Hi All! I was hoping maybe to get some help/advice.. I have bought a trio of scope 10' rods, and the scope ops rod quiver, as I wanted to be much more compact and was tired dragging my full size bag around the lake, especially I am mostly fishing just smaller waters, often even just local day ticket venues.

I had been using my original Shimano Aero baitrunners since I bought them in the 90's on my full size rods, but they are tired and so I did the go-to thing and bought the newer versions in the X-Aero 8000 RA. I love baitrunners, i don't like doing too many things at once like needing to fiddle with the clutch whilst also trying to strike into a run. I also really liked the rear drag as i found holding my hand on the front of the reel felt a bit clunky, but this is less of an important thing as i can obviously cope with a front drag and would get used to it.

The big problem is the reels are quite big, i didn't want the double handle so I did not buy the smaller version, and now I am struggling as fitting them in the quiver is barely possible and i am going to damage something eventually with it being so tight.

So I wanted to buy some slightly more compact reels, of course Nash will tell you to buy his new GT reels but I would rather stick to a proper manufacturer, not some rebadged and i think overpriced reels, so was looking at what could be more compact and sensible priced.

I seen the Daiwa Emblem BR 25's and they seem ok, but I cannot judge the size of them from photos. Would they be more compact than my new Shimano's?

And lastly, any better suggestions for a bit more compact reels, I am less worried about cost and would prefer something more premium generally, any advice would be very very welcome.

Thanks a lot in advance for anyone taking the time to help me out with this puzzle

Daiwa ss2600 , light , hard wearing, not the smoothest of reels but a very very good clutch, can be customised with wooden handle, qd, black spools , bearing upgrades etc, never had an issue with mine and they get abused on the river week in week out

Gs 3000/4000

In reply to Post #1
If want light and compact then the Okuma Inc6000 are a nice option. Lightweight, compact and simple .... I also have Super Baitrunners 8000 size which are smaller spool than the Aero version you have (also had them in the past) but heavier than the Inc6000 ........ but i will say the Super Baitrunner quality is apparant when comparing the two imo ...... however I have also had Shimano XTB/XTC 5500 in the past and i would take the Super Baitrunners or the Okuma over either of them

In reply to Post #2
Thanks a lot for your help, but I was really thinking about baitrunners ideally.

In reply to Post #4
Thanks for your help, very interesting! I was trying to find which model you meant as I cannot find one labeled "Super Baitrunner", i did google about and the results was showing a few different models, so it wasn't clear which one you meant. I saw results for the XT, the XTB, the XTE-A, and even an XTR :D

Maybe you could kindly confirm which model you meant exactly, many many thanks in advance!

ps. interesting no one liked the idea of the Emblem BR25's yet - so maybe it wasn't as smart a choice as I thought

In reply to Post #6
XTR RA Super Baitrunner. They replaced the XTE EA and were the last version labelled as a Super Baitrunner

In reply to Post #7
Thanks! I thought it might be that one, little bit off put by the double handle, not sure how it will fold down in a quiver, but maybe it be ok if it is a bit smaller.

From what i can see, it seems like it has been discontinued, or maybe "updated" as now all i can find on official shimano sites is XTR B, not A. Maybe they did an update, not sure. I can see a few kicking around in some shops still but low stocks in general which makes me think its been depreciated. But nonetheless I shall check it out carefully as i think it is similar in size to the baitrunners I had from the 90's

Thanks!

I am looking at buying a pair of 10 foot scopes and was wondering whether I could use my XT6000RB baitrunners with them, saves me buying new reels as well.

In reply to Post #1
Check out the Okuma reels

In reply to Post #9
No...that would be absolutely verboden.
Whoever heard of such a preposterous suggestion.
Every carp in the water will immediately shoal up and ridicule you unmercifully....
I fully expect it to make the front page of Carpworld....

Now that we have that out of the way...
Why not try how they feel when your new rods arrive ?
Only you can tell if they suit your style of angling.
There is really no right or wrong reel , within reason, ...just what suits or is affordable.

In reply to Post #11

I bought the gs reels and quickly returned them as they are tiny
Also tried shiman xtb's 5500 they were ok but finally settled on castizm qda's
I was used to more expensive big pits and the others just felt horrible in
comparison
Basically I'd use what you have and see how it goes
Don't worry about balancing and the finer details
Have friends who use big pits etc and they don't catch any less fish

In reply to Post #11
They are sat on my Barbel rods at the moment and havent been used for over 2 years so think i might offload the rods and keep the reels.

In reply to Post #11
Another thought! Do you think i could use my usual reels, Shimano MEDIUM Baitrunner XT-A Long Casts on a 10 foot scope?

Unless you travel to the water by public transport why would you want to use Scope rods at all?

In reply to Post #15
Fed up of wrecking the interior of my car when putting the rod bag in, saving space etc.

In reply to Post #14
Why certainly...I use the BIG XT-A s on my 8ft Hardy Jet spinning rods just to take the piss on one lake.

In reply to Post #17
I use either my 12000 mgs big pit, amazingly well balanced on 10ft scope or 2600 which I love.

In reply to Post #1
I've got the Emblem BR 25A's on my 11' TS's . I swapped out from the X-TA medium longcasts, the Diawa's are a little more compact and I have had no problems with them at all. Fantastic reels. The only thing I don't like about them is that the spare spools cost a bloody fortune....

In reply to Post #17
What about my dads old Miltipliers?

In reply to Post #20
Wooden Scarboroughs if he has them would be better....unless they are big game sea reels...