Impoundment Barra Reels ??

[NAGG]

Hi all you impoundment barra experts / gurus ....... As you may know , I'm in the market for a quality point casting rod!!!! ...... Now as I like to spend /waste money on fishing gear .... I'm going to think about a new reel as well .. Having owned a Daiwa Zillion for a year now ...&.. I'm very impressed with it! ..... However rather just going out & buying another ! ...... Should I look at a reels like a Steez , Calais or even a Calais 200Dc or Calcutta TE250DC ( with the OZ $ so strong .... reels like the Steez, Calais & Calcutta can be bought for such a good price) ...... This reel will fish 30lb braid ( I'm aware that the Steez is a fresh water reel only) ....... Once again ... I'm keen to hear your experiences & recommendations ..... Nagg

[aussiebasser]

Hi Nagg,

I've got a Zillion, and a couple of TD Z Big Bait Specials, but on my long rod (Egrell B8-7) I use a Blubacker for the line capacity. The small lower profile reels struggle with line capacity when you are making very long casts.

[TinarooTriumph]

Aftermarket Drag locked into a Shimano Curado 300DSV would be hard to beat! I've got one, and although it hasn't handled any heavy work yet, it will be very soon. Casting wise they are a dream... pack a crapload of 30lb Braid onto mine (Spun it all on myself... trust me, it took alot of line!) Can toss the leightest of Lures a country mile. Overall a bloody good Reel! Some good Daiwa one's as well (Low Profiles)... Zillion's look pretty dam good... but the Steez' look superb. Plenty of guts in them straight out of the Box too!

Cheers

Theo.

[NAGG]

Hi Nagg,

I've got a Zillion, and a couple of TD Z Big Bait Specials, but on my long rod (Egrell B8-7) I use a Blubacker for the line capacity. The small lower profile reels struggle with line capacity when you are making very long casts.

Yeh ... I was thinking that .... & that's why I'm asking the question! ..... So lets see ( these are mono capacities) .... Steez (110 / 12lb) , Zillion (135/12lb) , Millionaire SW203 (195 / 12lb , Calais CL200DC (120/14lb) , Calcutta CTE250DC (140/12lb) & Saltist Hard Rock Fish (165/14lb) ..... Lengths in yards
Currently I use a 400 Calcutta for my trolling reel (50lb braid) & casting in the timber! ,,,,,, My way of thinking is that the above line capacities would be about the same for 30lb braid ie 120 yds of 12lb mono = 120 yards of 30lb braid ..... So with the exception of the Millionaire ( a bluebacker is the same from memory) there is little real difference........... but what is the trade off in reel weights!!!!! ( the steez is half the weight of some of the others ..... I think) .... Nagg

Anyhow it is a difficult choice!!!!! ..... Nagg

[NAGG]

Aftermarket Drag locked into a Shimano Curado 300DSV would be hard to beat! I've got one, and although it hasn't handled any heavy work yet, it will be very soon. Casting wise they are a dream... pack a crapload of 30lb Braid onto mine (Spun it all on myself... trust me, it took alot of line!) Can toss the leightest of Lures a country mile. Overall a bloody good Reel! Some good Daiwa one's as well (Low Profiles)... Zillion's look pretty dam good... but the Steez' look superb. Plenty of guts in them straight out of the Box too!

Cheers

Theo.

Hi Theo .... If you see my previous reply ... you can see that there are some worthy considerations ... & as mentioned the Zillion is a great reel (plenty of balls)!!! But when you can land reels like the Steez & Calcutta TE250DC for between A$380-$450 ..... Gee you really need to do your homework................... So I want you guys to help me get it right
Is 120M of 30lb ok for casting 50M at a point ( I think I know the answer!!!) .... but what do you loose in distance when the spool diameter is cut by 40% ...... That I don't know .... Cheers ... Nagg

[MitchCalcutt]

Go the Certate 3500, great drag, heeps of line and total quality. I picked up mine 450 US

[NAGG]

Go the Certate 3500, great drag, heeps of line and total quality. I picked up mine 450 US

Sorry Mitch ...... A spin reel for Barra fishing would feel the same for me as trolling for Marlin with an Alvey ..... Mate I own a 3000 Certate ( & 1500 for bream & bass) & know that it would handle point casting for barra ................ but eeeeck ... not the same ... Nagg

[aussiebasser]

Hi Nagg,

If you're worried about the weight of a 203 size reel you should think about the weight of an 6-8kg 6'6"ish rod as well. This is not an outfit you'd want to cast all day. Mine gets very limited work, because it hurts after too long. I also use an Egrell S4-6 with a 3500 TD on it. It casts into the next postcode and has the guts to handle big fish.

