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Posts: 294
Location: New Jersey | I recently broke the line guide gear system on my calcutta 400B. I had it fixed and the broken piece was returned to me and i was shocked! The actual inter workings of the line guide are plastic!!
My fishing style is filled with lots of rips, jerks, and i have a solid hookset. Seems to me, that for 200-300 bucks you should get a reel that can handle tough musky fishing??
With that being said, DO ALL MUSKY REELS HAVE PLASTIC PARTS INSIDE THEM?
If not, what reels can take a pounding????
Thank you, Rob |
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Posts: 670
Location: Otsego, MN | I think it varies on how one takes care of their gear. Some guys are really hard on their stuff and they go through a reel a year. Some never oil and lube their gears on the reel which makes a difference. I think many of the Shimano, Okuma, Daiwa, and Abu Garcia reel can take the pounding but it varies a little for every user. |
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| They all break. Some break in 1-2 days of use, some will last a few weeks, some will last a month or two.
All reels break, when you fish hard and fish often. |
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Posts: 1887
Location: syracuse indiana | heck i have 5 calcutta's and every one of them take a pounding. and i have many other brands also you just have to maintain them and they will last....bill |
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Posts: 197
Location: N Illinois | I have 3 calcutta's. They all have broken down after one year of use and have been sent in repeatedly for service since. I finally had enough and swithced to the Daiwa. Time will tell how they are. |
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Posts: 1504
Location: Oregon | Every reel I have ever owned (never had a Calcutta) has some plastic parts. The thing I don't understand is why they use plastic on a part of the reel that takes a beating......like a line guide. Everything is made that way now though, half of new vehicles are made from plastic.
Jed |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | I had a the level wind/gear fail on a Diawa last year, and I asked my parts guy(Chuck Brod with Sportsmans Repair) the same question as to why the gear was nylon. He told me that it was made to be the weak link in the system as if someone got their fingers or something else caught in the level wind, the cheap gear would break, and not the expensive line guide or level wind system. The other reason that the gear is nylon, is so that the reel would be smooth. If this gear would be brass, as the gear on the level wind itself is sometimes, the brass on brass would make the reel feel like a 1947 Studabaker. That said, I have noticed fewer plastic parts in my Diawas and Penns, vs. the frequently broken Calcuttas as well, and why I made the switch a few years back. That said, my reels still fail after much use, and I get them fixed, just not quite as often. |
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| So, what's the best reel out there? Money not an issue.....what reel can take the most pounding and last the longest? I have just about had it with all of the reels I have used. Which reel is best for burning bucktails (not cowgirls)? |
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| I have pretty much every reel on the market, with the exception of a Penn.
Here is my observations.
I can blow out an anti reverse ripping dawgs, big gliders, weagles, Jakes, etc.. with a day or three with the following reels, Garcia's, Okuma's, Tica's.
Reels that can last me at least 3 weeks or so
Daiwa Luna's and Calcutta B's
Reels that can last me about 3-5 months
Shimano Calcutta TE
Am I being unreasonablely hard on these reels, no I am no. But I am being honest about these reels.
As far as straight retrieve, and Daiwa Luna is hard to beat for bucktails, straight retrieve topwaters, spinnerbaits, etc.. Calcuta TE's are by far the best I have ever used, but you also pay a nice price for them, $350.
I only wish I could afford all TE's...but I can't so I simply head to the post office once a month ad send in a box of broken reels instead. |
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Posts: 699
Location: Hugo, MN | I've got the ABU Big Game 7000s, The Black Ones, and I have not had any issues with them. With that said I think just about any reel out there is going to break down eventually, especially if you're lucky enough to be able to Muskie fish 3 or more times a week. It's just a part of Muskie fishing you deal with if you want to throw Double 10 Colorados all day long. |
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| Guest- can you send me an e-mail please. I have a few questions for you. My e-mail is drk.hanson at gmail dot com or you can answer here if you want. You mentioned you send your reels in every month for repair. Where are you sending your reels for repair? Back to the manufacturer, or to some other place? How much does it usually cost to get your reels fixed? How long does it take? Do they actually fix them right and are they tested before they mail them back? Anyone else who could help me out is welcome as well obviously. Thanks.
Edited by Baby Mallard 6/28/2008 4:47 PM
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Posts: 159
Location: NYC (and many weeks in MN during summer) | for the biggest bucktails, and even large spinnerbaits, the trinidad can't be beat. There is no levelwind to break, and spooling line evenly has not been an issue. I was throwing the super cowgirl, double 13's on Friday and it was no problem. I even burned them a few times, just to see if I could, and I could get the bait to blow up when i wanted too. Mind you, I'm only a small guy too, at 150lbs.
I have the red Isis, which I can see failing at some point. My Calcutta 400 te seems the sturdiest, and I spend most of my day ripping baits. If I had to choose one reel to do everything, without question it would be the 400 te.
Randy
Edited by NYmuskyhunter 6/29/2008 8:51 AM
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Posts: 294
Location: New Jersey | Randy,
I have to agree with you about the 400 TE. I have one and it seems to be a very good reel. But i have not taken it apart, so i have no idea what is inside. The problem is that it is 350 bucks!
Have you ever tried a Penn??
Thanks for the input, Rob |
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| yes, I send them back to the maker of the reel. Put a note in there, stating what is wrong with the reel, tell them how long it has been since I have had it back...usually 1-3 months, since I don't and won't use Garcia's, Tica's, Okuma's, etc...any more.
Send your broken reels back, pay the small amount it cost to get fixed and move on and go fishing. When they break in a month, send them back in... |
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Posts: 375
| i've been using the daiwa luna 300L's exclusively for 4 years now and i fish maybe 30-40 outings per year. i oil / grease / clean every two to three times out and throw big heavy baits to small lightweight baits morning till night twitching, ripping and everything in between and i have had absolutely zero issues with these reels. maybe those out there that have had reels last only days / weeks / months didn't know they were put together either on a monday or a friday...:)
stan |
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| If you rip Mag Dawgs and Pounders with a Luna they will blow out in about a week or two.
I have had them blow out in days, brand new reels right out of the box. Start ripping and 2 days later....they are being sent back in for repair. If you throw big bucktails or do any time of straight retrieve, they work great. But they are NOT made for ripping. |
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Posts: 159
Location: NYC (and many weeks in MN during summer) | muskyhunter34 - 6/29/2008 10:18 AM
Randy,
I have to agree with you about the 400 TE. I have one and it seems to be a very good reel. But i have not taken it apart, so i have no idea what is inside. The problem is that it is 350 bucks!
Have you ever tried a Penn??
Thanks for the input, Rob
Rob,
even though ANY reel can break down and fail at any time, I usually go with the best available, regardless if it is the most expensive. You get what you pay for most of the time, unless its a hyped up fad. The 400 te at $350 is expensive, but I guarantee will last 2x longer than reels costing half as much. So in the long run, it comes out the same in the end, without the time and aggravation of sending the reel in for repairs.
For topwater or downsized spinnerbaits (really all my downsized Muskie stuff), I use the Calcutta 250 te dc. I spool it with 65 invisibraid (all my other reels have 80 but with the smaller spool I can't get enough line on). This reel is remarkable. Its mated with a 7'2" thorne brothers custom diamondback. Even though this set up is on the lighter side, it handled a 45" Muskie and my personal best 51" fish.
I am fortunate to have 5 really good setups, each for specific lure presentations covering every lure from super mag dawgs down to the smallest Muskie 1oz spinnerbaits or bucktails.
Randy |
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Durability question on musky reels