this is the gold shimano reel previous model from the actual as you already now.
I bought it used in regular shape few months ago, I wanted to have it much better than it was so, I planned to just upgrade the drags to Carbontex but since few years ago I got spoiled by the boss of the site and the rest of the guys here, so instead of just getting new CF drags I went with the clicking dog (trinidad DC dog and spring) and even I have enough luck to find a brand new Cals drag plate for this reel, some guys say its not necesary if your reel was bough after 2005, well anyway I wanted to give it a try.
cals drag plate on the left, stock drag plate on the right
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/alextellofotos/carrretes/P1060085%20ss_zps9kuvzcsv.jpg) (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/alextellofotos/media/carrretes/P1060085%20ss_zps9kuvzcsv.jpg.html)
here's a close up of both drag plates, note: cals drag plate is showing the bottom of the plate while the stocker is showing the top of it.
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/alextellofotos/carrretes/P1060088%20ss_zpsvdrb8qu1.jpg) (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/alextellofotos/media/carrretes/P1060088%20ss_zpsvdrb8qu1.jpg.html)
here's another close up but backwards, cals showing top section and stocker the bottom that make contact on the CF drag washer
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/alextellofotos/carrretes/P1060091%20ss_zpsqyby69yj.jpg) (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/alextellofotos/media/carrretes/P1060091%20ss_zpsqyby69yj.jpg.html)
carbontex now installed instead of the ugly Dartanium drags
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/alextellofotos/carrretes/P1060092%20ss_zpst24pajic.jpg) (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/alextellofotos/media/carrretes/P1060092%20ss_zpst24pajic.jpg.html)
then Cals drag plate installed
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/alextellofotos/carrretes/P1060096%20ss_zps7nx0ht6e.jpg) (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/alextellofotos/media/carrretes/P1060096%20ss_zps7nx0ht6e.jpg.html)
I forgot the take a picture of the dog upgrade, now it has a clicking dog and its always engaged no more worries on nuckle buster anymore.
the new dog and spring are not noticiable on this pic but I pointed out with a red arrow where the spring is holding the trinidad DC dog.
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/alextellofotos/carrretes/P1060093%20ss_zpsnsn3uclw.jpg) (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/alextellofotos/media/carrretes/P1060093%20ss_zpsnsn3uclw.jpg.html)
before closing the reel I also modified the nylon gear on the left side of the spool, I just grinded the teeth off to make it round and avoid contact with the rest of the plastic gears on the left plate, this mod increase the free spool tremendously
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/alextellofotos/carrretes/IMAG2447%20ss_zpslb5xtzkh.jpg) (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/alextellofotos/media/carrretes/IMAG2447%20ss_zpslb5xtzkh.jpg.html)
not perfect it looks really good and served its purpose
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/alextellofotos/carrretes/IMAG2453%20ss_zpsr2dvhmnk.jpg) (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/alextellofotos/media/carrretes/IMAG2453%20ss_zpsr2dvhmnk.jpg.html)
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/alextellofotos/carrretes/IMAG2451%20ss_zpstdosh97o.jpg) (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/alextellofotos/media/carrretes/IMAG2451%20ss_zpstdosh97o.jpg.html)
and last mod was to take the centrifugal brake system from the spool, but I did it because I feel very confortable and confident of the good old manual system when casting (thumb brake system) and without that weigh on the spool it feels ligther to spin, perfect for fishing live bait or cast light metal jigs all day (dont pay attention to the bearings on the bag, they belong to another reel), added few drops of tsi321 oil on each bearing.
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/alextellofotos/carrretes/IMAG2457%20ss_zpsuotdxjra.jpg) (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/alextellofotos/media/carrretes/IMAG2457%20ss_zpsuotdxjra.jpg.html)
some grease on the handle bearing to protect it from the saltwater and call it a day on this reel.
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/alextellofotos/carrretes/P1060099%20ss_zpsp6px0wo5.jpg) (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/alextellofotos/media/carrretes/P1060099%20ss_zpsp6px0wo5.jpg.html)
now after this many mods the reel feels ligther, more secure and stronger, they really worth the cost and time invested on them.
