My Stradic FJ isn't sealed, though I use it on a dinghy a lot, and on teardown never see evidence of water inside. I've coated all the internals with a wipe of grease in case. 

Anyway I use a Stradic FC with 5kg fireline (breaks at 7.5kg) and an Abu Velocity 2-5kg (discontinued though you can still pick up the odd one) very good combo.

If you haven't already, you may find it useful to read the current thread about advice on a reel to match with an Ocean Angler Microwave rod in this forum. Some good ideas from the likes of Uncle, and others.

There's a bit of discussion about the mag-sealed Daiwa reels, and how to get hold of one at a fraction of the price you pay here in NZ. I've been doing some research and you can get a slightly older model Daiwa Caldia from Japan for about NZ$260 (on Digitaka.com). Otto's Tackle World in Sydney has some great prices on pre-2016 models of the Caldia as well.

That would leave you a decent whack to spend on the rod.

Remember another fact you'll see mentioned on this forum that Daiwa model size numbers are different from Shimano etc. So a 3000 Daiwa = 4000 Shimano; 2500 Daiwa = 3000 Shimano. There are some strong Shimano and Daiwa camps on the forum, that's for sure! Others like Okuma and Penn.

From what i've seen on the forum, many of the gurus favour smaller and lighter reels for soft baiting and light lure work (2500 Daiwa, 3000 the rest). That's consistent with some of the well known fishing mag writers. See Makka's recent post on the 'Reel for OA Microwave' thread.

Those same gurus also favour light braid - say 10-15lb stated breaking strain. The two big sellers seem to be Berkley Fireline Exceed, and Sufix 832. 

In terms of a rod, there is a strong school of thought (with Mark Kitteridge being the key advocate) for long rods for soft baiting, edging towards 8 foot, rather than 7ft. Longer cast, better line control (see some of the comments in the OA rod thread). I sense a long rod may, however, be a disadvantage with jigging, which seems to be more vertical than angled. If you want a long rod, Top Catch has the Ocean Angler Microwave for $200 (online only special). 

i imagine the quality of components - such as guides, reel seat etc - has a big say in a rod's longevity (along with how you transport the rod at sea and in a vehicle!). Fuji seems to be a decent benchmark for quality components.

But again, there are plenty of fans on the forum for cheaper rods such as the Shimano Catana.

have fun making your choice!

Some of the cheaper rods are 'composites' rather than full graphite.

E.g. many of the Shimano combos feature the Backbone Elite series, which Shimano describes as being "high quality composite blanks". Whereas I've had fishing shop staff members in two of the top chains tell me they are 100% graphite. 

Composites are more forgiving in terms of fragility in small boats.

The 7 ft Okuma X Factor soft bait rod is a composite (e-glass and graphite, I believe) that is very popular and cheap. Quite a bendy action, which seems to be favoured for jigging, given the small hooks etc.

The likes of Marine Deals have the Ci4s for a much higher NZ$299, which is claimed to be $80 off. So again, you can find an overseas internet deal that could leave you plenty for your chosen rod. With nearly $300 to play with, you're almost at Offshore Illusion price range.

The major downside to Daiwa's magseal is that you can not self service. The magseal will break down over time, and will need to be serviced by Daiwa in NZ. Also the magseal won't keep out sand, so no playing on the beach. 

For those reasons, I'd give the nod to Shimano in the mid range price bracket, unless you really need that combination of free spinning water sealing. I much prefer to have a Stradic knowing I can take it down in 20minutes. It's really not hard to do in this age of youtube. Find a teardown video and follow it. 

The threshold for GST to be charged on a single non-business importation is goods to the value of NZ$400 - because any amount payable under NZ$60 is waived.

So it requires a quick check of ballpark exhange rates and a calculator to ensure you're not going to get hit.

Don't take my word for it, read for yourself on the NZ Customs website: http://www.whatsmyduty.org.nz/whats-my-duty

I understand from your website that you have the certification to do a Daiwa mag seal service - you do not have to send reels away.

The mag seal servicing drama subject has cropped up a bit on various threads about reel choices, where Daiwa fans are challenged by Shimano fans.

Your website page on servicing states you charge $40 for a normal spin reel service, and $50 for baitrunners. And $70 for a 'Saltiga Mag Seal service'. 

For those of us who are in the market for a spin reel and trying to make sense of the debate and comments by the likes of OWT, please post here what a mag seal service costs for say, a Caldia or Certate 2500.

That would be much appreciated by those of us who aren't DIY when it comes to reel servicing, other than basic care. We'll be able to make an informed choice.

TKK

 

What are these new models going for Yeehaa? It'll be a toss up between these or a clash next pay. I'm sure the daiwa kit is mean but I like to do my own maintenance.

And I totally get it re the servicing cost. I wish I had skills in that area, but sadly not. I'm prepared to pay because I'd rather leave it to the experts than have a reel that was never the same after I pulled it apart and put something back in backwards!

As per my other post, Yeehaa announced a while ago that it is authorised by Daiwa to do the mag seal service on site, but hopefully we'll hear that from the horses mouth, and the cost, in reply to my question.

In the $200-300 reel range, I'd read reviews and forum threads for Africa and was about to pull the trigger on a Stradic FK until I had second thoughts after reading some of the raves about the Caldia and realising i could get one from overseas for the top end of my budget. But then the mag seal debate came up and I'm keen to get some answers before making a final call.

TKK

The other advantage of doing that is that I got to see first hand the benefits of my Stradic over my Symetre in terms of components, and I removed the auto bail trip from my reel. Never use that anyway. 

