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Posts: 750
Location: Minneapolis, MN | I have two rods that I plan to use for Musky fishing this year, an 8' H Cabeals Fish Eagle II that's rated for lures weighing 2-5 oz and a St. Croix Mojo Musky 8'6" XH 4-10 oz lures. I got a Calcutta 400B for Xmas that I put on the Cabelas rod and now I'm looking for a reel to put on the Mojo. I was thinking about another 400B but the guys at Thorne suggested the Diawa Saltisit Levelwind HC20, the black one. So I looked at it and it doesn't look too bad, definitely bigger then the 400B, but I'm not sure about the lack of a thumbbar release. I also started looking at the Diawa Lexa 300 and I like that it's low profile, but I don't know how we'll it will handle large baits and fish. Any one have any thoughts about these reels or suggestions for a reel around the $200-$230 price range? |
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Posts: 1638
Location: Minnesota | I like. thorn bros allways treat me well like cheers everyone knows my name.but I have my boat full of there great I tell them what I can,afford they set . me up with the right gear |
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Posts: 968
Location: N.FIB | how about getting a abu revo toro 60 size,you can get it cheaper on ebay |
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Posts: 2385
Location: Chisholm, MN | You won't be disappointed with a saltist and will love the speed you can bring baits in with it. If you plan on throwing cowgirls or other bucktails, a high speed reel is a must. Thats my opinion anyway. |
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Posts: 514
Location: Ludington, MI | The Lexa is high speed at 7:1, but I'd go with something else. The gears are plastic or ABS or whatever. I put a Revo Toro 5.4:1 on my MojoXH and I love it. It's my dawg rod, though, so I don't need ridiculous speed to pick up line. |
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Posts: 750
Location: Minneapolis, MN | CASTING55 - 4/27/2013 10:44 PM
how about getting a abu revo toro 60 size,you can get it cheaper on ebay
I wasn't aware people used anything other then the Revo Toro Winch or the new Toro NACl when it came to musky reels and I've always been told the Winch is too slow and really more of a specialty reel. |
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Posts: 1184
Location: Iowa Great Lakes | Been using the Toro 60's since they came out, good reels. Did swap out 2 olds ones for the NACL since they come in th 5:4 gearing. |
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Posts: 750
Location: Minneapolis, MN | tundrawalker00 - 4/28/2013 6:52 AM
The Lexa is high speed at 7:1, but I'd go with something else. The gears are plastic or ABS or whatever. I put a Revo Toro 5.4:1 on my MojoXH and I love it. It's my dawg rod, though, so I don't need ridiculous speed to pick up line.
They also make the 300 in a 6.3:1 if that makes any difference. |
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Posts: 409
Location: Almond, WI | I have been told by my club reel guru to avoid the Lexa, not well built, but the Saltist 20 and Shimano Tekota 500 are what I use for big baits and no issues. I love my Revo Toros but mostly use them for jerkbaits, topwater and cranks. |
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Posts: 661
Location: Sussex, NJ | I like my Revo Toro 61 in the 5.4:1 and i also love my Okuma Isis 400. |
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Location: sneaking out to get on the water ;-) | I like my revo toro 50 hs the best for baits up to dbl 8s. I got the winch for big blades and bought 5,4 gears for it so it was more versatile. |
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Posts: 833
| The Saltist is going to give you a better speed/power combination that anything else at your price point, which is probably why Thorne suggested it. It also has enough guts to tolerate bigger baits like Poudners and 10s/13s, plus it will let you bring in a cowgirl with a decent amount of gas. (I wouldn't toss a Pounder with your Mojo, FYI)
Given your stated price point, I think this is sound advice. Other reels will just be similar to the 400B. Not a lot of speed and OK durability. Casting ease or weight of the reel might vary, but you'll find that with time these things are fairly marginal overall, at least with reels in this price category. The Saltist is the only one that is going to let you really burn bucktails and rip rubber.
Another viable option if speed isn't your thing is to save an additional $50 bucks and try to pick up a 400TE on the Buy/Sell/Trade forums or Ebay.
