Thinking about a new reel for next year. I'm leaning away from a Van Staal due to the amount of problems people seem to be having with the new ones. (i.e. broken handles, drags, etc)

So for the people out there with the Saltiga series reels; how do you like them? Any problems to speak of?

I have two Saltiga Z4500's purchased in 2006. :btu:

The Saltiga Z’s are super reels. I fish 3 of them – 2 of them since 2004. Zero problems and they perform great. Also, Daiwa has provided great customer service as far as annual routine cleaning/servicing – which I have done twice.

The Saltiga Blast is a different reel for surf-fishing. They do not have the same water-proofing seals as the Z’s and I’ve read that the materials for internals of the Blast are a step down from the Z’s. There’s a reason for the $300 difference.

:topic:

FYI, the Saltiga lures are extremely effective sand eel imitations. They are aburdly expensive and you have to swap out the trebles and split rings which is ridiculous for the price, but in terms of effectiveness they are better than any swimmer I've seen.

I've been looking at the reels as well...very interested to hear what people's experiences have been with them.

There are guys that have a lot more hours on their saltiga then I do ( just got mine this season) but I fished it pretty hard. (z4500)

My overall comments were the stock handle felt odd to me but I was able to upgrade that to a powerknob and it seems better.
The drag is very good but not as good as the stella IMO. They are both outstanding compared to penns or any other lower end reel but the stella is incredibly smooth and adjusts better.
The real body is probably more water-proof then anything else.
I have had zero problems with it this season, fishing nearly every night for a couple hours.
I will send it in for service this winter (as I do all my good reels)
I will get another one next year for a smaller rod.
Overall, they are up there with the best spinners made and hold up well to lots of use.
Love the heavy manual bail
handles braid great!

Never tried the blast or surf model but the surf model seems to ride very high on the shaft and it is exposed at the top of the cycle.

If I was in the market for a new high end reel I would shell out a little more for the z-baas. That reel makes more sense to me for the surf. I'll probably never own one but I'll be jealous of those who do.

If I was in the market for a new high end reel I would shell out a little more for the z-baas. That reel makes more sense to me for the surf. I'll probably never own one but I'll be jealous of those who do.

What I'm worried about with Z Baas is the fact that these reels are so new. There may be long term problems that havent surfaced?? You never Know. Also theres always the chance of a new company going out of buissiness. If I were to ever get one, it would be after they have been around for a while...

i just got my zeebaas ........WOW...enough said

I don't own a Saltiga, but I know 3 guys that do REALLY fish hard, REALLY catch fish, and have owned them for at least several years instead of having just purchased them a few days ago. Their experience and track record of how much they fish and what they catch is all I need to know and I'd buy one myself, but I'm a little prone to submersion so it's Van Staal for me. Time (at least several seasons) and actual use is the real test of all reels and the Saltiga has proven it's worth. I think tlapinski killed one of these, but it required skishing which resulted in corroded internals. Otherwise it's proving to be bulletproof. There's a thread on it somewhere in this forum.

There's almost 16,000 Van Staals out there now as it's been around since the early 90's. Surfcasters break everything eventually so not surprisingly problems do occur. What you don't hear is a guy like DZ whose several reels date way back and have only been serviced once or twice or Steve McKenna whose never had a problem at all with reels dating all the way back to the same time period. To say those guys fish hard and catch is and understatement. I think VS problems are greatly exaggerated by the Internet. There's more guys like DZ and Steve out there then there are guys with problems. You just don't hear about them. Probably because they're out fishing.

The ZeeBaas, the only real negative at this point is the lack of seasons under it's belt. Time (years, not a season) will tell. It's a big negative, but, it might be worth giving it a try because it could be a great reel. The gear junkie side of me wants one of these things. The sensible side of me says my VS reels have never betrayed me in 7 years of service so spending the $$ on one is pointless for me.

Pete:

Not sure just what you mean but FYI I've occasionally "REALLY fished hard" and "REALLY caught fish" over the past 4 Seasons with my Saltigas and have had zero problems as well. :kewl:;)



I don't own a Saltiga, but I know 3 guys that do REALLY fish hard, REALLY catch fish, and have owned them for at least several years instead of having just purchased them a few days ago. Their experience and track record of how much they fish and what they catch is all I need to know and I'd buy one myself, but I'm a little prone to submersion so it's Van Staal for me. Time (at least several seasons) and actual use is the real test of all reels and the Saltiga has proven it's worth. I think tlapinski killed one of these, but it required skishing which resulted in corroded internals. Otherwise it's proving to be bulletproof. There's a thread on it somewhere in this forum.

