KingsRule Posted March 6, 2006 Posted March 6, 2006 Hey, i want a baitrunner for baitfishing for jews or kings (i hope) but can decide between the 2. What would you choose?
Red Posted March 6, 2006 Posted March 6, 2006 Go the Shimano. The newer "B" series Baitrunners are damn good reels. Red
jewnut Posted March 6, 2006 Posted March 6, 2006 ive got both reels (6500 baitrunner and epix 60) and theyre both great. If its big jews your targeting, i would go the shimano but for value for money the Okuma is brilliant, super smooth drag and has never missed a beat in the 4 years ive had it (prob my most used reel-so versatile). Btw, i never use the baitrunner feature for jew fishing...actually i never really use it, still great reels though!
bluefin Posted March 6, 2006 Posted March 6, 2006 Have both. Eb 20 and 30, baitrunner 6500 and 4500, and an epix 60. The Baitrunners just feel a lot more solid! I have been using the baitrunner feature a lot for trolling!
stevefish Posted March 6, 2006 Posted March 6, 2006 (edited) the weak point of the okuma is the bail arm. if you plan to run 50 pound with the drag near locked up it will flex a bit, although i havent seen one fail because of it. i have had trouble finding out the difference between the epix and (i think eclipze, previously coronado) anyway the blue one. ive been told the epix has a brass gear and is smoother/lighter versus eclipse has all stainless gear, heavier and not as smooth, and (from my experience) the bail roller wont fail, the epix roller will. As i said i have heard different things at tackle shops so this may not be true and i am not going to pull apart my 2 coronados or my epix to tell you. if i am on the pace the blue one would be the pick of the okumas seeing as it is not a finesse reel to be cast for hours. that said i have mates that have the shimano and although they have not yet done the time/work of the okumas we reckon they are a better reel. the cost difference when worked out over 5 years minimum is not that much in the scheme of things. eventually i plan on replacing my okumas with shimano but they havent died yet. Edited March 6, 2006 by stevefish
Bashir Posted March 6, 2006 Posted March 6, 2006 I wouldn't say the okuma is the value for money, the shimano will last you 20 years no worries at all, the okuma won't. Go the shimano, its a no brainer.
jewnut Posted March 6, 2006 Posted March 6, 2006 (edited) I wouldn't say the okuma is the value for money, the shimano will last you 20 years no worries at all, the okuma won't. Go the shimano, its a no brainer. I beg to differ mate, Okumas are great value for money, and will last a long time if looked after properly. I would buy the Shimano but it depends on KingsRules budget, go the best you can afford. you wont be dissappointed either way. Edited March 6, 2006 by jewnut
Guest Posted March 6, 2006 Posted March 6, 2006 Its the old adage between Holdens and Fords again ,best try one or the other or get both make your comparison on the water where it really matters and then go get a set of your favourite reels and rods Cheers Stewy
Bashir Posted March 7, 2006 Posted March 7, 2006 if you were comparing shimano with penn or daiwa then yes I would agree. But okuma is a disposable brand.
Guest Posted March 7, 2006 Posted March 7, 2006 if you were comparing shimano with penn or daiwa then yes I would agree. But okuma is a disposable brand. I agree with you 100% ,but some people have other ideas .Myself always buy Penn or Shimano because I have had a lot of faith in these two reel manufacturers over the years .But in saying that I have a soft spot for Shakespeare reels as well .I have owned a few in my time and the old Sigma was a favourite of mine with many years of good service .Each to their own I suppose ,but in the end its the quality that counts and thats what I look for in a reel Cheers Swordfisherman
Guest madsmc Posted March 7, 2006 Posted March 7, 2006 I have four Okuma reels, Epix EFS 60, Epix EFS 30, Avenger 20, and Granite 20. Never had any problems with any of them. Shane
Red Posted March 7, 2006 Posted March 7, 2006 I would never buy an Akuma. Even if it were the last reel on earth. My brother bought one and its already retired after only one years worth of work. If you are going to part with your hard earnt money, make sure you buy quality. Swordfisherman, you just made my day by bringing back memories of the old Shakespeare Sigma's Now there was a great value reel for its day. Might have a dig around ebay and buy some. Cheers Red
Bashir Posted March 7, 2006 Posted March 7, 2006 I have four Okuma reels, Epix EFS 60, Epix EFS 30, Avenger 20, and Granite 20. Never had any problems with any of them. Shane I have also had each of those reels, except for the epix 30, I sold the epix 60 quick smart as there was no way it was going to hack high speed spinning. The avenger 20 and granite have both died, the granite caught a few good fish but it only lasted 2 years. I could keep raplacing parts but why bother. My shimano baitrunners are 5-7 years old and have never even been opened up!! Plus I don't religiously wash my gear down after every trip.
