Shimano Reel Opinions?

I just got a Sahara. These new Shimano spinning reels today have this
anti-reverse feature which means that when set they absolutely do not go
backwards at all. It takes some getting used to. That is, you really have
to watch where the bail is oriented or you will need to crank it again to
get it lined up to 12:00. Most of the time I run in open bail poisition so
this is a non issue. But the slop that used to be there did two things, one
it allowed you a little play to line up the bail to 12:00 if you passed it
slightly and two it allowed you to get some momentum built up to release the
bail and start the retrieve. The new reel almost seems stuck at times with
the bail open. You have to crank it really hard to get it to trip the bail
and this feels like it will bust something in the gearing down the road.
From what I have researched people that use these new reels get in the habit
of tripping the bail by hand after the cast and before the retrieve. That
seems like a pain in the butt. Think about it, when you over cast your
target and want to stop the lure in mid air before it hits a boat, goes into
a tree, etc. what do you do? It is so second nature that I can't remember
what I do at the moment. But I think I start cranking a retrieve or at
least crank once to trip the bail. Do the benefits of the next two models
above the Sahara justify thier price?

"Dannyboyy" wrote in message
.. .
I just got a Sahara.

***Congratulations, you just bought one of the finest values in spinning
reels available today.

These new Shimano spinning reels today have this
anti-reverse feature which means that when set they absolutely do not go
backwards at all. It takes some getting used to.

***The instant anti-reverse is fantastic. It gives you a more positive
hookset and without the slop, I find that I have better lure feel. I tried
using one of the older reels without the instant anti-reverse and couldn't
stand to use it. I ended up giving all those type reels away.

That is, you really have
to watch where the bail is oriented or you will need to crank it again to
get it lined up to 12:00.

***I never worry about where the bail is oriented, I just reach down with my
right index finger, grab the line and with my left hand, open the reel.

Most of the time I run in open bail poisition so
this is a non issue. But the slop that used to be there did two things,
one
it allowed you a little play to line up the bail to 12:00 if you passed it
slightly and two it allowed you to get some momentum built up to release
the
bail and start the retrieve.

***You won't need to "build momentum" if you get into the habit of closing
the bail with your free hand. You should be doing this anyway, it eases
wear/tear on the reel and you will find that line twist becomes less of a
problem if you manually close the bail.

The new reel almost seems stuck at times with
the bail open. You have to crank it really hard to get it to trip the
bail
and this feels like it will bust something in the gearing down the road.
From what I have researched people that use these new reels get in the
habit
of tripping the bail by hand after the cast and before the retrieve.

***Yep, that's what most experience anglers do.

That
seems like a pain in the butt.

***It's not. It just requires a new habit to get into.

Think about it, when you over cast your
target and want to stop the lure in mid air before it hits a boat, goes
into
a tree, etc. what do you do?

***It's really quite simple. When I want to stop a cast, using the index
finger on my casting hand, I extend my finger to the spool and stop the
line. It works great and allows me pinpoint accuracy. It works a whole lot
better than slamming the bail shut. I can actually feather the line and
have the lure plop gently into position exactly where I want it to land.

It is so second nature that I can't remember
what I do at the moment. But I think I start cranking a retrieve or at
least crank once to trip the bail.

***I wouldn't try to control a cast by slamming the bail shut. If you're
using mono line and shut the bail, your line is going to stretch when it
stops, then snap the lure back toward you. I've seen that done so often by
clients. Once I teach them how to feather the line with their casting hand
index finger, they wonder why they were doing it the other way for so long.
Take the time to try it and learn it, you'll be pleased with the results.

Do the benefits of the next two models
above the Sahara justify thier price?

***It totally depends on what you're looking for. The higher level models
do have better bearings, more of them and they are smoother to reel.
They'll last much longer, have a better drag system and in many cases are
lighter in weight, but if you're looking for miracles, you'll be
disappointed. I own 4 or 5 Saharas and 2 or 3 Stradics and love them all.

I still believe that the Sahara is the best compromise between price and
quality of all the spinning reels available today.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

Ha! Ok, so what do I owe you for all of that great guide knowledge? Thank
you soooo much it makes a lot of sense to me now.

Looks like I need to go practice my casting techniques....and learn some new
ones!

