Baitcast Reel Advice

[Steve B]

Fireline is fused braid.
Not sure why you would not use mono on a baitcaster, I am sure there are quite a few that would disagree with you.

cheers

Dan,
I am aware fireline is fused and I wouldn't ever use it on a baitcaster. Fireline Crystal which we were talking about is a hybird type line different to Fireline standard stuff. I know a lot of bream/bass blokes who use it in the lighter department (4lb 6lb etc)...but not in the heavier stuff like Ken is chasing. As for mono on a baitcaster. I think he will struggle to get any decent spool capacity (Curado 200 - 14lb/110yrds)...so if he went with say 20lb mono it would be down to aprox 80 yards.

I used to use mono in my early days barra fishing on baitcasters, and found it worse for birds nests, poor spool capacity, and less casting distance. I DID like its reliability and shockabsorbtion ability and forgiveness when fighting fish, but it wasn't enough to go back to mono over braid. hence why I personally dont reccomend mono for the line class/reel/fishing style that Ken was talking about.

For offshore, on big overheads I only use mono now, gone away from braid..losing too many fish.

Cheers Steve

[MattChew]

Good choice and $200 is not a bad price. You would only save ~ $30 by shipping one in from the USA. My favourite braid is Sufix Performance Braid in yellow, but you can't buy it here any more (I now get mine in bulk on the net).

I'm running 30lb Castaway on my 200 E7 ... casts like a dream. You may want to stick a set of Carbontex Washers in the Curado if you are running high drag pressures. I also run 50lb on a Calcutta DC ... love the Castaway. PM me if you need directing to a cheap source.

Ta
Matt

[GABBA110360]

I'm running 30lb Castaway on my 200 E7 ... casts like a dream. You may want to stick a set of Carbontex Washers in the Curado if you are running high drag pressures. I also run 50lb on a Calcutta DC ... love the Castaway. PM me if you need directing to a cheap source.

Ta
Matt

there is a guy on ebay selling drag increases for about 40 bucks would i be better off increasing the drag straight out of the box ?
like he's only in coffs.
he claims to be a ex shimano tech on ebay
what do you guys reckon i'm gunna go with 30 braid?
thanks ken

[jayvee]

upgrade to drag washers from this guy Ken. www. jackerskine .com.
Im fairly certain he's cheaper (and better) than $40 from the ebay guy!
Mr Erskine knows his SH#T
Jason

[Strewth]

The standard Curado drag is fine for most applications (much better than most Daiwas which often suffer from drag stutter). If you want to upgrade, Carbontex are the go and you can get then from the above link or Dawn at smoothdrag.com (she does very cheap postage from the US). You need to get some Cal's drag grease while you are at it - just a very, very light coating on both sides and wipe off any excess.

30lb braid is a good compromise for baitcaster work, as you should be to cast 7-28g lures with not too many dramas. I have bad experience with the pearl blue Sunline Castaway. Lovely line to use, but it is a hybrid braid which I found prone to random failures with large fish.

[NAGG]

after succesfully landing my first barra last new year (released) i got the bug and replaced my elcheapo ebay reel with a diawa millinair 300s while iwas in gladstone.
ive now gone nuts and aquired a IAN MILLER rod Camoufish Barra – ‘Hi-Roller' for a lot of brass but i'm told a very good price.
my question is the 300s seems a but bulky in the rod so i'm after suggestions for a replacement reel capable of doing anything the rod is good for either in fresh or salt water.
i will be going back up awonga/gladstone way sometime soon i hope but i also intend using this outfit around here yamba/clarence etc. throwing sp's and heavier lures around a few place here trying to catch the more aggressive ,bigger stuff like jew, jacks.
i getting a few issues with birdnests with the 300s at the moment using 10 and 20 pound berkley crystal.
i'm not loyal to any particular brand nor have i really put a money limit on it either considering what i spent on the stick
the rod is a 20-45 gr/line 8-15 kg model.
any advice apreciated on reels or even changing the braid i'm using
thanks in advance
ken
sorry just relised i posted in wrong section if mods could fix thanks

