Baitcaster opinions

[barrabart]

G'day mate,

I've owned a Daiwa Vienta for 3 years and never had any trouble with it, used it for lure flicking for Barra and Black Brim in the Burdekin River (freshwater) for a couple of years before moving to Cairns. I did have the Vienta mated up with a Shimano T-Curve Rod in the 5-7kg mark and i ran 20lb braid on it, nailed a few Barra up to 80cm with it and plenty of Black Brim........ i have now given the Vienta a rebirth and have it mounted on a Strudwick 1-3kg Rod running 6lb braid which i'm using for a light estuary rod flicking smaller lures for brim etc..... i do love the twitch bar too, i mainly use it for taking up the slack line when gently twitching lures.......... My T-Curve now carries a Calcutta 200b, which i reckon is a top barra set up running 20lb braid, i know there's a million other reels/rods etc, but i reckon the calcutta has been unchanged for a while, so i reckon there's a reason for it........ unless theres a reason why u really want low profile, i'd be looking at scoring a Calcutta on special and spending a little more on a T-Curve and you'll have a light and tough outfit you can cast all day.
Just to throw another spanner in the works though, i've been finding myself using the Baitrunner mostly lately, and fishing live baits...... couple of years back i would have turned my nose up at live baiting in favour of flicking lures......... funny how things change.

[LostNearBribie]

check this mate...

http://www.fishingmonthly.com.au/bb3...hp?f=8&t=13542

[TheRealAndy]

check this mate...

http://www.fishingmonthly.com.au/bb3...hp?f=8&t=13542

Thanks mate, I am retarded - need the left hand version!

barrabart, probably going to go with the curado and put it on the rod I currently have, and look toward a slightly more serious rig once I get used to the one I have. The viento is around $299 from tackleworld and does look good though. Probably going to spool it with 10 pound line for now.

The curado is getting good reports here, so I am looking at getting a slightly larger version with 20 pound and a new rod to suite, either that or step up to the calcutta/millionaire. Chances of me pulling up metre barra at this point are failry slim!

Stotty, interested to here why you think the viento is probably not suited to what I am after.

[Rockfish]

I Know of a few guys here lolcally who have used the Viento in the saltwater and have had bearing failure...For the same money you could score a Daiwa HST-A with great performance built very well. For a little cheaper you could get a Daiwa Tierra still a better choice then the Viento IMHO. As mentioned before the Daiwa Zillion is great reel but does come at a higher price point, tough as nails...

... Still if you buy out of the states atm you can make some great savings and find a Zillion for less then the price of a HSTA or Curado locally

As most people have said the Curado 200E5 is an awesome reel, i love mine. I would advise you to go the E5 slow 5:1 ratio. A slow presentation will often appeal best to the Barra. But the E7 will still have times where it will work best. Definately go a Curado over the Calcutta; its lighter has a better drag and stronger gears and will cast lighter lures.

Dont be affraid of using the 200E5 curado with heavy lines they are very tough and have been proven performers in the impoundments over recent times. I would recommend 20 or 30lb braid for chasing barra and jacks personally.

Cheers
Rockfish

[ian.young]

Got a zillion a few years back; but I wish I had waited and got the new (ish) Curado for a fair bit less $$. Zillion drag was cack out of the box, had to replace the washers with carbontex...also a bunch of other problems (maybe I got a lemon). Fished a few days up north with a borrowed curado last year and loved it. It also felt lighter than the zillion (not sure about this though).

[leelee]

Their is a huge list of possible reels that would suit your needs, imo the viento isnt.

I think what Dale means is you should perform some maintainece on your reel after each use, so wash it down with warm water then give it a dry at the least. And also a service every 12mths.

The curado's are great reels for the money, also the daiwa zillions are. They are a bit more expensive but worth the extra $.

A tcurve would go good and would most probs be in your budget, they arent to exxy but are great qaulity.

Cheers stotty

Agree. The Viento would not be up to the task and I would be looking at The Daiwa Heartland BC. I own one and use it on barra and its fine. It a lot better then a HRF, due ot the extra bearings and is more robust, plus you can get the reel and matching rod for $300 if you look around. Also seen Zillions for under $350.

Cheers

Lee

[NAGG]

A reel to take to the grave - Well that leaves out most shimanos

Of all the baitcast reels I have used and owned - The one I would recommend & pack everytime is the Daiwa Zillion 100ha. Its a relatively smooth reel but its robustness is head and shoulders above other options. The 4 that I have owned have been faultless - once the drags were upgraded to erskines (the oldest is around 5 years).
The Zillion type R which I recently purchased is a step up again - being more refined including a swept carbon handle & higher bearing count ........ How it performs over time is yet to be determined but it looks to be as robust as the standard Zillion.

Chris

[Guido]

Got a Curado 200 E7 with 30lb braid on a 10kg ATC Hardstick. I landed a 1m+ saltwater barra on a solo trip a few months ago and could spend ages talking up this reel.

Really consider the type of luring you do, specifically in the retrieval. Sometimes I find the 7:1 a bit quick, other times it's perfect. I couldn't imagine winding with a 4:1 crazy cranker while my 1m+ was running towards me, but people do it all the time. Everything fishing is a compromise so find the best that suits you.

Guido