Whats a good high speed Spinner????

[rando]

Gday everyone
I want to upgrade from my TSS4.
What is a good upgrade,?? I use this reel off the rocks/beach/ boat, and up at Swains.
I'd like to know the retrieve rate , drag characteristics and what you like about the reel you recommend!!
Thanks in advance for your input.
Cheers
rando
I think Heath did an essay in BnB on a 6500 baitrunner with higher gearing last moth, if your on line mate could you let me know if this is a good option for a reel just out of the box or are there better options without the "Fiddlybits "

[land-lubber]

id recommend.......
TSS4 :P
as far as i know u can put the crown + pinion from the tss4 into the 6500 baitrunner, however the only real advantage is a slightly smoother reel. If u want to go bigger dollars, there are a number of options in the diawa or shimano range. If ur realy serious about casting big slugs, go to a hsp overhead for something a little different ;)

[rando]

Land-lubber
I dont really want to go to the expense of new rods to suit an overhead.
Just in the medium term Ill stick to spinners.I do like the bait runner function so the 6500 shimano with TSS4 gears is on the list of possables , I d like to hear what other reels people are using for fast spinning.

[oddbudman]

Daiwa Emblem Pro 5500

[rando]

Oddbudman ,
I looked at them a couple of months back,,, huge spool. Im a bit concerned with the long throw on that main shaft . Do you get much flex when its under load???.
How has yours been performing and how long have you had it , you obviously like it or you would'nt endorse it.
thanks for the feedback
rando

[nigelr]

Hi Rando.
I'll stick my neck on the block here, you don't have many replies so far so this will give you a laugh if nothing else.
I'd suggest a Mitchell 499, or 498 if you reel with your left hand.
The gear ratio is not that high at about 4:1, but the large spool diameter provides quite a handy retrieve rate.
The lower gear ratio makes the gears less inclined to be stripped by strong running fish.
The manual pick-up is easy and quick to use, and quite bullet-proof.
Although a full metal reel, these are actually quite lightweight.
The mainshafts are about 5mm stainless, the gears are bronze, stainless main bearing, oiled bronze bushes, very strong and durable reels overall.
They have proved themselves over several decades, both in Australia and overseas.
What I particularly like about mine is how easy it is to completely strip and service the reel, relatively few parts and very easy to dis and re-assemble.
Procuring one may not be as easy as other reels, however excellent examples, and parts, are often available through Ebay both here and in the US.
I have bought 3 Mitchells this way and have been very satisfied indeed.
Cost-wise, a 499 new in box maybe AU$350, however good units can be had for around $200 with a bit of patience. The right-hand wind 499s are considerably more expensive than the left-hand wind 498s. These reels were originally designed to be wound with the left hand, far fewer RHW models were made, hence the higher price.
I paid $140 for my 498, in excellent condition.
Certainly not a high-tec option, and the original drag washers are IMO well worth replacing with teflon, but I use mine for 10kg spinning and it eats it for breakfast!
Cheers and hope you get a few more options!

[Heath]

Rando,
I'd stick with the TSS4 or do the mod on a 6500 BTR if you want a great all round reel.

Remember that you can not do the mod on the BTR6500B series. Anything earlier is fine.

[rando]

Hi Nigel
Thanks for the info ,I will check out those Mitchells.

Hi Heath
By the way I stipped cleaned and serviced my TSS4 yesterday and reassembled using Alvey reel grease.
WROOONG!!!.
The grease is too heavy and the reel though smooth does not spin freely, so next weekend Its strip clean and relube.
Whats your advice on the right lube products for the job.
Thanks
rando

[Heath]

I use Mercury grease with teflon in all my reels. Remember to remove the shields off your bearings and clean and grease them too before putting the shields back on.

[land-lubber]

hey rando, im currently using both a tss4 and a torium 20 for hss, my rod set me back $69, so not too much outa pocket there. If u can hold out, it appears shimano will be releasing a high speed reel to replace the tss4,in 2008 catalouge but id say itll b around 250-350 mark as far as i know.

[rando]

Gday Heath
Please expand on your instructions Re: bearing shields.
Correct me if wrong the main bearing is shielded???
How does one remove/replace the shield.
I scrubbed the bearings under kero, till i was sure nothing was in the cage.dried them, soaked them in metho, dried them in the sun, then repacked them with a fine white yacht winch grease.
But as I said I will have to clean and relube them again to get rid of the Alvey reel grease in the main gear assembly , shaft ,& occilator gear .
Is there smething else I should be doing to ensure proper maintenance .???

Thanks very much for your help
rando

[metaloid]

Hi Rando,

I upgraded from a TSS4 to an Emblem Pro 5500 for high-speed spinning. The Daiwa is a generation older, so it's waaay smoother than the TSS4 and better suited to finer braid. I've caught plenty of mack-tunas off the rocks on 14lbs fireline, with the occasional kingie bust-off!

However I wouldn't mix the Daiwa with sand or bash it on the rocks, eventhough I've never tried! Also I've never really cranked the drag to sunset!

So imo the Emblem is a great spinning reel, but not as rugged as a Shimano BTR or a Penn SS. The TSS4 is also a good choice if you don't use braid.

[Heath]

Rando,
The main bearing has shields you can not remove. However the 2 side bearings do. I use a pin to remove the retainer clip that holds the shield in, then remove the shields.

When I do have to replace a main bearing I replace them with rubber shielded bearings. Best of both worlds then.

[Jeremy87]

I've always said the problem with tss4's are that out of the box they're rattly unbalenced bricks so when they're stuffed you can't tell the difference from when they're new. Unfortuneatly if you only want to spend a few more dollars for high speed spinning and use your gear regularly you're going to notice a year or so down the track that the gears are starting to wear in and play developing in the handle. I've used, own and know people with stradics and while they're a great real out of the box they age pretty quickly. Depending on what line class you want i'd recommend a 4000-8000 sustain or something like a 4500 saltiga blast high speed. These are true high gear ratio reels with quality internals that are going to last you a really long time without fatiguing. They'll also handle the heavy braid and big fish for the swains. They'll also cost you 500 odd bucks so they're not for the light hearted. Maybe one of the new penn spinnfishers, penn applauses or an okuma epix is a more financially friendly option in the short term. Spending more money on a reel thats going to be used frequently should always be considered. They'll last longer and perform better and when your playing the big one you'll have the confidence of knowing that your using good tackle. While the baitrunners are a great reel for well, bait. Chucking a slug with them all day is going to be less that desirable. The emblem pro's are too heavy imo and the handle is too long. One feature many people fail to take into consideration for high speed spinners is handle shape and length, being able to crank a metre plus per turn is no good if you can crank 80 or 90cm twice as quickly with less effort.