There's almost 16,000 Van Staals out there now as it's been around since the early 90's. Surfcasters break everything eventually so not surprisingly problems do occur. What you don't hear is a guy like DZ whose several reels date way back and have only been serviced once or twice or Steve McKenna whose never had a problem at all with reels dating all the way back to the same time period. To say those guys fish hard and catch is and understatement. I think VS problems are greatly exaggerated by the Internet. There's more guys like DZ and Steve out there then there are guys with problems. You just don't hear about them. Probably because they're out fishing.

The ZeeBaas, the only real negative at this point is the lack of seasons under it's belt. Time (years, not a season) will tell. It's a big negative, but, it might be worth giving it a try because it could be a great reel. The gear junkie side of me wants one of these things. The sensible side of me says my VS reels have never betrayed me in 7 years of service so spending the $$ on one is pointless for me.

Pete:

Not sure just what you mean but FYI I've occasionally "REALLY fished hard" and "REALLY caught fish" over the past 4 Seasons with my Saltigas and have had zero problems as well. :kewl:;)

You're one of those guys that's given the reel a REAL testing. :btu:

Many of the hard core jiggers in the Canal have switched over to spinning gear. The two most popular reels among them are the Saltiga 6000 and the VS 275.

The only problem with the Saltiga, so far, is that J Powers' line roller bearing is shot--after 4 seasons with no maintenence to speak of, tens of thousands of casts, and thousands of fish. ;)

Some of the guys with the VS bought them to replace Accurate Twin-Spins, which they had some issues with.

So far, after one season, I haven't heard one minor complaint about the 275.

The only concern I would have using a Saltiga (a real Saltiga--not a Blast or a Surf which IMO are overpriced, inferior reels trading on the Saltiga name) is in high, sandy surf, as the very tight tolerances between the frame and the rotor could lead to sand jamming problems. I believe that Mac had problems using his from the back beaches.

From rocks--I would highly recommend them based on personal experience and the experience of the guys I fish with.

Pete:

I had a feeling you meant that - I was just joking with ya' - :kewl:


You're one of those guys that's given the reel a REAL testing. :btu:

Thinking about a new reel for next year. I'm leaning away from a Van Staal due to the amount of problems people seem to be having with the new ones. (i.e. broken handles, drags, etc)

So for the people out there with the Saltiga series reels; how do you like them? Any problems to speak of?

I also had some 3 problems with the VS but like a new car there is some tweaking involved , I believe my friends had no problems with theres mine is fixed now and it has been stellar, I wouldn't go back to anything different.:cheers:

I have had a rocky relationship with my Saltiga over the past couple of seasons....

I bought the reel in the spring of 2005, and purchased the 4500 model. Initially, I absolutely loved the reel. It casts great and has an awesome drag. By September, and a trip to Cutty, the reel started showing signs of the abuse I put it through. The reel was used in the surf and was frequently dunked. I landed several 30's, and a ton of 20's up until that point. Somehow, after the Cutty trip that year, a small piece of the reel foot broke off. I fished the reel for another week or two as I left for the Block right after, and it worked ok with a little electrical tape to secure it to the rod. After the Block trip, a few noises developed in the reel. Sort of like a whirring as it was cranked. i sent the reel back to CA for service, and it took roughly 30 days to get back. The body was replaced, and the internal bearings were destroyed and replaced.

2006 came around and I again put the reel through the works. As with 2005, the reel kicked butt until September and the trip to Cutty. The reel was submerged a lot throughout the season, and started again with the whirring noise. On the second night out there, I set up on what I thought was a fish (turned out to be a rock) and the reel "clunked". It was hard to explain this sound/feeling, but after that moment the reel had what I could best describe as a hitch in the gears as it was cranked. If the reel was cranked slow, it would hang up at this spot. If it was cranked faster, it would just kind of hesitate. After that trip, I retired the reel for the season and went back to the VS. Some time in the winter, I took the reel out to send back. It was totally seized up. Again the internal bearrings were replaced and I think something had to be fixed with the gears and/or the spool syncronization. When the reel came back, it was once again working as smooth as silk.

On to 2007. After the previous 2 years, I decided to use the Saltiga as a special situation reel. If I was primarily fishing slug-go's or if I felt I needed extra distance, out came the Saltiga. Otherwise, it has been all VS this year. Now, after 3 seasons of use, I feel the Saltiga is more of special situation reel for me, rather than an all around option. The reel truly excells at throwing and working slug-gos and handles braid extremely well. I did not experience any wind knots with it, and you can really launch the little rubber guys. The reel is extremely smooth, and casts like a dream. If your intention is to fish your reel under water more than say 50% of the time, opt for a VS, ZB, or get used to cleaning a Penn after each trip. If your reel only goes under water a handful of times per night at most, and you are willing to give it a good fresh water rinse after each outting, the Saltiga should serve you well.

