Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: rhino on June 16, 2009, 09:28:14 PM
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Im looking to buy my first Level wind to use in the fraser. I was hoping this poll can help me make my decision. Also what type of rod would you recommend? I currently fish with a centre pin and have minimal experience with level winds.
Thanks for the feed back! :)
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I cant speak for the Luna but you cant go wrong with a calcutta 400B or the 400TE. I have used both and have no complaints.
Ill take some heat for this, but stay away from abus.
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Iv owned two lunas, and loved them. I guess other people love them just as much because my first one was stolen.
Have not used a calcutta before, but have used a half dozen abus, so this is what I have compared it too.
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Ive got several calcutta reels and I would highly recommend them 400 te nice
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Abus-are great for people who like to work ion their own reels, simple to service and if you're using it in the Muddy Fraser it'll need servicing.
Shimano Calcutta-more parts some of them plastic but still a proved design not rocket science to service one.
Daiwa-not as popular for a few reasons one is sales another is service-send one to Mikes (http://www.mikesreelrepair.com) you could be waiting months to get it back.They are a more complex design but will still stand up to the mud and grit if cared for properly.
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I cant speak for the Luna but you cant go wrong with a calcutta 400B or the 400TE. I have used both and have no complaints.
Ill take some heat for this, but stay away from abus.
X2
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Why stay away from Abu?
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I would recommend Luna 300
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Why buy good gear if you dont use it?
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Abus-are great for people who like to work ion their own reels, simple to service and if you're using it in the Muddy Fraser it'll need servicing.
Shimano Calcutta-more parts some of them plastic but still a proved design not rocket science to service one.
Daiwa-not as popular for a few reasons one is sales another is service-send one to Mikes (http://www.mikesreelrepair.com) you could be waiting months to get it back.They are a more complex design but will still stand up to the mud and grit if cared for properly.
Sam basically nailed this one.
I've worked on a lot of different reels doing basic parts changes. Abu's are easiest to work on, then shimano, then diawa lunas, and then Penns.
The Shimano Calcutta 400B is a downgrade from their old Calcutta series. They have more plastic, and cheaper metal parts. Plus they went up in price.They also only come in a right handed model, because as I was told by shimano "Left handed reels are old technology."
The Calcutta TE (Total Efficiency) series however is still a great reel and has not changed much since it's introduction to the shimano lineup. I however find the design a little bulky and definitely heavier than it needs to be.
The Luna's (of which I own two) come in both left and right hand models, are not bulky, have an easy to access centripedal braking system. However to change any other parts on the reel is a pain.
Remember taking good care of any reel will extend it's life and save you money on parts.
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I have been a field tester for Diawa, and Shimano for years and find many of these comments amusing,,,,,I.E. "easy to repair" "easy to get at"..............Now if you buy the best possible product,,,there is NO need for repair. I now have used Calcutta 300te and 400te for springs on the Fraser aprox . 4 years / seasons ,,,,,the drags are still like sink and cast like bran new...............
Diawa has a poor drag system for big fish requirements ,,,they still have not really perfected their ceramic washers so tend to become sticky/grabby after just a few good runs. You can't have that on good fish.
Abu's are a joke for lasting quality but are priced for the entry level buyer as long as you carry extra levelwind Pawls in your pocket.
The TE line of reels NOT 400b or the older models is the way to go ,,,however a bit spendy... Like anything " you get what you pay for..................
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For a long time i collected Abus, every thing from 1500s to 10,000 series all from the sixties and seventies . All made in Sweden, i probably have 80 or 90 in boxes, they all had to have the tools and the case. Have a lot with the original boxes. Fished lots of them for salmon, steelhead and sturgeon, service them and clean then and they are a fine reel. Abuse them and it does not matter which company it is the product will break down. Most people do not take care of their equipment so suffer the consequence and then scream about crappy reels that they bought. If you think that is a lot of level winds you should see my collection of fly rods and reels. ;D ;D
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Abu's are good but for their purpose. 5000's and 6000's are not designed to cast 4oz on the Fraser. After 3 - 4 seasons you will get handle holder coming lose from aluminum side plate. 7000's are better for that but are much heavier and don't cast too far. For Daiwa you can easily get ceramic pawl, ceramic bearings and carbon drag upgrades from Mike so it will perform as required to catch those powerful Fraser Springs.
