Icast 2007

[Makaira]

Here's a link to look at what some manufacturers are showing off at this year's ICAST show. Can't help but get the impression that the baitcasters from Daiwa, Abu Garcia & Pfleuger come from the some OEM designers / factories

They now have a Shimano Trinidad DC. Perhaps chucking poppers for GT with a multiplier may not be an impossibility anymore.

2007 ICAST Fishing Tackle Show Reels

[stickbom!]

woah.... the Pfleuger Patriarch looks like a million bucks!! The Trinidad DC will be a dream come true for prata hunters who wants to punch a big "swa-chiam" into the surf BUT the most interesting reel (at least to me) would be the new Fin-Nor Offshore Casting!!

[Makaira]

BUT the most interesting reel (at least to me) would be the new Fin-Nor Offshore Casting!!

The retro look of the Finnor really caught your eye huh

The Trinidad DC should really appeal to hardcore surf anglers targetting big fish. Look at the suggested retail price though -- over USD$700 Having said that, I am sure there are enough surf-hos out there who will be more than happy to dish out the cash for it. Sounds like a bargain compared to what some of the hi-end surf rods cost

[stickbom!]

yeah agreed... high end surf reels ain't exactly cheap too!! Anyway, I'm pretty sure the DC is going to be way cheaper over here

The Fin Nor ain't exactly "retro"... did you see that big SS maingear and read about the anti reverse bearing + assist stopper (dog)? looks & sounds like a tough cookie to me!! And the price is well under USD$200... not many decent overheads out there at such an affordable price.

Fin-Nor Offshore Casting: You heard the Fin-Nor story from our past ICAST coverage and yes, they are right on track with their offerings. They are taking their time on releasing each product because they want to ensure that they products perform and hold up as the Fin-Nor brands used to be when the company was first formed. This year Fin-Nor is introducing the Offshore Casting which is designed to battle against the Shimano Trinidad and Daiwa Saltiga. The Offshore Casting offers six double shielded stainless bearings, a die-cast aluminum frame and side covers, machined aluminum spool, a rugged Continuous Anti-Reverse with back-up pawl and ratchet system, stainless steel oversized main gear with brass pinion, carbon fiber multi-stack drag system, audible bait clicker, and it comes with a rod clamp and a multi-purpose tool. The Offshore Casting comes in a 4.3:1 and a 6.2:1 gear ratio and will retail for $179, $189, or $199, depending on size. The Fin-Nor Offshore Casting will be available in February 2008.

[Makaira]

yeah agreed... high end surf reels ain't exactly cheap too!! Anyway, I'm pretty sure the DC is going to be way cheaper over here

The Fin Nor ain't exactly "retro"... did you see that big SS maingear and read about the anti reverse bearing + assist stopper (dog)? looks & sounds like a tough cookie to me!! And the price is well under USD$200... not many decent overheads out there at such an affordable price.

Retro "looks" was what I said. The black & gold sure sure looks retro to me, especially with that clicker knob. Did not bother look into details of what the "claimed" max drag performance is for this line of reels, but we should all know by now that the old adage "you get what you pay for" rings very true in the tackle world; especially in the age of "our max drag is this high", "our reel has XXX number of ball-bearings" or "our blank can lift XXXkg without snapping."

Looking at the Finnor product, at the proposed retail prices, imho, they should be competing with the Toriums or the Saltist rather than the Trinidads & Saltiga.

[stickbom!]

eh no leh... black n gold not exactly retro... look at the Dogfight, looks pretty stylish to me You have a point there, pay peanuts get monkeys... but then again... there have been quite a few decently priced reels which worked out pretty well for me. One such reel would be the ABU Cardinal 800 series

[DaFrogman]

The Finnor does look interesting, but it reminds me of an Okuma TG and it has a similar specs (but so do a bunch of other reels).

The Trinidad DC is interesting in that it seems to have incorporated some of the upgraded components from the new Kaikon like the one piece sideplate and an AR clutch bearing with better shielding. Looks like they are looking at the competition and also maybe reading comments on the net.

I'm just wondering when they will offer an Ocea Jigger 4000/5000 that has a one piece sideplate and the same AR upgrade. I reckon they will never get round to using carbonfibre drags at this rate....

I also note that Shimano have looked into the incidents of their gears wearing excessivey under heavy use even in the Stellas. I am sure that the new gear materials (i.e. not Duralaminium) still have a compromise between smoothness and durability.

There were some very interesting reels in there though. Nothing revolutionary, but mainly improvements in design and materials. I look forward to the rods, lures and terminal gear.

Saimee

[Makaira]

Yo Saimee,

Wouldn't at all be surprised if it is OEM by Okuma to begin with Looking at their proposed line of game reels, they sure look like some of the stuff that has been coming out of PRC of late.

As for carbon fibre drags, perhaps the big boys are too proud to use "other people's" inventions. They seem to have a serious case of if it's not developed by them, it is not good enough We shall see I suppose.

[stickbom!]

Hey Mak some of the BC reels in Daiwa's Snakehead line up is using c-tex style drags if I'm not mistaken. BTW my love for Saltiga spinners has rekindled since C-tex came into the picture No more complaints about them!

yeah... a lot of reels from different companies look very much alike these days. Be it OEM or not, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hope these affordable new reels turn out to be reliable

[Makaira]

Good for Daiwa if they finally listen to their consumers.

Frankly, my belief is most affordable / budget reels from the major players will perform pretty well if they are well maintained & users don't try to screw around by "modding" the drags. Things like switching bushings for bearings or upgrading to a higher spec bearing are fine; but once people play around to attain what seems to be the holy grail of reels these days i.e. higher MAX drag; that's when unwarranted claims of reel explosions, stripped gears, busted bearings & dogs start to rear their heads.

Light gear like baitcasters or small spinners will probably not do much harm to anglers should they fail while on a fish. It is those low cost reels that claim ridiculously high drag capability supposedly meant for fishing heavy line that I find very irresponsible. Imagine sudden gear failure even at 10kg drag or more on heavy line on a boat with very low transom on a moonless night & rocky seas ...........

[stickbom!]

Good for Daiwa if they finally listen to their consumers.

Frankly, my belief is most affordable / budget reels from the major players will perform pretty well if they are well maintained & users don't try to screw around by "modding" the drags. Things like switching bushings for bearings or upgrading to a higher spec bearing are fine; but once people play around to attain what seems to be the holy grail of reels these days i.e. higher MAX drag; that's when unwarranted claims of reel explosions, stripped gears, busted bearings & dogs start to rear their heads.

Light gear like baitcasters or small spinners will probably not do much harm to anglers should they fail while on a fish. It is those low cost reels that claim ridiculously high drag capability supposedly meant for fishing heavy line that I find very irresponsible. Imagine sudden gear failure even at 10kg drag or more on heavy line on a boat with very low transom on a moonless night & rocky seas ...........

Couldn't agree more