Calcutta 200B performance upgrades

Desert Guy · January 03, 2015, 07:23:25 PM

Well a little history on this reel. Sometime around 2000 I was visiting my brother and he took me fishing off Grand Isle, LA. We were using his Abu Garcias just offshore about 50 yards when I saw a guy hook up and fight a fish for about 15 minutes and I was impressed that he had a giant Bull Red and he was using a Calcutta.
Well back home in Arizona and a short time later a local sporting good store was going out of business and I was able to buy one for like 40% off. I have used it on two or three trips a year and I would say it is about 95%. Not bad for always being used in salt and brackish water.
I would like some suggestions on what I can do to get a little more performance from this reel. The Redfish in my avatar was caught with it last Memorial Day and although we did not have a scale with us it was 36" and I guess to be around 20#.
The drag worked well and I was using 17 or 20# Flouroclear and only tightened the drag down enough to slow him down and let him make quite a few runs for almost 20 minutes before he surfaced and I actuall could see what I had hooked into.
What are your thoughts on having someone replacing the drag disk with a carbon one and putting in new bearings. This is something I would like to have someone do even though I have religiously taken the spool out and cleaned out the inside and oiled the bearings with Quantum Hot Sauce. Should I be looking at ceramic bearings?
Thanks in advance.
Chris

alantani · January 03, 2015, 08:52:24 PM

dawn is the nice lady at smoothdrag.com. check in with her for the carbontex drags for your reel, also order up some cal's grease and some tsi321. you are not casting long distances with this reel, so the freespool does not have to be perfect. you'll be amazed at the performance of the new drag washers.

Desert Guy · January 03, 2015, 09:43:49 PM

Thanks for the reply Alan. On average I can cast about 40 yards with a MH 7' Spinning Rod, maybe a bit more with the wind at my back.
I am now using a St Croix rod exclusively but I have also been using a 8 1/2' Intercoastal Ugly Stick. There are times though when I would like to get another 20 or 30 feet out of a cast, hence the thought of putting in some ceramic bearings.
I have never taken the gears apart and I am thinking that after a decade of use it would be a good idea to have it gone through to make sure everything is in good shape and there isn't any grime or grease build up.
I am also thinking this may be a bit more than I want to tackle on my own.
Is this a service you can offer, or suggest someone to do this?
Thanks, Chris

MarkT · January 03, 2015, 09:52:56 PM

I replaced the drags in both my 250's with greased Carbontex. Much better!

alantani · January 03, 2015, 10:33:53 PM

honestly, for casting small round levelwind baitcasters, i think that the round ambassadeurs will give you the best distance. that is what most of the distance casters locally will use.

Desert Guy · January 03, 2015, 11:42:07 PM

I'll probably get my brother another Ambassadeur for his birthday since he really likes them. Last year I got him a I think a C3 Record.
Going to go look at the Pro Rocket tomorrow but I like my Calcuttas and am just looking at maximizing their performance before I head down there at the end of the month.

Ruffy · January 05, 2015, 05:05:46 AM

Hi Chris,
I've just ordered the three bearings from Hedgehog Studio for my Calcutta 150 (http://www.hedgehog-studio.co.jp/). I decided to change the spool bushing to a bearing (as in your 200B) and thought I'd just do the lot whilst at it. They rate these bearings as being above ABEC 9, I've heard a lot of good stuff from guys here on one of the local forums (http://fishingterritory.com/rods-reels-f10074/baitcaster-spool-bearings-t36093.html). Cost was $32.98 US delivered for the three bearings (significantly cheaper than orange seal boca!), I will let you know how they go when they arrive!

Cheers,
Andrew

Ruffy · January 05, 2015, 05:08:58 AM

By the way the Boca were $47.95 before postage! http://www.bocabearings.com/bearing-inventory/22367/fishing-reel-bearings/ceramic-orange-seal-abec-7/shimano-calcutta-150-baitcaster

Zimbass · January 05, 2015, 06:05:09 AM

Hi Chris,

Glad to hear you say that you want to keep your Calcutta ! I am a Shimano fan too. As Alan stated, you should look at upgrading your drag to Carbontex, and Dawn is the go to lady.

On the bearings, I need to state that although there are really great bearings out there, as Ruffy states, these will not do anything for the casting distance of your 200B, as opposed to Stainless ABEC5 bearings, that have been cleaned and lightly lubed. (I use Shimano oil, and Alchemy oil from Hedgehog Studios. Hate Quantum Hot Sauce).

Full ceramic bearings would help with SW application, but the cost would be exorbitant. Ceramic hybrids still need to be cleaned and lubed regularly, so are not much use, unless you want to get into competitive distance casting

There are numerous videos you can watch where spools spin for many minutes, but that is not the reality when casting.

If you are not comfortable with doing the work yourself, ask your local tackle shop who they recommend.

Regards,

Terry.

Ruffy · January 05, 2015, 09:26:16 AM

Hi Terry, that was the vibe from the forum over here too. May (but more likely may not) increase your distance a smidgeon over the standard Shimano bearings but the main plus was accuracy/ease of casting. Having a couple of Calcutta's I will be keen to see how these go in this respect! I went hunting for a bearing here in Darwin (to replace the spool bushing) and the price of one non-S/S bearing from the local shop was well over half of the price paid for these three from Japan.

On another note, the bearings I have ordered have a shield on one side only. Would there be a preferred orientation for how I should put these in my reel?

Zimbass · January 05, 2015, 10:00:42 AM

Hi Ruffy,

I have a daughter and her family that live in Perth, W.A., so know how crazy prices are in your neck of the woods.

In the case of ease for casting, the upgraded bearings work a little better, when underarm casting, and pitching/flipping, but that would not be what a Calcutta is used for. Been using mine for spinnerbait and crankbait.

Waiting on the new Conquest 14 200, which will become my primary spinnerbait reel. Carbontex, and Air bearings will be an automatic after the first use

With my Hedgehog bearings, I leave the open side facing towards the spool on the palming side, and facing the CC knob on the handle side. This allows ease of applying oil, without too much trouble. Being open also allows you to be more precise with the amount of oil applied. I prefer a really small drop, and apply it again every 2 to 3 outings.

Regards,

Terry.

handi2 · January 05, 2015, 05:12:19 PM

I've done everything possible to a 200B and they just don't freespool as well as other reels. They are great reels anyway.

Desert Guy · January 05, 2015, 05:20:47 PM

Lots of good feedback. I had contacted a reel repair service in the upper midwest but his turn around is 4 weeks. The local Bass Pro gave me a card for a local guy so I'll contact him and see what he can do.
Chris

Desert Guy · January 07, 2015, 03:12:43 AM

Looks like he isn't in business anymore. Website down and no active email.

steelfish · January 08, 2015, 06:19:45 PM

calcuttas are really nice reels, I love my abu 6500c3 but I used it strictly from the shore on surf fishing because is light and strong enough for every fish on surf fishing, but when it comes for casting from a boat I never leave the calcutta 400TE at home, I know there are tons of new reels that can be compare to it or being even better but I think I will never get rid of my calcutta ever.

your post remained me that I also need to install some carbontex in mine