Beginner Swimbait Reel

[bassmasta7]

I wanna start swimbaiting in spring and have decided to get a swimbait rod/reel. I am looking for a reel to go with this rod http://www.***.com/descpageRDCDAIWA-DAHSCR.html  Daiwa Heartland Casting Rod Big Bait. Im not going to be thowing those giant wooden baits but more of up to 2oz. swimbaits such as mattlures. I would prefer for the reel to be around $100 because I am just starting swimbaits on a limited budget. What is the best real for around $100 to throw these baits?

[flechero]

Revo S

Casts great has a monster drag and is comfortable to palm and will hold plenty of line.  If you get real serious about it you might want something different later on but this will do it nicely and if you don't like swimbaiting, this is a great reel for other stuff.

I use one for swimbaits and I have a TD-Z BBS that sits in the locker.  

[Chris at Tech]

One of the Abu round reels would be a good choice.  Good line capacity for heavier lines, affordable, built like a tank.

Look at a C3 5500.

[FishTank]

The Daiwa Millionaire is not a bad reel for the money.  I have a fishing buddy that use one and he beats this thing to death.

Another of course is Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C4 5600.   :

[jwo1124]

Hey BM7,

The rod seems great, but you might not want a rod with a fast tip for working a swimbait. I have heard time and time again that a soft tip or moderate action is a must with treble hooks - or you're going to be losing more fish with that fast tip. You should PM Road Warrior, he reccomends a H power Rod with a moderate or slow action for large baits with trebles - which pretty much describes a swimbait.

I have no experience with swimbaits, or set ups for fishing them for that matter. But I have read a lot of posts on this forum and other articles that preach the use of a softer rod action when using treble hooks. A fast action rod will tear the small trebles right out of the fish's mouth. I found this to be true after fishing a crankbait with a new 6' MH Berkely Lighting Spinning Rod. The rod have great feel and casted great, but I lost a couple fish on cranks that day. Each on either shook the hooks or I pulled them out. Needless to say I was pretty upset. And I only missed a yellow perch and a small bass.

I would hate to see a nice trophy Mama Bass engulf your swimbait only to have it shake loose and break your heart due to the wrong rod choice. Maybe that Daiwa rod will prove to be a good choice though, I'm just going off of what I have learned.

Shakespeare makes a version of their Ugly Stik called the Tiger Lite model. A guy that worked at a local Bait Shop was preaching how he loved the rod for tossing plugs for the migrating Stripers off the coast here in MA. They have three sizes M, MH, and H that have the max lure weight at 3, 4, and 5 oz. I'm not sure of the size of the swimbaits you plan of using, but this rod could be a good choice.

I personally held one in my hand, it was the 7' H and it's lighter than you'd expect, but it probably doesn;t match to the lightness of higher end rods. And it's not floppy like other Ugly Stiks are, but I'm gues that was because it was a Heavy.

Good Luck in finding the perfect outfit.

[mike bat]

CALCUTTA 400 TE ,,, accept no subsatute  8-)

[mike bat]

ohh my badd ,,,, ok 100 bucks ....  shimano cardiff 300 ,,, 100 bucks ..... not a bad reel at all .... i say the 300 due to the smaller swimbaits you wont need all that line ....just my opnion  

[fourbizz]

Get the cardiff 300A.

PLEASE let me talk you out of the daiwa rod. I have heard nothing but bad things about them from swimbaiters. I have not owned one because of that.

I know that money is an issue but look into the okuma guide select 7'6" and 7'11" MH swimbait rods. Even though I have 6 or 7 big bait rigs  now I still use my Okuma XH all the time, and it was my first SB rod.

THESE RODS are also inexpensive, and very new to the scene. Have not fished one but i hear a few good things, and they are designed by one hell of a good swimbait stick.

[flechero]

A question for the real active swimbait guys-  what does a cardiff have that the revo S doesn't?

Cardiff has 1.5" slower line recovery rate.  Revo has big drag advantage.  

Seriously, what am I missing?  

Thanks.

(sorry for the potential hijack)

[Ghetto_Basser]

Yea I agree about the Diawa. A lot of guys use the Okumas out here because of the price and are a far better product. Check out this link

http://www.calfishing.com/reviews/rods.html

I use an Abu and a Quantum PT Swimbait special

[fourbizz]

Cardiff has much higher line capacity. Cardiff has a lower gear ratio. My Cardiffs get a larger handle and knobs. The Curado 300 is the only LP that I have heard of surviving very long with big baits. Drag is irrelevant because I don't use it. I would rather have a Calcutta B or TE anyway, but he said inexpensive reel.

I don't know why everyone tries to make LP reels into swimbait reels. They just aren't, get a real reel, lol.

[lubina]

ohh my badd ,,,, ok 100 bucks ....  shimano cardiff 300 ,,, 100 bucks ..... )

My favorite for the big swimbaits . I have it for 2 years, fishing with him weekly and I just took it apart for clean and lube. Inside is like new.