Pat, I'll bring my Saltiga to the November CSA meeting for you to take a look at. I'm probably not doing myself any good here as far as looking to unload this reel, but I don't think enough has been written about the ability of this reel in the surf.

If your intention is to fish your reel under water more than say 50% of the time, opt for a VS, ZB, or get used to cleaning a Penn after each trip. If your reel only goes under water a handful of times per night at most, and you are willing to give it a good fresh water rinse after each outting, the Saltiga should serve you well.


Toby:

I think this says alot though. There are very few guys I know who actually "fish" their reels underwater more than 50% of the time - heck even more than 20% of the time. I know I rarely if ever actually fish/reel my reels underwater - unless fighting a fish requires it. Now, getting it dunked & splashed very often - sometimes on every cast - is another story.

So I guess skishing (consistently reeling underwater) and splash/dunk-fishing is a major distinction.

Toby:

I think this says alot though. There are very few guys I know who actually "fish" their reels underwater more than 50% of the time - heck even more than 20% of the time. I know I rarely if ever actually fish/reel my reels underwater - unless fighting a fish requires it.

Says the tall guy... :laugha:

But yeah, it definitely depends on the rocks you like to stand on and the spots you fish, how high you are out of the water, whether you like to swim, and certainly how tall you are.

I dont skish or wetsuit , but there is no question that the reel is going to get splashed and occasionally dunked. I always rinse my gear well.

What I'm really after is a reel that will be there 100% when i need it to be. Right now I'm using Penn 704z's and Slammers. The 704's drag is never right after getting wet, and the Slammer hasnt given me the cranking power I've wanted. Also, the drag on the Slammer started to get very sputtery and jerky after a couple of mid 20Lb fish a few weeks ago.

Thanks for all of the great input guys! Deffinately helpful.

if thats the case joe would be waist high and I'ld have a damn snorkle on

Don't even consider a Blast or surf
get the real Saltiga Z

if you are worried about dunking and don't need a bail or a smooth reel, then go with a van stall and take a chance but my experience with VS is the reel is too stiff for me and they tend to leak oil, that o ring is nothing impressive.
I love my saltiga z 6000gt, i use it mostly jigging the canal but I do get it wet on occasion on the beach or rocks elswehere. 2 seasons and it is fine, I don't abuse it like others do with their reels, but I only rinse it on occasion and twice a year oil the line roller. The drag is pissa, way better than any reel i ever used. I stooped a 600 pound seal with it once, must have had 25 lbs of drag pressure and the reel performed flawlessly, can't say the same for my line though.

With your kind of fishing Pat I would go with the VS. If you get anything different, down the road you will wish you did. Also there customer service is the best. If you were fishing the Canal all the time get the Saltiga. For what you do get the VS.

Says the tall guy... :laugha:

But yeah, it definitely depends on the rocks you like to stand on and the spots you fish, how high you are out of the water, whether you like to swim, and certainly how tall you are.

Yup.
Wading to Joe = Wet suit for Rockhound!! We're like the odd couple out there...

My VS is underwater A LOT but it hasn't failed me yet while fishing. One minor problem (fixed no questions asked) that exacerbated by trying to fix it. thats 5 seasons and a lot of trips and a few fish! But it isnt as fancy as Joe's pretty reels.... AND FYI, I dont fish braid, and every time I HAVE fished braid, it sucked...

Says the tall guy... :laugha:




Yeah - height has its advantages...

However, having a higher center of gravity does not help on the rocks when trying to brace for a rogue wave to hit - ask Bryan (and ask my waders :mad:) what happened a couple months ago when we pushed it a bit too far and a wave took me out while he stayed on his feet. Jimmy - I think you got taken down the same night around the corner though...

And, Bryan is right, I think the Saltigas and Stellas handle braid much better than the VS's.

I LOVE my saltiga blast, LOVE it.

Best reel i've ever fished. I have 50lb braid and i've never had a problem with it.

hows the saltiga z 6000 compared with the surf when it comes to long distance casting from the guys that have experienced them? Any difference? One better than the other?

The ZeeBaas, the only real negative at this point is the lack of seasons under it's belt. Time (years, not a season) will tell. It's a big negative, but, it might be worth giving it a try because it could be a great reel. The gear junkie side of me wants one of these things. The sensible side of me says my VS reels have never betrayed me in 7 years of service so spending the $$ on one is pointless for me.

pete im in the same boat. :wall:

hows the saltiga z 6000 compared with the surf when it comes to long distance casting from the guys that have experienced them? Any difference? One better than the other?

Come on down to the Ditch and see how far Slip can cast a 5 oz jig on his 6000-Z ;)

I would say that the Surf casts margainally better, but the Z is no slouch in the casting department. The trade off in reliability more than offsets the lost distance, IMO.