I was at a the Pacific Coast Sportfishing show and one of the tackle reps was all lathered up about the new Baitrunner D and how improved it was. Has anyone had a chance to look over this new reel
I've used the 8000D quite abit this last yearand it's a pretty good performer. Anything specific you wnat to know?
I was wondering how strong they really made it? Would it be suitable for use as say 30Lb live bait rig on a San Diego long range boat?
The 8000 would be the samllest i'd use for that type of fishing. They seem to be built strong, i've accounted for a number of yellow tail kingfish on the 8000 over the 20Kg mark with no problems. T
I repair reels and I have found that the BTR D series is very prone to water getting into the main body
Yeah water getting in is always a problem. I think I'm gonna take it as a back up 30lb rig on my next trip and see if it breaks. Stay tuned ;D
For what its worth, I seem to recall reading something or overhearing somewhere that the new baitrunners have basically the same guts as the old ones. I could not back this up in any way though. I think I will check out schematics right now for comparison. Also for what its worth, I do love my older baitrunners for bunker chunking for blues and stripers in the northeast. They are a pleasure to use, and seem fairly well made, however I wont use one (unless in a pinch) for certain abusive types of fishing like snagging bunker, etc. They do seem to flex a bit, and I'm a little concerned about the potmetal/ aluminum alloy/whatever- main gear,and some of the anti reverse parts seem a little weak. I have purchased all of the new ones, though I have not used them at all, and have never seen the inside of one, so I cannot comment either way. I will say (with regret) that my good friend who owns our local bait and tackle shop bought a couple of used- newest style- baitrunners (8000's-?) (among several other rods and reels, tackle, tools, etc., etc., etc.)that belonged to a nice older gentleman who decided it was time to "pack it up" with the whole fishing thing and sold his boat and everything that pertained to it and to fishing. Now , I have no Idea if this nice old man rinsed his gear or if he ever made any attempt to protect any of his stuff, and I have no idea if he ever caught a fish, or if he loaded up on thousands of big fish. That being said, I believe that all of the gear had been purchased about a year earlier, and I don't think this guy knew what he was doing, or cared for that matter. If not for the fact that I knew that they were fairly new, I would have said that they were 20 years old. I know that for the most part they (all of the gear) can be cleaned up, and with a lot of new bearings and other parts and some wire brushing they will be able to perform well once again (very "Crunchy" now). I was glad to have seen this before I bring mine out into the saltwater, so that I can pre-grease everything, and try to keep them out of the salt spray, and rinse them well.(Which I do anyway) But I will say this, and I'm sure alto mare will agree that my old Penn SS 650's,750's, and 850's-though they are not baitrunners, will be around for a lot lot longer, and probably catch bigger fish!