Baitcaster for SP fishing

[Sandworm]

I am looking for a nice little bait caster reel for soft plastics etc.

something of avg quality but not overly expensive. similar to the samiri7i of the spinning reels quality/level if you understand what i mean.

a price guide and a good place to buy in Melbourne (will be used 90% of the time in salt water with soft plastics braid line 4-6lb and maybe a hard body lure now and then)

bream pinkies flathead etc

[F.B.]

never used one but i dont really think they are suitable for light plastics?????
anyone else got ne thoughts???

[Rdavison]

I have a little shimano chromica baitcaster but you can't cast a soft plastic with em, no way.

Riley

[mike_mad_fisho]

gday
i have an abu eon e3600 i mainly use that for my bigger softies to use on flatties and have tried casting the light wietgs and the doesnt work to well.
MB

[Sandworm]

maybe i was sent down the wrong garden path then. I was told they were designed for this type of fishing. What are they suited to? Hard body lures?

I'v never used them much, i normally use the 7i and find it fine for the job,

[Evan]

sandworm: bait casters are suited to chucking lures just not light ones as you end up with the spool spinning faster than lines coming out - thus a birdsnest.

speak to chris lemess about them- he is the reel guru. i think you can get some japanese baitcasters that will flick small weights like the scorpions but they are quite pricy

HTH

Evan

[Rayman]

For AU$300 including shipping
You can get a scorpion 1000 from JAPANtackle
Really good for light weights
and good value

[Rayman]

Review by Profishing.net
http://www.profishing.net/faq.html#Scorpion%201000

and sorry
the price for scorpion 1000 is just under AU$300

Japantackle
US$148
Shipping US$15

http://www.japantackle.com/shimano.htm#1000

mate to be honest, i wouldn't bother. Yout wont really gain anything out of it. Your better of with a quality spinning reel. Most of the SP's we fish weigh around 2g. This is way too light for most baitcasters, and you will have to pay quite a lot for one which will work!
HTH

Dave

[chris_lemess]

I typed out a long reply regarding the benefits of baitcaster reels and how much you'd need to spend, but the window closed on me. Now I see you've said you've never used a baitcaster. Don't bother. Personally I love using them, but for what you want to do, just buy a spinning reel. If I was presented with the species you gave (bream flathead snapper) and asked what I'd buy, and HAD a small bream reel as you do, I'd buy a baitcaster. That's my choice though - they're great tools for accurate casting and because of the construction are much much stronger for their sized than spinning reels.

Save up and buy a new Stradic 2500FH or Daiwa Capricorn 2500. Both are very strong reels, that I guarantee can cope with catching snapper, emperor, jacks, large duskies etc, yet have the finnesse to use on bream when you want. Spool one spool with 4lb Fireline and one with 6 or 8, and you're away!

Save up... buy a decent reel! You won't regret it.

cheers

Sorry Guys but there is no nice way to say this, anyone who says you can't cast soft plastics or ultra light lures with a baitcaster just does not know what they are talking about or does not know how to use a baitcaster.
ok it takes a lot of practise and patience and you have to have the right rod and reel set up and that's not exactly cheap.

But the benifits are worth the hassles of learning and the extra costs, with a reel such as a shimano ct50, the right rod and line there's not much you can't cast and a lot more accurate than with a spinning reel.

Cheers Samurai

[Dave W]

I'll 'weigh in' here

90% plus of my Bream spinning is done with weights of 1/16th Oz or less, and I also originally wanted to go the way of the Baitcaster, as I love them to bits.

Put bluntly (and no offence Warren) but there is no way my Calcutta 50 will ever cast a 1/16th Oz jig any where near the distance of my most basic spinning reel, all other things being equal. I tried almost everything humanely possible to do it, got the thing tuned as well as it could be done and still not good enough - yes it will cast them but not far enough, and forget about 1/32 Oz jigs......

I've given a Cronarch SF a run, arguably one of the best 'light weight' Baitcasters on the market, and it still wouldn't do it well enough.

Hey, if you always fished with a tail wind you could probably do it

If you start getting 1/8 Oz or above, particularly for Flathead work (or in my case Bass) no worries

As a sidenote, this is coming from a bloke who's been using Baitcasters for 15+ years, and the best reel for me on the light stuff was the old Shimano 2000ULS - and I will never forgive myself for letting it go over the side of the boat in Lake Mulwala

Don't suppose you blokes know anyone that's got one going cheap

Cheers,

[Sandworm]

ok, here is the deal, i have 2 rods (peen pinpoint 6' graphite rods) one without a reel and i was going to buy a reel for it, thinking rather than having 2 nice spinning reels i thought i'd get a bait caster to have somthing different

(*boys and his toys* is a better reasoning)

now it sounds like they Can be used for softplastics but maybe not the best.

So I now need to find a reason why i should waste more money on fishing, what would you guys buy a baitcaster for? Hardbodys? I have them so i could make a good story to talk myself and the young lady into beliving i need it

otherwise i might look at a nice spining reel again


What price around $100 - $150 for a avg baitcaster or is it more the $300 mark - if so i will have a hard time getting one

[donfish]

I have to totaly agree with Dave on this one .You would be wasting your money and time trying to use a baitcaster on small lures & small softplastic.Stick with a good quality threadline and you will enjoy a lot more fishing and a lot less trying to undo tangled line.
donfish

[Sandworm]

ok sounds like i need to save for a nice spinning reel what about the okuma Epix EFS-20?($130)

look/sounds nice and cheap to boot!

well cheap after looking at the Daiwa reels (not saying the okuma is a better reel, but better value maybe?)

maybe also the Laguna 2000 would be a good reel.($170odd)

is there a big difference between the Laguna and the Capricorn 2000(boy there nice)
are they $80 odd better? at aprox$250 i am totaly at the end of my budget

i'll be much happer in the $160 mark + or -

Is the okuma30 close to the Laguna 2000 the okuma at $130 sounds great.

I use a 1500 in a samurai 7i and looks a nice size but whats otehr poeple using and how does the okuma relate in there size (30 etc)