I've really been enjoying fishing with retractable 10 footers, I should have done it years ago!

So far, I've tried SS2600's, GS4000's which have both felt a little too small and 5000t tournies which were far too big.

So what reels have people settled on with similar rods? Places in fishing too I might cast 70ish yards but mostly 30-50 yards and might catch a low thirty but more likely doubles/low twenties.

I think I'm after more cranking power than the SS and GS without the bulk/weight of the Tournie. Budget around £100 a reel.

Cheers

I recently bought a pair of GS4000's. For me they're a perfect size & weight for my 10ft's & I would imagine I'd feel the same about the SS's. I wouldn't want bigger reels for short distance work but each to their own - we want what we want.

There's a lot of love for the Okuma 6000 inc's which may bridge the gap.

Might be worth a gander.

In reply to Post #1
Guessing you like the old skool daiwas so id recommend some old emblems in 4500 size, if you can find some baboons then even better

I use my SS3000's and really like the balance. I have also have a "snide" 10ft Scope that I use a Castizm on which is probably the perfect match to be honest.

In reply to Post #4
Okuma inception 6000 £60-£65 each

In reply to Post #5
Another vote for the Okuma.

I will also use a Shimano 4000 GT-RD on the river as they are big enough to fish up to 12lb line. And I really like Fighting drags.

In reply to Post #1
Wychwood extricator -small body ,nice wide spool. Better than GS or SS2600 (i have these).
Cheap as & Nice gearing. Get two for £100 easy.

Castizms are nice size if you want to pay more.

or

Shimano X aero with baitrunner. Pick up second hand under £100. These have the crank power and I use on my barbel /pike rods for that reason

Shimano X aero with baitrunner.

That's what I use in the 4000 guise. A very well regarded reel and 2nd hand they keep there prices very well. I use them on feeder, float, & barbel rods from 9-12'. I did however buy single handle conversions for them as I don't like double handles.

In reply to Post #1
Okuma 6000's,if they are anywhere near as good as the Obsidian then they will be one hell of a reel for that money

I use Shimano medium baitrunners xt-a long casts on my 10 foot scopes.

Thanks everyone,

I looked at the Okuma Inc and not knowing if the back wind thing will or won't happen puts me off them (not that entirely understand the problem)
I do love a bit of old school, but not so much anymore.
I used to love a Bait runners, but deffo prefer front drag.


GS4000's are my go to reel and great, but just bit worried they may struggle to crank in a bigger fish if I'm lucky to hook one.

Would anyone know what would be the next front reel drag up from the GS4000?

In reply to Post #11
I blew 2 gs4000 up in heavy weed, both locked up solid and had to handball fish in

In reply to Post #11
What's the concern with the Okumas? I have a couple of sets i use on my 10ft rods and used them for a number of years. Had fish to over 40lb on them and I use the drag (as does my son who caught a brace of 40s on them in France).

There's a lot about it on the Okuma inc thread.

Something about back wind engaging when the line is under tension, so back winds when it isn't supposed to and you need an extra spring to fix it.

If this is a fault that has been resolved then they would be worth a look, but I CBA to buy something I know has a known fault.

My light actioned 10ft tfg compact 2.5lb journey started with shimano 6010 baitrunners.
I then upgraded to the shimano XTE 10,000 baitrunners.
Then upgraded to the vintage daiwa emblem S 5000t, that i still have on my 12ft 2.75 rods, big river barbel rods and also on my spod and marker rods.

In reply to Post #14
In the years I've had the reels it's not an issue I've experienced and as I said, I've caught plenty of smaller fish as well as bigger ones to over 40lb on them using the clutch

In reply to Post #1
Penn rival longcast black 6000 size under your budget of £100 a reel and perfect size for 10ft rods

Another vote for Okuma Inc 6000 and Baitrunners Super Baitrunners or X-Aero Baitrunners are what i use

In reply to Post #1
More than £100 I'm afraid; but IMO Daiwa Whisker 25QD (or Castizms) are the perfect 10' Carp rod reel . . . .