Magseal is a catch all term for using little magnets to hold a specially magnetised oil in position where it acts as a seal. I think it can be used to seal bearings, shafts, whatever. It can be used anywhere a rubber seal can be, but with nearly zero friction. No point in using it places where friction is not an issue. Can't see the benefit in reducing friction on a drag myself. 

That would be great. I've got a 4000 FJ and really enjoy using it. If the FK is an improvement, as many say, it must be a very nice reel.

At this stage, i'd be likely to remove the bail arm trip unintentionally!

I got some braid caught up inside my Lexa 3000 once and had to pull the spool off to free it. Somehow either the braid or me pinged off a little spring to do with the drag, I think. And I couldn't for the life of me work out how it should be re-attached. Luckily I had a spare reel on the boat and back on shore a mate with the same reel so that we could take his reel's spool off and work out how the spring was supposed to look.

Now you know what I pay to get a service!

It's fantastic to have some of the wily campaigners on this forum prepared to share their knowledge - I'm a relative newcomer to softbaiting, but soaked up as much info as i could from this and various mags, books and YouTube clips. Definitely accelerated me through the learning curve to where i'm reasonably proficient.

in terms of purchasing gear, I think it's always a good rule to buy the best you can afford. I used to end up with three cheaper reels because each one was what I could afford at the time, and later wish I'd saved my money, then stretched myself and got one really quality reel. I think reels are where price reflects quality the most, certainly for softbaiting and jigging. But I've used a $35 Shimano FX4000B reel for light strayline baitfishing for several years and it's landed decent bronzies, snapper, kahawai etc. I wouldn't want to try casting and retrieving soft baits all day with it, though.

Weigh up as much info as you can, then simply choose what feels best. The best rod in the world is no good for you if it doesn't feel right in your hand, or isn't balanced with the reel you've got.

I see Top Catch has a nice looking Okuma nano matrix soft baiting rod on sale for about $150 this week. 7'9" which would meet the long is best recommendation from some soft bait gurus, and it's got Fuji components. But it may be too light actioned for your bigger inchikus.

Stradics certainly appear to be the favourite $200-$300 reel on this site,  and importing and/or the mag seal Daiwa factor seems to be a stumbling block for some.

You might want to check out two Marine Deals combos - the Shimano Nano STS rod with either a Ci4 Stradic ($449) or the FK Stradic ($409). That rod may be stiffer and powerful enough for your jigging needs. It's 7'3", so a touch longer than the typical 7 footer. I think those rods been around for at least a couple of years, so others on here might have a view on the reliability, action etc.

Enjoy the process of deciding.

He doesn't hold back on his views, and he's pretty black and white. He's kind of made his name being very outspoken.

His blog and 'best lists' etc indicate he's clearly big fan of the Stradic FJ series, so I asked what he thinks of the FK update.

He replied overnight: "The FK is practically the same as the FJ only with meaningless tweaks to make it look better. Both are some of the best light weight reels available on a budget."

Interesting. I also asked about the Caldia and he isn't impressed, which is disappointing as I was verging towards a 2500 model for lighter softbaiting - given than I have a FJ 4000 loaded with 7kg Fireline for heavier softbaiting. Hawk rates the reel's gearing as inferior to the Stradic and the mag seal as a pain in terms of self servicing.

So another viewpoint for what it's worth.

TTK

those little flat paddles on some reels are horrible.

After all the research and tooing and froing, i've finally pulled the trigger - and now have a happy foot in both Shimano and Daiwa camps.

Got a nice metallic blue Caldia B 2500 from Otto's in Sydney for a tick under NZ$300 landed at the doorstep. Feels really smooth and will be my light set up.

Then snapped up the Stradic 4000 FK that Green Guy was selling, brand new still in the box. Good deal and great to meet a forum guru in person on pick up.

But, now am keen to get input into the right braid for each - for softbaiting in mainly relatively open country. 

I could get some Stren Microfuse online from a few discount places overseas which still have it - in 6lb, 8lb etc. Some guys on the forum used to swear by it.

Kaveman's out of those sizes, unfortunately, since it was discontinued, and reckons he'd go the Tasline Elite White 8lb versus the Microfuse anyway.

Green Guy is running Varivas PE 1.2 from Yeehaa on his Stradic 2500 and reckons it's unbreakable.

Input welcome from the softbait gurus out there. 

Interesting point by Makka on the other current thread that the lines either side of that weight are only 6 strand, whereas the PE0.8 you've got your hands on is 8 strand.

Be good to know what you think of that versus the likes of Fireline or Microfuse - particularly in terms of casting distance. Or maybe that's not comparing apples with apples, given Tasline appears to not be a 'fused' line, more like the Japanese 8 strands.

That 8lb should break at 14lb. That's what they claim, and assuming that it's made from the same basic stuff as other braids puts it in the ball park for it's diameter. .2mm is almost exactly twice the cross sectional area compared to .14mm and the 10lb stren breaks at 28lb. 

I'd be keen to know what reel you're going to run the Tasline on, and how much of the 300m you fit on it. Sorry if you've mentioned that before, but I can't remember.

TTK

end of the day, I probably won't notice the difference with the type of fishing I normally do.

I always find loading line quite tricky, particularly with 125yd braid spools, so am keen to make the process simple.

Warning - dumb question alert!

I always wonder how people 'reverse' their braid lines on to the same spool, as some people say they do. 

Unless I'm missing something very basic: first, you'd have to wind off the line onto a spare reel or spool, and the 'worn' end would therefore be buried. So you'd have to then do another wind onto another spare spool, so the 'worn' line would be on the top; THEN join the 'worn' section to the old backing or original empty reel spool, and wind back on with the good line at the top. 

Am I right or a dunce?