Need or Greed

[Lovey80]

Need need need! I splashed out on a Stella 18,000SW in 2009 before my popping trip to Fiji. It's still one of my go-to offshore reels for everything from Jigging and bottom bashing and trolling. I've caught monster GT's, Kingfish, Mahi Mahi and Marlin on it and when it dies ill buy another.

As for the rest of the stuff. Sounders especially. More than anything, they make the experience of fishing so much more pleasurable. When you're not sounding around for ages it gets you actually fishing faster and enjoying your past time.

[Volvo]

Tough world overseas where people have no oppertunity to work due to no work available as here we have loads of work that some of those people come here on visa to seek than send the money back home, poor old mate is probably getting a feed for his family along with an extra 1 or 2 fish to sell for a couple of bux to help him i doubt hes getting anything financially like selling a SBT in japan the bloke probably get $20 a spanish mack $20 is probably enough money to feed there family for a couple weeks tho

Bigger boats probably see it as a threat as the little guy may be bringing down the prices for the bigger guy but if it is perfectly legal in there country money doesnt win and give prority over the less fortunate that owns a bigger boat its just bullying

Do u have a link to the video?

Hereyago , " Floating Fishermen of Havana "
On Yayatube Mate.
Do a search of that heading n should get ya there.

[Volvo]

I buy midrange gear and keep it till worn out
cheaper reels would be replaced three times over compared to a mid range reel with my use

but yes it’s a extravagance compared to third world countries people can help if they feel inclined through decent aid agencies
Westmead Childrens hospital and Doctors Without Borders gets a donation from me every month

Onya Steve n way to go Mate , every little bit helps here n there.

[NAGG]

Ultimately it boils down to what you can afford

I still remember my early days where I would save for months to buy my next reel & I would build my rods to save some coin + sell them to make a few bucks .
Life is a bit easier now but there is still a cost (less saving or payments on my mortgage) . Since boating / fishing is my main pass time - it's easily justified . Thankfully I don't smoke & I only drink to excess

Chris

[Volvo]

Ultimately it boils down to what you can afford

I still remember my early days where I would save for months to buy my next reel & I would build my rods to save some coin + sell them to make a few bucks .
Life is a bit easier now but there is still a cost (less saving or payments on my mortgage) . Since boating / fishing is my main pass time - it's easily justified . Thankfully I don't smoke & I only drink to excess

Chris

Hearya Chris and same here except for when a younun which my Fishing gear consisted of three handlines n my Moms Plastich Shopping bag which fitted ever neatly between my knees when riding the pushy out to either Connoa Breakwall or the inner Harbour.
And like you as time n tide allowed came the better gear BUT i have to confessi still have a problemo paying out a huge wadd of $$ for a Fishing reel .
Not that i cant offord or wouldnt like something in that Class but i think medium ground stuff does just as well most times or for me it has anyhow ..
And if one can afford or wish to own i cant see why not , tis their money and they have worked for it so why not if that is their interest ..
Also have ?? at times if these higher priced reels are really worth the cost ??..
Take the Penn Squall or Daiwa lexa which arent top $$ reels but do the job nicely just the same so long as they are looked after and one doesnt try towing a Ueclid with them lol..
As for spenditure in Fishing gear which sits around MOST the time i am as Guilty as Hell and like someone else said maybe i have more $$ sitting around doing nothing than someone who has payed top $$ for their gear .
Sooo when viewed the Yayatube Video mentioned earlier i did have Guilt pains lol , Brings home the fact of how Lucky We Are to Live in a Lucky Country as the saying goes and We DO take it for granted a lot i am sure ??..
And for those that have Led to make it so or those that have fallen to make it so , not to forget those that have sacraficed in years gone by via association then we have such luxury today .
Am i Wrong!!??...

