Shimano spin reels

[rod harrison]

Help....
I did a marlin DVD off Cape Moreton some years ago for Shimano but haven't had a lot to do with their gear since.
Mainly on account of the S factor.
More recently I've been using Curado baitcasters and am very happy with them.
Regards barra spin, can I get some unfettered advice.
I understand the Stellar is the big gun and priced accordingly but what about the Stradic. I presume it is a second string model. Does it stack up to the Certate? And is the Stradic a multi series reel. What's the diff between a Stradic "MGFA" and the "FH".
Would appreciate some light on the subject.

[eotbmg]

Harro,
How are you mate?
I have used Stradics for about 10 years now and they have given me reasonable reliability, a bearing here and an anti i reverse lug there. I have now lashed out and bought a Certate 3500 HD custom, and it is as if i am not even winding the handle they are so smooth, its like they are oil filled, sensational. I dont think the Stradic and the Certate are in the same class. But saying that the Stradic is still a great reel, and be ok for barra over the weed beds.
Cheers
Ben

[Nomad62]

Mainly on account of the S factor.

Hi Rod,
S factori like that

I have a stradic 5000FH and a 5000FI (latest model), i use both for dam barra and light saltwater use. I also have a 8000FH which i use for saltwater pelagics.

I have found them to be a great reel. I think as far as ranking goes, they are about 4th down the line from the stella.

The stradic feels well balanced and casts well. It also has a good drag straight out of the box, however some do upgrade with Carbontex washers.....but i haven't found this necessary yet. I think the stradic is good value for money IMHO.

I beleive the MGFA model has a magnesium based frame and rotor, so would be light and i imagine it would suit freshwater use very well.

As far as the Certate goes, i think the specs do look better than the stradic.....but i haven't used one so cant really comment.

Their is a good American web site with some reel tests and comparisons
at www.tackletour.com

Hey, on another note.....hows Awoonga fishing at the moment, i am looking at heading down next week.

Cheers Nomad

[NAGG]

Rod ..... I'm a Daiwa man ( but I do own a Stella)
The Stella is a beautiful reel ( ultra smooth .... nice drag) ..... but I wouldn't buy another ( I have issues with the line lay) ...... this may be a quirky thing with the smaller sizes ( but its a pain)...... Expensive
Stradics seem to be just a good honest mid range reel ( mg is magnesium) FA & FH are models ( updates) ....... nothing special

The Certates ( I have 2) on the other hand are a bull fighter ...... better designed bail system & better internals & a renowned drag (7-8kgs) ...... Price wise it fits between the Stella & Stradic
This would be my choice for barra in either an 3000 or 4000 size ( specially if you intend to use it in your guiding) ....... I'm yet to hear a bad thing said about a Certate or the special versions ie Hyper Certate

just my opinion though

Chris

[banshee]

The Stradic is probably on par more so with the Tierra nowdadays (my opinion only),I'd be more inclined to look at the Fireblood as a match for the Certate.I pulled a Catalina (Daiwa) down last week,also a very well made reel if your looking to go biger than a 4000 size.

[black_sheep]

Harro,

If you decide to splurge on a certate, we (EOTBMG, my bro and I) got a pretty good deal on the 3500 Custom HD (approx $520). PM me and I'll give you contact details, however, I'm sure you'd have a heap of contacts yourself for sourcing a great deal.

They are a bloody nice reel and perfect for barra. Silky smooth drag even at 7kgs.

[rod harrison]

thanks blokes

I've stuck my hand up for a couple on ebay at a hundred bucks each. I could be outbid but I'm in the picture now. Thought it was a bit good to be true - the notion that they were near the top of the S tree.
In case anyone wonders why I buy my tackle, it's about not having to kiss arses.

[lampuki]

I think I saw you up at awoonga a while back.....a friend of mine pointed you out and said your vids were awsome. Anyway, best of luck with the bid.......I have recently purchased a sustain and a saragosa, havent used either of them yet, i will report when on them when i do......all the best, steve.

[rod harrison]

Hey Nomad

Haven't been on the water for a coupla days.
I've put some charters on back burn till this wind/drizzle spell passes. Up until Mon I was getting fish but not numbers.
S-l-0-w retrieves received attention but a lot of it half hearted. It'll be better when winter hits in earnest and water temps bottom out and the pattern stabilises.
A swag of fingerlings went into the lake last night.
Kurt Hushby has made an important discovery with the timing....the rationale about stocking barra in summer has a flaw in that everything on the lake is about and about feeding.

[Roo]

Good point about the summer time stocking.
If your ebay bid doesn't come off then i can point you to a good source for JDM spin gear at pretty good pricing. I purchased a 3500HD certate for 458 delivered.
ebay seller reelsmart_tackle. or another is reelseller.