I still believe that the Sahara is the best compromise between price and
quality of all the spinning reels available today.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com

Dannyboyy wrote:

I just got a Sahara. These new Shimano spinning reels today have this
anti-reverse feature which means that when set they absolutely do not go
backwards at all. It takes some getting used to. That is, you really have
to watch where the bail is oriented or you will need to crank it again to
get it lined up to 12:00. Most of the time I run in open bail poisition so
this is a non issue. But the slop that used to be there did two things, one
it allowed you a little play to line up the bail to 12:00 if you passed it
slightly and two it allowed you to get some momentum built up to release the
bail and start the retrieve. The new reel almost seems stuck at times with
the bail open. You have to crank it really hard to get it to trip the bail
and this feels like it will bust something in the gearing down the road.
From what I have researched people that use these new reels get in the habit
of tripping the bail by hand after the cast and before the retrieve. That
seems like a pain in the butt. Think about it, when you over cast your
target and want to stop the lure in mid air before it hits a boat, goes into
a tree, etc. what do you do? It is so second nature that I can't remember
what I do at the moment. But I think I start cranking a retrieve or at
least crank once to trip the bail. Do the benefits of the next two models
above the Sahara justify thier price?


I pretty much always flip the bail by hand - keeps down line twist and
gives me more control. And I feather the line with my free hand to stop
it rather than flipping the bail - gives me more control rather then
just stopping the line I can slow it down for more accuracy.

I bought a Stella two years ago on eBay. It was a major purchase for me.
Plus a Loomis 7' IMX rod. But it was probably the best thing I've done in
years. The reel is wonderful. It's the 1000 model. I think I got it for a
little over $400 brand new. I use Power Pro 4/15 on it. I can throw it a
mile, no stretch, solid hook sets.

I love the anti-backlash. It does take a little getting used too. But the
reels just great. I only take two rod and reel combo's with me when I fish.
The Stella for spinning, and a Shimano Calcutta DC baitcaster. Again,
expensive, but instead of having a slew of rods and reels, I just have two
of the best. Seems to work for me....

Power Pro again on the DC, 6/30 this time. I'm using a 7' Kestler Helium rod
with this reel and it's been a good choice. It's strong, lightweight, with
great feel. One thing I did for both of these rods was to get a piece of
foam pipe covering at the local hardware store to keep the rods from getting
nicked. Both reels came with covers. You can get a 7' section for a few
dollars. Works great.

Netguider

Dan,

I met some really cool old salt water spin fisherman in Florida who have
fished with no bail for over 40 years now.

They remove the bail and use reels with big line rollers that have ball
bearings.

I think they started just after WWII using spinning reels that had no bail
or just a short cut off bail.

They just lift the line off the roller and make a cast, then they hook the
line with their finger and place it back on the line roller.

I will have to try it some day.

I think Shamano has the US market for spinning reels but they said that
Diawa, Penn and Okuma are all making high end spinning reels now too.

--
Bill Kiene



"Dannyboyy" wrote in message
.. .

I just got a Sahara. These new Shimano spinning reels today have this
anti-reverse feature which means that when set they absolutely do not go
backwards at all. It takes some getting used to. That is, you really
have
to watch where the bail is oriented or you will need to crank it again to
get it lined up to 12:00. Most of the time I run in open bail poisition
so
this is a non issue. But the slop that used to be there did two things,
one
it allowed you a little play to line up the bail to 12:00 if you passed it
slightly and two it allowed you to get some momentum built up to release
the
bail and start the retrieve. The new reel almost seems stuck at times
with
the bail open. You have to crank it really hard to get it to trip the
bail
and this feels like it will bust something in the gearing down the road.
From what I have researched people that use these new reels get in the
habit
of tripping the bail by hand after the cast and before the retrieve. That
seems like a pain in the butt. Think about it, when you over cast your
target and want to stop the lure in mid air before it hits a boat, goes
into
a tree, etc. what do you do? It is so second nature that I can't remember
what I do at the moment. But I think I start cranking a retrieve or at
least crank once to trip the bail. Do the benefits of the next two models
above the Sahara justify thier price?

I have to follow this question and ask about opinions on the Spirex. I now
have two of these (a 1000 and a 2000 - both rear drag) ... Both on St. Croix
Premier Rods (the 1000 on a UL and the 2000 on an ML - both 2 piece with
Stren Magna-thin). I find it hard to imagine that a 'better' reel is out
there ... I can feel everything with these. I don't feel that I've lost any
fish due to the 'lack of instant anti-reverse'; more often its a matter of
hushing or not jerking enough ... My 'soon to be Son-in-Law' has the same
two reels - we only 'restarted' fishing last summer (after 4 yrs off for me;
and I never was "very good" before that) and this spring we've caught
already caught as many and bigger fish than we did all last year thru
september ... so I guess we're learning and improving ... we live in NE of
Indy and the main river is still 'recovering' with some nice smallies
showing up already ...we either wade or bank fish ... (no boat - yet ...
we're thinking maybe two year after college is wrapped up and wedding is
paid off). ...