I might look for a nicer handle knob for this reel just for the bling factor.
********* UPDATE ***********************
instead of making another thread for my trini 16 I will update this one as this mod is also an improvement over the stock form (at least for me)
since the two small pins of the centrifugal control are next to zero help when casting anything above 4oz ( I normally cast 4 and 6oz jigs) then I opted to mag my reel with some small rare earth magnets, the reason was mostly what I just said and also I like to tinker my reels when I not in the water, this reel will never be used for surf fishing so I dont care if I lose 15-30yds on a casting distance, fishing on a panga you can always be near to any place to cast comfortable, no need for 70-80yds casting distance to reach the birds (feeding frenzy ).
well anyway, those mags can always be taken out if needed.
what you will need.
- some rare earth magnets
- glue , this time I used shoe goo
- a piece of square plastic
- a flat steel metal bar to put the magnets or steel washers if you prefer
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/alextellofotos/1%20Reel%20repair/P1060401%20ss_zps3zcakcdl.jpg) (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/alextellofotos/media/1%20Reel%20repair/P1060401%20ss_zps3zcakcdl.jpg.html)
first many hours before this I "painted" the flat steel bar and the rare magnets with nail acrylic polish to add a cover and prevent corrosion from the saltwater
then you need to glue the plastic thingy to the left side plate to be used as a base and also to put the magnets closer to the spool, the reason to use the plastic as base and not a bunch on metal washers is that I dont want to have anykind of reaction if I glue the steel flat bar directly to the aluminium plate.
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/alextellofotos/1%20Reel%20repair/P1060402%20ss_zpsmip1mmwj.jpg) (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/alextellofotos/media/1%20Reel%20repair/P1060402%20ss_zpsmip1mmwj.jpg.html)
then you also glue the steel flat bar to the plastic base
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/alextellofotos/1%20Reel%20repair/P1060403%20ss_zpspx6cbagm.jpg) (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/alextellofotos/media/1%20Reel%20repair/P1060403%20ss_zpspx6cbagm.jpg.html)
lastly you install the magnets, positive and negative next to each other, that will add more magnetic field than glued in all positive or all negavite order.
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/alextellofotos/1%20Reel%20repair/P1060409%20ss_zpssemgqyg6.jpg) (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/alextellofotos/media/1%20Reel%20repair/P1060409%20ss_zpssemgqyg6.jpg.html)
magnets are not glue, they are really strong and will be stick in their place forever, actually if you want to remove one of them you will have to use a flat screwdriver to push it out, really hard to take one out by hand.
this is how the static mag assembly looks
(http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa198/alextellofotos/1%20Reel%20repair/P1060415%20ss_zpsnjhklfhd.jpg) (http://s202.photobucket.com/user/alextellofotos/media/1%20Reel%20repair/P1060415%20ss_zpsnjhklfhd.jpg.html)
depending on your casting skills and your educated thumb you will find this mod as unnecesary but for a rockie or person that find hard to cast a conventional reel this will help a lot, specially on windy days
on this reel the free spool didnt got affected at all, same 30-40 seconds of free spool but 2x to 3x better when casting a 4oz jig
They are great reels. I use 2 30's, and a 40N, narrow model.
Good job on the restoration. It will last a long time.
great reels! funny, though, that once you are done you basically have a torium! ;D
Quote from: alantani on August 21, 2015, 12:17:45 AM
great reels! funny, though, that once you are done you basically have a torium! ;D
But one that won't corrode so bad..!!
Quote from: alantani on August 21, 2015, 12:17:45 AM
great reels! funny, though, that once you are done you basically have a torium! ;D
thanks Boss.. tonight all mods will be reversed to where they were >:(
LOL, now seriously, If I ever feel the need to use the centrifugal brakes again they will be up in 5 minutes and the nylon gear cost $1.50 and then you will have a $400 reel again ;D ;D :P
nice Steelfish...
