New multiplier

[georgieb]

I was looking for a new multiplier - thinking of the Daiwa 7HT - for yak and shore use - any comments ?

Interesting choice of webdesigner at veals. (Bottom left hand corner of this webpage).
veals.co.uk/404.html

[mark63]

hi georgieb ive been using a pair of 7hts on the beach for years and they have never let me down. i prefer to use an abu 6500 on the yak because its got a levelwind

[zebra]

6500ct great reels will last forever and are cheap on ebay

[stitch]

Hi george
Thats the reel i want to eventually get, Tribble has one and he swears by it, his has been dropped, kicked and bent and it still working fine. I have Penns 525 and 535 and Diawas SLOSH 20 they too are good but have not to date and hope i wont put them through tribbles antics.

John ;D ;D ;D

[The Image ™]

I use the slosh (Daiwa SL20SH) as well. Good shore reels but good light boat fishing reels as well. The slosh was a revolution in its day and still takes some beating.

Very simple to use, very robust, high retrieve. It has no level wind. More important it has no automatic features which on other reels like the 7HT can break under the duress of boat/kayak fishing. It's larger than the usual multipliers. It was often advertised as a 'blur' between shore reel and boat reel. That's a good description. I've tried mine on a casting court and the difference in distance between the Slosh and the Mag is minimal. It has an extra screw on bracket for strengthening the fixture to the rod for when you're winching that biggie up from the deep.

I've had mine for 10 years now and it's been bashed and dropped in the sea a few times and still works and looks perfect.

The spool is high off the rod though which makes it unsuitable for people with small hands.
You can fish with mine on Sunday if you wish to try one out.
They're quite cheap to buy but good robust quality.

I'd avoid the 7HT. I think 7HT's are great (very forgiving) and I owned one for ages but I seriously doubt they're robust enough for kayak or boat fishing. Strength isn't the 7HT's main quality and the spool is small and lighweight. Also the function that automatically clicks off the free spool when you wind the handle can break under the duress of boats/kayaks. The 7HT is a beach reel and that's where it should stay.

[georgieb]

I thank you all very much for your views. A new reel choice is always a hard one i think especially if you are preparing to part with decent money, it also produces strong opinions.
I had a top 3, based on value for money and what i needed from the reel, they were
1- daiwa 7HT
2 - Penn 525 series
3- ABU 6500 series.

I usually try to fish cleanish areas, over rock type pools with clear patches between weed etc, often checked out at LW and then visited at high . The kayak giving you many more options than beach casting into such an envirionment.Even though i once said i would never have one ( and my daughter calls me a cheat) i now hope a fishfinder will help me refine that tmethod by indentifing more clearly the ground beneath me.
So i wasnt looking for massive cranking power, did need something with power but that you could use in the confines of a kayak, was happy to do without but could see the sense in line level after it was mentioned especially stuck in a kayak with other things to think about rather than concentrating about laying line on a reel. Thanks mark63 for your advice, john i very much appreciate your input and i am real worried that as we have said in the past together and i swore i would never do it , but i failed to be strong and resisit, i am now likely to be one of those that is going to slap a few hundred quids worth of gear into the shingle soon enough ! never thought i'd hear meself say that. Glyn i'll get a slosh next time, thanks for your comments, i dont expect to be winding biguns through the kelp so i'm afarid terry wins - - got an :
ABU 6500 CS Mag - hoping it will last me years.

[martinw]

cant go wrong with the abu's george, ive got 3, 6500 c3, 6500 mag elite and the trusty old 7000, they're easy to use, maintain and clean, ive also got a penn 525 super mag and i hate it, good casting reel, i just dont get on with it ;D

i think u chose well

[cliffnorry]

I have a cuppel of leveline multiplier's that I do not use any more, and am willing to let go cheep to a good home,

Mitchell riptide 2/0 and a Penn leveline 350, I will have them with me on Sunday,
look for the white Jeep with a good looking bloke standing by it,. or I might be there!
there might be a paddle on the roof if it has not been clamed by then.

[stitch]

Hi George
If you go for Penn the 525 & 535s in the GS range they are the same price. no need for slick casting magnets. I bought my 535s a couple of years ago for a trip to France cat fish fishing to be honest my friend has had more use out of them than me but now i have one loaded up with thirty pound line for the biggies.

John ;D ;D ;D

[starvinmarvin]

I use SL20SH at the moment but had a look at the Fladen Maxximus 555 and 666 at the weekend, they were being sold for £40 at a Boat Jumble brand new and am kicking myself for not buying one, was told they come out of the same factory as ABU and I have to say they were very similar apart from the shape, very nice reels and if you can get a good deal on them, worth looking at.

SM