New Shimano reel question

[Ry609]

OK, curious to see the responses to this one.

Looking to get a new toy for next season and I'm a big fan of shimano reels mostly because of the refinement and light weight. I want to get a true "do everything" reel and I'm between a stradic 5000 fl, saragosa 5000 sw, or the twin power 5000 sw. I have an old model stradic 2500 fk and love using it for everything from fluke, stripers, blues, blackfish off the jetty, you name it, but I couldn't bring that in nearshore waters and feel comfortable to not get spooled by something big. Obviously there's a big price difference and I'm wondering, if I went with the twin power, what am I really getting that's worth $200+ than the stradic?

Thanks in advance.

[Flygaff]

I have always been a believer in the Shimano reel products. However, Shimano will not manufacture or stock reel part after the product reaches 3 years old. For reels of this cost range I would think parts should be available for a ten year period. I recently contacted Shimano for parts of some of my reels. I was told by them I sould toss them out and buy new ones. this pissed me off to no end. After searching the country for parts I indeed did toss them out. However, I did not and will never again buy any Shimano products. I went with Daiwa reels. I could not be happier. Just something to think about

[Ry609]

Originally Posted by Flygaff

I have always been a believer in the Shimano reel products. However, Shimano will not manufacture or stock reel part after the product reaches 3 years old. For reels of this cost range I would think parts should be available for a ten year period. I recently contacted Shimano for parts of some of my reels. I was told by them I sould toss them out and buy new ones. this pissed me off to no end. After searching the country for parts I indeed did toss them out. However, I did not and will never again buy any Shimano products. I went with Daiwa reels. I could not be happier. Just something to think about

Interesting, thanks for that info! Any particular Daiwa you went with in place of the Shimanos?

[Jigman13]

The Daiwa Ballistic LT 4000 is a sweet do it all reel. 26 lbs of drag; holds close to 300 yds of 30 lb braid. Its pretty compact and light. I just bought one earlier this week. I now have the 2500, 3000 and 4000. Plus the older 2500 EX. The 5000 is close to the size of a 4000.

For our inshore waters, I see no need whatsoever for a twin power, or gosa for that matter. If you were targeting tuna or pelagics, sure--makes perfect sense. But inshore, 20+ lbs of drag in a spinning reel is ample to turn a 50 lb striper should you fortunate to connect with one. The 5000 would hold a LOT of 30 lb braid too.

Applications matter, too. I wouldnt use the 4000/5000 Ballistic surf fishing. I'd lean more towards the Gosa here, or the cheaper yet heavier Spheros is you're being budget conscious.

Ultimately, everyone has their preferred weapons. But me personally, for inshore spinning (fluke, blackfish, stripers, etc.) and freshwater applications, I've converted to Daiwa from Shimano. Offshore targeting pelagics, I'll stick with Shimano/Penn.

[Ry609]

Originally Posted by Jigman13

The Daiwa Ballistic LT 4000 is a sweet do it all reel. 26 lbs of drag; holds close to 300 yds of 30 lb braid. Its pretty compact and light. I just bought one earlier this week. I now have the 2500, 3000 and 4000. Plus the older 2500 EX. The 5000 is close to the size of a 4000.

For our inshore waters, I see no need whatsoever for a twin power, or gosa for that matter. If you were targeting tuna or pelagics, sure--makes perfect sense. But inshore, 20+ lbs of drag in a spinning reel is ample to turn a 50 lb striper should you fortunate to connect with one. The 5000 would hold a LOT of 30 lb braid too.

Applications matter, too. I wouldnt use the 4000/5000 Ballistic surf fishing. I'd lean more towards the Gosa here, or the cheaper yet heavier Spheros is you're being budget conscious.

Ultimately, everyone has their preferred weapons. But me personally, for inshore spinning (fluke, blackfish, stripers, etc.) and freshwater applications, I've converted to Daiwa from Shimano. Offshore targeting pelagics, I'll stick with Shimano/Penn.

Nice, thank you! I do see a lot of people switching from Shimano to Daiwa, you are not the first and I'm sure not the last I'll see. Going to give the Ballistic a serious look for boat use.