I own the ocea jigger 3000, probably the JDM counterpart of this reel... What is the advantage of Cal's plate? And what is the size?
I wonder if it will fit into the OJ3000 :D
they are fantastic reels, I can kick myself I never got a Trinidad 40, now they are unobtanium
Nice work, Steelfish!
I don't want to hijack your thread but I just wanted to ask a quick question to those who have serviced many Trinidads/Toriums over the years...
While gazing upon the inside of the right side plate at the recess which accommodates the spools fixed axle, would anyone remember if they had found cases where the recess had grooved from abuse and damaged/grooved the spool axle in the process?
I ask because another reel repairer claims it is an inherent weakness with these models, but I've never seen or read of this issue before. :-\
Quote from: madday on August 21, 2015, 08:00:15 AM
nice Steelfish...
I own the ocea jigger 3000, probably the JDM counterpart of this reel... What is the advantage of Cal's plate? And what is the size?
I wonder if it will fit into the OJ3000 :D
Helllo Madday, according to some guys and reading over many sites this Cals drag plate add a bit more pressure on the drag stack no much noticiable over the stock drag plate but the real advantage is since is the bottom side is machined as you can see on the pics #1 and #2 and if you add some CF washers then the drag will be smoother than when using the stock molded drag plate.
I read also that there was an issue with the drag on the first trinidad models and shimano offered a Free upgrade kit for those who bought their reels before 2005, they changed the drag plate and right side plate, before this upgrade the Cals drag plate was a big improvement over the stock drag that trinidad had, If Im not wrong the Boss Alan Tani said that at this moment there is not significant improvement over using the stock drag plate or Cals drag plate, but since I found one brand new locally with a friend it would not hurt to test it.
Quote from: Fish-aholic on August 21, 2015, 03:58:42 PM
Nice work, Steelfish!
I don't want to hijack your thread but I just wanted to ask a quick question to those who have serviced many Trinidads/Toriums over the years...
While gazing upon the inside of the right side plate at the recess which accommodates the spools fixed axle, would anyone remember if they had found cases where the recess had grooved from abuse and damaged/grooved the spool axle in the process?
I ask because another reel repairer claims it is an inherent weakness with these models, but I've never seen or read of this issue before. :-\
I have no even close the experience and years working on repairing reels as many of the guys here, but so far I have serviced and repair a bunch of toriums (which is very popular in Baja) and another bunch of trinidad reels, none of them had any problem as you described.
mostly the bearings are the first to go and then few problems on corrosion on toriums, but I need to clarify that both problems are totally for a lack of service in many years.
Thanks for your insight!
Maybe it's safe to assume the deafening silence regarding my question is not the wide spread problem it has been painted out to be ???
Nice.
QuoteNice work, Steelfish!
I don't want to hijack your thread but I just wanted to ask a quick question to those who have serviced many Trinidads/Toriums over the years...
While gazing upon the inside of the right side plate at the recess which accommodates the spools fixed axle, would anyone remember if they had found cases where the recess had grooved from abuse and damaged/grooved the spool axle in the process?
I ask because another reel repairer claims it is an inherent weakness with these models, but I've never seen or read of this issue before.
The only long term problems we have found with both Torium and Trinidad (gold) reels, is basically down to the abuse some of our anglers visit upon these reels, combined with lack of maintenance.
It starts with the fact the guys wade with the reels, getting them fully saturated, and then don't wash them out after fishing. This causes serious problems with the bush (Torium) and bearing (Trinidad) at the bottom of the main shaft – they rust and then self destruct. Apart from that they are both pretty good reels, and have only need of a drag upgrade to make them very good – even in our abusive environment.
Hope that helps.
Cheers from sunny Africa
Jeri
Quote from: Jeri on August 23, 2015, 04:38:05 PMThe only long term problems we have found with both Torium and Trinidad (gold) reels, is basically down to the abuse some of our anglers visit upon these reels, combined with lack of maintenance.