In reply to Post #19
Cor, they really are a few over budget. Might just get a couple of handles 😂😂.

A quick search and people compare them to the much more affordable Emcast 25's which are a bit more reasonable 🙂.

Any long term thoughts on these?

In reply to Post #14
Apparently it's sorted now, so if you buy new ones, shouldn't be an issue. I got my old 3 reels which had the issue swapped by Okuma, and haven't had the problem since.

In reply to Post #20
Emcast 25 are decent, I bought these when I was fed up of getting my castizms caked in mud on a particular lake

They can be made quick drag easily by removing a small component, otherwise it's a few turns from free spool to locked up.

I didn't miss the castizms much and the emcasts took a fair beating, now I use them as my spod and marker reels for my 10ft setup so they are still going strong with no issues.

In reply to Post #20
Any of the Daiwa 25mm spool concept reels work well on 10' rods - I use an Emblem BR25A on my 10' SPM / Spopper . . . have no knowledge of the Emcast 25A but looks good value and has a similar body size to the Whisker . . . .slap on some carbon / ice washers to reduce the drag and I'm sure it would be good to go!

In reply to Post #14
I've got 6 of the Okuma 6000. Changed my Emblems, SS2600's and Baitunners for them once I'd used the first pair I'd bought for a while.

Not had a single issue with any of them yet, and as they're mainly used for Barbel fishing they get a lot more hammer than do for for Carp. 4-10oz leads with PVA bags, casting every 30-60 minutes and cranking the weight against the flow of the tidal Trent.

Only thing I'd change is add a one-touch folding handle. Other than that they're night on perfect tbh and amazing for the money.

In reply to Post #1
I've got Shimano X-Aero Baitrunners in the 8000 size on my 10' Set Up, absolutely perfect IMO.

Fantastic Line Lay, very smooth clutches, Good Sized Spools and I think they balance a 10' Rod nicely.

The 10k & 8k are the same reel just different capacity spools that are interchangeable.

In reply to Post #24
I think I'm going to have to buy a pair of the Okuma 6Ks just to see what all the fuss is about!

In reply to Post #26
i think the fuss with the Okuma's are that Shimano had the mini pit market to themselves for years and got complacent, producing poor mid range mini pits 5500 XTB/XTC's etc with a pointless baitrunner spool and drag clicker problems etc. Okuma came along and produced a better all round reel for a fraction of the price.

Couldn't stand the Okuma's when i used them, felt like cheap tat with the line continually going behind the spool.

In reply to Post #26
Me too, I feel left out..

Story of my life TBH.

In reply to Post #29
I'm only doing it for the same FOMO reasoning (!) . . . usually a total brand snob and would never entertain such cheap tat . . .

In reply to Post #30
I await your review with interest 😂.

In reply to Post #30
"usually a total brand snob and would never entertain such cheap tat . . . "

Same here.

Usually I'm an NGT man through & through.

Oh, wait..

Whilst we're drifting away from the top brands, What are Soniks reels like?

There are deals for 3 new Sonik Xtractor+ 5000 Reels for £125 posted which seems very good value

In reply to Post #33
From another thread

Don't get the extractor reels they aren't worth anywhere near £50. I had them for a month and hated them, if you're after a good value for money mini pit reel you can't go wrong with the okuma 6000 inception. Amazing bit of kit for the money

In reply to Post #34
Ahhh, the faulty Okuma pops up it's head again 😂😂😂.

They have just released a '+' and their online blurb admits their first models were bad - quite refreshing I thought. Anyways they say they've worked on them and released the extractor+ reels

In reply to Post #35
I thought the extractor was a sonik reel

In reply to Post #36
Extricator -Wychwood

Extractor -Sonik

Sonik one is a tad gash.
Wychwood is a real gem. Perfect floater reel!

