Reels are the hottest topic for TackleTour. Everyone wants to know what the latest and greatest is and how they compare to the old guard. What's the best for light stuff, or what's your suggestion for heavy cover. Do we really need different retrieve ratios? It's all in here.
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zalan
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by zalan » Sun Jan 03, 2016 9:18 pm
Hi,
last year I bought the reel in the subject. It was in very good condition and at a very good price, so I jumped on it. I do not really need it, but I like the idea of having older high-end reels in my arsenal. This is TT, so I think you guys understand
I tried it once, I throw 1/2 oz topwater on it, but I was not really impressed with the distance I got, but I also did not spend too much time with it. I'm thinking about making a few upgrades during winter to improve the performance, but I would like to know what to expect from it. Do you know what lure range was it designed to cast? Also do you guys know which year this reel was sold? Anyone still using one? I expect it to be a finesse reel based on the small size.
Thanks in advance!
Zalan
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jamesdta
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by jamesdta » Mon Jan 04, 2016 11:00 am
I have one that I bought used for a good price. It was not very smooth when I recieved it, so I almost tried to sell again before even casting it.
Instead I purchased some bfs air bearings and a shallow spool for it. I also purchased the 4 pin block holder with blocks they sell from hedghog studios and avail clutch.
This reel is a casting machine ! It's better than any other BFS reel that I've had. Casts 1/16 with 4lb mono awesome and is very hard to backlash. My 4 year old daughter can cast 1/16 jigs with it pretty good distance. She caught her first fish(sunny) all by herself on it. For that reason I will keep forever. I still would like to make it smoother though.One of my favorite reels.
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Tim Kelly
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by Tim Kelly » Mon Jan 04, 2016 4:07 pm
I have the 3601 version (wider spool) and put an Avail spool and hedgehog air bearings in it. As the previous poster said, absolute BFS casting machine and hard to backlash. Not the reel I'd choose for 1/2oz topwaters though, even with the standard spool. Think smaller lighter presentations and let the reel impress you.
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zalan
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by zalan » Mon Jan 04, 2016 4:33 pm
Thanks for the info, this is pretty encouraging. Mine is pretty smooth, so I guess I'm lucky. I do not need the BFS capability that much, I do not even have a rod that could handle 1/16 oz lures. I plan to change the clutch as the original one is in a bad shape, I will also try the bearings (air, not the bfs air) and the 4 arm brakes. I was thinking hard about the shallow spool, but I would like to keep the line capacity. So I will test it with the original spool and only get the shallow one if I still do not like it.
After your 4 year old could handle the reel, I think I should not come back saying that I still have issues after the upgrade
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zalan
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by zalan » Mon Jan 04, 2016 4:39 pm
Tim Kelly wrote:I have the 3601 version (wider spool) and put an Avail spool and hedgehog air bearings in it. As the previous poster said, absolute BFS casting machine and hard to backlash. Not the reel I'd choose for 1/2oz topwaters though, even with the standard spool. Think smaller lighter presentations and let the reel impress you.
You might be right, but the other reels I have is the Daiwa Sol, Curado 51E, so I feel covered on the lighter side. Most of my lures are on the lighter than 1/2 oz, I just wanted to start with a heavier bait to avoid issues and it was a better match for the rod I had. Probably I should get a lighter rod for it as well.
