Record bass caught! Looking for reel to pair with reward rod

[MassYak85]

Just stopping by to say congrats! What a beast. 

[brandon0921]

1 hour ago, Dwight Hottle said:

Since you use 30lb braid I would go with a 2000 or 2500 size reel. The regular 2500 is a 4.8 gear ratio. The 2510PEH is made for braid & comes in a 6.0 gear ratio. 

Thanks for the input...Do you have any experience with this reel or one like it? Where did you find that information about the reel being made for braid?  Its 

[ScorpiFish]

6 hours ago, brandon0921 said:

Interesting...I was looking at this reel early on in my research, but a few poor reviews began steering me away from it as other negative reviews are starting to steer me from the CI4+.  Seems that most prefer a rigid reel rather than these light weight models.  Question is, do I really need a rigid reel on the bodies of water I fish, or will I be better off with something lightweight and easier to handle?  Its easy to find reviews, but difficult to determine which fishing application the review is intended for.

Thoughts? 

I have the Patriarch XT and LOVE it! 

[Goose52]

You already have lots of recommendations on the reel...

CONGRATS ON THE STATE RECORD BASS !!!     

[brandon0921]

4 minutes ago, Goose52 said:

You already have lots of recommendations on the reel...

CONGRATS ON THE STATE RECORD BASS !!!     

Haha. Thanks!!!

[I.rar]

A big congrats to you sir. That fish is ridiculous! 

From the reels I've fished, I'd go for the stradic fk. The ci4 didn't balance well with any rod I had and from what I've read, the standard avid can be tip heavy. 

[brandon0921]

3 minutes ago, I.rar said:

A big congrats to you sir. That fish is ridiculous! 

From the reels I've fished, I'd go for the stradic fk. The ci4 didn't balance well with any rod I had and from what I've read, the standard avid can be tip heavy. 

I just went and checked out the fk at a local tackle shop. I didn't have my rod on me, but the reel felt very nice. I'm between the fk and the diawa jdm at the moment. 

Keep the opinions coming !

[Darren.]

52 minutes ago, brandon0921 said:

I just went and checked out the fk at a local tackle shop. I didn't have my rod on me, but the reel felt very nice. I'm between the fk and the diawa jdm at the moment. 

Keep the opinions coming !

The FK gets US warranty support, if that matters 
to you...per my mentioning earlier. They are excellent
reels. If you can find an FJ 2500, you'd possibly be
just as happy, unless you prefer the cosmetics of the
FK (and I believe larger gear?).

57 minutes ago, I.rar said:

A big congrats to you sir. That fish is ridiculous! 

From the reels I've fished, I'd go for the stradic fk. The ci4 didn't balance well with any rod I had and from what I've read, the standard avid can be tip heavy. 

And I.rar is right concerning balance. This is 
what concerns me. I hate tip-heavy rods  
tires my arm out more quickly.

So I was using a Stradic FS 2500 on my 6'3"
St. Croix Legend MLXF rod, it balanced it 
nicely, but the weight of the 2500 wore on 
me. So I put my FJ 1000 on it and it balances
to a more horizontal (even) plane which is 
satisfactory.

[brandon0921]

11 minutes ago, Darren. said:

The FK gets US warranty support, if that matters 
to you...per my mentioning earlier. They are excellent
reels. If you can find an FJ 2500, you'd possibly be
just as happy, unless you prefer the cosmetics of the
FK (and I believe larger gear?).

And I.rar is right concerning balance. This is 
what concerns me. I hate tip-heavy rods  
tires my arm out more quickly.

So I was using a Stradic FS 2500 on my 6'3"
St. Croix Legend MLXF rod, it balanced it 
nicely, but the weight of the 2500 wore on 
me. So I put my FJ 1000 on it and it balances
to a more horizontal (even) plane which is 
satisfactory.

The US support does mean something so does matching it up with the rod.  I would just like to get something in the next tier so I really notice a step up from my Quantum, but it appears that state side the next bracket jumps way up.  Seems like the JDM reels have more options and a few additional tiers before the elite reels.

 

I do think I am going to look into the Patriarch XT again as well

[brandon0921]

Maybe the Sustain??? 

[soflabasser]

Congratulations! I would also recommend the Shimano Stradic spinning reel. I have one that is +10 years old and it still functions great.

