Conventional Setup Advise

[snake slinger]

400 b

[jfisher]

For the 6500 Cl supporters, Don M and Salt Heart, what makes the black big game CL better than other Abu internationals like the rockets and mag elite?

[Clogston29]

RIJimmy,

I was thinking the same thing about getting the left hand retrieve model since I'm already used to reeling with my left hand. Also, it prevents having to switch hands after casting, right? How do other people feel about this?

I'm definately starting to lean heavily towards the calcutta also.

[eelman]

All I ever used before the Shimano Calcutta was Abu, produts. Namely the 6500 and the 7000. The main problem with all abu's is there drag, trust me, do not get them even a little wet !! Saltheart fishes mostly the canal, there is no surf , its a different animal all together when a wave hits the abu you may as well toss it in the truck, they do not have a tight fit and finish and the drags get extemely "chalky" when wet this = lost fish !!

I never knew any better and had to tear down the reel nightly to clean it and lube the drags, after first cleaning them all with alcohol, it was a pain..Then they had to be lubed with braid drag lube, way to much maintainence...

The calcutta uses a wet drag system, I dont care how wet it gets its still as smooth as the day it came out of the box, a quik rinse with fresh water after a trip is all I need to do.

If you fish the canal, breachways etc.. or any other place without much chance of getting a direct shot of water on the reel then stay with the abu, but, if you wade and get wet.the shimano is the one to go with.

I fished the Island with "snake slinger" this year and he was telling me every single trip how he has to take the abu down and clean....ask him now that he has the calcutta how he feels

Dont get caught up in this "rocket this" rocket that" jet bearings super jacked up 6500 this and that stuff...It doesnt matter. what matters is fishability and if the thing wont hold up the night I dont care how many bearings it has..

The shimano calcutta is the van stall of surf casting conventional reels in my opinion. and casts and handles like a dream...............

[snake slinger]

as #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^& said i switched from a 7000 to a calcutta and theres no way id go back.if your fishing every nite i think the calcutta is the way to go

[Mike P]

Let me address a couple of questions in the threads since my last post.

The Abu drags do suck. However, you can improve them. The Penn washers that fit a 965 are an exact fit for the 6500 size reels (I used to use 704 washers but they were a little smaller and got chewed up around the edges over a season). Also, SmoothDrag washers are also available for all Abu reels.

The Calcutta drag is now awesome. The original drags were great as long as they stayed dry. Around 1999 or so, Shimano replaced the old drag with a material they call Dartanium and offered free upgrades at the shows over the winter. It stays smooth now, no matter what. You will never get the same distance out of a Calcutta than you will from a tricked-out Abu, but it's a smoother caster and feels more solid. Abu 6500 frames can flex under stress, too. The one piece frame on the Calcutta will not.

The difference between the old BG series reels and the rest of the Abus is that the original, made in Sweden BGs had brass plates and a heavier frame. The new champagne colored 7000 series BG reels, besides being made in Taiwan, have aluminum plates like the rest of the Abu line. I fully expect the re-introduced 6500 BG reels to be the same, Taiwanese made with aluminum plates.

[mikecc]

fully expect the re-introduced 6500 BG reels to be the same, Taiwanese made with aluminum plates.

Sorry Mike they are the exact same as the original made in sweeden.Also the 6500CS & CT Mags are back

All new Abu's will also have a new better drag material simular to the Smooth drag. This will be starting with the newer 6500 sizes and down. You can tell the new reels by the newer style housing.

[eelman]

yes, the drag on the 400 is in a class by itself ! Since they changed to the dartanium, its amazing you can pour saltwater on it and still smooth as silk! I love my 400s all 5 of them!

As far as casting, I am not sure mike, I can lay into a 400 real good and get a very good cast acually with eels its almost its on par with what steve gets for distance with his VS..... It casts so smooth, if I lose a coupe of feet on the cast no big deal all the other features more than make up for it.

[dickmont]

i have a pair of calcutta's a 400TE a 400S non levelwind. they are both very well made and small enough to palm easily. i keep looking at the 700TE but keep backing away because of it's size. my only complaints are the fact that they don't like to throw lite stuff like rigged sluggos, just isn't enough weight to get them going i guess, and they are tricky with braid especially the 400S. after throwing off several $20 plugs i switched back to 20lb ande back country and they are pretty much problem free. too bad they don't make a 550, half way between the 400 & 700. that would be perfect