Am I destroying my reels...

[kemper]

I have been going over my summer gear, giving it a thourough cleaning and such and thinking about the damages of the past couple years.

 

I have had three baitcasters (not cheap ones) blow the clutch bearing in the past two seasons. One blew the bearing TWICE in a total of 4 days fishing. That one I am certain is not my fault and finally (a year later) a replacement free of charge is in the mail to me from the producer.

 

Is it possible that my fishing style (go big or go home, Hit em hard and crank em in) is killing my reels? I use heavy line, PP in nothing less than 30 lb test and using drag is out of the question.

 

Anybody else have this problem?

 

 

kemper

[ccmtcanada]

Hmmm...I have a 35 dollar pfleuger reel that I use for salmon, muskie, steelhead and big walleye. It takes a TON of abuse and it's still going strong after 2 years. I've never even taken it apart for a thorough cleaning. The only maintenance I do is oil whatever I see that moves. There is 30lb power pro on it as well for everything but steelhead....and I have a tendency to straighten hooks because the drag is set too tight.

[irishfield]

Mag III ABU bait caster I bought in 1983... sent it in for the first time 2 summers ago..because I broke the line guide follower. $30 for parts and a full lube job,, good for another 25 years. Not sure what you're doin Kemper.... but we did have a Quantum spinning reel I bought for my daughter corrode in one season, just from getting wet. Corroded the shaft/bearing and made it tight to crank.. but still usable.

[kemper]

Beats me, Okuma admitted the problem on one of them and has sent me a free one (that I dont even need now as I already replaced it with a shimano) but it seems a little rediculous. They dont get wet other than the odd fish in the rain, they get taken care of and oiled every winter. Also I took one of them apart, an older one, to see how bad it was and the clutch bearing was actually broken..hard to explain but anyone who has seen the clutch out of a bait caster the little roller have small plastic (i think) 'feet' holding them in position and two of these feet were just busted. It isnt like they are just out of place or anything, they are actually busted.

[Raf]

ohh.. it's an okuma.

 

i have a couple - while they are decent reels, they aren't as reliable as the abus, shimanos, daiwas, etc. i've had to exchange a couple in the past.

[highdrifter]

Maybe you're just slaying into too many?!

 

Sounds like you've had a pretty decent season. Your reels are simply suffering from war wounds..

 

ayyoo

HD

[OhioFisherman]

Kemper somethings wrong, you didn`t mention the brand of reel. I have used Abu and Shimano bait casting reels exclusively because of their durability. Abu reels I used for 30 years down here for bass and up there for pike and skis still worked fine.

 

Some reels do have durability problems, they usually aren`t on the market long. I still have 80 era Abu ultra mags and Shimano reels.

 

A small reel and heavy lures might be a problem, gear ratio? More strain on high speed gears? Fast running, large species, Salmon might also be one on a reel designed for bass.

[ehg]

Is it possible that my fishing style (go big or go home, Hit em hard and crank em in) is killing my reels? I use heavy line, PP in nothing less than 30 lb test and using drag is out of the question.

 

Anybody else have this problem?

kemper

 

I still use the same musky baitcaster (Quantum Iron w/ original Fireline) for last 12 yrs. with no problem.

Also have adjusted drag so a 15 lb + musky can pull a little out on their runs. Loosen your drag a bit and your reel should

last longer and the fish will burn out less.

[troutologist]

Not sure if this helps you but after see reels break many times I found it worth while to shell out some more cash and buy decent stuff. Dont need to go crazy but mid range shimanos, diawas as mentioned will stand up more consistently than other.

 

Guiding for lakers in NWT I watched every imaginable piece of gear get blown up. I brought 2 baitcasters up and let many guests use them all season with no problems just some boat rash. Both reels had braid coupled with inexerienced users and both (diawas) are still working great.

 

I disagree with not using the drag and winching fish in, as I've seen alot of rods break with braid. However if it works for you why change it??

