Small-ish baitrunner

[jon atkinson]

If you tighten the handle correctly and then grasp it nearest to the body, then try to move it side to side. Any movement is a sign that there is slack in the either the bearings, the bearing housing or the shaft.

For me play is acceptable in a low cost reel from any maker but not in a reel than can cost a hundred or more.

Every single Shimano reel I have looked at has had wobble even the expensive ones.

Obviously Shimano owners will never admit to this and I do understand why, next time you are in a shop give it a go.

Daiwa reels normally pass the test and so did the 4 MAP reels I bought.

Another nail in the Shimano Coffin for me is also their nasty habit of only supplying cheap plastic spools at that money it should be metal. But that's a personal choice issue, I'm old so don't like thinks made of plastic when Alloy is better :wh

Paul

Hi Paul,

Your comments about 'wobble' did make me curious, so I finally got round to looking at mine over the week end. Happy to report that there was no movement at all on the 6000 DL Baitrunner, miniscule shift on the 2500 Super GTM & just slightly more on the 20+ year old Aero GT, but even on that I'd say that describing it as 'wobble' is gross exaggeration! Bottom line for me is that all 3 perform perfectly - even the 4000 Aero, having been sat in a tackle box unused for 15 years - all I had to do was change the line, the reel ran faultlessly when I started using it again! Also, all of them came with 1 aluminium / diecast spool and one plastic which seems fair enough to me

At the end of the day I guess that personal preference / trust in a particular brand will always hold sway for any individual :w

 

[robtherake]

We managed well enough with plastic spools before alloy became the norm. I can't recall having a single problem with them, myself.

 

[Paul Morley]

Jon, don't forget to PM me for this season! I don't think you need a 'baitrunner'. I use 2500 size stradics with the 'fightin' drag', set it to the left, slack, as a baitrunner, fish takes, flip it to the right to normal setting. Works for tench, the larger reel, I do the same for barbel. Stradics are pricey, you can do the same with all the models with that drag, and still have a reel to floatfish etc. with. Managed a 10lb carp last week while tenching, no problems.

 

[jon atkinson]

Jon, don't forget to PM me for this season! I don't think you need a 'baitrunner'. I use 2500 size stradics with the 'fightin' drag', set it to the left, slack, as a baitrunner, fish takes, flip it to the right to normal setting. Works for tench, the larger reel, I do the same for barbel. Stradics are pricey, you can do the same with all the models with that drag, and still have a reel to floatfish etc. with. Managed a 10lb carp last week while tenching, no problems.

Cheers Paul - I do use the 'fightin' drag' when I'm float fishing but I'll have to give it a go on the tip. Having said that, I had a play with a 4000 OC in Tasker's the other week & think I'm in love! I'm sure it's a thread that must have been done before but which do you prefer - front or rear drag. I know that logic dictates front is best, but I find that rear works perfectly well & is a lot more convenient. I'm away for a couple of week's later this month, but I'll drop you a line re a trip out when I get back.