ZeeBaas 27 or Dogfight

[Mark Whitaker]

Gidday all,

My current GT rod is a Daiwa Muramura 76 with Saltiga 6000GT with 100lb Hi-Seas Grand Slam Braid and 130 lb Grand Slam Leader.

I am looking at a Carpenter EP86/36 and a Monter Hunter 80H, I will spool with Tasline by Paulus 100lb tested at 137.4 and very thin at 0.545

I also have a Van Staal 100vs fitted to a Saltiga 60s with 20lb (39lbtest) and its a fantastic light combination and the Van Stall is as good as any Japanese reel I have used.

As the Van Staal is so good I am looking at the ZeeBass 27 with Bail and offshore handle, these can be picked up in the US for under $1000Au.  They a carry about the same langth of line as a Dogfight but retrieve 39.5" instead of 49" per turn, but they are 195grams lighter.

Any thoughts on the ZeeBaas 27 as a GT popper and stickbait reel, or has anyone used one for GT's?

Regards

Mark Whitaker, Cairns

[Travis Heaps]

That is actually a really neat bit of kit, wasn't aware of them before.  If the drag is an effective 40 pounds then it's adequate, the retrieve rate is down on what is generally accepted but i suppose it just means wind faster or slow down your retrieve    

[Mark Harris]

Hey Mark

I have a bit of experience with ZeeBass reels and for the money, I think you can do better.

My brother owns a ZX-27 and I think that is the one you are referring to.  He uses it for really hardcore surf-casting in cold seas. I have used it a bit. It is a super-sexy looking reel and it feels well made.

The points that would stop me buying one for GT fishing are:

1. stop/start drag system - none of the smooth progression you would get with a Stella for example. I think they use a proprietary sealed drag system, so there is no chance of doing after market upgrades either. The drag knob is also a bit strange and will take some getting used to. It is designed to be thumbed rather than turned and is very sensitive.

2. it is slow, equivalent to Shimano power gear type real (eg SW20000)

3. almost zero chance of getting any authorised service outside of the US as far as I can gather

For the money, I would wonder why anyone would buy one of these for GT fishing when the more suitable Stellas and Saltigas are readily available?

[Adrian Braun]

Hey Mark

I have a bit of experience with ZeeBass reels and for the money, I think you can do better.

My brother owns a ZX-27 and I think that is the one you are referring to.  He uses it for really hardcore surf-casting in cold seas. I have used it a bit. It is a super-sexy looking reel and it feels well made.

The points that would stop me buying one for GT fishing are:

1. stop/start drag system - none of the smooth progression you would get with a Stella for example. I think they use a proprietary sealed drag system, so there is no chance of doing after market upgrades either. The drag knob is also a bit strange and will take some getting used to. It is designed to be thumbed rather than turned and is very sensitive.

2. it is slow, equivalent to Shimano power gear type real (eg SW20000)

3. almost zero chance of getting any authorised service outside of the US as far as I can gather

For the money, I would wonder why anyone would buy one of these for GT fishing when the more suitable Stellas and Saltigas are readily available?

Perfect answer.

[Mark Whitaker]

Thanks Guys.

It is a slow reel. like a 6500 EXP or 20000 Stella.

They are self servicable with a kit available, so you can service them yourself or take to a shop to have done.

They do have a progressive drag, from what I have read the bail arm moves backward in a expodential manner for about 20mm before full drag is applied, my Van Stall has this feature and its like haveing a slightly softer tip on the rod.  Works well and does not intantly bight at full drag.

The big reason why I am looking at them is the weight, they are so much lighter than a Stalla or Saltiga. 635g compared to about 830g for the Dogfight.  At the end of the day of constant casting lighter weight is king, especially for my 53yo body!

Mark

[Christoffer Hansen]

Hey mark,
      If weight is your concern then look at the 10000sw Stella, fast retrieve, excellent drag (23kgs) and about 600g in weight from memory. Awesome bit of gear, and some very big fish have been landed on them. Shop around and you'll pick one up for $800
           Chris

[Brandon Khoo]

Mark, you were seeking opinions on the Zeebaas and that is what the guys have given you - their opinions. Mark Harris has made some very valid points. Ultimately though, it is your decision on what you want to buy and use. I can only suggest to you though that there is a very good reason why almost all dedicated GT anglers use high ratio Stellas and Saltigas.

Noone I know who fishes for GTs on a dedicated basis has continued to use a low gear ratio reel as their primary weapon. I suspect you may find that the additional weight of a Stella or Saltiga will be compensated for by the higher gear ratio.

If the Zeebaas were really suitable, I think that we would at least see a few of them being used by GT anglers but to date, I cannot remember one angler here pushing its merits and this forum pretty much comprises the GT anglers community from around the world (outside of Japan).

If you are concerned about weight, think about what many of us have done when using 100lb braid and that is go to a Stella 10000 with an aftermarket SOM No Limits spool.

[Mark Harris]

Before you are so sure about about that ZeeBass drag system, I would strongly recommend you catch a large fish with one and see what happens.

Brandon's points are (as usual) very good advice.  A Stella 10000 with a SOM No Limits 16000 spool is the ultimate all day GT fishing set up for me.

[Mark Whitaker]

Thanks, all good advise.  I will keep learning and reading before I buy, and find out the limits of my Muramura76 and 6000GT Saltiga.

Mark