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Posts: 131
Location: Lake St. Clair | i have a 400b on my pounder setup and love it. I also throw pounders pretty much all year and it gets a lot of use. For $230 you really cant beat it. If you are looking for a low profile, I wouldnt go with a lexa for throwing big baits. It will not last. In other words, you get what you pay for. You may want to look at the Shimano Curado 300e. I used that for the past year throwing big baits and it worked great. I got a new drag kit put in it and now i like it even more. They are around $275 new but im sure you can find them cheaper on ebay or on here. I have always been really happy with Shimano reels hense the reason I have stuck with them. |
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Posts: 161
Location: New Jersey | My one suggestion would be to make sure you pick-up the reel before you buy it. Even if you're going to buy it online, find a retailer around that has one and go check it out first. Even bring the rod to see how it balances. I've never used that particular Saltist, but keep in mind it's 7 ounces heavier than your 400B. While that is probably a non-issue for most, it might not suit you. In that price range, you might also wanna check out the Shimano 300EJ...awesome reel. |
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Posts: 750
Location: Minneapolis, MN | Brad P - 4/29/2013 8:58 AM
The Saltist is going to give you a better speed/power combination that anything else at your price point, which is probably why Thorne suggested it. It also has enough guts to tolerate bigger baits like Poudners and 10s/13s, plus it will let you bring in a cowgirl with a decent amount of gas. (I wouldn't toss a Pounder with your Mojo, FYI)
Given your stated price point, I think this is sound advice. Other reels will just be similar to the 400B. Not a lot of speed and OK durability. Casting ease or weight of the reel might vary, but you'll find that with time these things are fairly marginal overall, at least with reels in this price category. The Saltist is the only one that is going to let you really burn bucktails and rip rubber.
Another viable option if speed isn't your thing is to save an additional $50 bucks and try to pick up a 400TE on the Buy/Sell/Trade forums or Ebay.
Yeah I wasn't really thinking of throwing pounders with the mojo, or anything above the 10 oz rating because I didn't want to ruin the rod and I don't know that I want to throw that big of a bait all day long.
Does anyone have any thoughts on the Abu NaCl? Looks like one can get one new off ebay for a little more then the saltist. |
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Posts: 750
Location: Minneapolis, MN | waterwolfhunter - 4/29/2013 6:57 PM
i have a 400b on my pounder setup and love it. I also throw pounders pretty much all year and it gets a lot of use. For $230 you really cant beat it. If you are looking for a low profile, I wouldnt go with a lexa for throwing big baits. It will not last. In other words, you get what you pay for. You may want to look at the Shimano Curado 300e. I used that for the past year throwing big baits and it worked great. I got a new drag kit put in it and now i like it even more. They are around $275 new but im sure you can find them cheaper on ebay or on here. I have always been really happy with Shimano reels hense the reason I have stuck with them.
Yeah, the lexa doesn't seem to be getting much praise, I'll probably hold off on that one unless I want it for a light lure rod.
I thought about another 400B but due to the recommendation I wasn't going to pull the trigger on one. |
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Posts: 750
Location: Minneapolis, MN | catfishonthelake - 4/29/2013 7:10 PM
My one suggestion would be to make sure you pick-up the reel before you buy it. Even if you're going to buy it online, find a retailer around that has one and go check it out first. Even bring the rod to see how it balances. I've never used that particular Saltist, but keep in mind it's 7 ounces heavier than your 400B. While that is probably a non-issue for most, it might not suit you. In that price range, you might also wanna check out the Shimano 300EJ...awesome reel.
Oh yeah, I know it's much larger, I've held it in my hands and honestly that was one of the reasons I was thinking of going a different direction with it. Wonder if the Abu NaCl would be an equivalent option. |
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Posts: 13
| i love the feel of the lexa. i use it mainly for ninja tubes and it seems to be holding up just fine |
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Posts: 750
Location: Minneapolis, MN | huskymuskywv - 4/30/2013 3:14 PM
i love the feel of the lexa. i use it mainly for ninja tubes and it seems to be holding up just fine
How long have you had your Lexa? You think it will hold up to 10 oz baits and DCG's? |
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Reel thoughts