[chris69]

Spend $300 on a reel wear it out in 18mts years or spend $600plus and it will last you a decade and feel nice when fishing with it,ive caught 35 trophy bass over 50cms in one day with a new Daiwa Regal $100 reel back then and went back to the same spot the next day and on my second big bass the clicker in the spool feel out and that was with a old hand made Samauri blank the rod never let me down but the reel did and after that day it was better reels and better rods, that's not greed but necessity to fish with nice gear that dose not let you down when your on the bit of a life times.

But ive still go a old shimano Curado 200B that i got from a pawn shop for $20 and its over 25yrs old my old faitfull jack reel someone pulled it apart and never put it back together right his loss my gain, new bearings and drag washer back to new ,its all about what your catching and what makes you happy fishing with,to chase some fish on cheap reels and rods your throwing your many away in the long run.

[gazza2006au]

That is correct Chris i buy cheap shimano and penn reels catch heaps of fish and flog the reels out they are pretty much throw away reels now just sweep it under the cost of fishing

$50 and $130 reels is not much considering the work they do 3000 size reels catching 60-67cm king fish one after another i have never had one smoke but the reels are really shagged when u jump on a new tight reel its like chalk and cheese but still hard to throw away old trusty

[Noelm]

I guess in a funny way, it's all relative to use, the casual/tourist Fisher can buy a department store combo, use it once a year on holidays and get a long life out of it, the regular fisher will probably get a handful of trips at best, the Tiagra/Stella buyer/user could see a lifetime of regular use.

[NAGG]

That is correct Chris i buy cheap shimano and penn reels catch heaps of fish and flog the reels out they are pretty much throw away reels now just sweep it under the cost of fishing

$50 and $130 reels is not much considering the work they do 3000 size reels catching 60-67cm king fish one after another i have never had one smoke but the reels are really shagged when u jump on a new tight reel its like chalk and cheese but still hard to throw away old trusty

See to me that's false economy ...... paying twice , three times or 4 for a reel .

I couldn't tell you what the cost of a cheap reel is ..... I would have thought $100 for a 3000 size spin reel . (I'll look now at Shimano ) OK Shimano FX 4000 ($40) Sienna 4000 ($55) I didn't realise that they made reels so cheap) Nexave 400HG ($109) - these reels are aimed at those once in a blue moon fishoe or a kids first reel. 3 or 4 standard bearing with little water ingress protection . cheep gears etc . ..... they really are not designed for longevity

Now Gazza you are not a once in a blue moon fishoe ...... how long do these reels last you ?
From my prospective - I wouldn't want to be using a toy reel when going offshore fishing . I couldn't think of anything worst than having a trophy fish destroy a reel & the fish is lost . Offshore fishing can produce some unbelievable captures & you should be prepared for it . ..... The last thing I would want is to be hooked up to a freight train knowing that my gear is likely to shit it's self .
Dont get me wrong - I've had high quality gear shit it's self ....... but it's usually because it's a reel not designed for XOS fish ( a 100 size bait caster being used for big barra ) . I've seen a Shimano Calcutta 400 come apart when a big Spanish mackerel took a pillie while snapper fishing.

anyhow having landed plenty of serious by catch fish when fishing for more modest targets - I quickly realised that you need to be prepared & have full confidence in your gear . I know I upgraded my snapper gear over the past couple of years because of the by catch . like this 118cm king which took 40mins to land - the spool was hot to touch & I couldn't have imagined landing it on a Shimano Sienna I'd lost several Kings that I couldn't stop during this trip to Evans Head whilst snapper fishing

118cm King (2).jpg











That's my take on cheap reels for offshore fishing.

[Dignity]

Unfortunately my fingers won't behave when working on small bits and pieces for a couple of decades now. Pulling apart some of the more modern reels I've had to give to a mate to put back together due all the small components needing to be held in place, a third hand would be nice to have.
So I've been getting my reels serviced on a regular basis the good ones, and I think I have spent more on maintenance than the original cost so now I've actually started buying middle of range reels around the $300 mark. The surprising thing is I am liking them better, they are lighter and with a bit of care they are lasting. And the drags on some if these are totally much better.
For inshore I buy those cheap $40 spinning reels and they have lasted quite a while although I will change out the drag washers to make them smoother. To service one of these by a third party was around $30 so to my mind getting new technology for much the same price after a couple of years use makes sense. I will sell older rods and reels for a pittance usually enough to buy a pkt or two if soft plastics.
It's like houses, there's one to suit everyone, there's also one that you can dream about but never afford.