It starts with the fact the guys wade with the reels, getting them fully saturated, and then don't wash them out after fishing. This causes serious problems with the bush (Torium) and bearing (Trinidad) at the bottom of the main shaft – they rust and then self destruct. Apart from that they are both pretty good reels, and have only need of a drag upgrade to make them very good – even in our abusive environment.
Hope that helps.
Cheers from sunny Africa
Jeri
Those
common issues you've mentioned I have experienced myself on many occasions. I have even had reels with severe tooth damage to both the main and pinion gears including having bent spool axles, yet despite the obvious abuse, I've not seen or read any documented cases regarding damage to the recess I have enquired about. :-\
Seems this apparent achilles heel holds as much water as a sieve.
Thanks for the enlightenment of your experiences, Jeri!
updated the 1st post.
now with a static magging process on the same reel.
Hi Steelfish,
In your adaptation of this Trinidad, do you not think that you have taken one time proven and versatile braking system – removed it, and replaced it with a non-adjustable system of unknown potential problems.
Sure you can reduce the magnetic influence by removing a single magnet or more, but the flux value of the magnets is perhaps an initial issue – as when buying your first magnets, there will be a period of trial and error to get the right amount of magnetic influence to adjust the reel to your personal preference and casting skill?
There have been many casting reels adapted to use magnetic braking over centrifugal braking, but on all the deliberate factory systems they have the huge benefit of external adjustment, whether by proximity or polarity changes. And it is this very singular aspect that makes static magnetic braking a failure – the lack of external adjustability. You might have saved a lot of time and anguish by sticking with the original centrifugal system, which has infinite adjustability to the very fine requirements of multiple levels of casting skill.
I have owned a number of magnetic braked reels, and also a good number with centrifugal, and have always found that in my requirements of distance surf casting, that the theme of development goes from standard greased bearings to high speed oils, and with very fine tuning of the centrifugal to maximise the effect of the first stage tuning. Even to the point where on some models, actually reducing the mass of the brake blocks will give the ultimate finesse required for absolute maximum distance. Messing around with removing whole static magnets would never give that kind of ability and versatility.
The original designs for long distance surf casting and tournament casting were basically to introduce braking towards the end of the flight of the sinker as gravity, air resistance and loss of inertia start to influence the sinker from taking the line a high speed reel is delivering – through adjustability of the magnetic braking – something that static magnets will never be able to offer.
If you wanted to slow a 'too fast' reel down, just pack the bearings full of thick grease?
Just my personal 2 cents worth.
Cheers from sunny Africa
Jeri
nice job on the trini. I have experienced the opposite Jeri, I recently got rid of the centrifugals on my old silver Saltist 30h and had them replaced with a static mag (it can be adjusted by removing magnets or shifting them) and it has transformed the reel, casting distance and ease has markedly improved.
Hi Capefish,
I'm sure your reel is possibly casting better with the static magnet braking, as any system that controls or moderates the spool speed according to the casters skill – will improve the performance/
My first point was that static magnet systems are little better than centrifugal braking systems – both are static in their ability to be adjusted during the actual cast. The point is that either system can be adjusted by adding or removing magnets or brake blocks – but only by opening the reel cover – slightly difficult during a cast?
A point often missed with centrifugal braking systems, is that people think that the balance of the spool would be disrupted by having an odd number of brake blocks, and folks won't go down to perhaps just one brake block for fear of upsetting the balance – when in fact 1 block, or even ½ block can be a very effective way of achieving fine tuning to moderate spool speed – which is what either system is doing. Static magnets or brake blocks are dampening speed across the entire range of the spool speed, and putting a limitation on both acceleration and top speed.
The big point here, which a lot of folks miss when tuning such reels for distance casting – is that the most important factor is not top speed, but acceleration – the period from 0 rpm up to maximum rpm. Which is exactly why tournament casters that have developed their reels for absolute maximum performance will change out bearing to the fastest running ceramic, reduce spool weight and other refinement to get as close as possible to the lowest possible inertia values for the very beginning of the cast – without any braking what so ever. Once the spool is away and flying, then with minor adjustments of their refined magnetic controls, they will avoid loose coils on the spool, by fine adjustments top the magnets during the flight of the sinker. Then as the whole cast starts to wind down, and the sinker starts to go into 'deceleration mode', they will further add spool braking on the adjustable magnets.
