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| Anyone using a powerhandle on these? I am looking at getting one and wondered if I need to get the powerhandle to pull Double 10s? Thanks
Thought I would throw in that I did use the search function and didn't see the full answer to my question.
Edited by muskydeceiver 9/22/2008 10:13 AM
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Location: Twin Cities | I have one without the powerhandle, I don't like throwing big 10's with it for very long. I've done it for 8-10 hours straight, but usually am pretty sore, thinking about a bigger reel for the bigger blades.
But maybe i'm a wuss? :-D
-Jeff |
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Posts: 663
| The 400 B is an excellent reel. I like the stock handle just fine but I don't use it for pulling double 10's. Frankly I think there are better reel choices for that application. It's a topic that's been beat to death here and elsewhere. However, if you are set on using the 400B for those baits the power handle should slow down the rate at which you start feeling like someone hit you in the arm with a baseball bat. Just prolonging the inevitable in my opinion. |
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| I had two calcutta b's in my boat this year, both new in April....both were broke by mid may...not the best reel for $200+ ia piece in my opinion. |
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Posts: 344
Location: Musky Country | We use these reels with power handles, I've only send in one sofar and I have four so imo they work and hold up good with the power handles. |
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| I had two calcutta's in my boat also this year. One was new 3 years ago, one was new 2 years ago. Neither were broke...ever. The best reel for $200+ a piece in my opinion. |
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Posts: 462
Location: Antioch, IL | Only took me two days to burn a 400B up. Cowgirls and cowgirl jr.'s all day for two days in Canada then I had gear teeth all over the place. Liked the power handle on it for the short time it worked. Do to the 400B death I was forced into using the 400 (switched the power handle over to it). It worked ok, but be careful. The power handle did cause the reel to engage in mid cast a time or two. Also I only used it to throw big blades when I knew I was on a fish. |
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Location: Twin Cities | Fish and Whistle -- Only took me two days to burn a 400B up. Cowgirls and cowgirl jr.'s all day for two days in Canada then I had gear teeth all over the place. Liked the power handle on it for the short time it worked. Do to the 400B death I was forced into using the 400 (switched the power handle over to it). It worked ok, but be careful. The power handle did cause the reel to engage in mid cast a time or two. Also I only used it to throw big blades when I knew I was on a fish.
I'm curious, did the power handle cause the same thing on the 400B in terms of the bail engaging? This is my second full season on my 400B, there have been at least 10 days throwing double 10's all day with it and it works great. I gotta believe something else happened to those reels to die that fast. Granted, I don't use the power handle and when I did use a power handle on some of the abu reels I had two years ago, they died quickly too...hmmm. |
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| Do yourself a favor save your 400B for your other baits and get cheeper widespool reel with a power handle to throw the double10's or your calcutta will be toast......Jim |
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Posts: 1184
Location: Iowa Great Lakes | My partners both run power handles on their 400B's. One of my partners has broke every brand of reel on the market EXCEPT the Calcuttas. Matt next time your up ask to throw Travs, he'll let you. I run DCG's with a 300 Curado and love it. |
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Posts: 462
Location: Antioch, IL | Jim said it right...I unfortunately learned this the hard way. Nothing bigger than a #8 blade for my calcuttas now. To answer JRedig's question. Yes, but it wasn't a major issue with either reel. Just keep a tight grip...It caught me by surprise one time and I just about threw my rig in the drink. I have the power handle on a couple of my abu's with no issue, but the shimano power handle is the size of a door knob and has a lot more weight to it than the abu's do. |
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Location: Twin Cities | Fish and Whistle - 9/23/2008 11:40 AMTo answer JRedig's question. Yes, but it wasn't a major issue with either reel. Just keep a tight grip...It caught me by surprise one time and I just about threw my rig in the drink. I have the power handle on a couple of my abu's with no issue, but the shimano power handle is the size of a door knob and has a lot more weight to it than the abu's do.
If the bail is closing mid-cast, the reel isn't failing because it's junk, it's failing because the user is putting it through an unintended use. There isn't a reel out there that could survive that happening all the time, IMHO. |
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Posts: 254
Location: In the cabbage |
+1
JRedig - 9/24/2008 10:29 AM
Fish and Whistle - 9/23/2008 11:40 AMTo answer JRedig's question. Yes, but it wasn't a major issue with either reel. Just keep a tight grip...It caught me by surprise one time and I just about threw my rig in the drink. I have the power handle on a couple of my abu's with no issue, but the shimano power handle is the size of a door knob and has a lot more weight to it than the abu's do.
