it never does. I have a mixture of Okumas, and Diawa line counters; many of which i purchased 2nd hand from people moving up or out. I caught my biggest striper to date on a Shakespeare reel that we did not bait up until the last hour of a tournament when we started throwing the kitchen sink at them. It was not my reel, but i had deliberately left it on the sidelines until we needed all hands on deck. I learned a long time ago that there is always something better out there, but you have to use what you have.

Buy the best gear you can afford, learn its limitations, and use the heck out of it until it wears out or you can pass it on to someone who will use it and appreciate it more than you do.

The main thing is to get out there on the water!

Amen Brother! We all started somewhere. I still have a large mixture of reels and I can assure you all mine are not Tekota's

Yes, Penn does make a 310GT2LC. I just bought 2 of them. I wanted something to hold more line than an Okuma 20, but not as big as the Okuma 30 or Penn 320. I plan on using them for free lines way behind the boat. I even pulled a urig with one the other day because my 320 was out of commission.

Where'd you pick up the 310LC's, Mike.

I got mine through a friend. I just saw one this morning at the Oakwood store in the glass case. Don't know how many they have, but they can get more.

I’m with Brett. Get what you can afford. I have a hodge-podge of reels for striper fishing but primarily Accudepth for LC. I get what I can afford so I can fish with the most bait in the water. I also have many non-fisherman or kids with me that can be rough on equipment. I’m a lot more patience when a $40 dollar Accudepth bounces of the deck or is dropped over board than $200 Shimano. I view them like old Chevy’s, easy to fix & easy to find parts.

Not to sound like my grandfather but the quality of reels regardless of manufacturer IMO has declined in the past decade. I have a dozen different vintage 1980 Penn & Abu Garcia C3 (Swedish made) reels that I still use that are rock solid. These are primarily for saltwater and they get pounded. Unfortunately they are heavy as heck but reliable. I’ve had failures in all makes and models of my newer purchases. Nothing will make you madder than a brand new $179 Shimano spinning reel drag failing when it’s below 32 degree while my 30 year old Penn 550 SS is casting like always.

But if money was not a factor I’d be Shimano across the board. They are nice reels. I also like the crank on the Catalina’s.

I agree with you about the quality especially the ABUs

If you want to see or have a new reel that is built to last, check out the Daiwa Saltist. Not too long ago I bought 6 or so of those for pulling big bait. They are the heaviest reels that I've ever owned for striper fishing, but they don't have a single plastic part in them. 100% metal construction. They have a super smooth drag also.

The reels I'm referring to do not have linecounters though.

I purchased 4 Shimano Tekotas and 6 Diawa Saltist reels last year from Larry and John at Oakwood. They all have line counters. The Saltist are different sizes. I like both Tekotas and Saltist but am probably more partial to the Shimano reels. I do not like the way the line counters stick out on the sides of both brands though. Makes them rub each other when they are in my console rod holders. I end up alternating the direction they face to keep them from rubbing. I've owned the cheaper and don't mind spending more to get quality. The "Oakwood Boys" can fix you right up.