RE: Okuma Cedros Star Drag 12S

[Ellis Feibush]

Just curious, has anyone  out there tried out the Okuma Cedros Star Drag 12S yet? I checked on the specs and construction of this reel and it seems like the reel deal. No Makaira 8 but it seems to be a well built reel. It appears Okuma is building some very well made fish catchers. Anyone out there with any experience with this model, your findings would be much appreciated. Thinking about purchasing one. Thanks for any responses.

[rodent]

There is some discussion going on Bloody Decks "Forum" "fishing reels".  It's about Cedros versus the Penn torque/fathom.

[RWS]

I worked on a CORTEZ CZ 10CS  I thought it was well made for a 100.00 reel. I gave it a reoil and grease and gave it a tune and the customer was going to use it next week on his trip. When he got back he called me said the reel had no drag, I ask if he put mono backing on first he said yes, so I told him to call OKUMA they said there was bad drags in lot of them to send it in and they will fix it. Also they said that the spool is so slick that he should have tape the mono to the spool ? I never heard that one before. As so as he gets his reel back he will email about the mods OKUMA did to his reel.

[rmi63]

I own the 10S series and just returned from a 7 day trip on the Independence. Nothing too big were caught but 20 lb yellowtails and yellowfins did test the reel a little. I have it spooled up with 300 yds of 50lb spectra with a topshot of 30lb. It performed well and casts great.  I took it apart yesterday and it was a little tricky trying to figure out how the assembly comes apart but the drags on these reel are pretty big. My opinion on these reels are that they are nice reels and built very solid. I don't think you would be disappointed on one.

Ron

[Ellis Feibush]

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the response. How was the drag on your reel? When you took it apart, were the bearings dry and did the reel need the traditional oil and grease job or was it in good shape inside? My experience is that Okuma reels can be a little different inside. Sometimes even over engineered and unnecessarily complicated especially their A/R systems, which can be improved. Sometimes some of their reels have shielded drag systems, using a plastic cover. Not sure if these covers really do much to control oil intrusion, but sometimes they are still there. Your reply is much appreciated.

[rmi63]

The drag was more than adequate. I didn't measure it but I only fished 30lbs with it. It looked a little dry so I applied more Cal's grease to the washer. I haven't opened up the bearings yet but plan on doing it today as it was getting a little late last night. Other than that, there is not much difference between this star drag and other companies. It uses the same dog principle as the torium but the main gear is more hefty. There is no plastic cover on the drag system. I'll try and get some pictures posted later today.

Ron

[Ellis Feibush]

Thanks again Ron for your quick response. Is the A/R device an Abu Garcia type A/R or is a spring/dog tooth type? I used Alan's spring/dog tooth upgrade on my Torium and it improved the longevity and reliability of the A/R on this particular reel. Dont' much care for the Abu type of A/R system. Thanks again for your reply Ron.

[rmi63]

The right side plate comes off by removing the four torx screws on the right side:


To get to the inside, remove the two screws on the side and the one on the bottom. There is also a screw in the top opening of the black plastic that needs to be removed. Once figuring that out, the whole thing drops out in one piece.

Here is the drag washers along with a ruler so you can see how large these washers are. It is in centimeters:


The dog is like the Abu Garcia but is more hefty than the torium:


The funny thing is it says it has 6 bearings but I can locate only 5. Two on the spool, one in the handle, one on the drive shaft and one roller bearing.

[Ellis Feibush]

Thanks for those nice images Ron. At least now I have an idea what I'm getting into. The diameter of that drag washer looks huge. Thanks again Ron for taking the trouble.

[CaptainDD]

I purchased a couple of Okuma Cedros CSD 12S along with 2 of the Cedros 5' 6" extra heavy duty jigging rods for my Charter Boat. The rods are really stiff and heavy duty. After 2 charters the handle on one of the Cedros reels broke into while reeling in a 30 pound halibut. I looked at the handle and it appears to be made out of cast aluminum. I will contact Okuma to see if a better stainless steel crank handle is available.

[Ellis Feibush]

Thanks for the info skipper.

[Normslanding]

I have both a 10 and a 12. They have had heavy use in Puerto Vallarta, and fishing San Diego. Not one issue. I fish 40 and 50 throwing iron. I find my self fishing more and more with two speed lever drag reels. But these two I still fish a lot. If I recall the biggest fish on the two is a 80lb. Pargo. But a lot of fish in the 40 to 70 lb. range have been taken on these reels. Hector the guy I fish in PV with can't wait for me to give the reels to him. Just good durable reels.