Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating - View Single Post

Saltheart · 02-25-2003, 08:51 PM

Conventional is the way to go except for lures less than 1 OZ. even then , the best casters can use a conventional but most people have trouble casting less than 1 with a conventional. IMO the conventionals are much better once you hook up. I only use 1 spinner anymore. its a steelhead rod for 1/2 OZ jigs in the spring at the west wall. It gets a little use in the late fall when the rats blitz but the rest of the season it sits idle and i use conventionals only. For what you describe , the ambassaduers are hard to beat. I think a fighting handle is a must. The little paddle handles suck. You can change the handle on any of them or get a Big Game model or Trophy model and it will come with the fighting handle. The Calcutta 400 is a great reel. It casts almost as far as am ambassaduer and as far unless you know how to tune your ambassaduer for max distance. Its got a stiffer frame and better drag than the ambassaduers. however , it has the same crumby paddle handle as the ambassaduers. It also costs a lot more. As far as i know , there is no handle to replace the paddle handle on a calcutta like there is for the ambassaduers. I have three calcuttas (250 , 400 and 700) and at least 7 ambassaduers I can remember including a 5500 , many 6500's , 7000 and 7500 sizes My advice is to get an ABU Ambassaduer BG6500CL. It has a brass frame so its stiffer. It has full sized squared off side plates which also makes it stiffer. It has dual spool centering and tensioning adjsutments and it comes with the fighting handle. All those things add up to making it a better reel than a C3 or C4 or any of the models with the palming side plate. the make elite is also a great choice but its the same as price as a BG 6500 and I prefer to have the clicker over the mag control in most cases. I do have 2 Mag elites though and they are great for tossing eels into the wind. You will see them (BG6500CL) for between $110 and $125 depending on where and when you get one. Usually you get the best prices at the shows. On the rod you are describing , I'd load the reel with 35 lb spectron.

02-25-2003, 08:51 PM	#27
Saltheart Registered User iTrader: (1) Join Date: May 2000 Location: Cumberland,RI Posts: 8,555	Conventional is the way to go except for lures less than 1 OZ. even then , the best casters can use a conventional but most people have trouble casting less than 1 with a conventional. IMO the conventionals are much better once you hook up. I only use 1 spinner anymore. its a steelhead rod for 1/2 OZ jigs in the spring at the west wall. It gets a little use in the late fall when the rats blitz but the rest of the season it sits idle and i use conventionals only. For what you describe , the ambassaduers are hard to beat. I think a fighting handle is a must. The little paddle handles suck. You can change the handle on any of them or get a Big Game model or Trophy model and it will come with the fighting handle. The Calcutta 400 is a great reel. It casts almost as far as am ambassaduer and as far unless you know how to tune your ambassaduer for max distance. Its got a stiffer frame and better drag than the ambassaduers. however , it has the same crumby paddle handle as the ambassaduers. It also costs a lot more. As far as i know , there is no handle to replace the paddle handle on a calcutta like there is for the ambassaduers. I have three calcuttas (250 , 400 and 700) and at least 7 ambassaduers I can remember including a 5500 , many 6500's , 7000 and 7500 sizes My advice is to get an ABU Ambassaduer BG6500CL. It has a brass frame so its stiffer. It has full sized squared off side plates which also makes it stiffer. It has dual spool centering and tensioning adjsutments and it comes with the fighting handle. All those things add up to making it a better reel than a C3 or C4 or any of the models with the palming side plate. the make elite is also a great choice but its the same as price as a BG 6500 and I prefer to have the clicker over the mag control in most cases. I do have 2 Mag elites though and they are great for tossing eels into the wind. You will see them (BG6500CL) for between $110 and $125 depending on where and when you get one. Usually you get the best prices at the shows. On the rod you are describing , I'd load the reel with 35 lb spectron.
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