 

Most products are meant to last only so long, consistent and hard use will expedite the wear process.

[kemper]

I still use the same musky baitcaster (Quantum Iron w/ original Fireline) for last 12 yrs. with no problem.

Also have adjusted drag so a 15 lb + musky can pull a little out on their runs. Loosen your drag a bit and your reel should

last longer and the fish will burn out less.

 

 

My baitcasters dont really get a workout on species that make runs. Bass only 99 percent of the time. I had one reel burn out when a big musky grabbed my minature spinnerbait and I didnt get to the drag in time but I am not counting that one because it is clearly driver error on my part.

 

Not sure if this helps you but after see reels break many times I found it worth while to shell out some more cash and buy decent stuff. Dont need to go crazy but mid range shimanos, diawas as mentioned will stand up more consistently than other.

 

Guiding for lakers in NWT I watched every imaginable piece of gear get blown up. I brought 2 baitcasters up and let many guests use them all season with no problems just some boat rash. Both reels had braid coupled with inexerienced users and both (diawas) are still working great.

 

I disagree with not using the drag and winching fish in, as I've seen alot of rods break with braid. However if it works for you why change it??

 

Most products are meant to last only so long, consistent and hard use will expedite the wear process.

 

two of thereels I am talking about are in the $200 plus range. They werent cheap. Only the Okuma was brand new and failed, the other two were shimanos and had 4-5 seasons on them. (one expensive one relatively cheap..the cheap one was surprisingly the best for the longest)

Edited November 18, 2008 by kemper

[crappieperchhunter]

Okuma you say. Don't own any of there products. But I have a friend who is a serious carp fisherman. He has $$$ and is not afraid to spend it on his favourite hobby. He has tried Okuma baitrunner carp reels and says they are all JUNK. That's good enough for me. Just on his word I will never own an Okuma reel.

 

However, I have never had a problem with any of the dozen or so Diawa reels I own.

Edited November 18, 2008 by crappieperchhunter

[kemper]

Okuma you say. Don't own any of there products. But I have a friend who is a serious carp fisherman. He has $$$ and is not afraid to spend it on his favourite hobby. He has tried Okuma baitrunner carp reels and says they are all JUNK. That's good enough for me. Just on his word I will never own an Okuma reel.

 

 

Dont even get me started on Okuma. It took me a year to get them to replace a reel that busted TWICE in 4 days worth of fishing over 2 seasons. I think the thing caught a total of 3 pounds worth of bass.

[cram]

I think the no-drag part may be part of your problem. The reels are meant to work with drag. Not saying its a better way to fish (i think it is, but i suspect you know 25x more about fishing than me), but mechanically i can't see the gears being built to work without drag as a buffer.

[bassjnkie]

Kemper, I would never put my personal fishing style in the hands of Okuma or even Quantum. Okuma is an entry level reel with no back bone, whether it be bass, pike or even carp. They are very nice reel, but that's it. I started bass fishing at 13 year old, and got my first baitcaster a couple years later. I tried them all over the years, and the only ones that could handle the punishment of 50-80# braid, solid hook sets, ripping bass out of slop, is Shimano and Daiwa. I had a couple quantums given to me, with the only intent but to punish them. Drag locked, crazy solid hook sets, fish flying out of the thick cover and truthfully most of the reels skipped a beat. I still own my old Shimanos and Daiwas and I will never take them for granted.

 

If the style I mention is like your, you won't be happy with anything other than the top two companies in the market.

 

To you personally: Would you buy a 12" ugly stick and a southbend center pin for steels. Won't be reliable or really worth it.

 

You are really not destroying the reels, they are supposed to be used without worries.