[flechero]

Cardiff has much higher line capacity. Cardiff has a lower gear ratio. My Cardiffs get a larger handle and knobs. The Curado 300 is the only LP that I have heard of surviving very long with big baits. Drag is irrelevant because I don't use it. I would rather have a Calcutta B or TE anyway, but he said inexpensive reel.

I don't know why everyone tries to make LP reels into swimbait reels. They just aren't, get a real reel, lol.

Bizz,

Thanks for the response-  I see your point about LP reels but until someone can wear out or break a Revo with a swimbait, I'll consider it in a different class than other LP reels.  Of course I'm not a hudd chucker and neither was the original poster.  ...lol    Thanks

[bassmasta7]

Yeah, first off, thanks for all the responses. Based on your responses, I have narrowed it down to the Revo S and the Cardiff. I like the Revo  because it is a LP reel and the few reviews i have read online all like it. But i dont know how much swimbaiting they have done with it. I like the Cardiff because it is probly built stronger and it would be easier to handle the swimbaits. Also the line capacity is a plus. But Im not going to be throwing hudds and those type of swimbaits, i will be throwing more of the mattlures type stuff. What size line should i use to throw a lure about the size of a mattlures bluegill, or does just depend on the reel?

I am reconsidering the rod as well because im not planning on buying until around Christmas. The Okuma rods seem to be a lot better quality rods for $40 more which might be worth it. I think i might head up to BPS Saturday or sunday to look at each reel and rod.

[fourbizz]

No problem. I do not own a REVO but have heard all the praises. Even if the durability is up to snuff, which it might really be, line capacity definitely is not! At least not with 25 or 30lb CXX.

As everyone probably knows the lakes out here drop a TON in the summer and fall, some of which are over 80feet down right now.

One lake I go to that is normally just a loose shale kind of bottom is so low that it has revealed all the trees that I never knew were there. like LOTS of them, it looks like I am fishing at lake fork. The problem is not only the trees but the fact that they have 30 years worth of broken off trout trolling rigs crisscrossing them like an entire grove of decorated christmas trees.

It was so bad that I have lost 5 huddlestons, a mission fish, and a stocker trout there.( THats $220 worth of baits in three trips) And those are just the ones that I couldn't get back with my knocker which I literally used 30+ times a trip.

But my point is that after knocking the bait or pulling them through the trees and old line, my line would be horribly abraded for 5 -15 feet. On two seperate occasions I had to cut and retie to often that by the middle of the afternoon, i had cut off so much line that my Calcutta 400 didn't have enough line to cast anymore. Now with a REVO I would have had to completely respool like four or five times just to keep enough line on the spool.

I don't even reccomend a 300 size reel unless you are using 17 or 20lb. with 25 or 30, there just isn't enough line on the reel.

WIth a decent tail wind I can cast a huddleston about 250 feet, or one of the baits that I build WELL over 100 yards.

Also the actual winching power of a reel is important when fishing these things. The cardiff is like a 5.8:1 and the Calcutta 400 is a 5.0:1. That is why I use the oversize handle on my cardiffs, just to get a little more leverage. I want that fish in the net as quick as possible, I have hooked 2 fish that I couldn't even turn the handle on and a couple of my buddies have had fish over fifteen lock their reels for them too. I want that to happen as seldom as possible.

I would just hate to see somebody on here try and get into the swimbait game and buy a reel that immediately handicaps them.

Sorry for the hijack but I do reccomend that you get the cardiff 300A and spend the extra 15 bucks to put the handle off of a calcutta 400B on it. It makes for a sweet reel. I use it on my 20lb rig for wake jr's and the six inch soft baits.

[fourbizz]

Sorry i was typing when you posted. BPS probably wont have the OKUMA but I promise you that you will like much more than you would the heartland.

On Matt's baits I would go with 20lb maxima or Pline CXX or Trilene Big Game. Something that is way overtest with real good abrasion resistance. restring often, retie often. I use 25lb on the matts when sightfishing though.

[fourbizz]

These might help

DAIWA

OKUMA

[bassmasta7]

Def. not a highjack... this is the kind of stuff i need to know when considering each rod and reel. My main concern was the line capacity with the LP's so I am leaning toward the Cardiff.

[lubina]

I am leaning toward the Cardiff.

Smart man....the Calcutta is great too, you can use it as a reel or as an anchor  ;D ;D ;D

[Turtle.]

I got a cardiff 300  last year ,for smaller swimbaits.Very happy with it, Alot of reel for 99 bucks.

4biz nice tip on the oversized handle.Will have to look into it.Got big hands and I like the idea of a little more leverage          

[mike bat]

yea even tho you wanna toss smaller baits you will still need a stout line .... i use pline cxx 20 lb ..... and im not in cally im in wisconsin we olny have tiny northern strain bass here ...... ;D