While mainly a Fly fishing trip, I did bring along some spin gear.
Returned from Christmas Island Kiribati and the Daiwa Saltist 6500H easily whooped 11 GT's up to 75 lbs, 1 Wahoo over 100 lbs and a 43 lb Tuna.
I installed Carbon-ex drag washers, power knob and line roller bearings before the trip. Total cost of the reel and upgrades were $275 Canadian dollars delivered. I had 400 yards of 80 lb power pro and never even reached the 1/2 way point on the spool. The Wahoo we had to chase a little with the boat. The drag (not locked down) stopped them quite easily. The 6.2 :1 ratio made popping a lot easier.
I used an El-cheapo $46 - 2 - piece 8' Shimano Saguaro rod. No problems at all. My 3 buddies used the same set up and no problems with their equipment either.
Took the reel apart and it looks like new inside. Would this setup work for larger GT's, I don't know but it handled some big nasty fish for me and didn't break the bank doing it.
Just thought I would share my experience for those looking for an inexpensive alternative to the higher priced outfits available.If I chased GT's all the time I would probably make the investment in top quality stuff like my fly gear but for a week or two I think it is fine.
