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Best Barbel Reel

Dave Burr - I'd be interested to find out how you get on with the Fox 7000s. I had one and, despite me singing its praise to all asundry for a a season, it packed up during the second season. The gearing went completely, almost as if the bevels had sheared.

I now use a pair of Okuma Interceptor Pros - cheap but brilliant. And with a good front drag.
 
Richard Parsons said:
Dave Burr - I'd be interested to find out how you get on with the Fox 7000s. I had one and, despite me singing its praise to all asundry for a a season, it packed up during the second season. The gearing went completely, almost as if the bevels had sheared.

I now use a pair of Okuma Interceptor Pros - cheap but brilliant. And with a good front drag.
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Interesting, nice reel but disappointing in terms of reliability if this is commonplace, I wonder if it was a one-off? You can get a new 7000FS for £30, heck of a price for a reel with a rrp best part of a £100!
 
And why do you think the Fox's are so severely discounted.Because IMO they are absolute pants.Some tackle shops are loathe to stock them because they just don't need the grief.Why pay even £30 for a chocolate reel.If someone's budget is pretty tight,there's plenty of good s/hand reels on offer,both on this site and somewhere like Tackle Trader.

Pete.
 
For me on the Trent. Its got to be the Daiwa Tournament 5000 iso QD. A beast of a reel, light for size, ultra smooth quick drag and power in reserve.
 
I wouldn't swop my shimano ultegra 5500 for the Trent.

Vastly improved baitrunner function than the traditional rear mounting and great power coupled with a terrific clutch.

Fit surprisingly well on an 12ft 1.75lb test curve rod as well as they aren't overly bulky.
 
Okuma Epix Pro either in the 40 or 50 sizes.
 
a lot depends on the river you intend to fish .......

the shimano 3500b gets my vote everytime when static fishing , ie ledger/feeder fishing , as allready mentioned they are now discontinued , so rocking horse poo springs to mind . bomb proof and 100% reliable .

for mobile work when a baitrunner isnt needed , i use a daiwa capricorn 2500 or shimano technium 4000 fb , both roughly the same size

one thing in common with all the 3 reels mentioned , front drag .
in my book , they simply cannot be matched by a rear drag model and i cant see myself ever going back to a rear drag reel
 
Stuart Prescott said:
a lot depends on the river you intend to fish .......
one thing in common with all the 3 reels mentioned , front drag .
in my book , they simply cannot be matched by a rear drag model and i cant see myself ever going back to a rear drag reel
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Agree completely, use Daiwa SS3000's for Big water carping, Okuma 60s on little lake carp rods. Okuma epix 40 or 50s on my two standard barbel setups (std and flood). All front drag. Only non-front drag reels I use are the pins on float, stalking and roving gear.
 
For roving i use the 4000 Super GT-RB, in spite of the rear drag it also has fighting drag, so overall the drag is about as good as you can get for a rear drag reel and they are reasonably lightweight.
For lazy git fishing (static) i use 5000 xteas, which are almost perfect, but slightly heavy.
For heavy feeder, flood and mud, i use my Fox Stratos 7000FS's. They are a real powerhouse winching machine which when combined with braid, serve me very well chucking my 7oz feeders into a swollen thames and i dont care if they get filthy. The front drag is very good also, but they are seriously heavy.
 
I have used a pair of shakespeare oracles for several years now and i cant fault them, very reasonably priced and not too bulky for a bait runner.
 
Best reels...

I'm now using Shimano 3500b's and I've got to say,they're amazing!!! But the key is to get a reel with a clutch that pays out line smoothly...If you can get a 3500b or two then do!!! Really!!! They're bombproof and built to last! They may not be the lightest in the world but I'm prepared to sacrifice that for the brilliant durability!!! Keep an eye out on ebay..They come up every so often..
Be nice to be able to get out and use mine at some point!! Ah well....maybe in the autumn!! :rolleyes:

Tight lines!!

Si
 
Changed over at the start of this season to Okuma Saone se55's. Front drag, baitrunners. Really pleased with them, the clutch is as smooth as Snake sh*t.
 
Stuart Prescott said:
a lot depends on the river you intend to fish .......

one thing in common with all the 3 reels mentioned , front drag .
in my book , they simply cannot be matched by a rear drag model and i cant see myself ever going back to a rear drag reel
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Couldn't agree more! The Okuma Epix has to be the one for free spool lovers but i'm equally impressed by Daiwa's Whisker reel at a similar price point.
 
Had a play around with a TF Gear Force 8 baitrunner, nice and smooth with its 10 ball bearings a nice sensitive front drag 2 spools and a great price...
 
Hurgen Akindji said:
Hi all.Fox stratosfs for 30 quid?! Where?
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They'll be the FS7000E's......and the broadly stated opinion (including mine) is that they're rubbish. You don't get what you pay for, even at £30.

If you still get a couple even after reading the negative press, I'd be interested in hearing how you get on with them.....
 
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