[Nomad62]

Hey Nomad

Haven't been on the water for a coupla days.
I've put some charters on back burn till this wind/drizzle spell passes. Up until Mon I was getting fish but not numbers.
S-l-0-w retrieves received attention but a lot of it half hearted. It'll be better when winter hits in earnest and water temps bottom out and the pattern stabilises.
A swag of fingerlings went into the lake last night.
Kurt Hushby has made an important discovery with the timing....the rationale about stocking barra in summer has a flaw in that everything on the lake is about and about feeding.

Hey thanks Rod,

I haven't had a fish at Awoonga during the cooler months, but after picking up some good tips on this site, I reckon I'll give it a shot.

Got to agree about the weather stabilising, will make it easier to crack a pattern with the fish as well.

Great to hear of the continuation of stocking at Awoonga.....congrats to everyone involved.
I guess timing wise....the juvenile barra will have a better chance, if other predaters such as birds and big old catfish etc, slow down their aggressive feeding habits. The fingerlings may have a better chance to make it to the weed beds in safety.
I have also heard that the fingerlings being introduced to the lake are a bigger size these days.....this should help as well.

Good luck with the reels

Cheers Nomad

[A_DIFF_PERSPECTIVE]

I buy all my tackle too Rod. My boat is full of varying brands of lures, rods, reels and sounders. I choose to use what works and does the job and if that means owning brands of all nature, well thats what I have to do to have a collection of finely tuned tackle that suits the location, species and job at hand. In my boat if something is second rate, I'm only too happy to tell you. If it serves well, I'm good to share that too. All fishing gear and modern day equipment gets put through its paces in my boats. I'm yet to find flawless equipment which suprises me in the year 2008, then again, I'm not suprised actually with competitive companies and mass production.
The fishing has been good of late, yesterday was good, but I stayed home today. Metre fish bit yesterday for a good friend and his dad.
Good luck with e-bay and the Shimanos. I have the Certate HD's and they have the noisiest bail rollers in the universe, they stay quiet for about one day after new lube.
Cheers,
Johnny Mitch

[Nomad62]

I have the Certate HD's and they have the noisiest bail rollers in the universe, they stay quiet for about one day after new lube.

Hi Johnny,

I think you have just answered a question i had.......I have been watching the fishing DVD 11, and during the horny toad segment, noticed when Shannon Watson was playing a barra his reel (Certate Hyper) seemed to make a loud chattering noise while his fish made a very fast run. I'm tipping it may have been the bail roller. It was a great segment.....I must have watched it a dozen times.

Talking to a workmate of mine Col Jervis, who fished with you earlier this year.....reckons he had a excellent time catching fish and gained a wealth of knowledge from you. He has been spreading the good word, so you can expect some more clients from our way in the near future.

Cheers Nomad

[vet]

I have 4 stradics that have seen heavy use for a few years now. I use the 2500 size reels as they are lighter for my kids to hold and it doesn't hurt the wallet so much when they drop them over the side. My kids have landed fish to 119 cm and 28kg on these reels. The metal in them seems to be a bit softer than the more expensive models and they tend to wear out after a few hundred barra with the anti-reverse getting very sloppy. Changing the bearing doesn't seem to fix this, so I have recently retired my stradics. They are good value for the occasional fisher but I suspect they will have a limited life span in a commercial situation where big fish should be encountered often. If you have worries about people dropping them over the side and don't mind replacing them every couple of hundred fish than they're perfect for the job.

ps. my certate is the same as Johnny's, it is so noisy I have retired it as well and replaced it with a certate hypercustom which so far is very quiet but it has only caught 50 or so barra.

hope this helps, scott

[A_DIFF_PERSPECTIVE]

A good point about the happy medium Scott. They all sink don't they. Some of my charter rods and reels top $1000 and recovery is always on the cards. Gravity never stops on Awoonga.
I have tried a multitude of reels from high end to low end to find the best value for money versus life expectancy.
So far the mid range Daiwa Freams Kix 3000 is doing ok for a $250.00 reel although it has one strange problem that can be fixed by the owner with a screw driver and some lock tight type material. A case that shouldn't slip past after production line testing, but does.
We used the Daiwa Excellors for a period. We burnt out drags and gear boxes after a while, but at about $200.00 it was expected and they were easily replaced. The Daiwa Certate HD is about $600.00; time will tell if it's 3 times better.
I'll try a Shimano next time until we find an ultimate reel, so far Daiwa isn't 100%. I'd love to say that but they aren't proving to be. Baitcast and spin reels have a few flaws, even though we own about twenty Daiwa reels of all kinds. It is our preferred choice.
Give the Shimano a go Rod, no harm in trying.
Cheers Nomad, happy clients are the final results guides hope for. Lots on offer on charter to saturate the minds of all anglers and set their minds alight into outer space think mode, not to forget a few good barra connections as well.
Regards,
Johnny
Johnny