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i have caught lots of springs with 6000 Abus, and you do not need to throw 4 oz, 2 and under is plenty. The only time i needed a 7000 or 10000 was bar fishing or sturgeon fishing. ;D
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If you think that is a lot of level winds you should see my collection of fly rods and reels. ;D ;D
So what is your point, thought the thread was about level winds......but we are all jealous....
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Left hand model
Calcutta 51B, 101B, 201B
Calcutta TE 101, 201, 401
I would spend the same amount of money (ebay) to get the calcutta comquest 401 instead of the Calcutta TE401. Much nicer looking, lighter weight, better drag star (cut metal rather than stamp metal) and tension knob.
Shimano reel is not hard to service. Same goes with Daiwa reel. I have done many and done many upgrade on them as well. Easy change to carbondex drag will beef up the drag pleasure of your Daiwa.
I used them all from Calcutta 50, 100, 200, 400 to TE 200 to Conquest 200, 400. I also used Luna 253 and 300.
I prefer the Conquest over the Luna over the Calcutta B. But I do find all of them quite bulky to use at the veddar. I mainly use my Chronarch for blade now.
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I have been a field tester for Diawa, and Shimano for years and find many of these comments amusing
I find it amusing that you can't spell the name of the company you supposedly work for! ::)
"easy to repair" "easy to get at"..............Now if you buy the best possible product,,,there is NO need for repair.
Again it's odd that someone with your qualifications doesn't understand the difference between 'service' and 'repair'. ::)
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as for the rod - go for Shimano Technium 11'6" - plenty of power, limited warranty and the price tag ($159 A&N) does not bite like GLoomis or Sage. It's a new technology rod with wrapped blank to give you longer life for graphite fibers. They also have new Technium2 10'6" with lure weight 2-8 oz :o , which you can double as a bar fishing rod, but it's over $100 more ($269). If you go into that price range, than GLoomis would be a better choice with life time warranty.
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thank you all for taking the time to provide the insight to a soon to be new level wind user! It seems like keeping the cost to a minimum in this river both in the rod and reel is something to consider. What do you guys think of berkley rods?
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I bought a Luna in February. So far I have only had 2 or three birdnest and or line going under the spool. I used to have 2 to 3 a day with the ABU. I would recommend the Luna. The tension adjustment that you can palm is great as well.
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thank you all for taking the time to provide the insight to a soon to be new level wind user! It seems like keeping the cost to a minimum in this river both in the rod and reel is something to consider. What do you guys think of berkley rods?
Most beginners start with Berkley rods to keep costs down. It's a good beginners rod, but very easy to break if you don't know how to handle it (which is true for any other rod as well). If you get hooked by this fishery and if the salmon is still around in 4, 5 years, you find yourself buying more expensive rods. The only problem with Berkley is when you break it within a year - it's only the store who can give you a replacement for free, which was 9-10 years ago. I'm not sure what's the policy now. With Shimano you have better chances to have it replaced.
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ended up going with the daiwa 300. thanks for the comments. gotta find a stick now ;)
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good choice. You are not going to regret it. I would recommend to carefully read the instructions on how to adjust the centrifugal mechanism and always practice with your new rod on sport's field before heading to the river if you are beginner.
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Good choice on picking up a Luna 300. I have fished one for two years and I love i. I actually have 3 of them myself. 2 rights and 1 left hand.
Awsome reel I have around 15 Abus beats all levelwind reels hands down. Griz. :)
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Bought me a Luna 300 a while back and just got to using it yesterday. Very nice to use. Didn't help me catch anything :( - but once I had the settings are set - casted like a breeze. :)
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For the best all round Fraser ,,,,Spring / Sockeye rod ,,,,take a look at the G Loomis GL2 1265 ,,,aprox 200.00 . Its a 10' 6" 2-6 oz 20-40 lb line but has a good reacting tip able to handle big fish and all day casting of 3-4 oz bettys. For the low end but very serviceable big rod Shimano "Convergence" 10-6" med -heavy or heavy. 75.00-80.00 bucks.............. We are NOT talking about Vedder rods here.............
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LOL :D....nothing to do with the reel!
I find that overlooping/birdsnest are quite rare with my millionaire CVZ (older version of Luna) as compared to my Calcutta. I think it has to do with the shape of the line guide and the breaking system.