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Reasonable sized baitrunners?

N

Neil Kirk

Senior Member
I have, after much online research , bought a pair of Shimano Baitrunner 6000 xtea but they are just so bloody big and heavy... have pity on me because I do 90% of my fishing with centrepins

I am sure the engineering is superb but they just don't feel at all the right size of reel for my barbelling and occasional carp and pike sessions. I'm not too upset because I'm sure I will be able to recoup my money by reselling them.

But can anyone help me towards better quality alternatives to my Okuma Epix Pro 40 Baitrunners ? I'm even wondering whether baitrunners are what I should be looking for.
 
Many many moons ago I brought a pair of Shimano 5010 gt baitrunners not long after they’d been introduced to replace my Mitchell 300S’s for barbel fishing. I liked them so much that some years later I thought I’d buy another pair for backup but found that Shimano were now pushing the super baitrunner,… unfortunately, I was late to the party and the 5000 size had been discontinued so I opted for the 6000. Lovely reels but much to big compared with the old 5010’s for my liking so I’ve hardly used them . Thankfully my trusty 5010’s are still going strong after all these years.
Even the rare 5000 super baitrunner was bigger than the original 5010’s but I would have settled for a pair compared with the 6000 for my barbel fishing.
I do tend to use centerpins much of the time which has helped preserve my old favourite Shimanos I ought to add.
 
Neil Kirk said:
I have, after much online research , bought a pair of Shimano Baitrunner 6000 xtea but they are just so bloody big and heavy... have pity on me because I do 90% of my fishing with centrepins

I am sure the engineering is superb but they just don't feel at all the right size of reel for my barbelling and occasional carp and pike sessions. I'm not too upset because I'm sure I will be able to recoup my money by reselling them.

But can anyone help me towards better quality alternatives to my Okuma Epix Pro 40 Baitrunners ? I'm even wondering whether baitrunners are what I should be looking for.
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I’d class a 6000 size reel as a big reel.
If you want small lighter baitrunners the 4000D is probably what your looking for
 
Neil Smart said:
The Okuma Pulzer us a cracking bait runner in a 4000. Will be fine on Avon rods or say 1.75 barbel rods.
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Got to agree with Neil. I use these for all my feeder Tench fishing ‘cos my Shimano 4000 OC’s have crap line clips. If you don’t use line clips for you Barbel fishing then the 4000 OC’s are another option to consider 👍
 
I recently got a pair of these in the 5000 size for some avon rods and they're a cracking little reel. Don't let the 5000 fool you, they're a compact bodied reel with a bigger spool than the smaller listed sizes. Perfect for Avons or upto 1.75-2.00lb rods
 
Bob Watson said:
I recently got a pair of these in the 5000 size for some avon rods and they're a cracking little reel. Don't let the 5000 fool you, they're a compact bodied reel with a bigger spool than the smaller listed sizes. Perfect for Avons or upto 1.75-2.00lb rods
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Yeah it’s the same with the daiwa gs5000BR
That’s a very compact and light 5000 reel too. It’s more like a shimano 4000 size
 
Neil Kirk said:
I have, after much online research , bought a pair of Shimano Baitrunner 6000 xtea but they are just so bloody big and heavy... have pity on me because I do 90% of my fishing with centrepins

I am sure the engineering is superb but they just don't feel at all the right size of reel for my barbelling and occasional carp and pike sessions. I'm not too upset because I'm sure I will be able to recoup my money by reselling them.

But can anyone help me towards better quality alternatives to my Okuma Epix Pro 40 Baitrunners ? I'm even wondering whether baitrunners are what I should be looking for.
Click to expand...
Like you I like centrepins. I have Shimano 4000 baitrunners and they're big enough for me. I have the budget 4000 STs and the expensive FBs which I havent used yet. The latter are heavier and appear more solidly built and would be up to anything I'm likely to use them for.
Big rivers fishing far out then bigger reels perhaps but I use 4000s on the Severn and they're fine. I don't tend to fish the far bank in floods though! It's the modern way. Powerful rods, big reels. Much of the time unnecessary though I accept bigger reels give you more cranking power in heavy flows or around snags. Not for me though. Best trying them out before buying really. I only tend to buy Shimanos for all my fishing though I do own two Daiwa SS2600's that I bought for Carp fishing. These are neat and compact with big spools for a small reel and I dare say would be good Barbel reels on a bigger river.
 
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