REELS

All my life I have been a Shimano man.  Their quality had never been questioned.  For trolling I have run the same Calcutta 400 for eight years now, and have only serviced it once!  This reel has served me very very well.

I also used the smaller versions for casting.  Unfortunately these become quite a let down, as we were constantly having them repaired.   The plastic internals would wear under the intense fishing pressure, and several times I was left stranded with no reel for casting.

Of late I have been put onto the Team Diawa range of reels. These things are fantastic!  Not only do they provide a much higher drag ratio, but their strength is awesome.  Being a big bloke with large hands I prefer the barrel type reels over the lower profile bait casters.  My current casting reel is a Team Daiwa Bay Caster in the 103 size.  Spooled with thirty pound braid, I cant see a cod ever beating it!