cheap popping reel

[cudas]

Hi

I am new to this forum. Stella and saltigas are kind of expensive.
I was looking at the caldia kix and shimano twin power. Will they hold
up for a fishing trip to the maldives?

[jason]

Caldia Kix and Twinpower can definitely take the pressure of the fish in maldives....
It all depend on your budget and line class u are looking at.....
For popping, I will suggest that 8000HG from Twinpower - Biomaster (< $550)
For daiwa , The reel available are too slow for popping .Unless U can stretch your budget to the price of the saltiga series....

Hope this helps.....

Cheers
jason

[stickbom!]

Originally Posted by cudas

Hi

I am new to this forum. Stella and saltigas are kind of expensive.
I was looking at the caldia kix and shimano twin power. Will they hold
up for a fishing trip to the maldives?

IMHO it depends on what line class you're fishing and what you expect to catch with those reel mentioned. If you want to catch something decent and don't want to spend too much money on gear, consider the Shimano TSS4, Penn 850/950SSM. These reels should work fine with 50lb lines and will hold enough line to handle a hard running fish.

[cudas]

Thanks guys. BTW what do you think of the freams 4500J , cheap
but can it do the job. It's about $150 Sing dollars. Less than half the price of a 8000 hg twinpower.

[DaFrogman]

Cudas dude,

One thing worth keeping in mind is that if you are going on a fishing specific trip, it would totally suck if you went all the way to the Maldives just to have a BIG fish hand your ass to you for being undergunned.

Mikey is right with the need to keep your target species in mind. The Twinpower 8000HG or the Biomaster are the better reels in IMHO over the 4500J. Do you know what line class you want to fish?..... This will have a direct impact on reel capacity and lure size. If you have a budget in mind for the reel & rod and outfit, then that would also help us suggest what might work for you.

Regards,

Saimee

[pemburu ikan]

Hi Cudas,
The reels that Jason & Mikey recommended are good enough reels to use in the Maldives.....
For a very low budget reel,like Mickey mentioned,the TSS4 is suitable,you might want to change the drags to HT100 for a smoother drag....... I have landed a 18plus kg GT with it....no problems....IMHO.....

Rgds.
R.

[stickbom!]

Freams J is a decent reel but if you try to button down on the drag too much then it might not be able to handle the stress. Like everyone here mentioned... you need to know the limits of your tackle and have realistic expectations/target.

Hey pemburu ikan, any idea if there's any pre-cut HT100/carbontex that will fit the TSS4? Did you custom cut yours or are you using a set that can be found off the shelves? Thanks

[thunnus]

Originally Posted by pemburu ikan

Hi Cudas,
The reels that Jason & Mikey recommended are good enough reels to use in the Maldives.....
For a very low budget reel,like Mickey mentioned,the TSS4 is suitable,you might want to change the drags to HT100 for a smoother drag....... I have landed a 18plus kg GT with it....no problems....IMHO.....

Rgds.
R.

TSS-4 is one of my old favorable reel. I think the reel is light and strong. Have to agree with Pemburu Ikan that the reel can handle 18kg GT, albeit my biggest fish with this reel was ard 9kg Maori Seaperch. It is low budget, light and strong enough. Somemore with HT100 drag washer can boost the drag performance.

But there's one thing I don't like with it, it's "the reverse dog". Because it ain't equipped with one-way roller bearing (Super Stopper II, in newer Shimano product), the reel feels "uncomfortable" when working with chugger. The sound comes not only from popper (pop...pop...pop) but also from the reel (tschack...tschack....tschack), that's the sound comes from the reverse dog.

Sorry if this is a bit out of topic, can we add one-way roller bearing that works as the anti-reverse of TSS-4 ?

cheers,
Lod.

[stickbom!]

Lod, I ripped a TSS-4 apart recently and found out its running on a single dog Shimano should seriously consider revamping the TSS4 and add in an anti reverse bearing. A TSS-4 with one way bearing would be the ultimate all rounder saltwater reel for the budget conscious angler! In any case the TSS-4 has been responsible for many big GTs landed in Maldives during the 80's so as long as you don't try to fish over 50lb test on it, it should hold up fine.

[cudas]

Thanks a lot guys, I think I will get myself a twin800HG for popping amd match with a smith WRC-80P/35 that someone is offering to sell me for 2nd hand.

[stickbom!]

I've tried popping with the 8000HG in Phuket (couple of years before the Tsunami) and honestly the line pick-up is kinda slow. The Smith is a good rod but maybe you can consider the TSS 4 instead? The Twinpower is very old and its not exactly cheap too.

[DaFrogman]

Originally Posted by stickbom!

...any idea if there's any pre-cut HT100/carbontex that will fit the TSS4? Did you custom cut yours or are you using a set that can be found off the shelves? Thanks

Hey dude,

Next time you crack open a TSS4, just measure the washer and note its shape. Betchya there is an off the shelf Penn part that will fit right in or only require a little modding to fit....

Saimee

[Juan]

if the twinpower HG is picking up slow i think the stella would be more or less the same given that the 8000 size is almost identical...if not SAME?!

[stickbom!]

Dun forget Juan, Cudas does not want to spend too much money... those who can afford 2-3 sets can use the 8000 for specific tasks/purpose. When the boat is drifting slow/using pencils all the way, 8000 size reels are okay. If Cudas brings only one size 8000 reel to Maldives, he will suffer!