This is exactly why adjustable magnetic controls are built into casting reels by manufacturers – the fact that the reel can be adjusted externally by their customer without the benefit of using a screwdriver. So, for the general fisherman, they can adjust braking according to the variable needs of the conditions, and further adjust according to their casting skills, and ven during the cast. The manufacturers would love the much cheaper option of static magnets if the market would tolerate such a system, they would certainly increase their profitability on those reels, if they just had to glue a couple of magnets in – instead of the obviously more costly adjustable systems.
A reel you are familiar with – Shimano Trinidad DC, wouldn't Shimano have been happier sticking some static magnets in the side cover, rather than developing that very complex adjustable electromagnetic braking system they put in that reel?? Much cheaper as well!!
We sell a lot of reels to anglers for surf casting, and have reels that are so fast, that we actually test the angler's skill at using one, before we sell one of those models, as only very skilled anglers are up to the task of mastering some of the seriously fast reels that can be used for surf casting. Better that folks buy something that they can actually manage, rather than sell them something they will struggle with forever. When we first started selling Avets, folks over-estimated their skills levels, and bought them from us, and not long after there were a lot of Avets being sold on the second hand market, as they anglers had not been able to cope with the awesome speeds that the reels can produce – but some mastered the reels and gained huge distance benefits.
Even now we offer a service to new customers to help them tune and refine their new reels to a state that they can control the reels, whether this is through brake block changes or even in some cases thicker oil in the bearings. The point is to adjust the speed to the reel to the skills level of the angler, and preserve as much potential acceleration as possible.
Just my personal 2 cents worth.
Cheers from sunny Africa
Jeri
thanks Capefish, I have experienced the same on my saltist 20h, any kind of additional help on casting will be better for us not pro skilled casters.
Jeri,
Im 100% agree on everything you said, I actually made the static mag on the trini cuz I was bored on a sunday and I need to have my hands on a reel even if Im not fishing LOL.
maybe I need to have experience on casting irons really far from a boat with a 9' or 10' jigstick and get the most distance I can achieve, but since 90% of the time I fish on a small panga boat here at Baja (sea of cortez), we dont have the need to cast really far the jigs or irons, as long as you get the jig 40-50 mts away from you, let it sink and retrieve is a good technique over here.
when I was starting fishing few years ago, I learned to cast on a jigmaster 500 and 505hs and sealine 40xha, the only cast control with them was Thumb-control on the lip of the spool or directly on the line, so the trini, torium, fathom, calcutta are really easier to cast all stock the those old penn reels.
my trini, the baja special, the saltist 20h are never used on surf fishing so, no need for external mag knobs on them, although the saltist 20h is a good candidate for an external mag knob, I used it to from the rocks but then I got an abu 6500c3 and a 7000i and the saltist went for inshore fishing from a boat.
look at this mod bit more like a "fool-proof cast aid" than a scientific method to improve jig casting, I will leave that for the reel factories and hardcore surf casters.
saludos and its always great to have this kind of hugh knowleage participation
Quote from: Jeri on September 14, 2015, 07:42:38 AM
Hi Capefish,
I'm sure your reel is possibly casting better with the static magnet braking, as any system that controls or moderates the spool speed according to the casters skill – will improve the performance/
My first point was that static magnet systems are little better than centrifugal braking systems – both are static in their ability to be adjusted during the actual cast. The point is that either system can be adjusted by adding or removing magnets or brake blocks – but only by opening the reel cover – slightly difficult during a cast?
A point often missed with centrifugal braking systems, is that people think that the balance of the spool would be disrupted by having an odd number of brake blocks, and folks won't go down to perhaps just one brake block for fear of upsetting the balance – when in fact 1 block, or even ½ block can be a very effective way of achieving fine tuning to moderate spool speed – which is what either system is doing. Static magnets or brake blocks are dampening speed across the entire range of the spool speed, and putting a limitation on both acceleration and top speed.
