Which reel for Calico...

[Yerman]

Great info guys. Keep it commin...Although, I seem to be leaning more and more towards the 300....

[sourcreamnjive]

Creekster you need one for saltwater and one for freshwater....300DSV

[FISHHEAD]

Originally Posted by Carnivore

For calico I would definitely go the 300 but wouldn't put 20# on it. You are asking to much from the reel and 20 is over kill for calico. If you need a 20# reel I would go to the Avet sx personally. The 300 with 10 to 12 pound on it is a fantastic calico rig though.

IMHO fishing boiler,reef or wreck calico, 20 lb test is the way to go. Hook an 8 or 10 in the skinny and it will be "The one that got away"

Another important reason to fish 20lb or better yet 25lb is when you hook a yellow or a seabass you stand a chance to boat it.

There are calico all over the pacific and fishing them varies. I fish 20 or 25 lb big game on my 400te! On a fairly heavy all graphite very fast action rod.

but if your going to buy a te you might as well by a tn 14! JMO

[bajadave]

The 400, and load it with 40lb braid and top shot of your choice, you can go with 12-15lb test in open water calico fishing or change the line to 20-25lb. and do boiler or heavy kelp fishing, You need enough line strenght to pull them out.

[Duduk]

Originally Posted by Carnivore

For calico I would definitely go the 300 but wouldn't put 20# on it. You are asking to much from the reel and 20 is over kill for calico. If you need a 20# reel I would go to the Avet sx personally. The 300 with 10 to 12 pound on it is a fantastic calico rig though.

i have used Calcutta CT-400s this summer, was not happy, it was new but it did not work for me, the drug was not strong enough, on the back side of Catalina we was fishing the calp's, i hooked up a YT and it was not fun at all, had to thumb the reel to try to help but it was embracing... same problem 2 other times barracuda fishing... just sold it on Ebay

have been "using" Avet SX, i love to use my Avet sx, but my problem is i can't cast longer / far, i have tried many lines from #12 to #25 mono to spectra, but the best i'm able to cast is 40~to~45'


i don't know if it's me? my choice of the line or the rod

[CalamARI]

If my choice is between these three then I'd pick the 400te.
If I wanted a 300 size, I'd get the 300dsv like creekster.
I have the 300dsv and for a 400 size reel I fish the Luna300,
In between the B and TE as far as performance/bling goes.

[Yerman]

????They make a 300DSV???? THe Shimano web site doesn't show it. Do they? Can you post a link? If they do, why would I want a BSV handle on a 300 for retrieving swimbaits?

[Calico Blast]

I have used the Calcutta 400s for a long time. You can cast a country mile with it! Have Sam @ Baja Fish Gear put Carbontex drags in it and you are ready to go! I agree with going to the Trinidad 14 for the price over the Calcutta TE's. I have one and use it almost exclusively for Calicos. The 400 , I use for swimbaits with a 9' Graphtech inshore rod. Check out the Torium 14!

[Calico Blast]

Also checkout the Newell 229! Penn 500 size drags I believe are in it! Should be enough to stop any Calico Bass!

[Yerman]

Well, with the drag the same on the 400te and the 300te, and the only difference beng the wider spool on the 400, I just coudn't justify getting a 400 when I love the palming ability of the 300. I just got a 300te off of ebay. ending price was 270.00 brand new. I think I will be happy. Like I said, I only plan on using 20lb for stripper fishing in january and it holds 120yds which is plenty. And, when I am calico fishing, it holds a lot of 14lb. Thanks for everyones help and I'll post some reports on this thread after I use it for the first time.