[Dwight Hottle]

2 hours ago, brandon0921 said:

Thanks for the input...Do you have any experience with this reel or one like it? Where did you find that information about the reel being made for braid?  Its 

I have 5 different models of the certate. I'm a dyed in the wool shimano guy but prefer the certates for spinning reels. Yes I have the 2510 PEH. The PE models are designed for braid. They load the braid on the spool to maximize flow.  The H stands for high gear. You can find info on the reels from numerous JDM sites. The certate has a magnetic oil bath sealed  bearing on both the spool & the line guide. 

[brandon0921]

6 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

I have 5 different models of the certate. I'm a dyed in the wool shimano guy but prefer the certates for spinning reels. Yes I have the 2510 PEH. The PE models are designed for braid. They load the braid on the spool to maximize flow.  The H stands for high gear. You can find info on the reels from numerous JDM sites. The certate has a magnetic oil bath sealed  bearing on both the spool & the line guide. 

I'm definitely interested in the Centrate, but do have some concerns over the warranty and finding someone to service the reel being its "mag seal" construction. 

Do you have any experience with maintenance or utilizing the manufacturer warranty ?

[Dwight Hottle]

I have never had any warranty concerns or maintenance concerns. High quality fishing reels are pretty failsafe. There are people who can service JDM reels state side in the rare case of needing service. 

[EvanT123]

I'm pretty sure you can fish the reel without the mag seal. I think the benefit is more for saltwater anglers maybe....every manufacturer needs things to differentiate them from other brands and mag seal is one of those.  The certate is certainly a very nice reel. I have a 2004 ch. No experience with the new stradic but I have an fj that's taken a beating for 3-4 years never been cleaned and is still one if the smoothest I've owned. I wish daiwa would  off a metal reel with a direct drive handle for under $350 and no mag seal but I doubt that will happen   I just bought 2 cabelas/daiwa salt strikers for $60 a piece and they are very nice  check out the daiwa freams on cabelas many features like the certate but a screw threw handle on sale for $80  you could sell that avid and put what you saved on a reel toward a legend elite or custom sc5 blank and really be impressed  !

[brandon0921]

8 hours ago, EvanT123 said:

I'm pretty sure you can fish the reel without the mag seal. I think the benefit is more for saltwater anglers maybe....every manufacturer needs things to differentiate them from other brands and mag seal is one of those.  The certate is certainly a very nice reel. I have a 2004 ch. No experience with the new stradic but I have an fj that's taken a beating for 3-4 years never been cleaned and is still one if the smoothest I've owned. I wish daiwa would  off a metal reel with a direct drive handle for under $350 and no mag seal but I doubt that will happen   I just bought 2 cabelas/daiwa salt strikers for $60 a piece and they are very nice  check out the daiwa freams on cabelas many features like the certate but a screw threw handle on sale for $80  you could sell that avid and put what you saved on a reel toward a legend elite or custom sc5 blank and really be impressed  !

Is there that big of a difference between the avid and legend elite ? In my hand, I couldn't notice a significant difference, certainly not a $170 difference.

8 hours ago, Dwight Hottle said:

I have never had any warranty concerns or maintenance concerns. High quality fishing reels are pretty failsafe. There are people who can service JDM reels state side in the rare case of needing service. 

Mind me asking where you typically purchase your JDM reels?  Japantackle.com seems pretty good.

[JayKumar]

Congrats on the record! Shimano all the way. But...would recommend switching to baitcasting gear, especially if you're going after larger fish.

[brandon0921]

5 minutes ago, JayKumar said:

Congrats on the record! Shimano all the way. But...would recommend switching to baitcasting gear, especially if you're going after larger fish.

I do.  I run out there with two rods strung up.  One being my spinning combo the other my bait-caster.  I do most my fishing onshore which sometimes limits the range of the bait-caster. I also fish in the dark, so just picking the other up and casting saves a lot of time and frustration.  I plan on making this my 3rd carry along set up.

