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Posts: 9
| Just wanted to know if anyone has an opinion or experience on the Shimano Cardiff? I'm not a huge muskie fisherman yet but I'm definitely considering getting into it and the Cardiff seems like a decent reel for the money. Just wondering what you guys thought of it since I have no experience with it. |
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| It's an awesome reel and it's reasonably price. I've used one the past three seasons and I absolutely love it. I use mine primarily for jerkbaits, topwater, and blades up to double 8s. I have used it for throwing Mag Bull Dawgs prior to owning a rod/reel combo that was better suited for them and I felt it handled them fairly well. If you are planning on throwing 10s or Pounders, this isn't the reel you want, but it is a great reel for medium sized lures. |
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Posts: 582
| I have 2 of them i use on some spare rods. IMO they are good for the price. I like them and have used them for throwing bucktails, cranks etc... I do NOT use them for large baits. There are better reels for dawgs, and dbl 10's. But overall, they are good for the price. Probably the best $100 reel out there right now. |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | I wouldn't say awesome,. but its okay. I had mine engage on the cast a couple of times and if I was throwing something of size and/or weight, I think I would have ruin the reel. And no I didn't have a power handle on it. If this was my main muskie reel, it would be junk in a few days. |
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| I can't say that has ever happened to me. I generally throw 2 to 4 oz lures with my Cardiff, so I assume when you're talking heavy lures they weigh more than that. |
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Posts: 2894
Location: Yahara River Chain | I had it engage with lures as light as a 1/2 oz spinnerbait. But what I do mean by heavy baits? Mag Dawg, DC10s, etc. If I would have the reel engage while tossing one of those, I'm sure the reel wouldn't last much after that. |
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| That's true. I just have never experienced it before. The thumb bar occasionally sticks, but only in the downward position. The result of this is a free spool and the reel won't engage without pressing the thumb bar down. I don't think the reel would last for throwing Mag Dawgs or Pounders, and it couldn't handle reeling in 10s, 12s or 13s. I think you could throw them for a moderate amount of time a few times each year. To use these lures on a regular basis would most likely ruin the reel farily quickly. |
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Posts: 9
| Alright so I think the general consensus is that its a decent reel for the money, but it can't handle anything above 10's or pounders. So my next question is what kind of reel do you guys use for your larger lures (pounders, double cow girls, ect.) Thanks for the input guys, I appreciate it! |
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Posts: 909
| Good reel! Pair it up with a nice Tackle industries rod and your set! Check ebay for the cardiff! I've seen them on there for $90 shipped!
Brian |
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| I use an Abu Garcia 7000C3. It works pretty well for 10s. Not a Trinidad or LJV, but it gets the job done. I found it on Craigslist a few years ago with a 7'2" Maina rod for $50. I was mostly just buying the rod as a cheap backup, but I now use the reel on a regular basis and have since sold the rod. |
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Posts: 774
Location: South East Wisconsin | I have a few Shimano Cardiff’s. I have never experienced any problems other than the thumb bar getting stuck in the down position. Pretty decent reel at a reasonable price IMO. For double tens I have a winch.
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Posts: 8772
| I've got a 300 series Cardiff that I used for my first few seasons. Considering that I didn't break it, I'd say it held up really well! I've had several more expensive reels fail in a lot less time with a lot less abuse. |
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Posts: 230
| I just bought one around Thanksgiving, and it seems like a great deal. Very smooth and holds a lot of line, and I have the 400 size. I've only used it once this year for Stripers, vertical jigging, and it held up well to fish up to 25 pounds. I originally bought it as a muskie reel for small bucktails, topwaters and cranks, but it's found its way into my striper arsenal as well. I'd love to see how it holds up by the end of this season. |
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Posts: 285
Location: Price County WI | The Cardiff was our best selling round reel in the store last season and I had 0 returns. Very solid reel for the money. |
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Posts: 117
| Little late on the post but I have had this reel for some time now.. I use it for buck tails up to double i8's and have used for chop bits.. awesome awesome reel for the money. I like burning with it... one bit of advise is watch the 3 screws on the crank case ... u may wanna add some thread locked blue loctite on those 3. |
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| Heck, I've had the spool become engaged on the cast on all kinds of reels, including a Calcutta. Those old Pete Maina reels were the worst for it. Never had an Abu do it, though, or any of the low profile reels. I'm still using the same Calcutta and it hasn't done it in probably eight years, or for that matter any others in that time. I kind of suspect it was partially operator error, or mismatched rod for the lure etc. as it was generally when I was casting heavier lures on what was probably too light of a rod and i was getting tired. I think we've all done that. I think you'll be a lot better off if you pay more attention to matching lures with the appropriate rod, than which reel. The Cardiffs are just fine. |
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Posts: 43
| I've used a Cardiff for the past couple of years and have no problems with it. I've thrown everything from small bucktails up to twin 10s and mag dawgs on it. For its price its quality is hard to beat. |
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Posts: 209
| muskie! nut - 2/3/2011 9:30 AM
I had it engage with lures as light as a 1/2 oz spinnerbait. But what I do mean by heavy baits? Mag Dawg, DC10s, etc. If I would have the reel engage while tossing one of those, I'm sure the reel wouldn't last much after that.
The reason that they engage is because a loop of line (mild backlash) will grab the underside of the thumbbar and pull it up while the lure's in flight. It happens more with light lures because the spool slows down faster and you get the loops that form while the spool is spinning more often. |
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Posts: 209
| Chubs - 3/5/2011 1:24 PM
Heck, I've had the spool become engaged on the cast on all kinds of reels, including a Calcutta. Those old Pete Maina reels were the worst for it. Never had an Abu do it, though, or any of the low profile reels.
Abu's don't do it because the thumbbar is built different and the line can't grab the underside of it (see my above post). Daiwa Lunas are pretty immune to it too. |
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Opinion on Cardiff