Slick Drag Singing
Written: Dec 02 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Smooth drag system and durable reel.
Cons: No need for live bait drag.
The Bottom Line: For ocean fishing from the surf, this reel is top of the line quality.
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| interpreter's Full Review: Shimano BaitRunner BTR4500A |
I was so pleased with the smaller shimano reels, specifically the Sedona, when it came time to buy a new fishing reel for the ocean surf, I picked a Shimano BaitRunner 4500 and I have been landing big fish ever since.
The reel's drag system is real smoothie. That's just what I needed from a fishing reel if I was going to succeed in landing a 12-pound bluefish or a 20-pound striped bass from the ocean surf. And believe me, I've landed a few brute bluefish from the Jones Beach surf on Long Island, that tested the durability of the drag. The reel has never failed in every battle.
I opt to bottom fish with the reel, usually with a four-ounce pyramid sinker. Yet, if I felt like hurling lures, I'm sure this reel would have no problems with it. In fact, not only is the drag system reliable, the spool is shaped to allow a fisherman to cast far into the ocean, if the situation calls for it.
The head of the spool is sloped properly so line tossed could quickly flee the spool and head uninterrupted into the ocean. I've owned reels where the spool top impeded he casting distance. Not this reel. It was designed to cast not really to be used from a boat, where all the fisherman has to do is drop the rig straight down.
With its power drag and its casting virtuoso, the baitrunner 4500B is also smooth on every turn. All Shimano's are. And this baitrunner is no exception. When fighting a fish, or reeling in to check your bait, every turn glides around in smoothness.
What I find annoying, however, about the reel is the baitrunner drag system used for those who fish with live bait. I don't. I never use live bait unless I catch a fish suited for the task of being used as live bait. This live bait drag system, which I mistakenly turned on, was a problem only for the first day. Once I figured out how to turn it off, I haven't bothered with it ever since.
As far as line, I was able to put 20-pound test. That's all I wanted out of a reel, having the capability of holding about 200 yards of 20 pound test. So far, no fish has been able to spool more than half-way through the line, and I am confident that a really big fish, for example a 40-pound striped bass, still couldn't reel out too much drag line if the drag is properly set.
I quickly became comfortable with this Shimano. By comfortable, I mean I feel confident that my goal of landing the fish is for the most part guaranteed. Of course, nothing in fishing is guaranteed and you don't catch a fish unless it's in the bucket or lying on the sand. If I, nevertheless, did drop a fish, most likely it would have been because of a dull hook or nicked fishing line. Not because of the reel. That's a good feeling to have when the pole pulsates knowing you have a fish on.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
interpreter
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Reviews written: 27
Trusted by: 1 member
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