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Suitable Reels, and trying to buy some!!

R

Russell Emms

Senior Member
Hello, first time on this site and coming back to fishing after a long time so bear with me.
Trying to get a bit of kit together but i'm having trouble trying finding a decent reel to buy.
I bought a Fox stratos 7000 and all i can see is a load of negativity about them so don't know what to do.
Okumas seem highly recommended but you can't seem to get them anywhere, the shimano recommended to me, the 1000, seems a bit on the big side to me and the 5000 seems no longer available.
I was at the tackle show over the weekend and there didn't seem to be much around unless you were into carp.
Any help greatly appreciated.
 
if you are fishing small/medium rivers any 4000 size shimano will be fine. Personally I use stradics but a lot prefer one of the baitrunner models.
 
If you don't want to spend a fortune and want baitrunner functionality then the Daiwa Regal Z or the new Emcast BR in a 3500 size would be a good choice. The newer Shimano baitrunners in the 4000 sizes tend to have somewhat flimsy bail arms.
Not tried the Stratos7000 but had a pair of the FS10000 for carp fishing and was not impressed with them compared against Daiwa or Shimano.
 
Might be worth looking at the Penn bait runners of which there is a review on this site.
Having used Penn reels in the states for Tarpon i couldn't fault them.
I personally have used Abu Suveran 4000's for the last 14yrs and they are superb, occasionally come up on e-bay but quite pricey.
 
suitable reels

Ive played around with a few reels now, from diawa regal z (dont like em! the drag is either on or off, no middle ground with em!)
to shimano 5000 xtea's ( fantastic reel but a little bit on the big and heavy side for my rods.)
and now im using 5000 gte c's. (slightly smaller and lighter than xteas) these reels have been hammered, 5 seasons without a service, out in all weathers been in river a few times, and are still spot on. one is in need of a service but the other is still silky smooth.
And i use shimano XT FA's on my lighter hand built rods, ive had plenty of doubles on both reels and never had and problems at all with any of em!
so in my very modest opinion shimano's all the way..:)
 
You won't go far wrong with some Shimano 5000GTE's if you can find them. The beauty being that you can get them serviced at Felindre and they'll come back as good as new.

My Fox Stratos gave up after a couple of seasons of not particularly heavy use !!! Not impressed, although they were nice reels to use !! Others speak very highly of them........
 
A very subjective question here Russell. Everyone will bat their corner and tell you that theirs is best ! 2 points, you have said that you've just got back into fishing' and that you have bought the Fox...I agree with David Hall, stick with it, look after it and it will serve you. If in a year or two you then want to invest you will have had time to form your own opinion. If I were to tell what I use there would be screams of derision but am I bothered, nope!! They serve me well on The Medway, Trent, Wye, Kennet and Hants Avon..need I go on....soap box now back in the cupboard.
 
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As Stephen says above, Clive has 2 shimano 6010.s for sale in the classified,s for £65 + postage, bargain, grab them if you can Russell. :)
 
Clutch

It's all about the clutch

It's already been said that every one will stand their own corner on this subject, but I would not touch any of the old rear drag bait runners with a barge pole . I sold all of mine . Snatchy sticky and not to be trusted

Nobody has mentioned the okuma range , a very suitable reel , brand new can be picked up for almost the same money as the cheap re's etc with a far superior clutch . Ok the build quality may not last as long as the 6010 or 4000 , but for that money , who cares. At least you know you are getting a new reel and not something that could have had the clutch screwed down tight for the last 10 years

It really is something to consider , go for performance , not a name in this situation
 
Reel's

Stuart Prescott said:
Clutch

It's all about the clutch

It's already been said that every one will stand their own corner on this subject, but I would not touch any of the old rear drag bait runners with a barge pole . I sold all of mine . Snatchy sticky and not to be trusted

Nobody has mentioned the okuma range , a very suitable reel , brand new can be picked up for almost the same money as the cheap re's etc with a far superior clutch . Ok the build quality may not last as long as the 6010 or 4000 , but for that money , who cares. At least you know you are getting a new reel and not something that could have had the clutch screwed down tight for the last 10 years

It really is something to consider , go for performance , not a name in this situation
Click to expand...

I agree Stuart. The XTE-A and GTE-C both have a modified clutch mechanism which is far superior to that found on GTE's and RE's. This is probably why XTE-A's are commanding such a high S/H value.

Dave
 
Thanks for all the help and advice. I'd only had the reel since the beginning of the month and thankfully the shop i bought the reel from has agreed to a refund.
I do like the look of the shimanos on ebay but i think i would like a clutch on the front but also want a baitrunner. the Okuma epx 55 looks interesting and seems quite reasonable money, but i guess you get what you pay for in the end.
 
the new/current okuma's are not a patch on the old ones:(

i had a pair of original interceptors that were abused for 8 years before they gave up, last year i did the daft thing of buying them again (2 new reels for the price of one second hand shimano)

had half dozen trent trips and a bit of piking and bail springs gone in one, handle stem is bent on one, handle wobbles like hell on one and one sounds rough as hell:eek:


im now crusing ebay for a pair of shimano's
 
I can't comment on Fox reels as I have never used them, however I have used a pair of 5000 GTE's for over 8 years for both barbel and small water carp fishing and they have never once let me down. They are a work-horse of a reel. I've just recently had them serviced and they feel as good as new.
I've never had any real issues with the clutch, ok it can be a little snatchy and I wouldn't play fish off the clutch using lighter lines, however since I use 12lb GR60 rope for almost all my barbel fishing it has never been a problem.

I use a pair of 4000 XTFA's for tenching and they are superb, the front drag is seemingly faultless. It is worth noting that the spool diameter is slightly bigger then on the 5000's. They should be able to everything that the 5000's can.

Okuma do make good reels, I use a pair of Epix Pro BF 30's for perching and I can't find any fault with them - however I'm sure not that the build quality is up there with my Shimano's but then they were a lot cheaper.

Personally I'd go for a Shimano as you can them serviced and repaired by Felindre should you ever have any problems. Practically reels for life.
 
Daiwa SS1600 are a top reel too use as are the Abu Suverans 3000m.

I have a pair of 5000 GTE-C's but dislike them. I have used a pair of pins for years but find they are great for the smaller rivers that i fish but when it comes too larger rivers then you are a bit limited unless you can master a decent casting technique which i sadly never have.

I know people who have used the older Okuma's for years and swear by them, the newer versions do not seem too be as good though. Some of the older Shimano's are great value, the older GTM's are ideal but hard too find at a decent price but they are out there.
 
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