[Juan]

hows the power of the twinpower like when using it to chug 120g poppers? hehe

[stickbom!]

When you popping at stationary spot/very slow moving boat its fine! but when boat drifting fast you crank until turn blue! Like I said, 8000 size has its place but you definitely do not want to be caught with only one 8000 for a week of popping!!

[pemburu ikan]

Hey pemburu ikan, any idea if there's any pre-cut HT100/carbontex that will fit the TSS4? Did you custom cut yours or are you using a set that can be found off the shelves? Thanks[/quote]

Hi Mikey,
You can go to Joe Tackle,he charges $4-$5 a pc inclusive of tailoring it to size or Siow Chiang at Beach Rd ard $3 a pc of the shelf.None of the HT100 fits the TSS4 so you have to shape it to size ,if you have a bench grinder,it should be quite easy....

Rgds.
R.

[mark]

Budget reel? then why not a Spheros 8k, 12k or 14k? will never be as refine as Stella, Twinpower or Saltiga but with its super stopper II and waterproof drag it should be a much better option if you dislike the back play thingy those old school reel had. had a mate used it in Maldives recently without much complain, line cap is the most impressive among any other budget reel

Cheers
Mark

[stickbom!]

Originally Posted by mark

Budget reel? then why not a Spheros 8k, 12k or 14k? will never be as refine as Stella, Twinpower or Saltiga but with its super stopper II and waterproof drag it should be a much better option if you dislike the back play thingy those old school reel had. had a mate used it in Maldives recently without much complain, line cap is the most impressive among any other budget reel

Cheers
Mark

Gosh the Speros totally skipped my mind! Yes its a decent reel worth considering too!

Penburu Ikan, thanks for the tip off

[Wilson]

Originally Posted by mark

Budget reel? then why not a Spheros 8k, 12k or 14k? will never be as refine as Stella, Twinpower or Saltiga but with its super stopper II and waterproof drag it should be a much better option if you dislike the back play thingy those old school reel had. had a mate used it in Maldives recently without much complain, line cap is the most impressive among any other budget reel

Cheers
Mark

Yes Spheros, that's my first popping reel. Got it from Seatackle many years ago. It's affordable and perform well too.

Cheers.

[mark]

Originally Posted by Wilson

Yes Spheros, that's my first popping reel. Got it from Seatackle many years ago. It's affordable and perform well too.

Cheers.

that explains why you're a Saltiga guy now, dude you went thru the wrong path hahahahaha!!!!

[Fish_Fingers]

Originally Posted by cudas

Hi

I am new to this forum. Stella and saltigas are kind of expensive.
I was looking at the caldia kix and shimano twin power. Will they hold
up for a fishing trip to the maldives?

Ok. Here's my personal experience. Brought a relatively new Caldia Kix 4K to Maldive. Didn't use it much for popping, but did some "light" bottom fishing with it at night. Got my ass handed to me several times by unknown creatures on that outfit. Reel was still working fine after the trip, but on a subsequent trip to rompin, hit an accidental sail on the reel. Now my Caldia Kix is not quite what it used to be...............

Had a TSS4 once before too. The anti-reverse on the brand new reel died on me after only one tengirri trip to sarawak.........

I'm not saying cheap reels are no good. I have some cheapo reels which are still doing their job very well even after much abuse from fishys (as well as myself!). Maybe I'm just unlucky and keep buying lemons.

On another note, while popping at Maldives, I recommend using a larger high speed reel. Not because the smaller reel can't do the job, but I noticed that some captains there like to keep their idling speed while popping relatively fast. So if your reel doesn't pick up line fast enough, you will soon find yourself "trolling" with your popper! haha.

[cudas]

Thanks guys, I have re-considered and will go for the old school shimano
TSS4 instead of the twinpower 8000HG after reading your inputs. It has a proven track record and a great price. Wish shimano could improve the cosmetics though - very 80s looking

I wish I could do something about the back play of the reel handle.Is it possible to install a "super stopper device"?

[Makaira]

Hi Guys,

If anglers decide to use "old school" equipment like the TSS4 or the older Penn SS, they have to take them for what they are and be aware that these reels were designed when mono was the prevalent line of use.

Fishing braided / PE line on these reels puts a lot of stress on the components due to the non-stretch characteristics of these lines. Attempting to fish too high a drag setting on them is simply asking for trouble. So do becareful lest you bruise a knuckle or worse still; break a finger or two when the anti-reverse fails.

Back in them days yonder, when we talk about drag settings, we talk in pounds; not kilos like the bluewater samurais of today. I have fought big fish & brought them to the boat for release on 12-20 POUND drag. My buddies fishing in the Andamans as we speak released two estimated 800 pounder marlins yesterday -- one possibly a blue -- using 25 POUNDS of drag at strike. So do use common sense and set your drags within the safe limits of your equipment & of your own abilities.

Best regards,
Makaira

[Fish_Fingers]

Cudas,

If u were to go with the TSS4, then u might as well go for the Shimano Spheros. TSS4 has horrible line lay, and would probably affect your casting distance.

And Mak is right, the thought of a big GT whacking your popper at boatside (happens quite often) while using heavy braid and drag, on an old school reel like the TSS4 is a scary proposition. Sounds like a recipe for disaster........