In reply to Post #37

In reply to Post #32
I own 6x pairs of NGT tip tops (admittedly the labels have been unstitched such is the shame) . . .a stink sleeve that takes a River Pod perfectly, and a couple of lead pouches . . . .as you can see I'm prepared to slum it occasionally (albeit these are all barbel kit 'only' items )

In reply to Post #39

In reply to Post #39
I have a few NGT items also TBH.

Funnily enough I have a chod & long rig box that I scrubbed the NGT logo off for fear of embarrassment.

What's sadder? - Owning some NGT tackle OR buying some & then trying to disguise it!??

In reply to Post #41
Def trying to disguise it . . . oops

In reply to Post #42
Yeah I think you're probably right.

In reply to Post #26
Depends what you're used to I guess - had I been able to get on the £125 Castizm's when AD had some then likely I'd never have tried the Okumas.

They don't look as cool as the SS2600's I already had, and I really really wanted to prefer the SS2600 and for it to be a better reel. But, it isn't. Not at anything other than looks. The Okuma has better line lay, faster retrieve, is miles smoother and has a great quick drag out of the box. I admitted defeat and flogged the SS2600's I'd paid £150 each for (with QD caps) and replaced them with 3 Okumas for £130 . Same with the Emblem 45's, which were good reels but a bit on the big side and I had a spool lock solid while playing a big Barbel in a weir pool. Never really trusted them after that.

I doubt they're the very best at anything, but they just do everything well. A spare spool would be nice, but that's why I ended up buying 6 reels as at the time a spool was around £28 and a whole reel under £50.

In reply to Post #44
How many of them have done the back wind thing?

In reply to Post #45
Soz being dumb - whats 'the backwind' ting? Does the gearing clam up / does it have a duff anti-reverse?

In reply to Post #46
Based on other posts on here, the back wind seems to sometimes engage when there is forward tension on the line (I'm guessing like when playing a fish) and people have fixed it with adding an extra spring.

Let me try find the thread

These threads:

LINKY POO™ https://www.carpforum.co.uk/Shared/Messages.asp?TopicID=429242

LINKY POO™ https://www.carpforum.co.uk/Shared/Messages.asp?TopicID=425576

In reply to Post #26
Don't bother. I did that too thought if they were good i'd sell the whisker 25's get a few quid back. However side by side there was a huge difference in quality so sold the Okuma on within a week.

In reply to Post #49
Don't bother. I did that too thought if they were good i'd sell the whisker 25's get a few quid back. However side by side there was a huge difference in quality so sold the Okuma on within a week


Daiwa Whiskas = £300 reel
Okum Inc 6000 = £ 50 reel

Who would of thought there might be a difference in quality?

I think I'm down to a short list of two, unless someone wants to flog me their whiskers for £200 😂😂😂.

So any feedback on the new Sonik xtractor+ 5000's or Penn Rival LC 6000's?

Ta

In reply to Post #51
Wouldn't touch a Sonik reel if you paid me.

What about some Shimano Baitrunner D? They come in 4000/6000/8000 sizes.

In reply to Post #51
what about some 2000 size longbeams

In reply to Post #50
Okuma make good reels the £45 epix bait runner was better than my shimano thunnus at 5 times the price so sold the shimano. Thought maybe the inc 6000 would be similar.

In reply to Post #45
None. On my 3rd season with the first 3 now.

Updating this, I went for Penn Rival 6000 blacks £150 for two.

Used them for last 48 hours, smashing reels, decent line lay, 200m of 0.35 on a shallow spool, and smooth retrieve, very quick clutch is the only downside for me, so I'll be seeing if I can slow this down a little.

So if you're in the market for your 10 footers don't overlook them 👍

In reply to Post #56
Interested as to why you snubbed the Okuma 6k badboys . . .?

In reply to Post #57
A few things tbh:

I wasn't prepared to risk the Okuma fault occuring and couldn't get a straight answer on if it has been resolved in new reels or not.
The Penn's looked and felt very well made lovely smooth slow oscillation and the line lay is mint 👌
The shallow spool on the blacks means they only hold 200m of 0.35 which I thought was more sensible than having tons of line on the reel that won't get used - for my style of angling
Penn have been there or there abouts for decades, Okuma may have too but not a brand I'm that familiar with.