The big point here, which a lot of folks miss when tuning such reels for distance casting – is that the most important factor is not top speed, but acceleration – the period from 0 rpm up to maximum rpm. Which is exactly why tournament casters that have developed their reels for absolute maximum performance will change out bearing to the fastest running ceramic, reduce spool weight and other refinement to get as close as possible to the lowest possible inertia values for the very beginning of the cast – without any braking what so ever. Once the spool is away and flying, then with minor adjustments of their refined magnetic controls, they will avoid loose coils on the spool, by fine adjustments top the magnets during the flight of the sinker. Then as the whole cast starts to wind down, and the sinker starts to go into 'deceleration mode', they will further add spool braking on the adjustable magnets.
This is exactly why adjustable magnetic controls are built into casting reels by manufacturers – the fact that the reel can be adjusted externally by their customer without the benefit of using a screwdriver. So, for the general fisherman, they can adjust braking according to the variable needs of the conditions, and further adjust according to their casting skills, and ven during the cast. The manufacturers would love the much cheaper option of static magnets if the market would tolerate such a system, they would certainly increase their profitability on those reels, if they just had to glue a couple of magnets in – instead of the obviously more costly adjustable systems.
A reel you are familiar with – Shimano Trinidad DC, wouldn't Shimano have been happier sticking some static magnets in the side cover, rather than developing that very complex adjustable electromagnetic braking system they put in that reel?? Much cheaper as well!!
We sell a lot of reels to anglers for surf casting, and have reels that are so fast, that we actually test the angler's skill at using one, before we sell one of those models, as only very skilled anglers are up to the task of mastering some of the seriously fast reels that can be used for surf casting. Better that folks buy something that they can actually manage, rather than sell them something they will struggle with forever. When we first started selling Avets, folks over-estimated their skills levels, and bought them from us, and not long after there were a lot of Avets being sold on the second hand market, as they anglers had not been able to cope with the awesome speeds that the reels can produce – but some mastered the reels and gained huge distance benefits.
Even now we offer a service to new customers to help them tune and refine their new reels to a state that they can control the reels, whether this is through brake block changes or even in some cases thicker oil in the bearings. The point is to adjust the speed to the reel to the skills level of the angler, and preserve as much potential acceleration as possible.
Just my personal 2 cents worth.
Cheers from sunny Africa
Jeri
Jeri,
Great post, thanks for sharing. I fully understand what you are saying, but I also need something that works for me when I go fishing and I have found that I could rarely use a centrifugal system without thumbing and that causes the most distance loss. I would happily have a Trinidad DC system in all my reels, but alas that's not going to happen. I also can't see myself fiddling with an adjustable knobby mag while standing up to my armpits in the surf. So the static has been a revelation for me, on two of my reels I have shifted the magnets to make them run faster. The others came back just perfect from the guy that fitted them. I tried them in really bad conditions, probably a 40knot wind head on wind and got remarkable distance and no overwinds.
Cheers,
Leon
Hi Leon,
I don't doubt that static magnets work for some folks, and I totally appreciate the point about wading – we do the same here in Namibia.
With centrifugal braking systems in southern Africa, people just pull out the brake blocks at first service, then struggle with the reel or wind in the spool float knob – that certainly slows the reel down – but they will never get distance.
The fact that they don't appreciate that you can fine tune a reel with the blocks, either by adding or removing or even doubling up is a shame, as it is a very good method of getting reels under control for the less skilled casters. The same is achieved with static magnets. At this point in the discussion, I can't see the point of everyone looking to increase the speed of their reels to the point where they have to then introduce an expensive system to slow it all down again???