[Billy C]

I like to spend what I can afford but I will confess that in the past I have been suckered in by fancy marketing, particularly with reels. Paid $450 for a Shimano Biomaster 10000 spin reel once and it crapped itself after about 6 days solid reef fishing. It was nothing more than a pimped up Stradic. It's also not too hard to do a quick check on reels specs (weight, numbers of bearings etc) and ask yourself why would you pay $100-200 more for a reel to go from 5 bearings to 6, or from a standard T-handle to a ball handle etc. Also ask yourself why some manufacturers have numerous reel models within $100-150 of each other (I think Daiwa are most guilty of this, think Tierra, Freams, Kix, Caldia, TD Black etc). Are they all basically the same reel with only an extra bearing or a few less grams?

[Volvo]

Yep Yep to most of the above lol. i have Reels ??, lost count from low cost to middle of the range cost and i also have found both sides of the fence to last the distance so long as one looks after them . Most Reels that is and like CVhis said it depends how many times certain Reels are used prior to them showing their lasting value .
Most times if i purchase a Reel and it doest stand up to the punishment i se it till it Karks it and then out in the shittin it goes!!. Dont even bother to mess with it..
Sometime back i purchase halfe a diozen Ryobie Eggbeaters and whils you use them within their means and WELL AWAY from sand they did the job otherwise ??, halfe of them went in the shit tin anyway so enough said there ..
Then i have Daiwas that i purchased some forty odd years back and still like new mainly in batcasters .
have a little Dam SL1 eggbeater which was purposely bought fro freshwater Fishing backwaters of N.S.W. and it also is in the same condition as first purchased (Love That Reel ey ) and occasionally get it out do battle with Whiting..
Penns , dams , Shimanos and what not for chasing Reds and Nannys and cant remember how long ive had them ( Yonks it is ) and they are also good as they day they were purchased and didnt cosst halfe the going price of what is deemed a good costly reel nowdays ey..
Rods ?? Third of mine were custom built by myself to suit my style of Fishing and the other two thirds were purchased between tackle World , BCF n Hanaconda becuase the Rod felt right , price was right , Blank made from was right although not so with the guides but have plenty here for replacement .
If i feel i want to personalise it a tad more i will strip all the guides off and do some fancy wrap , might put the actionout a tad but still does what i want it to..
Money i save / have saved can go towards the next one that goes over the side or has a tip snapped etc lol..
Now be it Electronics for a Boat that would be a different story if iwas in the quest to seach under every Bombie shadow and log not to mention reliabillity in getting there n back travelling a long distance ..
Plenty of fancy Toys out there and each n every time one views them google etc they get you in for sure !!. Something in the way the add is done i think Conspiracy Adds lol ...
Am Guilty myself fer sure or so the Missus reckons.
I Fishing Gear , She Flowers so both have a go at each other ey..

[Volvo]

Now its Boats , Boats , Boats but prices are Faaaaaaarrrrrrrkkkked !!!..

[NAGG]

I like to spend what I can afford but I will confess that in the past I have been suckered in by fancy marketing, particularly with reels. Paid $450 for a Shimano Biomaster 10000 spin reel once and it crapped itself after about 6 days solid reef fishing. It was nothing more than a pimped up Stradic. It's also not too hard to do a quick check on reels specs (weight, numbers of bearings etc) and ask yourself why would you pay $100-200 more for a reel to go from 5 bearings to 6, or from a standard T-handle to a ball handle etc. Also ask yourself why some manufacturers have numerous reel models within $100-150 of each other (I think Daiwa are most guilty of this, think Tierra, Freams, Kix, Caldia, TD Black etc). Are they all basically the same reel with only an extra bearing or a few less grams?