Hi Ken

Nice stick you bought ( Hi Roller) - So yeh a good reel would be worth considering & also complement the rod! . Starting with braid though - 20lb should be the ideal size to chase all the species that you listed ( even big impoundment barra) Any low profile reel you buy will max out the drag well before you overfish the breaking strain ...... 30lb , 40 & 50lb really are only there for abrasion resistance when a barra runs around timber ( when you should back off anyway). The added advantages of 20lb is you have an increased capacity if fishing for a jew & will have better casting . Braids ..... there are plenty to choose from , but avoid fused lines (fireline , microfuse , millenium etc) ... true braids are what work best on a baitcaster (Nitlon , suffix performance , castaway etc) I quite like the new Suffix 832 as it is round / smooth and is at a mid price point - it seems to be doing a pretty fair job & I rate it alongside the blue Nitlon.
As for reels - since you are open minded ...... buy the best you can - Right now I feel that the Daiwa Zillion Type R is just about the best sub $500 reel - It is significantly more robust than the likes of the Shimano Curados due to its all aluminium construction , carries more bearings , swept carbon handle & with the Magforce Z cast control it makes it a breeze to adjust according to lure weight and conditions - the drag is improved over the standard Zillion range ( It's a serious reel) - the downside is cost (Curado is nearly a couple of hundred bucks cheaper - locally). From the Shimano stable - the Calais is the pick IMO. Both the Calais & Type R are perfect for fishing those lure weights ( heavier plastics or 80-130mm HBs) ...... & will balance the hi roller nicely.

Best of luck with it

Cheers

Chris

[NAGG]

Fireline is fused braid.
Not sure why you would not use mono on a baitcaster, I am sure there are quite a few that would disagree with you.

cheers

Why would you use it ? (mono) - the reel capacity is shot , does not cast as well , less feel , less stopping power ( springy).
The yanks still like mono - but usually a fluorocarbon hybrid ....... usually because they do not need capacity , fish up and down (flipping /pitching / dropshotting) where long casts are not the norm.

Chris

[reggy]

I know we are talking small baitcasters here, but I do not agree that mono does not cast well off baitcasters. Not sure if it still stands ,but world record distance casting records have been set with 12lb mono off 6000 size round baitcasters such as ABU Mag elites.

I think 8 or 10 lb mono would cast very well off a Curado 200 or similar. I do realize that this is very light for barra and personally use 30lb braid on my Curado 200.

[NAGG]

I know we are talking small baitcasters here, but I do not agree that mono does not cast well off baitcasters. Not sure if it still stands ,but world record distance casting records have been set with 12lb mono off 6000 size round baitcasters such as ABU Mag elites.

I think 8 or 10 lb mono would cast very well off a Curado 200 or similar. I do realize that this is very light for barra and personally use 30lb braid on my Curado 200.

Pre braid ...... 10 /12 mono was commonly used off low profile baitcasters ( I fished 1kg off a shimano beastmaster) - but these were for bass or open water fish. Barra fishing involved 5000/5500 reels like the ABUs prior to the Calcuttas coming out - but this was also time of the braid. I know when I bought my first calcutta 400 & 700 - they were spooled with braid and the start of my love affair!.
I would not consider fishing mono off any reel these days ....... that is not involved in game fishing.
BRING ON BRAID !

Chris

[GABBA110360]

well i ended up putting 30 lb diawa shinobi on the curado and because its so fine i got the whole 135m spool on it.
used it this morning just for a play throwing 1/2 oz head s/ps .
caught a few flathead which were no match for that gear.
i might try a 3/8 jighead tomorrow but all is great very happy the reel sits very nice on the stick.
many thanks for the posts and the advise
regards
ken

[Strewth]

The Curado has an excellent light spool and is capable of casting lures down to 5 or 6 g with the right rod. To get the best out of it, remove the 2 spool bearings (which are in the non-handle side plate and under the cast control knob and held in only be wire e-clips) and soak them in a small jar of acetone with agitation. Then dry them using a hairdryer and lubricate with ONE drop of Yellow Rocket Fuel (available from Erskines or good tackle shops). This will make a huge difference for casting light lures, and you won't have to sling as hard with heavier lures. Most manufacturers grease their bearings because they assume that the reel will get little maintenance, but this affects the casting distance for light lures in a big way. I run my 200E7 with only one brake on, and rarely get backlashes.