And most importantly, wooden folding handles 👍👍

In reply to Post #58
I've gone with daiwa longbeam gs2000h reels I just swapped the handle over to wooden handles ( same size as 4500 emblems ) I love them , imo the perfect size and look good too

In reply to Post #59
Now thats just showing off! Oldskool reel porn . . . how big are those longbeams for size reference - smaller than 5000Ts tourneys?

In reply to Post #60
Thank you! Yes the body is smaller than a tourney, the spool size are just a little smaller- same as 4500 size. They are basically between an ss2600 and a tourney. Honestly think these are the perfect size for scopes/shorter rods, yet still have the big bit look and feel .

In reply to Post #61
They do look nice tbf . . .although still think Whiskers / Castizms are the kiddies for a modern reel on 10's!

In reply to Post #62
These Penns are tons better balanced than the SS and just a much better suited reel than the GS which belongs on one of them old Woolworth rods (imho) 😂😂.

I had a couple of fish on them yesterday and the clutch is very quick - I'm a back wind kinda guy, but the first runs caught me out a little. Still once set it was lovely and smooth, just kicked in at the right time on lunges.

For a £90 reel, the line lay is exceptional.

I've no idea about the castizm but they are miles out of my price range, so I'll never find out.

Appreciate this is after a couple of uses, so long term maybe a bit different. But I really am impressed 👍.

And did I say, they got wooden folding handles

In reply to Post #63
"much better suited reel than the GS which belongs on one of them old Woolworth rods (imho) 😂😂."

Ouch...

I hope your n*b turns square & rots at each corner.

In reply to Post #64
I guess that's Norwich speak for you don't agree 😂

In reply to Post #56
How big are those compared to the 6000 Okumas? Seem to be 20% heavier weight wise, so wondered if they were a fair bit bigger.

In reply to Post #65
Cor blast yer got me suffen raw bor yakkin all this squit!

In reply to Post #59
Lovely...... off to eBay i go!

What's wrong with good old Shimano baitrunners? Still using 8010 Aero Gt Baitrunners i think from the late 90's or early 00's on my 11 ft Harrison Ballista 3lb TC rods, feel perfect to me.

In reply to Post #66
They spend most of their time on the pod, so any extra weight doesn't really bother me, but in the hand they don't feel too heavy and balance nicely with the rods which was more important to me.

And in the words of Borris 'heavy is good' 👍.

Interesting reading. I have some shimano 6000's, think they are the aero X. and i think they are pretty average, cranking power is poor with heavy leads and i have heard a lot of complaints about the internal gearing going when used with heavier weights, which on a river you are not lobbing as far but you are generally using bigger weights. See how I go. Knowing what I know now i would have preferred some mini big pit types, spools are bigger too so beter line lay. For me they just feel cheap too

In reply to Post #71
I have a set of 8000 size Aero-X and think they are a great reel and I much prefer them to the XTB mini pits I also have ..... have you the double handle on yours? .... If so, change them for single handle, you should feel the cranking power will feel much improved with a single handle

In reply to Post #72
Single, double, no difference.
Cranking power comes from the length of the handle and the internal gears.

In reply to Post #72
Double handle. I think its the gear ratio at the end of the day and comparing them to a big pit, When you are reeling a large weight in they feel really strained, more of a pump and real action required for me

In reply to Post #74
Precisely, like trying to get up a hill on a bike using the small cogs at front and back.

Anyone suggest any single handles for Aero 6000 GTE's?

In reply to Post #74
I was taught to use the rod to gain line then reel in whatever had been gained. If you just use the reel you may as well fish with a broom handle. No reel is designed to be used like a winch,and would soon show signs of wear.

In reply to Post #76
You are correct when it comes to playing a fish, rather than winching it straight in.

