Rapala Makes an Islander Knockoff
- Thread starter Dogbreath
- Start date
Dogbreath
Well-Known Member
Oops forgot the link http://www.rapala.ca/products/rapala/north_coast_reel.php
Anyone here used one yet?
Anyone here used one yet?
OldBlackDog
Well-Known Member
Very nice. Cost?
searun
Well-Known Member
I test fished the reel this season quite extensively both in our Charter Operation in Bamfield and for 5 days in the Charlottes. The retail cost will be around the $250 mark (retail pricing not yet firmed up). The reel performed extremely well for us. One of the things we asked the guys to concentrate on was the clicker needed to actually scream. I assure you it is a huge improvement over the Islander clicker - this baby SCREAMS.[
]
The cork drag system is great - this was one additional area we really worked on getting right. The problem with other similar style reels is the drag system has "creep" issues while the reel sits in the rod holder. This unit does not have that issue.
Style was another area we worked on, with the idea being to come to market with a distinctly unique look. I think the boys at Normark nailed it.
Line capacity is HUGE....we had over 500 yards on it so not likely you will get spooled...however we did have one fish that came close and man was it a lot of reeling to get on top of that fish.
Enjoy, I did. Look for this reel hitting your tackle store for Christmas.
Searun
] The cork drag system is great - this was one additional area we really worked on getting right. The problem with other similar style reels is the drag system has "creep" issues while the reel sits in the rod holder. This unit does not have that issue.
Style was another area we worked on, with the idea being to come to market with a distinctly unique look. I think the boys at Normark nailed it.
Line capacity is HUGE....we had over 500 yards on it so not likely you will get spooled...however we did have one fish that came close and man was it a lot of reeling to get on top of that fish.
Enjoy, I did. Look for this reel hitting your tackle store for Christmas.
Searun
Island Fish Lifter
Well-Known Member
I was considering 4 islanders this season, sounds like these may be a better deal.. not sure if I'll like the screaming reel scenereo. Thats one thing I liked about the islanders is the quiet drag.
Fill the dam tub!
Fill the dam tub!
G
gimp
Guest
they look nice wonder if Murphy has used them yet maybe he can shoot us a review
O and Dog I love Bill Reid's art good choice... if I could find a good image of that I would have that inked so fast
O and Dog I love Bill Reid's art good choice... if I could find a good image of that I would have that inked so fast
retail in stores will more likely be closer to $300.00 most of the time.
Okuma's new mooching reel is so far the only reel that converts from right to lefthand and they come left hand from the factory and have to switched over to right hand. It's a little more money though at $450-500 retail
Okuma's new mooching reel is so far the only reel that converts from right to lefthand and they come left hand from the factory and have to switched over to right hand. It's a little more money though at $450-500 retail
eaglemaniac
Well-Known Member
I'm going to be sick[xx(] What is this? Lets see who can put the sweetest reel on there rig? Pretty soon they will come with optional gems etc. eman
eman
scott craven
Well-Known Member
"suggested" on an Okuma is north of $500.00,
At that price you might as well support Islander
a local company
eaglemaniac
Well-Known Member
Thanks for that eman
eman
searun
Well-Known Member
I'm a right hand drive guy, so did not attempt the convert over to left hand during the season. Will get back to you on that. When I say the reel screams, what I mean is it is exactly like the old Hardy drags...sweetest sound on the water![8D] Very cool indeed. The Islander drag is louder on the retrieve than when a fish runs out line and that is something that is annoying. I want to hear the reel sing out on a big slab - there's almost nothing like it in the world short of nookie.[:0]
The North Coast is pretty much identical to an Islander MR-2, and requires similar cleaning and maintenance of the cork drag, which for me is to apply oil about every 10th day on the water and make sure other parts are clean and oiled. Takes about 5 minutes to complete and all you need is oil and a slotted screw driver.
I was very happy with the reel we test fished - and with this past season off shore it got a work out on some really large fish and performed well. On the first day of our Charlotte trip the North Coast was responsible for landing a 35 pound Chinook, and had a lot of interest from the lodge guides.
As Rob notes, the reel has been in development for years, and the team at Normark were totally committed to making sure we had the best product. They listened carefully to any suggestions and were never afraid to incorporate suggested changes prior to going to production.
We also had an opportunity to match up the North Coast Reel with the new medium action North Coast series mooching rod. This is a nice combination.
Searun
The North Coast is pretty much identical to an Islander MR-2, and requires similar cleaning and maintenance of the cork drag, which for me is to apply oil about every 10th day on the water and make sure other parts are clean and oiled. Takes about 5 minutes to complete and all you need is oil and a slotted screw driver.
I was very happy with the reel we test fished - and with this past season off shore it got a work out on some really large fish and performed well. On the first day of our Charlotte trip the North Coast was responsible for landing a 35 pound Chinook, and had a lot of interest from the lodge guides.
As Rob notes, the reel has been in development for years, and the team at Normark were totally committed to making sure we had the best product. They listened carefully to any suggestions and were never afraid to incorporate suggested changes prior to going to production.
We also had an opportunity to match up the North Coast Reel with the new medium action North Coast series mooching rod. This is a nice combination.
Searun
highlights
Active Member
It says "anodized black finish"
Looks like a transparent smoke over silver/gold to me . Maybe they decided to go solid black since the photo shoot on a first run of reels?
I want something other than a solid black reel.
Looks like a transparent smoke over silver/gold to me . Maybe they decided to go solid black since the photo shoot on a first run of reels?
I want something other than a solid black reel.
