Reel recomendations..???

Hi Guys,

Looking for any recommendations for a nice reel to add to my stalking set up for carp. My budget is between £60 and £100. I have looked at reels from Shimano, Fox and Okuma so far but I am baffled by all the choice available. I need something fairly compact and lightweight that will hold a reasonable amount of 12lb to 15lb line. Something that is reliable. I wondered if anyone had any recommendations or suggestions, any other brands etc..?? Personal experiences with good reels..??
Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Steve

Hi Steve.

I too am looking for a new reel to use for stalking/spinning as my baitrunner is a bit too hefty for this. I won't be spending anywhere near that amount though

I was thinking of a 2500 sized reel and like the look of the Shimano Alivio.

Have you seen the Preston Innovations PXR range? I had a look at them and can say I'm mightily impressed. They're available in 3000 and 4000 I believe and cost around £65-£70 if I remember rightly. A bit beyond my price range but if I could afford it would definitely go for one.

Oh BTW, I use braid so can get away with the smaller 2500 size as the line is a lot thinner.

hi steve,i use a shimmaro baitrunner 8000gte[ad it about 5 years on stalking rod].i use this because its good at close range on clu tch control under rod tip.read reviews on any reels of your choice abt clutch ect.

Interceptor mate...come with a five year warranty and Shimanos after service is dire....

.....Andy.....

Interceptor pro cant recomend this reel enough. use it for spinning, trawling, dead bait, for the money you get alot of reel. the drag for the baitrunner is one of the best i have had.

greg wrote:Interceptor pro cant recomend this reel enough. use it for spinning, trawling, dead bait, for the money you get alot of reel. the drag for the baitrunner is one of the best i have had.

to be honest i may be a bit picky here, but i went to buy a new reel a few months ago and i tested several okumas (i think the interceptor pro was one of them) and although i liked the appearance of the reels when i turned the handle it all just felt a little too rough, like there was something grinding inside the reel which suggested to me that even though there is a five year warranty with okumas they wouldnt last much longer than that with regular use.

i'd reccomend either a small shimano baitrunner or daiwa bri-ab (around 3000 size) as both of these reels are as smooth as silk in operation.... the only difference i noticed between the 2 is that there is slightly more line twist with the daiwa (i own and use both types of reel side by side so i do have an excellent comparison point).
it just depends on budget between these two, around £35-£40 for the daiwa, or £50+ for the shimano depending on which model you get.

robh107 wrote:

greg wrote:Interceptor pro cant recomend this reel enough. use it for spinning, trawling, dead bait, for the money you get alot of reel. the drag for the baitrunner is one of the best i have had.

to be honest i may be a bit picky here, but i went to buy a new reel a few months ago and i tested several okumas (i think the interceptor pro was one of them) and although i liked the appearance of the reels when i turned the handle it all just felt a little too rough, like there was something grinding inside the reel which suggested to me that even though there is a five year warranty with okumas they wouldnt last much longer than that with regular use.

i'd reccomend either a small shimano baitrunner or daiwa bri-ab (around 3000 size) as both of these reels are as smooth as silk in operation.... the only difference i noticed between the 2 is that there is slightly more line twist with the daiwa (i own and use both types of reel side by side so i do have an excellent comparison point).
it just depends on budget between these two, around £35-£40 for the daiwa, or £50+ for the shimano depending on which model you get.

i have shimano and daiwa, but i like the okumas. i have to say the ones i have are smooth, i even got one for the wife

Andy Macfarlane wrote:Interceptor mate...come with a five year warranty and Shimanos after service is dire....

.. ...Andy.....

never ad a problem in 15 years plus with shimmaro

not been on lately due to workin away alot over past 6/7 weeks .anyway missed out abit on the fishing but worked hard an now treated myselef to a bit of new tackle.3 new reels plus 3 new rods.hopefully get a bit of free time to use it

Andy Macfarlane wrote:Shimanos after service is dire....

It's odd that you say that.

I have got hold of a second hand 2500 Alivio that the owner wanted rid of due to putting too much line toward the front of the spool. (I swear the reel is brand new, totally immaculate!) I emailed Shimano who emailed me back within the hour with a telephone number for the service department. I phoned them and explained the situation and that it was a second hand reel. I was told how to put it right by a very polite gentleman who even wished me lots of good years service out of the little reel.

Perhaps you caught them on an 'off day' Andy?