If the bail is closing mid-cast, the reel isn't failing because it's junk, it's failing because the user is putting it through an unintended use. There isn't a reel out there that could survive that happening all the time, IMHO. |
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Posts: 462
Location: Antioch, IL | Never said it was happening all the time. In the two days of use it happened maybe a total of 3 or 4 times Like I said above, not a major issue, but I firmly believe it was the weight of the power handle causing this to happen. Once I realized the problem I could compensate for it with the position the handle was in during the cast. I do not for one minute think this is what caused the reel to fail. The stress put on it from retreiving the big bladed bucktails is what killed it. My intention is not to knock the reel. I love the reel, just not for big blades. Using it to throw big blades is definitely "unintended use". I just wanted to warn that the bigger power handles "can" cause the reel to engage in mid cast and if you are not ready for it you could be dredging for your rod and reel. |
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Location: Twin Cities | 3 or 4 times is enough to damage the reel, i've seen it happen to a reel brand new 1st use where the bail closed and stripped the gears out.
No disagreement that it's not the best reel for speed retrieving big baits, you have to work for it. I wonder why mine still works....  |
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Posts: 462
Location: Antioch, IL | Maybe you don't fish hard enough Seriously though, I do agree that to have the reel engage in mid cast is not good. None of the times it happened were bone jarring events. Nothing that would keep me from using the power handle on this reel. That door knob is awsome. For the price I paid I was hoping for a little more durability. LOVE the reel when it works. Great for smaller bucktails. I have several less expensive reels that really know what the definition of abuse is and they are hanging in like champs. |
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Posts: 4266
| I don't want to get into the middle of the friendly banter here  but I must say that if the reel is engaging during the cast, I've only had that happen with one other reel, and that was some BassProShops Pete Mania reel. I would cast, and if I didn't keep my thumb on the bar, it would pop up and about yank the rod out of my hands. I had it happen numerous times before I retired it as a trolling reel, but even after happening over 50 times, it still worked. How much was that reel? $40 as a combo when Pete's rods came out I think. Accidental engagement isn't a good thing, but I can't seeing it breaking a quality reel.
Are you guys buldging the DC10's and perhaps engaging it early and trying to keep the lure on top, or does the weight of the handle cause it to trip? Just curious. It seems that DC10's are causing alot of equipment problems.
I just started using Calcuttas, but I got 200's for throwing spinnerbaits, twitchbaits and crankbaits (nothing huge) I've got them spooled with 65# line on Legend rods, and I haven't had a bit of trouble with them, but I've only been using them a couple of months. When I throw the double-bladed lures that I make, I have a couple of 6600EXT's w 4.1/1 gear ratio that have held up very well. Granted I have never and will never throw DC10's all day, my arms would fall off, but I'm wondering about the Calcuttas actually falling apart from something that accidently happens to many reels. Did Shimano back them up and repair them, or did you get left hanging?
Beav |
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| I think what caused the problem is the weight of the power handle causing it to engage during the force of the cast. I would guess you dont have the power handle on the 200 when you are using it for those type of applications.
Thanks for the responses everyone!
Shaley I might take you up on that (actually I should say Travis). I should be up in a week or 2. Hopefully over the noon moon weekend.
Edit: New Moon not Noon Moon
Edited by muskydeceiver 9/24/2008 6:40 PM
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Posts: 366
| I have four Calcutta 400s that are between 10 and 12 years old, and I'm on my second and third set of roller clutch bearings and roller clutch inner tubes, depending on the reel. They are a part that simply wears out. I don't like it any more than anyone does, having over $800 worth of reels lay down in the middle of a trip, but it happens, and the best you can do is take good care of them. It's not that difficult to take them apart regularly and get the water and gunk out of them and re-oil them. This at least helps keep the cold weather hang-ups from occuring when the rollers stick in the clutch housing and won't engage. Muskie fishing is brutal on equipment, not to mention the wear and tear on our bodies, and unfortunately with the current design of reels right now this is a huge weak link that is tested by hundreds of us and often fails.
If you fish long enough and hard enough you are going to occasionally bump the reel handle during a cast. I agree that the power handle will definitely up your odds of this happening, but it is not the only reason that the roller clutches wear out. They are the only thing that keeps you reel from spinning backwards at anytime the bail is engaged and your hand is not physically holding the reel to keep it from going backwards.
I'm a drag locked down guy, but wonder if backing it off a bit would keep the roller clutch from wearing out so fast. Setting it tight means that when a fish strikes there's little to no give, so the hooks jam hard and hopefully don't come loose. It also means that when the accidental bail engaging happens, there is no give, so the gears and roller clutch have to handle the load. I guess it comes down to finding a balance. |
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Posts: 663
| Just a quick info note. 10 to 12 year old Calcuttas would be CT's not B's. If I remember correctly the CT's had a 4.7:1 gear ratio or something similar to that. |
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Posts: 366
| Yes, sorry I didn't make that distinction clear. Your right about the gear ratios as well, 4.7:1 for the old CT-400s, compared to 5.0:1 for the CT-400Bs. |
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