Looking for new reels

[West_Coast_Muse]

Need some help on buying a couple new reels for the old man. I'm looking for single action reels, obviously islanders would be best however they're out of the budget. I've used the Shimano's without complaint but was wondering if there's better reels out there (excluding the islanders). I have no problems spending a few hundred on each reel just can't do 5 or 6 hundred for the MR3's. I appreciate any advice.

 

[Highliner]

The new Northcoast reels by Rapala look pretty skookem. I haven't used one myself, but a lot of guys on here seem to be happy with them.

Shimano's are a good value too. Just don't buy a Daiwa, those things are garbage.

Highliner

www.salmonboats.ca

 

[Pippen]

Thus far I have been pretty happy with the Trophy XL QR4.5 reel. If you look around you can get them at a pretty good price. The only thing I have found thus far as you gotta get used to the drag as it's pretty sensitive.



________________________________

Have you hugged a Gorby today??? ;P

 

[West_Coast_Muse]

Do you guys know if the ratchet can be turned off on either of these reals? Preference would be a quiet reel.

 

[nedarb2]

quote:Originally posted by Highliner

The new Northcoast reels by Rapala look pretty skookem. I haven't used one myself, but a lot of guys on here seem to be happy with them.

Shimano's are a good value too. Just don't buy a Daiwa, those things are garbage.

Highliner

www.salmonboats.ca

x2, im saving up to buy me a couple of those next year, i hope. enough with the two mismatched reels, each with a missing knob

 

[sammyslabber]

I've had my Trophy reel since they came on the market, the drag can be a litle sticky & is prudent to rinse them in fresh water after use.I got mine from Trotac marine in vic. @ good prices they asked me to go hard on the 1st. one & abuse it to see how it would hold up .we had a few small problems which were quickly fixed by the Mfg & find they (trotac)will help you long after your purchase. For this reason i like to work closely with my supplier.loyality to them has proved fruitful & cost effective.enjoy your new reel Sammy

 

[Rockfish]

For a very good quality, extremely reliable, low maintenances and virtually indestructible reel that you won’t mind letting anyone you take fishing use in sloppy seas without fear of a heart attack if they drop it over, or it getting stolen out of you boat or truck while you are in the convenience store at 5:00 am, I would stick with the Shimano’s.
If you are really interested in a high end reel and you are prepared to shop around, you can get a new Islander MR3 for between $400.00 and $450.00 plus HST. Not that much more than the nock offs and I think you will find they hold their value better than the others because they are better and most want one. You should be able to find a good used MR3 for between $275.00 and $350.00. Keep in mind that Islanders are high care and high maintenance reels and the finish of all powder coated aluminum reels used in salt water will degrade quickly if you are not very careful with it and store it off the rod and rinse it in cold water after every trip. As for performance they can be amazing to play a big salmon on but they can also be pretty bad (drag issues, slip on the rigger etc.) if they are not maintained, cleaned, lubed and tuned up frequently and correctly and no you cannot turn off the ratchet but it is soft compared to something like a Hardy. I think of my Shimano’s as daily drivers and the Islanders as the Ferrari you take out in good conditions on special occasions, are very careful with and work on constantly to keep it performing in the awesome range. In my view there are no substitutes for either.

 

[Slabby20]

I bought 2 Trophy XL QR4.5 reels through Berry's Bait and Tackle this year during their sales for $199.00 each. So far so good and I like them and have had no issues. They are smooth and like Pippen says the drag is sensitive but it just takes some getting used to. They are much quieter than my Shimano's which I'm not sure I like. I wish the clicker was a louder when the fish runs or pops it off the rigger when I'm not looking.

 

[scott craven]

I've used and owned many different mooching reels, but for the $$
and the abuse nothing stands up like a Shimano 2000/4000.
had a few problems with exploding spools on the 4000 but other than
that they are bullet proof.

 

[Halilogger]

Pretty hard on the Islanders Rockfish, complimentary as well. I've had my MR2 for 7 years and I bought a used MR3 this year, I find maintaining them easy, and you would have to be pretty abusive to ruin the finish.
I like the drag better on my MR2, The MR3 creeps a bit but I like its bigger knobs, and quicker retrieval.

 

[West_Coast_Muse]

I appreciate all the info, it definitely helps narrow down the search. Just wondering if anyone knows what the clicker is like on the Rapala northcoast reels, are they quiet or loud compared to say the islanders or can you turn off the ratchet?