mottyman Posted March 7, 2006 Posted March 7, 2006 (edited) But in saying that I have a soft spot for Shakespeare reels as well .I have owned a few in my time and the old Sigma was a favourite of mine with many years of good service .Each to their own I suppose ,but in the end its the quality that counts and thats what I look for in a reel Cheers Swordfisherman Hi Guys, I bought a Shakespeare Sigma overhead reel when I was about 16 years old from Auburn Sports Store back in the days when you could buy guns and ammo there as well - imagine that in today's world!!! I still have the Sigma and use it trolling for kings etc in Botany Bay. It's been a great reel and I have no intentions of getting rid of it any time soon, if only for sentimental reasons. In terms of Okuma's I've had an Okuma Fina60 I bought from ABA before they moved to their new store and it's still going great. I've also got an Okuma Avenger Av20 (from ABA again) that I use for bream and bass and it does OK. It doesn't lay line on the spool as beautifully as a Diawa I have (I think the ABS spools on the Diawas are great) but it does OK. I guess my experience with Okuma is very positive and I would buy them again but I'm also limited by budget. Cheers David. Edited March 7, 2006 by mottyman
Guest Jewel Posted March 7, 2006 Posted March 7, 2006 It comes down to a few factors guys, Okuma for the money are a damn nice reel(and there is quite a range, while they may not cop the abuse that a higher priced number will (read Diawa or Shimano) for most fishos the difference wont be that noticeable. Lets be realistic with what we want to do with them....... if you are going to fish 50 lb braid off most eggbeaters (keeping in mind that Stellas and Saltigas are out of most folks budget! Old spinfishers are hard to find and bloody heavy..... and we wont talk about Fin Nors!) they are going to have issues at some point!!! How often are you going to use it, and how often is it going to work hard? Stainless gears are harder to manufacture,stronger and work harden as such less likely to strip (but can still fail) and will NEVER be as smooth as brass/bronze gears which are more likely to strip, dont work harden and get smoother as they bed in but are more than adequate (check what your pet reels have) You cant get Sigmas anymore.... damn shame (got a few retired ones)......should we wheel out the old blue 2400 series?!....... BUT I believe that their day has been( shallow spools, mono line lay and rust issues) and the new Shakespears are ordinary, additionally if the current Okumas had of been availible at the same time they would have been revoltionary! As for the Daiwa Shimano issue (I own both) for the same money there is no Shimano that feels as good out of the box as a Daiwa (settle down and keep reading!!!!) However without regular maintinence that will probably be reversed in 12 months as the Shimanos seem to cop abuse better..... if you look after your gear very well this may not be an issue (mind you I have killed both through wear despite good housekeeping). Lets be fair with the comparisons too, look at the prices and compare what you get for the $$$ Epix 30 $135 Eclipz 30 $130 Avenger 30 $62 Daiwa Laguna 2500 $99 Daiwa Samurai 2500 $ 90 Baitrunner 3500 $189 Symetre 2500 $129 Baitrunner 6500 $229 Epix EFS 80 $150 The baitrunner is significantly more expensive than of some of the reels you are guys are talking about......... you would expect it to be better. Bash you seem like a bloke who fishes a lot and fairly hard as such the Okuma will be disposable, the average bloke will probably not have the same issues (I have mates who have Okumas that are still going strong). Just to be faceatious what overhead do you lads reccomend for kings off Sydney?......... Keep in mind most are rats this year......... Im using a Curado 200BSF and its coping alright but working hard with about 50 fish upto 65 cm so far. Its had a new drag washer and drive bearing but still doing the job and was bought 2nd hand off eBay with an unknown history. A lot would say that in baitcasters the Curado verges on disposable. Just my opinions guys, but if you are going to reccomend one item over another be fair with the comparisons and take into account what the thing is going to be used for.
mottyman Posted March 7, 2006 Posted March 7, 2006 Jewel, Top post, I agree completely. Bash you seem like a bloke who fishes a lot and fairly hard as such the Okuma will be disposable, the average bloke will probably not have the same issues (I have mates who have Okumas that are still going strong). I fit into the "average bloke" category which is probably why Okumas and reels like the Daiwa Samurai suit me just fine. How often are you going to use it, and how often is it going to work hard? For me, the answer to that question is once a week on average I guess, but some of that is in the fresh near home. I religiouly wash all my gear down after every trip and give the reels a light spray of inox before I put them away. I also give them a light spray before I head out into the salt. I can't afford to replace them all the time so I take the best care of them I can. I'm not wedded to any particular brand of reel, these are just the ones I can afford and they have served me very well for the type of fishing I do. However.... if I won lotto tomorrow, my rod rack (and boat for that matter ) would look a lot different. Cheers David.
Red Posted March 7, 2006 Posted March 7, 2006 Jewel, my dad (pensioner who fishes lots) had problems with spending money on quality reels and guess who had to repair his crap? I got so sick of repairing the rubbish he would buy. Eventually, when i was old enough to get a job, i would buy him Penn Spinfishers for fathers day and although they look dead on the outside, they are still alive today, with only a few bearings needing replacing. His gear today consists of Stradics, Baitrunners and Spinfishers and finally he has seen the light. It is cheaper to buy quality, purely and simply because you dont have to replace it for many years. Cheers Red
KingsRule Posted March 8, 2006 Author Posted March 8, 2006 Thanks for all the help & info guys I think i'll go the Shimano baitrunner as it seems more hardy & hopefully will last longer:) Just on another level...what would be a good rod for it (4500) (will be used for land based fishing ) i was thinking a rod around 10ft rated 8-10kg.. any other ideas?
Guest madsmc Posted March 8, 2006 Posted March 8, 2006 Best of luck with the new reel mate, hope it serves you well. Shane
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