Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge - View Single Post

toadstoadsonly · 02-23-2015, 01:10 PM

I am guilty of not maintaining my reels as often as I should and fish all of my low profile reels HARD. This is the reason why I need a reel with great customer service and a reel that holds up especially since I kayak fish like you guys.

I take my reels offshore caught 40-50 lb seabass, caught 30 lb Jack Crevalle on my Abu Toro, 100 lb alligator gar on my 300 DSV.

I own a Curado 300 DSV, Curado 300 EJ, Abu Garcia Toro, Abu Garcia Toro NACI, Curado 300D, and the Shimano Tranx. So I am very familiar with low profile inshore reels.

My past experience with Daiwa reels are the are amazing out of the box for the first year or so and their castability and quality diminishes after. Their customer service also sucks. I might have to buy a Lexa 400 to see what I think since I have a few friends that love them.

Pro: Abu Garcia; The first thing you will notice about this reel when you hook a big fish is the reel does not torque like the Curado's. The reel cast great due to the main pinion fully disengaging from the spool when casting. I have caught a bunch of 40+ lb seabass on this reel and it holds up great in the salt. I am a big fan of this reel so when the NACI came out I purchased it right away.

Cons: The cast button on this reel goes out and gets stuck, this happen to both of my Toro and NACI. My buddies have the same issue, like some of the other guys posted the drag pressure does seem like it is not what it is rated.

I have not tried to contact Abu Garcia's customer service so I don't know how it is.

Customer service goes a long way and hands down Shimano has the best customer service out of all of the reel manufactures. If I have a issue with my reels I just send them back pay the service fee and my reel comes back like its brand new.

I owned the Curado 300 DSV since way back this reel is a beast and still in excellent condition. Here is the alligator gar I caught off of my DSV 5 years ago and I still fish this reel weekly.

5'10 1/2 on curado 300 dsv photo 200910211820_038.jpg

Pros: When you look at the scematics this reel is the same as the original 300 DSV except faster gearing, Carbon Tec Drags, and power handle. My opinion is the EJ is not as good as the original DSV, I brought the reel out to Delaware to fish Ocean Run Striped bass at the Indian River Inlet and the reel was torquing and the drags were chirping. -I got rid of this reel and stuck with my DSV.

Calcutta 300D this reel is awesome! I have no negative feedback on this reel. It has great cranking power, great drag pressure, you could cast this reel a mile.

Tranx; This reel is on a class of its own it is pretty much a Trinidad A with a level wind and low profile look. The problem with this reel is it's almost the price of a Talica 2 speed. You could buy 3 Lexa's for this price.

02-23-2015, 01:10 PM	#64
toadstoadsonly Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Newport Beach Posts: 149	I am guilty of not maintaining my reels as often as I should and fish all of my low profile reels HARD. This is the reason why I need a reel with great customer service and a reel that holds up especially since I kayak fish like you guys. I take my reels offshore caught 40-50 lb seabass, caught 30 lb Jack Crevalle on my Abu Toro, 100 lb alligator gar on my 300 DSV. I own a Curado 300 DSV, Curado 300 EJ, Abu Garcia Toro, Abu Garcia Toro NACI, Curado 300D, and the Shimano Tranx. So I am very familiar with low profile inshore reels. My past experience with Daiwa reels are the are amazing out of the box for the first year or so and their castability and quality diminishes after. Their customer service also sucks. I might have to buy a Lexa 400 to see what I think since I have a few friends that love them. Pro: Abu Garcia; The first thing you will notice about this reel when you hook a big fish is the reel does not torque like the Curado's. The reel cast great due to the main pinion fully disengaging from the spool when casting. I have caught a bunch of 40+ lb seabass on this reel and it holds up great in the salt. I am a big fan of this reel so when the NACI came out I purchased it right away. Cons: The cast button on this reel goes out and gets stuck, this happen to both of my Toro and NACI. My buddies have the same issue, like some of the other guys posted the drag pressure does seem like it is not what it is rated. I have not tried to contact Abu Garcia's customer service so I don't know how it is. Customer service goes a long way and hands down Shimano has the best customer service out of all of the reel manufactures. If I have a issue with my reels I just send them back pay the service fee and my reel comes back like its brand new. I owned the Curado 300 DSV since way back this reel is a beast and still in excellent condition. Here is the alligator gar I caught off of my DSV 5 years ago and I still fish this reel weekly. Pros: When you look at the scematics this reel is the same as the original 300 DSV except faster gearing, Carbon Tec Drags, and power handle. My opinion is the EJ is not as good as the original DSV, I brought the reel out to Delaware to fish Ocean Run Striped bass at the Indian River Inlet and the reel was torquing and the drags were chirping. -I got rid of this reel and stuck with my DSV. Calcutta 300D this reel is awesome! I have no negative feedback on this reel. It has great cranking power, great drag pressure, you could cast this reel a mile. Tranx; This reel is on a class of its own it is pretty much a Trinidad A with a level wind and low profile look. The problem with this reel is it's almost the price of a Talica 2 speed. You could buy 3 Lexa's for this price.