 

[Haze]

Muse - I got the north coast this year and here's the scoop
They awesome little reels, the one I bought had clicker issues right after I bought it. That is the outgoing clicker stopped working right away.
I called the company the said to send it back so I did and when I got it back I opened it up to see that they changed the whole clicker system in it.
You can still make it stop clicking REALLY easily, but I kind of like it. It's louder than an islander though.
I'm still going to stick with my MR3's just cause we fish 200-250' deep quite often and the MR3 gives me faster pick up with the larger arbour.
Otherwise the little north coast is quite comparable to an MR2 but quite cheaper.
I did replace the handles on the NC with MR3 knobs just cause it made it feel more high class.
If you are fishing shallow than I am you'd do just fine with a couple of these.

 

[Slabby20]

Anyone know if there's a way to make the outgoing clicker louder on my Trophy XL QR4.5's??

 

[firelight]

I've had a trophy tyee qr for a year now an it is an awesome reel, just got another and it's sweet to have a matched pair. I saw the north coast recently but it was a small arbor, the trophy qr is a large arbor, come in quicker.

 

[Pippen]

quote:Originally posted by firelight

I've had a trophy tyee qr for a year now an it is an awesome reel, just got another and it's sweet to have a matched pair. I saw the north coast recently but it was a small arbor, the trophy qr is a large arbor, come in quicker.

Yup....the arbor size is what made me go with the Trophy over the Rapala reel; plus when I was looking in the spring there were some reviews on the Rapala reel on this forum that kept me a bit hesitant about going that route.

________________________________

Have you hugged a Gorby today??? ;P

 

[Haze]

Holmes - I just emailed them on their site:
http://www.rapala.ca/contact/index.php
And they emailed me back within a day or two.
I had to pay the shipping for the reel to get to them $10??? I think I paid. Then they repaired it, plus sent extra parts and the reel back to me and it only took a couple of weeks from send off till it was back in the boat as my stacker rod.

 

[searun]

Rapala will stand behind the spring. They are meeting with the manufacturer this week to review changes to the process and materials to eliminate that issue going forward. I had the same issue this year with one of my MR-3's, so this is not an uncommon problem.


Searun

 

[Rockfish]

Posted - 10/03/2010 : 17:23:10
by Halilogger
"Pretty hard on the Islanders Rockfish, complimentary as well. I've had my MR2 for 7 years and I bought a used MR3 this year, I find maintaining them easy, and you would have to be pretty abusive to ruin the finish.
I like the drag better on my MR2, The MR3 creeps a bit but I like its bigger knobs, and quicker retrieval".

I don't sesm to be able to get the quote function to work and end up cut and pasting the quote. Must be doing something wrong.

Don't get me wrong Halilogger I love my MR3's but lets face it if the spool ends up rubbing on a rod holder it will take off the finish as will bouncing around in the bed of you truck or the floor of the boat and don't even think about dropping it on concrete or leaving it salt water wet to dry in the cover. Those are all things you can do with the Shimano's. If you store your Islander on the rod the foot metal will get eaten away (not expensive to replace). I currently have 3 MR3's. One is set up perfectly no line creep at all no matter how loose I seem to set the drag but the other two both currently creep a little unless tightened right down and need a tune up. What I love about them most is the forgiving silky smooth infinite drag clutch system which makes it near impossible for anyone to tighten or loosen up the drag too much while playing a fish. Sold my MR2 but now wish I had kept it. Something else in favour of the Islanders is that if you live on southern Vancouver Island you can just drop it off at the factory and pick it up ready to go. I have had great and very generous service from them, the kind that builds loyalty much like Scotty. There are reasons why Islander dominates the market and the others are trying to copy them, you do get what you pay for and more than price,it is quality, design and a willingness to stand behind their products that is the difference.

 

[Halilogger]

It took me 6 years to get a second Islander so I baby them, and I lay down some ground rules when friends fish on my boat. Don't get me wrong, the other reels are good as well, and I think I'd like to get a couple Rapala's once all the bugs are worked out.
That's why I enjoy this forum so much, I learn a lot from you guys.

 

[West_Coast_Muse]

This has proved to be quite usefull, I never expected so much feedback. My last question is regarding line creep. Are there any issues with the Northcoast or Trophy reels in this department?