Let me give you a better example...
Barbel fishing on the trent, reeling in a 6oz feeder with a bit of weed around it, hard work on my shimano aero 6010 reels, need to be "pumped" in to lift the feeder and straighten the bow in the line and get the feeder up to the surface, and then i can wind it in.
Using my bigger reels, vintage daiwa emblem s5000t, I can pick the rod up and reel it straight in as I now have enough winching power.

The smaller reel with smaller internal gears can't easily wind in with enough force, so it's clear the handle doesn't matter, whether single or double handle.
A longer handle (lever) will give more cranking power, but you could easily overloaded the gears and strip the cogs.

In reply to Post #77
Agree with this - much as I love them (and still own 2 pairs for nostalgia if nothing else - 5010s/8010s) shimmy baitrunners are a bit outdated these days . . . sticky, complex rear drag, bait runner drag collars that perish, spools that are way too small (and create even more line twist) and cranking power (especially on big rivers) even with their sexy double handles (I always liked em) is poor . . . .hence my new found love of the Daiwa 25mm spool concept which alleviates a lot of the above IMO.

In reply to Post #77

Must be really lucky with my Shimano 8010 Aero GT that are still great for carp fishing under a 100 yards and the 4500 baitrunners on my Pike rods for every winter.
Although still use Daiwa Tournament 5000t for distance carp fishing over 100 yards so perhaps I am just out of touch with modern carp fishing practices?

In reply to Post #80
Perhaps replace “practices” with “fashion”.

Just to chuck in my thoughts on an old thread!

I have had the Okuma inc 6000's, and yes, they were great, the clutch is excellent, but, I did have the fault with the backwind. I ended up selling my short rod set up, and then missed it after a year or so, so ended up getting another, I used my Obsidians briefly on them which due to their weight worked well, but I needed them on my longer rods, so I wanted some compact reels for my 10fters. If I had the budget at the time, I'd have got the Onyx Compacts, I disregarded the Okuma simply due to their age now, and reels have come a long way in the last 5 years.

I've always steered clear of Sonik reels, because they used to be dreadful, but I looked into the 5k Carbons, and was quite pleased with them, the build etc is great and more up to date compared to the Okuma's, their only downside was the clutch, so rather than be unhappy with them, I ordered the ice washers for them and it's made them perfect, they're getting their first outing tomorrow, so hopefully all is well!

Shimano Ultegra 5500. Superb 👍

Check how they fit in a rod bag though, i have found most of the 10 foot holdalls to be poorly designed. Currently using a Korda one

Tried my 6000 baitrunners and much prefer the above. Reckon the ultegras will be going on my river high water level rods soon, much better cranking power

I tried loads, several Daiwas great but too small or too big, soniks clutch was terrible and line kept going under the reel.

I settled on the penn rival 6000 LC blacks with the shallow spools, lovely clutch, reasonable line lay, ideal size and felt robust. All for under 80 quid each!

Then I got a ticket for a 25 acre weedy pit and went back to real rods and reels😂😂.

Based on feedback on this forum I bought 3 Okuma inc 6000's for my 10ft retractable rods. On first use, they seemed to be ideal and nice reels, but all that fell apart when I fished a very weedy lake. They really lacked winding power when bringing fish through weed, with the whole body of the reels bending and twisting.
So the Okuma's are back on the garage shelf to gather dust and my Basia's are back on the rods, which feel great.

In reply to Post #85
Basias on 10 footers . . .heresy!

In reply to Post #14
Happened to my reel. Took it to the tackle box and okuma supplied the part for free, fitted f.o.c and it's been fine ever since.

In reply to Post #83
Personally I think the Shimano 5500 (I have the Ci4 XTB) are the perfect all round size reel for carp fishing. Whether fishing the margins or at 140 they don't feel out of place.

In reply to Post #88
I did try them but the clutch was so quick which I couldn't get on with, lovely reels otherwise 👌.

I've got 22 whiskers on my 12ft rods which is a lovely reel and have wondered how they'd get on strapped to 10ft rods