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new reels

Tony Byrne

Tony Byrne

Senior Member & Supporter
Looking at buying a pair of shimano baitrunners what would be the ideal size,had a look at the 5000 limited edition which look good but seen some 6000 going cheap would these be a tad too big
 
Hi
I use the 6000 gtes and I think they look just a little over sized but they perform well :)
I think I would give a 5000 xtea ago if I had chance.
regards john
 
tony have a look at andys review of the penn reels mark gaskell was using a pair last night was impressed with them cranking a big feeder back as a alternative
 
No mention of the rivers or style in which you are fishing. May make a big difference as to what people might recommend.
 
Chris Jones said:
No mention of the rivers or style in which you are fishing. May make a big difference as to what people might recommend.
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sorry mostly on the middle severn and ribble
 
Tony. As you say, the 5000 Shimano RE (limited edition) reels are excellent value. They are basically the same as the original 5000's that cost a lot more.

Graham
 
Tony the Shimano XTEA 5000 if you can locate one second hand or on eBay, or as Graham suggests the more obtainable Baitrunner Limited Edition, this years Shimanos seem to have overlooked a quality Barbel reel at 5000 size!
 
Go the full hog and get some of The New Shimano Medium XTA longcasts, had mine since last year and cannot fault them, make my Shimano 6000XTEA's look lke a Model T ford. The best thing must be the baitrunner tensioner, a country mile in front of the XTEA's.
As always try before you buy.
 
Pricey Jon. Are they front drag?, I always find it a nuisance and difficult to adjust mid fight, as I often slacken off a bit under the rod tip. Thats easy with a rear clutch.

I thought the improved baitrunner smoothness and clutch adjustment on the XTEA was top notch.

I'll have a look at them.
 
Jon Frisby said:
Go the full hog and get some of The New Shimano Medium XTA longcasts, had mine since last year and cannot fault them, make my Shimano 6000XTEA's look lke a Model T ford. The best thing must be the baitrunner tensioner, a country mile in front of the XTEA's.
As always try before you buy.
Click to expand...

How does the weight compare to the XTEA Jon?

I had the original longcasts when I was Carp fishing but found them too heavy for my I-Flood, excellent reels though that would tow a Trent barge in.
 
I've been fancying a pair of medium longcasts for some time and managed to get 2 today for £250 ;)

I don't have a problem with altering front drag reels during the fight, it seems easy enough once you are used to the reel. I prefer the front drag for quality, but the GTEs and XTEs i've got have got decent rear drags.

For the Severn and the Ribble, along with other sizeable rivers, i would strongly recommend the Ultegra XTB 5500s. I've used mine for a couple of years now for all my carping, piking and fishing the Trent. They are quite simply bombproof in my opinion, and you can pick them up for around £70 second hand now with a spare spool.

*edit*
 
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Gary Wagstaff said:
tony have a look at andys review of the penn reels mark gaskell was using a pair last night was impressed with them
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Nice of you to mention that Gaz! Still using my Slammers and if you now offered to swap them for those tatty old 3500b's of yours i'd have to say no! :p

Tony - if you can get the Shimano 6000's at a decent price i'd go for them. Before i switched to the Penns i'd had Shimano GTE 5000B's, 5000C's and 6000C's - of them all the 6000C's were the last to leave the tackle shed! I personally thought the spool on the 5000's is a tad narrow for fishing the bigger rivers.
 
i would love to buy a pair of top end reels but money is a bit tight at the moment so will go for the 5000 or 6000 shimano
 
Graham Elliott said:
Pricey Jon. Are they front drag?, I always find it a nuisance and difficult to adjust mid fight, as I often slacken off a bit under the rod tip. Thats easy with a rear clutch.

I thought the improved baitrunner smoothness and clutch adjustment on the XTEA was top notch.

I'll have a look at them.
Click to expand...
Yes they are front drag, they are also exactly the same spool as the Shimano XTB's, but with longcast regalia. The Front drag is excellent and easier to use than an XTB's which when I had a pair I used the Baitrunner as a quick drag.
Its just a case of getting used to the drag system Graham, easy for me as I have never owned a rear drag reel, until I purchased a pair of XTEA's last year.
Weight wise they measure up very similarly. XT-A LC is 615gram and I think the XTEA was 595grams.
Been using mine on the Trent since before Xmas last, not using them on my out and out flood/big chuck rod but they have been performing excellently on my standard barbel rods.... anyone want some XTEA's???

Now if they could make some lighterversions in there Hi spec CI4 material that would be something.

Jon
 
Dont buy REs they'll last you two possibly three seasons and will then begin to sound and feel like an egg whisk with the shells left on the eggs. If you can afford the XTEAs, they are considerably smoother, better engineered and long lived. The 5000s will cast 80 yards, which is plenty on big rivers, although they might not have the winching power you need when its tanking through, in which case the 6000s would be better. Always a trade off somewhere. :)

Paul
 
Jon

I asked about front drag as I find them much fiddlier than a simple twist of the clutch adjuster underneath. Especially if the line is coming off around ones fingers.

As you say. Just a case of getting used to.

Paul. I think all you say is true, especially about the XTEA's yesterday however, a guy using the 5000 GTE's in the swim nearby who had a same problem as you mention, didn't know you have sometimes to add a little grease/oil.

Graham
 
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Graham,

Perhaps i abused my old REs. :eek: They werent up to handling my antics on the lower severn a few years back. :D

At least you get a big hint with the shimanos these days as they come with a little tube of oil. ;)

Paul
 
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