stella 2000fa v dogfight

[1magic]

Hi guys

I am looking for a reel to suit my Shimano T- Curve 400 deep jigs pinning rod, The reel also must have a good drag system because I would like to use 80lb braid. I will be using the outfit for a fishing trip to the swains reef . Fish species coral trout Spanish mackerel etc. i was looking towards stella 2000fa or the diawa dogfight :-/ thanks for any comments

[PlasticFantastic]

I have the Saltiga 6500 Expedition which I can highly recommend, only thing that you need to do is put new drag washers in them for about $30.00 this takes the reel up to about $1250. The Stella you can pick up just under a grand. So that makes the Stella good value and also the Dogfight has a high gear ratio which unless you only want to use the reel for throwing poppers etc the lower geared Expedition is the go. The Stella is considered to be the smoother reel and the Saltiga's considered to be the tougher reel long term. As to which one to get it depends on your budget.

Hope this helps.

PlasticFantastic

[Blue_Escape]

Plastic,
how serious are you about getting into deep water jigging? The Stella / Saltiga reels are a very big investment for a one off trip!

Also, imho the Shimano T-Curve while a capable rod for the price (I have the o/head version) is a "low end" jig rod, matching that with a Stella/Saltiga is a bit like putting cheap family car tyres on a Ferrari.::)

If you're not sure about your future in jigging get a Shimano Spheros 14000 and get the Carbontex drag upgrade (all up under $300).

If you are serious ;) look at something like Calstar, Smith, Carpenter or other Japanese specialist jig rods ($500++) to get the most out of a Stella / Saltiga.

Another pointer the Dogfight is 6.2:1 and the 20000 Stella is 4.4:1 if you want versatility to chuck big poppers at giant GT's as well (with anothe rod) then get the Stella 10000 (6:1) and a 20000 spare spool for added line capacity!

Cheers
Blue

[daledog]

hi 1magic,

Blue escape is spot on with the 10,000 stella idea this way you get the stella 10,000 with the high gear ratio (6.0-1) and stick a 20,000 spool on it for the line capcity. Shop around and you should be able to still get a stella and a spool for cheaper than a dogfight. Ive also recently heard some reports of guys breaking handles on dog fights!! (not sure how legit that is but thats what ive heard). Shimano also offers the 10 year warranty as opposed to daiwa's 5. And personally I think the t curves are pretty nifty for the price, full silicons on a lightweight, tough blank for 250-300 bucks.....

dog.

[PlasticFantastic]

Blue Escape I am pretty serious about my jigging come winter i'll be out there jigging nearly every second week. Also i'm aware the japanese jig rods are great but until the T-Curve lets me down I dont see a need to change it. Yes the reports of Saltigas breaking at the reel stem is correct and it's due to the crappy drag washers that come in the reel. Guys run 20kg drag then the drag spikes and might shoot up to say 50kg for a micro second but thats enough to snap the reel stem. As for gear ratios unless you're madly into throwing poppers go the lower ratio for jigging it gives you more cranking power. Most Australian caught fish whilst jigging dont seem to need a crazy high speed jigging action.


PlasticFantastic

[daledog]

Yeah the lower gear is a good thing for cranking power but ive also experienced fish shying off a jig if i didnt keep the speed up and the jig dropped back towards them for a split second, it seemed to 'scare' them. I guess its a compromise either way and 4 to one should still be ample speed, just crank it a bit faster if you need more speed!

[johnlikes2fish]

Dont forget the Van Staal reels they have a reputation for being better than both in performance and price.

[johnlikes2fish]

heres a link they occasionally pop up on ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Van-Staal-Machined-Saltwater-Spinning-Reel-VS200-NEW_W0QQitemZ270088685960QQihZ017QQcategoryZ36164Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItemlly pop up onj ebay

[fish_on]

well ive heard from a very good source in amongst daiwa that the dogfight isnt the reel for deep water jigging. great for ya gt popping etc but the expedition has that lower ratio for a bit more winching power. there will be plenty of people who love shimano who will say to you go the stella and the same for the daiwa boys too. ive had a look inside both of them and it seems to me daiwa is the stand out between the 2. good luck mate :)

[1magic]

thanks guys i think i will stick with the stella, ten years warranty and $284 cheaper
1magic