[NAGG]

Hi Nagg,

If you're worried about the weight of a 203 size reel you should think about the weight of an 6-8kg 6'6"ish rod as well. This is not an outfit you'd want to cast all day. Mine gets very limited work, because it hurts after too long. I also use an Egrell S4-6 with a 3500 TD on it. It casts into the next postcode and has the guts to handle big fish.

Your not wrong on the rod weight ( but going high end graphite ..... & possibly split grip should help) ....... I just did some reel weight comparisons ... Steez @ 162g ,Zillion @ 233g Vs Curado DC @ 249g , Calcutta 250DC @ 286g .... & finally a Millionaire SW203 @ 298g
So you can see there is a big difference in wts ...... In the end I will work out a combined weight ...... Cheers , Nagg

[Awoonga]

Now let me see...All my reels are Daiwa...Millionaires three off ....Black sheep 250 got balls this baby....Monduran special....Cvz 205 10 bearings Eskine/Carbonex drag washers... Awoonga Cvz 203 A ..6 bearings Eskine /Carbonex drag...Then there is the two Team Daiwa Z 105 H and 103 H Both 11 Bearings superlight..Weed beds Awoonga....Team Daiwa Advantage 153HST....All used to chase Impoundment Barra....

[rc@hinze]

Nagg, I have just gone thru the same exercise as you. I ended up getting a Abu Revo Inshore. Its salt water rated and holds more line that most lowprofile baitcasters of similiar weight. I got heaps of 30lb braid on it. I landed 3 barra over a metre on it recently and it was a piece of cake. It even comes with an offshore type power handle. By the way it packs 24lbs or drag.
Yesterday I fished for bass with it and it cast jackells like a dream. Excellent value for money multipurpose reel.

[NAGG]

Now let me see...All my reels are Daiwa...Millionaires three off ....Black sheep 250 got balls this baby....Monduran special....Cvz 205 10 bearings Eskine/Carbonex drag washers... Awoonga Cvz 203 A ..6 bearings Eskine /Carbonex drag...Then there is the two Team Daiwa Z 105 H and 103 H Both 11 Bearings superlight..Weed beds Awoonga....Team Daiwa Advantage 153HST....All used to chase Impoundment Barra....

So which reel would you naturally pick up & put on a brank spankin new SMICK rod ?? ... Nagg

[wheezer]

my 3 choices would be

Steez 100H JDM model....has special deep spool tuned for long casts same capacity as a zillion...also same length handle at 90mm vs. 80mm for Steez 103 for a bit more cranking power

or new Zillion HLC...significantly lighter than std Zillion, understated bling and tuned spool and brake system. will handle salt ok

lastly TD-Z BBS...stronger internals for big fish. same line cap. as above reels although it was before they developed magforce-Z so the spool has a fixed brake rotor. Should be able to install the aftermarket i'ze factory Steez/TD-Z hyper long cast spool with tuned rotor if you are keen

all compact, light and powerful reels with sufficient line capacity, i'm about to order the first 2, it was a tough decision! I have a Steez 103H and it is amazing! the smoothest, lightest reel i've owned (i have a fair collection of high end daiwas) christened it on some good barra at awoonga a few weeks ago and it was great, just want a bit more line cap. hence the decision to order the 100H

[Awoonga]

[quote=NAGG;709307]So which reel would you naturally pick up & put on a brank spankin new SMICK rod ?? ... Nagg[/quote Where are you going to fish ?Monduran, Faust,....Then its the sheep .Awoonga.. Cvz.

[NAGG]

[quote=Awoonga;709328]

So which reel would you naturally pick up & put on a brank spankin new SMICK rod ?? ... Nagg[/quote Where are you going to fish ?Monduran, Faust,....Then its the sheep .Awoonga.. Cvz.

All the above .... I do have a Miller (Top end braid barra) That is either fished with a Calcutta 400 or a Zillion ...... depending if I'm in the Timber or open water .... Nagg