Edited November 18, 2008 by DanielM

[kemper]

Kemper, I would never put my personal fishing style in the hands of Okuma or even Quantum. Okuma is an entry level reel with no back bone, whether it be bass, pike or even carp. They are very nice reel, but that's it. I started bass fishing at 13 year old, and got my first baitcaster a couple years later. I tried them all over the years, and the only ones that could handle the punishment of 50-80# braid, solid hook sets, ripping bass out of slop, is Shimano and Daiwa. I had a couple quantums given to me, with the only intent but to punish them. Drag locked, crazy solid hook sets, fish flying out of the thick cover and truthfully most of the reels skipped a beat. I still own my old Shimanos and Daiwas and I will never take them for granted.

 

If the style I mention is like your, you won't be happy with anything other than the top two companies in the market.

 

To you personally: Would you buy a 12" ugly stick and a southbend center pin for steels. Won't be reliable or really worth it.

 

You are really not destroying the reels, they are supposed to be used without worries.

 

Good points, my shimano was the best to me and I have a couple that I trust 100 percent not to fail no matter what I do to them. Anything that says Okuma on it I tend to be really gentle with. haha

 

thanks all

 

looks like i gotta go buy a bunch more shimano stuff....haha

[GBW]

Hold off on the spending Kemper as Santa is on his way... A few emails here and there to your folks (2 or 12 times a day) of the ones you are looking at might get them thinking of what to get you...

So I gather Okuma gives bad fishing Karma?

[4thgen]

I have a Shimano Calcutta that has seen 90% of my casting/fishing over the last ten years and has performed flawlessly with only a cleaning/re-oiling once a year. On the other hand I have a Corsair that hasn't worked right since the day I bought it -- the handle will spin backwards with any good tug on the line. I guess it just comes down to buying quality the first time -- I haven't tried any Okuma products and reading this makes me think better of it.

[qaz]

I've never had a problem with my Okuma reels. Is it maybe just the baitcast ones you guys are having trouble with.. I mean eveything from "how the #% did that $#@$#% fish get the hook in it's mouth "3" bluegill to stripers off the rocks in Mass. Never had a problem with the spinning reels I got.. I use a size 50 reel with 8lbs and 15lbs line on the two spools...

 

Did I some how win the Okuma reel Lottery?

 

[danbo]

Just make sure you stop your lure BEFORE it hits the water. Then engage to reel it in.

[qaz]

Just make sure you stop your lure BEFORE it hits the water. Then engage to reel it in.

I don't have a problem with "run on".

 

 

I know baitcasters can be real bird nest builders...But I use a spinning reel. I personally think a baitcaster is

Edited November 19, 2008 by vman

[danbo]

Who are you?

[qaz]

Who are you?

 

 

Who are you directing your question to?

Or are you quoting a song by "The Who"?

[Headhunter]

Must resist bashing Okuma..... but I can't!!!!!

I have two Convectors that get very little use and I can hardly wait until I convince my wallet to come out of my pants to replace both with Diawa Sealines!

Junk!

HH

[Hotrod2066]

I use the okuma epixor spinning reels and they have been fantastic for the price and I have been using them for years and I fish alot. They have reel rash from the front deck and have NOT been babied one bit and I would recommend them to anyone. Having said that I looked at the baitcasters and line counters and they look like bunk compared to the spinners. After reading this thread I'm glad I never bought any of them. I guess my point is okuma spinning reels are very good, the others not so good.

[qaz]

I use the okuma epixor spinning reels and they have been fantastic for the price and I have been using them for years and I fish alot. They have reel rash from the front deck and have NOT been babied one bit and I would recommend them to anyone. Having said that I looked at the baitcasters and line counters and they look like bunk compared to the spinners. After reading this thread I'm glad I never bought any of them. I guess my point is okuma spinning reels are very good, the others not so good.

 

That's way the way it is looking to me as well. I just wanted to check if they were talking all styles of reel or were they only talking about Baitcasters..Seems to me that just throwing around comments about brand names can a bad way to go. I mean I razzi my buddy about his dodge, but if it's the last truck in the drive way I'll still take it out on a beer run.. Now if model x of brand B is junk then say so, don't paint the only brand with the same brush.

Edited November 19, 2008 by vman