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wade fishing reels

4K views 33 replies 21 participants last post by  markmc2 
#1 ·
Just curious to onow what yall throw when wading the surf. My 4 month old concept c bit the dust and my 5 yr old h20 express is still going. In the market for a new reel that will be used mostly wading the surf and the bay. Thanks in advance, jordan

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#3 ·
I switched to all spinning gear with 10lb braid. Haven't lost any sensitivity, no backlashes, and casts a country mile. I just can't figure out how to work a top water with it...

Shimano ci4+ 1000 series. It's been dunked accidentally a few times, and generally neglected and still feels like the day I got it. Great reel.
 
#11 ·
Maybe get another H20 and see how long it holds up. Both of my Cores are holding up great. I upgraded a Citca G6(ebay cheap) and will see how it does through the fall. I'm somewhat leaning toward using cheaper reels for as long as they last provided I can get great casting distance.
 
#14 ·
It is a bite in the wallet, I've had the Concept E and it made it 3 trips wade fishing, then the worm gear messed up, got it fixed and then another issue popped up, got a new one and sold it. I haven't tried the new Curados, as far as worth the $$$, for me yes. It's in a league of it's own.


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#15 ·
Lews is all I use anymore, dunked my inshore about 5 times. Have not broken it down or cleaned it in a year, just added oil to the bearings for the first time last trip out. I am a firm believer in reel clean and reel guard and spray down ALL my gear with it after every trip.
 
#17 ·
I was a shimano curado purist. I was in a bind when I trashed another and my wife got me a H2O xpress motive on a recommendation from a friend. I have two motives now and One new curado. Plus three shimano's getting repaired. I put the motive on my Laguna rod and use it 80% of the time. Just tough reels and I am rough on them wading. For $80 hard to beat.
 
#23 ·
I had a discussion with the owner of a reputable reel repair shop a back when I was looking to purchase a new reel and he told me that do not even look at the concept reels. They do not hold up at all in saltwater....took his advice a got a Lews. Been using them for about a year now and wished I would have made the switch a long time ago. I have dunked it a couple times, washed it when I got home and still felt like new the next time I used it.
 
#24 ·
So this is for the 51MG and 101D, but the parts are close enough to figure it out for the 50MG and 100D.

"From 101D

Remove 2398 (steel), 3562 (brass), 2397 (steel),
I think 2202 (steel), 3420 (brass)

From 51MG

Use 3376 (al) replaces 2398 and 3562, 3156 (al) replaces 2397
I think 3373 (al) replaces 2202, 2200 (al) replaces 3420

You'll need to check if bearing 2143 will work on shaft 3376 (I think it does) but if not, you might need to use bearing 2948.

Also I don't rememer if I used the 3151 (plastic) star drag from the 51MG instead of the 3551 (metal), but I think i did."
 
#25 ·
That's all great and good Brad but honestly corrosion on the gears is almost never an issue. The issue with dunking reels is and always has been about corroded bearings. I personally don't like the aluminum gears. Under heavy use they have never held up as well or stayed as smooth feeling as the brass gears for me.

The best but toughest thing is to really learn how to keep your reel from being dunked. It takes some time to get there. But at all cost keep the dang thing from getting dunked. Then, flush with fresh water when you get home, break it open, remove the spool and let it dry out. Last, once it is dry add a good oil to all bearings and the worm gear. Something like Reel X that does a good job of preventing corrosion.

That's it. Use what you like in the surf, rinse it well, let it dry well and use an oil that inhibits corrosion. Tear down at regular intervals for deeper cleanings. I can't remember the last time I had a bearing go bad or a corrosion issue on any of my reels.
 
#32 ·
That's all great and good Brad but honestly corrosion on the gears is almost never an issue. The issue with dunking reels is and always has been about corroded bearings. I personally don't like the aluminum gears. Under heavy use they have never held up as well or stayed as smooth feeling as the brass gears for me.

The best but toughest thing is to really learn how to keep your reel from being dunked. It takes some time to get there. But at all cost keep the dang thing from getting dunked. Then, flush with fresh water when you get home, break it open, remove the spool and let it dry out. Last, once it is dry add a good oil to all bearings and the worm gear. Something like Reel X that does a good job of preventing corrosion.

That's it. Use what you like in the surf, rinse it well, let it dry well and use an oil that inhibits corrosion. Tear down at regular intervals for deeper cleanings. I can't remember the last time I had a bearing go bad or a corrosion issue on any of my reels.
I've seen some pretty bad reels with nasty gears thanks to the surf (teeroy can guess who), but I did it for two reasons, one being the weight (I thumb the spool on hook set to avoid shearing teeth) and two on the maintenance.

I wanted to be able if it got dunked and I didn't have time to tear it down right away, I could just soak the entire reel in distilled water and clean it later. So far its never happened.

I'm with you on the bearings, I'm still looking for someone who can make bushings out of a ultaslick and hard plastic. I bet it'd be fine in a surf reel.
 
#26 ·
One more thing. If you want a dedicated surf reel look for a reel with the fewest bearings possible. You only really need 2 to 3 bearings supporting the spool shaft and one anti-reverse bearing. If you get a reel set up like that you can easily flush and oil all the bearings without a full tear down. Bushings in the worst case scenario might corrode slightly but they can be polished back up. You don't need 9 bearings for a reel to work well. While it makes a reel feel silky smooth it is just more to go wrong on a reel you are going to use in the surf. Save the 9 bearing reels for the bay, get a 3 or 4 bearing reel for the surf.
 
#27 ·
I have been using the Concept C for wade fishing for over a yr and it's help up just fine.. just keep it out of the saltwater and rinse off after every use & it'll be fine. Lightweight, casts a mile & pretty easy on the wallet in comparison to the upper grade shimano's. I also use the Chronarch 50e which i love almost as much.
 
#28 ·
You probably are having a problem throwing top waters with your spinning rod because it is not a top water rod and not the reels fault. Some of the better rod brands have about the same blank in casting and spinning rods BUT never buy with out checking out the rod closely seems most blanks are made in China or such and they have been known to mix blanks and the rods be mislabeled. :)

From wading PM years ago I had FTU matching rods in casting and spinning. Used the spinning mainly for weightless plastics but did have a blank that could double for smaller top waters, and corkies when the need arose. Nothing like being 1/2 mile or more or so from the boat and have reel problems.

My favorite reel is still my old green super free with new boca bearings and regular maintenance as with all my casting reels.

Tried the H20's and they work but... They are not an old greenie.
 
#33 ·
I just never found brass gears to be a big problem. Even on really nasty reels they rarely get all that corroded. They just turn a dull brown color and even if they do get worse than that they clean up easily. I have seen some corroded up aluminum gears on older reels that were pretty eaten up, although I have not had issues with that on the Shimanos. I just don't see it as an issue that would warrant buying new gears and swapping them out as a precaution and the weight difference is minimal. But if it makes you happy then go for it.

Brass bushings are just fine too. You can polish them up easily and they will last for many years. Most folks will likely never wear them out. Over the years I have tried different types of plastic bushings and have never seen one that worked as well as brass long term.
 
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