Daiwa Dogfight - what is it good for?

[Brandon Khoo]

I think what Hon-Su is saying is that popping with an 8000 with PE4 is a struggle for GTs!!

hon-su, I was planning using my Stella 8000 on a PE 4 [50-60lb] outfit, what do you mean in "just wasn't enough", overall size or strength ? . I have a upgraded Spheros but thought the Stella 8k would be stronger, or maybe I need another big Stella as well.


   

[Hon-Su Chin]

hon-su, I was planning using my Stella 8000 on a PE 4 [50-60lb] outfit, what do you mean in "just wasn't enough", overall size or strength ? . I have a upgraded Spheros but thought the Stella 8k would be stronger, or maybe I need another big Stella as well.

   I wouldnt say the Stella 8k is a stronger reel than the Spheros 14k. More like its a smaller reel with the similar strength. you can still use it for GTs, just that in some environment you need as much stopping power as you can get. In my case I needed atleast PE8 hence the bigger reel.

Hon-Su,

That's bad luck about the rotor on your Saltiga. I borrowed an 6500 Exp for an hour or so while jigging recently and accidentally whacked the rotor several times on the boat's rail. Thought, "oh no! This is going to be an expensive mistake when the rotor breaks any moment now". Never did luckily. Do you know why the rotor broke on your reel?

God know why it broke. There's a number of possibilities. This reel was bought off a friend as a used reel. So I dont know what he has done to the reel that may contribute to its demise but then again it may be a manufacturing fault. I would continue to use it once its fixed. The reason for getting 2 stellas is variety and backups....its hard to be bias when all the top end reels look so nice....

[Greg Burt]

Thanks brandon,
Ive got a 6500 EXP now and looking at getting a Stella soon so i have one of each, but still haven't decided.

Rob - if I can make a suggestion, go for either a Stella 10000 or a Saltiga 6500 DF for your next reel. The reason for that is you currently have a reel with a relatively low gear ratio. Getting one with a higher gear ratio will expand your options and facilitate less effort when working a popper.

Silly Me , I thought hon-su meant the Stella 8k wasn't strong enough for PE 4 , my faith is restored .

 Brandon, does Nomad supply Stella 10000 and 20000 on thier trips, taking on board your advice to Rob, I was looking at a few options as the only 'quick' reels I have are TSS4s and an Emblem Pro 550, quick but not HD.

[Brandon Khoo]

Hi Greg

The reels they supply are the 10000 and 20000 Stellas. Honestly, unless you have your own Stella, Saltiga or perhaps an Accurate, I wouldn't bother taking another type of spinning reel. They may or may not survive but why take an inferior reel (no offense intended please) to what the charter will provide?

the TSS4 and Emblem Pros are good reels and are suitable for most applications. Unfortunately, heavy popping for GTs may be a big ask over a week.

[Greg Burt]

[Luke Wyrsta]

Brandon, I had no intention of taking  the TSS4s or Emblem, just stating they were my only high speed reels, if I take any reels it will be the Stella 8k for SPs  and a Stella 20k. I was just wondering if I needed a Stella 10k or similar high speed reel but if they supply them I'll use theirs and stick to buying my favorite reel, the mighty Stella 20000.

PS. The Emblem Pro is a good 10-15kg spinning reel, were you don't need any more than 4kg of drag.

Some anglers will tend to lean towards a slower ratio (4:1) or a faster ratio (6:1).

Many popper fisherman like myself have at least two outfits setup at any one time - one slow and one fast. Slow is considered ideal for large poppers/chuggers/bloopers and the fast is considered ideal for pencil/skipping poppers. I personally can use both with ease for either applications.

You may have to experiment with both to see what you prefer - there is no hard and fast rule.

If you want a definate answer you can get away just with the 20k (slower ratio) - bit more work, just wind quicker!

[Greg Burt]

I like working lures on the slower reels but was thinking of giving an alternative a go, maybe save a bit of energy . I found the Accurate Twinspin30 [6:1] hard for Jigging [my intended use] but no problem when spinning.

[Brandon Khoo]

I find that the only lures where a high gear ratio really does make a difference is when you're working pencils. For chuggers or stickbaits, I find the 20000 is fine. I tend to work my stickbaits quite slowly t try to imitate a wounded or dying fish.