Totally agree - particularly the Daiwa comment with the lower / mid range reel ..... some are just cosmetic differences (maybe a handle) . I've owned (own) some of these reels - Advantage / Caldia / Sol ... & there was nothing in them blue , yellow or silver . They are all honest reels & quite functional (look after them & they go OK) . But step up to a Certate & you are in another world ..... gone are the chrome plated plastic bits or plated metal that blisters & replaced with higher end materials - better all round construction , bearings etc . Recently Daiwa introduced the LT (Light & Tough) Ark (All round Knob) - over a range of reels & price points ...... It's actually not a bad idea as you have more options .
One thing though , you need to be over the range & the differences ...... some reels are beefed up cheaper reels whilst others are toned down expensive reels or based on the previous higher end model ..... like the Daiwa Catalina was. There is still a massive difference between a new Saltist & a Saltiga ....... but you could split the difference & grab a new Certate SW ...... then you could always look at a Penn Slammer IV & get a rock solid reel for half the price .

Chris

[NAGG]

Yep Yep to most of the above lol. i have Reels ??, lost count from low cost to middle of the range cost and i also have found both sides of the fence to last the distance so long as one looks after them . Most Reels that is and like CVhis said it depends how many times certain Reels are used prior to them showing their lasting value .
Most times if i purchase a Reel and it doest stand up to the punishment i se it till it Karks it and then out in the shittin it goes!!. Dont even bother to mess with it..
Sometime back i purchase halfe a diozen Ryobie Eggbeaters and whils you use them within their means and WELL AWAY from sand they did the job otherwise ??, halfe of them went in the shit tin anyway so enough said there ..
Then i have Daiwas that i purchased some forty odd years back and still like new mainly in batcasters .
have a little Dam SL1 eggbeater which was purposely bought fro freshwater Fishing backwaters of N.S.W. and it also is in the same condition as first purchased (Love That Reel ey ) and occasionally get it out do battle with Whiting..
Penns , dams , Shimanos and what not for chasing Reds and Nannys and cant remember how long ive had them ( Yonks it is ) and they are also good as they day they were purchased and didnt cosst halfe the going price of what is deemed a good costly reel nowdays ey..
Rods ?? Third of mine were custom built by myself to suit my style of Fishing and the other two thirds were purchased between tackle World , BCF n Hanaconda becuase the Rod felt right , price was right , Blank made from was right although not so with the guides but have plenty here for replacement .
If i feel i want to personalise it a tad more i will strip all the guides off and do some fancy wrap , might put the actionout a tad but still does what i want it to..
Money i save / have saved can go towards the next one that goes over the side or has a tip snapped etc lol..
Now be it Electronics for a Boat that would be a different story if iwas in the quest to seach under every Bombie shadow and log not to mention reliabillity in getting there n back travelling a long distance ..
Plenty of fancy Toys out there and each n every time one views them google etc they get you in for sure !!. Something in the way the add is done i think Conspiracy Adds lol ...
Am Guilty myself fer sure or so the Missus reckons.
I Fishing Gear , She Flowers so both have a go at each other ey..

Yep - some reels are Asprins - get them near salt & they start to Corode . I mentioned previously that I have a Caldia (2500) & Advantage (2000) ... .both were bought around the same time as my little Certate (1500) & Stella 2000 . The Certate was my work horse along with a Stella 2000 for my bream & bass fishing . The Caldia was hardly used & it shows some significant corrosion , The Advantage is pretty good (not used much)- Certate is very good as is the little Stella ..... all reels are maintained the same way & I bought all these reels back in the mid 2000s . Considering the work that the Stella & Certate have done - it's been money well spent IMO & these reels will go one for years to come.

It wouldn't be hard for me to go out & spend $14K on two new sounders ... upgrade my pair of HDS12 Gen 3s - to Simrads ...... but at this stage the existing sounders are doing their job just fine & all that I will provably gain is a sharper image ..... so I wont . Not till they fail .

Chris