In surf fishing, the temptation is to cast like you’re shooting for the moon every time.

But sometimes fish swim at your feet, in the wash, and casting far can waste time.

You want both options.

Shimano’s Aero Technium XS-C Reel isn’t new, but it’s one of the high-end reels you see at places like stores specializing in beach angling.

It’s built to cast far, and, like any surf reel, to be rugged to stand up to the tough environment.

A surf reel suffers from saltwater spray, flat-out, inevitable dunkings in the water, and sand, not only on the beach, but also always in the water.

The reel is built to cast far including because of extremely slow spool oscillation.

That's the up-and-down movement of the spool on the retrieve that lays the line in extraordinarily tight, low-angled, efficient spirals.

All the tight spirals are a reason the spool is oversized, and capacity for much line is the other reason.

The reel's spool is a version of the company’s AR-C Spools it uses in different reels, a design featuring an angled lip for less line friction and smaller line coils for longer casts.

Another feature is X-Ship, Shimano’s name for gearing that the company uses in different reels.

X-Ship is “a combination of features,” Shimano says, for greater efficiency in gearing, transferring more power from the handle to the rotor, also creating more stability and therefore smoothness.

In the countless casts during a surf trip, a smooth reel can be appreciated.

Two models of the reel are available: the 10000 with a large capacity spool, and the 6000 with a smaller spool.

Though the Aero Technium is popular with surf anglers, the 6000 is also popular for freshwater, like for serious carp anglers.

In fact, the original version, the XS, became popular with carp anglers.

Then the XS-C was introduced with surf casters in mind.

This beautiful reel isn’t inexpensive and retails for more than $700.

Check it out, if you’re not already familiar.

For details, visit Shimano’s website.