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Posts: 1916
Location: Greenfield, WI | Who has experience and an opinion after using this reel?
My past use of monster baits have been trashing my reels to the point where I have 5 reels for 3 rods so that I can rotate the broken reels through the repair shop. |
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Posts: 906
Location: Canada | What reels were you using before? And what exactly were you using them for? Are you just cranking or ripping and pulling? Looking for a low gear ratio for double tens hence asking about the Winch?
Any reel won't last if you turn your handle to engage the reel at the end of your cast stopping the lure dead in the air, you're going to need to thumb your spool and time the lure landing with the engagement of the handle. Also thumbing your spool when ripping and twitching will help too.
That being said, I used my Winch a lot last year without any problems. I had a hard time putting down my 8' Avid with this reel on it and used it for more than double tens. I liked it so much I bought myself from Santa a new HS Toro for my jerk bait rod. |
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Posts: 1916
Location: Greenfield, WI | I always use my thumb to stop the baits. |
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| What type of monster baits are you throwing? If you're talking pounders, big blades, and the like, there are much better options than a Winch, or any low-profile musky reel for that matter. |
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Location: Northern Wisconsin | CU301DSV - 1/22/2011 10:37 AM
Any reel won't last if you turn your handle to engage the reel at the end of your cast stopping the lure dead in the air, you're going to need to thumb your spool and time the lure landing with the engagement of the handle. '
Why would anyone do this? I have accidentally engaged the reel towards the end of the cast a couple times and I cringed at the sound it created... I can't imagine anyone doing it on purpose.
And about the winch. I have one and like it for double 10's and other hard pulling blades. I haven't used it enough to put it through a true test of durability though. You definitely won't 'burn' them like with a trinidad or saltist but it's good for an average retrieve. I can't stand trying to use it for dawgs or jerks. |
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Posts: 1916
Location: Greenfield, WI | The big baits mainly are the Musky Mayhem lines, Bulldawgs, and 10" and bigger Slammers.
Fish4Musky1, Why can't you stand it for Bulldawgs and other jerk baits?
Edited by Steve Van Lieshout 1/22/2011 11:14 AM
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| A Winch isn't going to hold up over the long haul throwin dawgs unless you're tossing the regular sized ones. for roughly the same price of a Winch you can get a Calcutta 700B, which outside of the 700TE , is probably the best option for mag dawgs and pounders, also would work great for big blades, although not at the high speeds. For speed, go with a Trinidad or Saltist, a Winch will work for medium speed, but it isn't close to the speed you will get with a Trinidad or Saltist. |
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Location: Northern Wisconsin | The winch just doesn't pick up enough line for me when using dawgs and jerks (suicks, bobbies, etc.). It can be done but it just takes a bit more reeling to pick up the slack. I tried to use the winch for a few hours with dawgs and jerks and then I switched over to a 5.4:1 revo and couldn't believe how much easier it was with the 5.4:1. |
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Posts: 8781
| Steve...
I've used the Winch for double 10's and I must say it's awesome. But it's a one trick pony - working a jerkbait, or bulldawgs (depending on how you work them) it's just clumsy. With a 5.4:1 reel, or even a higher gear ratio, you can pull the bait, reel, pul the bait, reel, and stay in contact with the bait a lot more easily. Witha low gear ratio reel, it's pull, REEL REEL REEL, pull, REEL REEL REEL, etc. You're fighting with the relatively low amount of line pickup because you have to crank like a maniac to take up the slack line.
Now, for cranking big blades? It's a world of difference between the Winch and the regular Toro. It's pretty much effortless with the winch. The regular Toro isn't bad, but it gets tiring. With the winch, a double 10 feels like there's nothing there. No matter what reel you are using, I think it's important to consider gear ratios.
Low gear ratio: picks up line more slowly, less effort required to reel hard pulling lures (i.e. blades for example)
High gear ratio: Picks up like more quickly, more effort required to reel hard pulling lures
Basically? You'll srtuggle with a low gear ratio reel with anything that requires you to reel up slack line on your retrieve -- walk the dog lures, suicks, dawgs, (if you fish them using long pulls) gliders...
Put if it pulls hard, like those %^$* Shumway giant flashers? Winch. Not the best for burning, but I've found that most places I fish them a more moderate retrieve is actually more effective.
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Location: Contrarian Island | I use a winch on a 9' custom sling blade for slow rolling bucktails/spinnerbaits...love it....no issues and I probably put 150 - 175 hours on that reel this year alone... it's not a reel for pounders/dawgs as others have said it doesn't pick up line fast enough...i put a trinidad 14 power handle on it and it is the cats asss for slow rollin at nite imo.
Edited by BNelson 1/22/2011 1:07 PM
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Posts: 2269
Location: SE, WI. | Steve; Had Lynne throwing Dbl 10's in Canada last year W/ the revo/winch 60 for about 3 days. I also periodically used it. For me ; I found myself squeezing the reel because of the low profile, and found my hand starting to cramp. After 3 days, I told her to now pick up my penn 975. Her first comment was; "This reel is easier to retrieve the big blades than the revo." There you have it. And the Penn is fine for working the bigger plastics also. It has a 4;5;1 ratio, so it is a low gear ratio which should help with the durability of the reel. I think your hands are somewhat large, so not sure if that revo is for you...IMO. The only drawback to the Penn is it does not have a thumbar which I like. It is kind of like using a old Garcia 6500 with the push button. I also use the saltist 30 for burning the big blades, but flipping the lever is something you have to get used to. And you will in an hour or two.  |
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Posts: 1916
Location: Greenfield, WI | Thanks for the input everyone. |
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Posts: 158
| Just a question, but why did everyone abandon the classic Abu 5500 and 6500 series reels.
I've yet to see a reel outlast an old school Abu round reel. Regardless of price. |
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Posts: 8781
| LonLB - 1/23/2011 9:40 AM
Just a question, but why did everyone abandon the classic Abu 5500 and 6500 series reels.
I've yet to see a reel outlast an old school Abu round reel. Regardless of price.
1. I don't think they make the old school reels like they used to. They might look the same on the outside, but life expectancy on the newer versions seems to be two seasons or less on average.
2. The other thing is that the lures everyone is using are just too big for the old school gear. That might actually explain #1 now that I think about it. |
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Posts: 158
| The line pickup on the round reels is actually pretty high because of spool diameter. Also the round reels usually have very short handles by today's standards. To match up better to these high pull baits a winch gear set would be something worth adding. I want to say that there was one available that was slower than the 5.3.1 of the C3's
I haven't had any problems with mine. C3's and C4's
The main components that matter are the same on the new and old reels.
I'm going to pull apart an old Ambassadeur 523 XLT today. The first "low profile" Musky reel that I know of.....I'm going to start using it too.
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Posts: 158
| LonLB - 1/23/2011 1:25 PM I'm going to pull apart an old Ambassadeur 523 XLT today. The first "low profile" Musky reel that I know of.....I'm going to start using it too. :-) Well not much to see as the only cosmetic change is the drag star (newer Abu star) and the carbon power handle.... Thought I'd still post it up for a flash back from the past. Hope it stays together. It's going to be my bulldog/bucktail reel. (The spool isn't in it because I'm still soaking the bearings to flush them out.) (I should have wiped all the finger prints off before the photo LOL)
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