St Croix sent me this rod for the bubble when the story broke.  If I had my druthers, I probably would have asked for a casting rod, but I am very grateful for the gift

[smalljaw67]

First of all, congrats on the record, awesome accomplishment!!! Now, the reel, I'm a long time angler and I use mostly casting gear but I have a love of spinning gear too, but I try to stay in what I call the "work horse" range. JDM reels are great if you have used high end reels here and want more, typically you are paying for benefits you may not even know is a benefit and then it is more like overspending than anything else. Based on the tackle you used and the new rod I think I'd go with a few different reels, you mentioned Cabela's so take a look at the Verano. It is a Diawa model close to a Ballistic on sale right now for $100, probably one of the best you'll get at that price. The Pflueger Supreme in the 30 size, this will not only give you great performance but also light weight and at $100 is going to be hard to beat. If you want a Shimano go with Stradic or Ci4+, those are a little more but have a proven track record. As for Daiwa, you have to buy a Zaion body reel to get a lightweight model and it will cost you, I think the Cabela's Verano isn't light but it isn't a tank and has a good track record so far and Cabela's is great for taking their house brand stuff back should you have a problem or not like it. If it were me, based on performance and value the clear winner would be the Pflueger Supreme, it is very smooth, it has a sealed drag so water and dirt won't get in to mess the system up should the reel fall in mud or have rain wash dirt into it. I can attest to how well it handles and if you never used a light weight spinning reel before, well you're in for a treat, and it isn't feather light but the lightest reel you'll find less than $200 but make no mistake, it isn't a cheap reel, very solid.

[brandon0921]

6 minutes ago, smalljaw67 said:

First of all, congrats on the record, awesome accomplishment!!! Now, the reel, I'm a long time angler and I use mostly casting gear but I have a love of spinning gear too, but I try to stay in what I call the "work horse" range. JDM reels are great if you have used high end reels here and want more, typically you are paying for benefits you may not even know is a benefit and then it is more like overspending than anything else. Based on the tackle you used and the new rod I think I'd go with a few different reels, you mentioned Cabela's so take a look at the Verano. It is a Diawa model close to a Ballistic on sale right now for $100, probably one of the best you'll get at that price. The Pflueger Supreme in the 30 size, this will not only give you great performance but also light weight and at $100 is going to be hard to beat. If you want a Shimano go with Stradic or Ci4+, those are a little more but have a proven track record. As for Daiwa, you have to buy a Zaion body reel to get a lightweight model and it will cost you, I think the Cabela's Verano isn't light but it isn't a tank and has a good track record so far and Cabela's is great for taking their house brand stuff back should you have a problem or not like it. If it were me, based on performance and value the clear winner would be the Pflueger Supreme, it is very smooth, it has a sealed drag so water and dirt won't get in to mess the system up should the reel fall in mud or have rain wash dirt into it. I can attest to how well it handles and if you never used a light weight spinning reel before, well you're in for a treat, and it isn't feather light but the lightest reel you'll find less than $200 but make no mistake, it isn't a cheap reel, very solid.

Appreciate the advise!  This is what I'm spinning on now http://www.tackletour.com/reviewquantumenergypti.html.  Asides from a few issues when I first bought it with the anti reverse, its been pretty durable.  Its taken in an 11+lb, 9+, and a 6lb over the years.  Id like a slight upgrade from that.  I'll certainly look into your recommendations.  I think my well pump is failing, so JDM might have to be part of my next setup *sigh*. 

[Dwight Hottle]

3 hours ago, brandon0921 said:

Is there that big of a difference between the avid and legend elite ? In my hand, I couldn't notice a significant difference, certainly not a $170 difference.

Mind me asking where you typically purchase your JDM reels?  Japantackle.com seems pretty good.

Japanlureshop.com

Digitaka.com

Japantackle.com

[Yudo1]

You broke the state record which is quite an accomplishment so congratulations!   It's pretty cool that Sr Croix sent you a free $200 rod so kudos to them.  I say you really deserve a special reel so I say you go with the certate.  You already have a nice rod so spend the money for a nice reel.  I'm sure you'll be blown away by the upgraded gear.

[bx.versatile]

I have the same rod and it's a heavens feel with my 1st Gen Stradic CI4. I suspect the new model is coming out soon, since I see them going on sale.

[2tall79]

Congrats and welcome!  I too would love to hear more about your catch.  I grew up in Middletown in the 50's. Caught my first bass at Green End Pond.

[brandon0921]

On 6/7/2016 at 5:03 PM, 2tall79 said:

Congrats and welcome!  I too would love to hear more about your catch.  I grew up in Middletown in the 50's. Caught my first bass at Green End Pond.

No way! Not many people even know where RI is haha...I caught it on a Jitterbug.  I think it was as much the lure as it was the presentation, timing, and location.  My fishing partner caught a 9lb and 6lb before hand.  Having to listen to him the entire time while striking out probably provided some needed motivation as well haha.