The other option that we have been using a lot – especially for reels that are going to purposely be used for wading, it to pack the bearings with grease, as well as remove brake blocks. It has got to the point where a lot of competition anglers now have specific rod and reel set up, purely for wading. And with this set up there is the benefit of the bearings lasting longer due the immersion problems – the grease protects the bearings and also slows the reel down a fair bit, which is what folks are looking for when wading, as footing and wave action cause instability for the caster – another source of poor casting.
The same guys will have a different set up for 'off the beach', as with the more modern designs of blanks, and the very fast tip recovery speeds, reels with very fast spin speeds are needed to get the optimum out of the rods. The point is to allow the line off the reel fast enough to cope with the speed of the sinker, and the new designs of blanks are creating hugely increased sinker speeds. The point we are getting to in long distance surf angling, is that folks need a seriously fast reel to get the whole package working – braking the reel is just a step backwards. But, get it right, as we have folks dropping smallish baits at 200 metres off the beach. In surf casting, the reel needs to take the secondary position – to compliment the rod.
I can foresee a time in the coming years, where we will see guys tuning their externally controlled magnets during the flight of the sinker, just to maximise the distances that will be achieved. The rods are already available, just we don't have the anglers with the right casting techniques to warrant it at this time. But as the competition brigade strive for ever more distance to reach the fish first, then surf fishing will evolve further.
Just my personal 2 cents worth.
Cheers from sunny Africa
Jeri
Jeri,
you guys are in a league of your own, I doubt anyone in Cape Town can even sniff 200m. I am hoping to get small baits in the 150m range on good days with my magged reels now and one of the other reasons why I had it done was that I am planning to shift to casting braid and am now pretty confident I can do that. My other reels had no brake system at all so the mags have made a tremendous difference.
Keep us posted on your progress, you are pushing the boundaries. Steelfish, sorry for hijacking your post!
Cheers,
Leon
Hi Loen,
Switch to braid and a grinder, and get a decent rod, and you will be consistently dropping baits at 150m, our best 'grinder' guys are dropping at 190-200m for Spotted Gully sharks and Kob.
The other strange thing is they have all gone down from 7oz to 5 & 6oz, and it is exceeding their wildest expectations. There is something about the ballistics of distance casting that offers maximum distance with 5.5oz.
Even as an 'olden' – nearly eligible for 'grand master' selection, I'm dropping baits to 150 metres, and only using 30lb braid. My wife slightly older than I, is dropping baits at 120 metres, 30lb braid, 5oz sinker and a very good rod, teamed up with an Ultegra 4500.
Her previous best was 100 metres with a Torium 14, with just 4 of the 6 brake blocks in play.
Cheers from sunny Africa
Jeri
Damn guys, you are talking about getting your bait on 150mt and 200mts that aaaaaaaalot!!!
I was happy with my 90-100 mts that I get with my rainshadow 1505 and abu 6500c3 casting 5oz on 50# braid, according what I just read I will soon get me a 30# braid and try to cast again those 4oz with a shock leader, too bad the best fish I can get from the beach is a 4# corvina or a 5# triggerfish, the best fishes in Baja are 12hrs drive south at the very bottom of Baja, in Cabo and La Paz.
Leon, Dont worry as long as the conversation keep this level of knowleage its all good.
Jeri, we need to have a proper thread for Distance casting.
I love distance casting from the beach, hence I bought the rainshadow black and have me a custom build surf rod for achieve the most distance I can, the sad part that kind of stopped me from learning more is that locally I wont be catching more fishes if I put my bait 10-30 mts more than my current distance which is an average of 90-100mts.
I used to cast with a saltist 20h with "speed X" oil on the bearings (with no magnets) just using the different red/black blocks on the centrifugal brake, but there are only triggerfish in my beaches LOL, few corvinas and really small rays and that's it, , then I found the abu reels and relay the saltist 20h to boat use only and added 2 static mags on it, panga boats are kind of small, they move a lot on the sea, they dont have the stability of the modern sport boats.
for the corvinas season when they can be as big as 8#, I better take my medium combo, which is a 10ft fenwick HMX surf rod and cast 2oz spoons with the same abu 6500, Im getting 70-80mts on that setup but I think I dont need more.