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| WOW!!!
Thanks for all the great info to my previous post. The info was excellent and a lot of wisdom was gain by this rookie! But I do have a couple more questions.
For guys who use smaller muskie reels/larger bass reels. Do the 250 calcuttas and the 5 series Abu's hold up year after year or should I just get the 400 calcuttas and the 6 series Abu's? I've heard from some folks that the reels take a great beating due to the size of baits and the "10,000+" casts. I have relatively small hands and I'm a bit concerned about all day casting comfort. Maybe there is no such thing in musky fishing (ha ha). Anyways, if I can get away with a smaller reel, please recommend some.
Secondly, it looks like a lot of guys like the Power Pro line. How's the durability and handling?
Thanks again for all the help!
McLarkin |
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| I have my original Calcutta 251 (left hand) still in service after many many thousands of casts, seems to be as good as new yet. I have the small hand syndrome myself. I fish a min. of 7 Muskie tourneys a year and also guide, so my equipment sees it's share of use. I have several rod and reel combos however so the use does get spread out a little. I like the powerpro as well. Seems to be durable and holds up well. My two cents worth, good luck and welcome to our addiction.
Let Em Go...Let Em Grow.....Mike [:sun:] |
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| I use small reels almost exclusively. I have 2 Mitchell SCP 300 models and 2 SCP 300L models, all with hundreds of hours and no problems. I can get nearly 100 yards of 60# on them, which is way more than needed.
I bought 2 ABU S5600C Pro models last weekend for my 8' rods, wide spooled, but lower profile than the old 5600 models. If I like them, I will buy two more for my 71/2' models, and I am READY for 2002! |
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| Being vertically challenged - I like the idea of comfort when on the water all day long. The other big thing for me is having total control and leverage to set the hook with power.
All of these reels can handle the rigors of the mighty musky as well as give you comfort when casting all day long:
* Shimano Curado - very smooth
* Shimano Calcutta 151 and 251 - very smooth
* Abu Garcia 5500 series - great from a cost and rugged use standpoint |
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| Small hands, eh? I have small hands, too. All my reels are Abu Ambassodors, best quality I can afford and I love 'em all. But they're big to palm. After a few hours of flinging, wrist and hand fatigue makes it much harder to control the hook sets, especially if the strike comes just after the bait hits the water and my hands are still shifting gears from "cast" to "reel". Of all my (few) rods, the Fenwick HMG is the smallest diameter cork and so is by far the easiest to use in the last half of 8 hours on the water. Rollie and Helen's sells a Garcia rod with a low reel seat designed just for the Ambassadors, something like $65. Good luck! |
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| eeeeeew, don't let my dad hear you talk about these bass reels. I had a 5500 tournament that i was using, sold it just to stop hearing him bitch at me about it. They will be fine, i have heard some good things about the curado and the shimano bantam, along with the old quantam trophy if you can still find it. Those are all low profile reels.
Hey, since it's sport show season, go up to the quatam booth and tell them to reintroduce their low profile wide spool musky reel. They still make it in a narrow spool and this reel was a top choice for many guides. Gillespie, Maina and Shumway are just a few to use it. Would be nice to get some interest back in this reel. |
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