Or I caught them on a 'good day'

The reel is maybe a little small for stalking now that I think about it so I'm going to use it for float/ledger work and small lures on a light rod. Got it spooled up with 14lb braid on one spool and 6lb mono on another. It is a very smooth reel with instant anti reverse and the spool is aluminium. Can't really go wrong for £12. Expect to pay around £22 new.

My mate's dad has the 4000 Alivio and uses it for heavy ledgering/method work and he highly rates it. If I like it as much as the little 2500 I'll get one for spinning/stalking and load it up the spare 40lb braid I got

Well I ended up buying a Fox Stratos FS7000. Nice little reel to be honest. Wish I could say the same about the Fox Stratos FS1000's I bought for my carp/pike fishing. I've only had them for 3 months and they've spent more time with Fox than with me. New handles, new spools due to drag not working and it took nearly 9 weeks to get them sorted, dire customer service from Fox.....
To top it off I've just got back from a spot of carp fishing today and on one of them the free spool tensioner has broken, so another lengthy repair/wait ensues. I wish I could return them and get a refund, they are genuinely garbage, but not sure how likely that would be....??? Anyone had a similar experience..?? Could I demand a refund on the grounds that they keep breaking all the time..??

From the Consumer Direct website:

Goods bought from shops and online traders must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and match their description. If they are not, shoppers may be able to claim a repair, replacement, or a partial or full refund.

Michele Shambrook, Operations Manager from Consumer Direct says: 'If you buy a product that's faulty you may be entitled to a refund, repair or replacement. It's worth checking where you stand as you may have more protection than you think. '

Consumer Direct has the following list of tips for people who have bought faulty goods:

* Keep all receipts as proof of purchase as this could help you when making a claim.
* If a product is faulty as soon as you get it home, stop using it and contact the shop (rather than the manufacturer) straightaway, as you may be able to 'reject' it and claim a full refund.
* If you have had some use out of the product you may lose your right to a full refund, but you could be entitled to a repair, like for like replacement or partial refund.
* Under remedies introduced in 2003, if a fault occurs within the first six months after purchase, it's up to the trader to prove that the fault was not present at the time of sale.

Anyone unclear about their rights or unsure how to make a claim can call Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or visit the website at www.consumerdirect.gov.uk

Could be worth contacting Fox and telling them you want a refund as the reel is "not fit for purpose" due to the unacceptable amount of repairs in a short time. You may, however have to settle for a replacement, but worth trying for a full refund.

as ive said before you carnt beat shimmaro reels,just got 3xlongcast.carnt wait to use them.

Lefty wrote:

Andy Macfarlane wrote:Shimanos after service is dire....

It's odd that you say that.

I have got hold of a second hand 2500 Alivio that the owner wanted rid of due to putting too much line toward the front of the spool. (I swear the reel is brand new, totally immaculate!) I emailed Shimano who emailed me back within the hour with a telephone number for the service department. I phoned them and explained the situation and that it was a second hand reel. I was told how to put it right by a very polite gentleman who even wished me lots of good years service out of the little reel.

Perhaps you caught them on an 'off day' Andy?

Or I caught them on a 'good day'

The reel is maybe a little small for stalking now that I think about it so I'm going to use it for float/ledger work and small lures on a light rod. Got it spooled up with 14lb braid on one spool and 6lb mono on another. It is a very smooth reel with instant anti reverse and the spool is aluminium. Can't really go wrong for £12. Expect to pay around £22 new.

My mate's dad has the 4000 Alivio and uses it for heavy ledgering/method work and he highly rates it. If I like it as much as the little 2500 I'll get one for spinning/stalking and load it up the spare 40lb braid I got

stick a washer behind the spool by any chance

nickcarpy wrote:as ive said before you carnt beat shimmaro reels,just got 3xlongcast.carnt wait to use them.

mate they are some of the worst reels ive ever owned and they had the single worst point you could want frm a big reel they dropped the distance i could cast due to the weight i failed to generate teh tip speed i could with either the gt's or bios, i went from being able to drop a lead and bait at 150-160 yards to 120 with them. the plus side though if i got rid of a shock leader and used 15lb sensor i could hit the same distance as i could with 8lb mono and a shock leader 115-120
im not going to type itall yet again but ive had near enough the whole range of shimano reels over the years and broke most of them from the sea spins to gt 8010's to aerlex's the only ones i didnt were the long casts, i got rid of those before i did to mark barrett. one thing worth doing with them is taking the grease out theycome with and changing it to a decent lube that doesnt freeze when it drops below freezing

bomb proof reliability sees me choosing penn and okuma i have failed to break any of these in several years of fishing with them