Swimbait Rig: Shimano Cardiff or...?

[Nor-Cal Basser]

Hi all,

New member, long time reader. After recently breaking the double digits, I've caught the big bass bug. So, of course, a swimbait rig is in order. Went down to my local tackle shop and picked up a 7' 9'' Irod Genesis II Large Swimbait rod. As far as reels go, I'm seriously considering a Shimano Cardiff in either a 300 or 400 size. I plan on using 20 or 25 lb P-Line CXX to throw 8 inch Hudds and other similarly sized or slightly larger baits. What size Cardiff would be ideal for this setup? I'm open to suggestions on other reels as well, as I'm totally new to the big swimbait game.

Thanks,

Colin

[j bab]

I personally would get the 300, but I'm sure there are people out there that would prefer the 400... Depends on how much line you think you need and your comfort level with the physical size of the reel. Put both in your hands and decide

[mwh33]

I use a dobyns champion xp 806 SB rod with a Shimano conquest 400 for my big baits and I use a dobyns fury 795 SB rod with a Lexa 300 for my smaller swimbaits. I do have big hands though, so the 400 is comfortable to me.

[Airman4754]

Let me first recommend a Calcutta if you're going to be throwing the big stuff often and want a round reel. You can pick them up all day used on eBay for a very fair price. They literally last forever. 

[Catt]

5 minutes ago, Mosster47 said:

Let me first recommend a Calcutta if you're going to be throwing the big stuff often and want a round reel. You can pick them up all day used on eBay for a very fair price. They literally last forever. 

 

FYI a Cardiff is a round reel

 

It is also identical to the Calcutta

[Airman4754]

17 minutes ago, Catt said:

 

FYI a Cardiff is a round reel

 

It is also identical to the Calcutta

 

Mechanically yes, bearings and drag washers no.

 

That's why I said buy used. You get a better looking reel with better internals for what would be the same price or slightly more. The $100+ difference retail isn't worth it. You aren't going to wear one of these out either way.

 

If you drop $25 on even higher end bearings and drag washers on the Cardiff then you're way ahead of the curve, but most fisherman don't want to do that or don't know how.

[MassYak85]

I have the cardiff 300 and have been using it for smaller swimbaits (< 4 oz) with 20lb CXX. If I had to get another one for 8 inch hudds using 25lb line I would probably get the 400. If you are really bombing hudds and maxing out the casting distance of your setup with 25lb line on the 300 you are going to be getting a little low on line at the end of the cast, which isn't the end of the world but your IPT at the end of your cast is now going to be MUCH less, which could cost you a fish here and there if you get bit at the end of the cast and you aren't able to take up slack fast enough. I'd say the 300 would be fine for just 8 inch hudds but if you say you might want to use larger baits and maybe heavier line (25lb) then the 400 might be the better choice. 

[Catt]

4 hours ago, Mosster47 said:

 

Mechanically yes, bearings and drag washers no.

 

That's why I said buy used. You get a better looking reel with better internals for what would be the same price or slightly more. The $100+ difference retail isn't worth it. You aren't going to wear one of these out either way.

 

If you drop $25 on even higher end bearings and drag washers on the Cardiff then you're way ahead of the curve, but most fisherman don't want to do that or don't know how.

 

First let's clairfy some thing, when I did this comparison it was not to establish interchangeability of parts. It was to determine why two reels with similar specifications could have $100 difference in price.

Being a manufacturing engineer in the aerospace industry I had access to every nondestructive inspection known and digitizing equiptment capable of finding tolerances to 0.0001".

This data was feed into a computer program that compared the two and found no significant differences other than number of bearings (Calcutta 3+1 & Cardiff 4+1). I'm not sure what process was used to test drag but our data showed the Cardiff lacking by 0.331 lbs.

The only real difference is the Cardiff is Die Cast while the Calcutta is Cold Forged, both have the same structural rigidity. Cold Forging requires less machining if final surfaces but the process is more expensive thus the price difference. To farther explain this look at the outer surfaces of the reel frames, the Calcutta is smoother than the Cardiff. That's Cold Forged compared to Die Cast!

[MattMurr]

I have the carfiff 400 as a musky reel. It's a decent reel... I have had issues with screws backing out and the plastic release button seems cheap but all in all for the price it works good. 

 

I have heard good things from the musky guys about the okuma komodo, or if you wanted to bump up the budget the revo toro beast or Calcutta are supposed to be top of the line.

 

[Nor-Cal Basser]

Well, I got to handle the Cardiff 300 and 400. Almost pulled the trigger on a Calcutta, but the price was a tad high for me. I just can't justify dropping a lot of cash on a technique that I'm not sure I'll use heavily yet. Went with the Cardiff 300, since the 400 just felt too big. Spooled it up with 20lb CXX and was able to throw an 8 inch Hudd 40 yards in a grassy field. Capacity seems to be adequate, but man, these big baits sure cast like nothing else. Thanks for all the responses guys! 

[Angry John]

Another quality reel to check out is the daiwa luna 253.  If you need more line capaity then the 300 is also great.  These reels are SW rated so if you take a trip then they can served double duty.