I really can't afford much more in price ... to me I think $150 a combo is a
lot (or too much ?) ... Also, listening to this discussion thread ... (and
being an engineer) I don't see that any more or less wear and tear would be
caused by cranking the bail or closing it by hand - except perhaps to the
spring itself ... and really if the spring is designed right, and cared for
properly ... this should last nearly indefinitely ...

I'd like to hear opinions and thoughts on this because - I have a short
older UL rod (Kunan) that has a similar quantum reel - but I'm thinking
about the perhaps replacing this with a Shimano Solstace 1000 or the Daiwa
Spinstar Z1505C (again - with a trigger - I have 10 yr MH predecessor to
this and it still works ...) as the line is constantly twisting UNDER the
spool ((this one has spider XXX super mono but before I buy a new reel i'm
going to see if magnathin performs as badly)... also, I am considering
adding a MH St Croix Premier with a Spinstar Z-35305C ...

I'm sure most you would say look at baitcasters ... perhaps after we get a
boat ... I'd like to learn ... but I don't see that it would help me much
right now.

Thanks in advance for your opinions ...

"Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers" wrote in
message ...

"Dannyboyy" wrote in message
.. .
I just got a Sahara.

***Congratulations, you just bought one of the finest values in spinning
reels available today.

These new Shimano spinning reels today have this
anti-reverse feature which means that when set they absolutely do not go
backwards at all. It takes some getting used to.

***The instant anti-reverse is fantastic. It gives you a more positive
hookset and without the slop, I find that I have better lure feel. I
tried
using one of the older reels without the instant anti-reverse and couldn't
stand to use it. I ended up giving all those type reels away.

That is, you really have
to watch where the bail is oriented or you will need to crank it again
to
get it lined up to 12:00.

***I never worry about where the bail is oriented, I just reach down with
my
right index finger, grab the line and with my left hand, open the reel.

Most of the time I run in open bail poisition so
this is a non issue. But the slop that used to be there did two things,
one
it allowed you a little play to line up the bail to 12:00 if you passed
it
slightly and two it allowed you to get some momentum built up to release
the
bail and start the retrieve.

***You won't need to "build momentum" if you get into the habit of closing
the bail with your free hand. You should be doing this anyway, it eases
wear/tear on the reel and you will find that line twist becomes less of a
problem if you manually close the bail.

The new reel almost seems stuck at times with
the bail open. You have to crank it really hard to get it to trip the
bail
and this feels like it will bust something in the gearing down the road.
From what I have researched people that use these new reels get in the
habit
of tripping the bail by hand after the cast and before the retrieve.

***Yep, that's what most experience anglers do.

That
seems like a pain in the butt.

***It's not. It just requires a new habit to get into.

Think about it, when you over cast your
target and want to stop the lure in mid air before it hits a boat, goes
into
a tree, etc. what do you do?

***It's really quite simple. When I want to stop a cast, using the index
finger on my casting hand, I extend my finger to the spool and stop the
line. It works great and allows me pinpoint accuracy. It works a whole
lot
better than slamming the bail shut. I can actually feather the line and
have the lure plop gently into position exactly where I want it to land.

It is so second nature that I can't remember
what I do at the moment. But I think I start cranking a retrieve or at
least crank once to trip the bail.

***I wouldn't try to control a cast by slamming the bail shut. If you're
using mono line and shut the bail, your line is going to stretch when it
stops, then snap the lure back toward you. I've seen that done so often
by
clients. Once I teach them how to feather the line with their casting
hand
index finger, they wonder why they were doing it the other way for so
long.
Take the time to try it and learn it, you'll be pleased with the results.

Do the benefits of the next two models
above the Sahara justify thier price?

***It totally depends on what you're looking for. The higher level models
do have better bearings, more of them and they are smoother to reel.
They'll last much longer, have a better drag system and in many cases are
lighter in weight, but if you're looking for miracles, you'll be
disappointed. I own 4 or 5 Saharas and 2 or 3 Stradics and love them all.

I still believe that the Sahara is the best compromise between price and
quality of all the spinning reels available today.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com