• You need to be a registered member of Barbel Fishing World to post on these forums. Some of the forums are hidden from non-members. Please refer to the instructions on the ‘Register’ page for details of how to join the new incarnation of BFW...

4000 ish size non-baitrunner reel choice ?

T

Tim Marks

Senior Member & Supporter
My fishing mate sent me a picture this afternoon of his rod and an Abu 55 at work on the Thames. I responded saying that the reel was rubbish and that he would regret it….

3 hours later I get a text saying the reel has misbehaved and he ended up trashing his mainline behind the spool. I laughed ! And he blanked.

He is now looking for a replacement 4000 ish reel as his equivalent Shimanos are battered.

requirements:

No baitrunner - so probably a front drag or a fighting drag.
not too heavy.
probably not Shimano because he thinks the stems are a bit too long for him (He can’t control the line properly when casting big weights).
not as big as an Okuma 6000 inc (what we both use for floodwater fishing).
Big enough capacity to deal with shortish range fishing with 12 lb mono.
strong enough to land any barbel that swims.

His suggestion - a Daiwa 2600. Which I think aren’t great (Based on not much real experience and more a general dislike of older Daiwa reels!).

My suggestion - a Shimano 4000 fighting drag reel - because I’ve used them for decades.

Any sensible alternatives please - maybe even tell me why the Daiwa 3500 in the classifieds is so revered……??
 
Tim Marks said:
My fishing mate sent me a picture this afternoon of his rod and an Abu 55 at work on the Thames. I responded saying that the reel was rubbish and that he would regret it….

3 hours later I get a text saying the reel has misbehaved and he ended up trashing his mainline behind the spool. I laughed ! And he blanked.

He is now looking for a replacement 4000 ish reel as his equivalent Shimanos are battered.

requirements:

No baitrunner - so probably a front drag or a fighting drag.
not too heavy.
probably not Shimano because he thinks the stems are a bit too long for him (He can’t control the line properly when casting big weights).
not as big as an Okuma 6000 inc (what we both use for floodwater fishing).
Big enough capacity to deal with shortish range fishing with 12 lb mono.
strong enough to land any barbel that swims.

His suggestion - a Daiwa 2600. Which I think aren’t great (Based on not much real experience and more a general dislike of older Daiwa reels!).

My suggestion - a Shimano 4000 fighting drag reel - because I’ve used them for decades.

Any sensible alternatives please - maybe even tell me why the Daiwa 3500 in the classifieds is so revered……??
Click to expand...
I’m selling an ss850 Tim which I have personally overhauled and rebuilt to a perfect little machine. It’s 4000 sized, it is loaded with new 12lb gr60. It’s Japanese, it will land any barbel or course fish that swims because it’s practically bombproof.
I’d recommend it or the bigger 1000 which is a 5000 size reel
 
Okuma Epixor XT in 5500 size is a very good reel, not as big as it sounds either, more like a 4012 Daiwa.

Can be difficult to get spare spools at times but it's a fine reel for the price.
 
Reel life update:

My pal was originally minded to get an ss 2600; yesterday morning he tracked one down in a shop sale and went to have a look. He didn’t like it (and neither did the shop manager who is a very competent angler and a mate of both of us).

Instead he bought a Daiwa TDM 4012 - £130 odd in the Black Friday sale.

Then he told me he always catches a good fish with every new reel he buys.

Yesterday we fished the Thames and he caught a big chub whilst we were chasing elusive barbel. I’ve had plenty of chub from that stretch and his was more than a pound bigger than my best !!

I think I need another reel !
 
Tim Marks said:
Reel life update:

My pal was originally minded to get an ss 2600; yesterday morning he tracked one down in a shop sale and went to have a look. He didn’t like it (and neither did the shop manager who is a very competent angler and a mate of both of us).

Instead he bought a Daiwa TDM 4012 - £130 odd in the Black Friday sale.

Then he told me he always catches a good fish with every new reel he buys.

Yesterday we fished the Thames and he caught a big chub whilst we were chasing elusive barbel. I’ve had plenty of chub from that stretch and his was more than a pound bigger than my best !!

I think I need another reel !
Click to expand...

That’s the sort of luck you need. If I buy any new item of major tackle I’m almost guaranteed to blank.
 
One man’s meat and all that. The ss2600s are my favourite reel second only to the daiwa tournament 5000s. I appreciate they’re clunky but there’s no horrible quick drag, a beautiful clutch and a solid feel that newer reels just don’t give you. If you’d have asked me 5 years ago I would have said both the above were old junk but can’t see me using anything else in those sizes now. Having a big carp peeling line off the tournament is a beautiful sound.
 
Christian Tyroll said:
One man’s meat and all that. The ss2600s are my favourite reel second only to the daiwa tournament 5000s. I appreciate they’re clunky but there’s no horrible quick drag, a beautiful clutch and a solid feel that newer reels just don’t give you. If you’d have asked me 5 years ago I would have said both the above were old junk but can’t see me using anything else in those sizes now. Having a big carp peeling line off the tournament is a beautiful sound.
Click to expand...
I'm sure he was asking about a 4000 size reel the the 5000 torny I'd say abit big and heavey for a 1.75 barbel rod ?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top