Line counters????

[Trap Jaw]

Ok, my dillema is what brand to buy. I have been using the Okuma Magda Pro's for quite some time now but in the last few years their quality has gone down the crapper, 4 broke reels in one summer. All the ones that have broke have been new purchases, all the old ones are still working fine. What do some of you recommend? I don't like Diawa's, had ones when I was a kid(non line counters) and the drags seemed to wear out. The Penn 209LC's look good, but they are a bit on the small side. Also looked at the Penn GT2, but some of the reviews online aren't that favorable. Thought about the Cabela's brand, but they look identical to Okuma. Any help here???

[thumbburn]

penn 320 gti cant go wrong!!!!!

[bobpugh]

I bought two cabela's gold linecounters two years ago and love them. Solid metal construction and real nice drag systems. Can't beat the combo price either. They go on sale once or twice a year.

Bob

[TrophySeeker]

Not sure what you are looking to do with them or what size you need, but based on what I use my line counters for I would recommend these in this order:

1. Shimano Tekota 600LC ~$150 Retail, but you can do a little better buying new on eBay using Microsoft Live Cashback. This is a GREAT reel for wire.

http://pages.ebay.com/cashbackoffer/terms.html

2. Daiwa Sealine 47LC ~$100 Retail. I know you said you had bad experience with Daiwa, but this is a good reel.

3. Daiwa AccuDepth Plus 47LC ~$50-$60 Retail. Probably 80% as good as the Sealine but 1/2 the price.

I can't really recommend any others as I haven't used others that I would recommend. I won't recommend the early Daiwa Accudepth reels, as they had awful drags, as well as other issues.

Hope that helps.

[Splitshot115]

Cabelas Depthmasters are made by Okuma.

Splitshot115

[Trap Jaw]

Mostly they will be used on Lake Erie for walleye, but they need to be sturdy enough to handle the salmon on Lake Ontario. Thanks Splitshot, if they are made by Okuma then they are off my list. I don't care how good Cabela's customer service is, when the reel breaks it still needs sent back. I am glad to hear that they have improved the drags on the Diawa's. I figure that if a reel can hold up to screeming kings all summer long then it should be fine for me hossin' in walleye and the ocational trip to Ontario. Thanks for the input guys.

[Yankee Troller]

I have ALL Daiwa Stuff (both Sealines and Accudepths) and I haven't had a lick of a problem with any of them and I catch Kings Spring-Fall on them. My reels really take a beating! The new Saltitst should have linecounters on them by mid summer. These reels are NICE, but pricey. You cant go wrong with Sealines. They are proven, and priced right. Billy V has had a pair of Accudepth plus 47's for 3 seasons and has put them to the test with wire line and they haven't hiccuped.

[Legacy]

Daiwa really does make good stuff. I run a bunch of 47H's, sealines, accudepths, and some accudepth plus. If your looking for line counters, I think if you spent your money on accudepth's (ad47lc) it would be good money spent.

[skipper19]

Penn 209LC are excellent reels. They seem small but can spool over 1000ft of 30 lb braid. They are simple reels and very easy to maintain. I have seven of them for riggers and dipsey duties, Love em.

Mark

[IRISH56]

Daiwas seem to hold up pretty well, I have seen a couple get smoked though, like everything you'll have good and bad.

Unless you've completely swore off Okuma you might look at the Convector series, new models - the old models had drag problems. I've had good luck with the Magda series and have a couple of new Convectors that have held up just fine. Older Convectors I have suck.

DAN

[Trap Jaw]

Thanks for all the replys guys. Irish, I have sworn off, and at, Okuma's. If their products can go from good to crap in one year then I don't want to be buying them the next time they do. My buddy and I have decided that we will wait until next monday to see what they are running on the charter we are going on. It's close enough now we won't need any in the next 4 days, god I hope not. Right now it's narrowed down to the Accudepth or the 209LC. I guess I had the reels mixed up, I thought the 209LC was the same size as the 9m. My buddy doen't like the slower retreive on the Penn, but that's what we used for years.

[Miss em]

Try the new Penn GT lne counters. Trust me. In my opinion, they will make all other line counters obsolete.

[retiredco]

I love the 310 and 320 gti's penn....can't go wrong they feel like they are indestructable..

[Trap Jaw]

Well, I figured I would let you all know what our decision was after the charter. Showed up to find them using Diawa 27LC's and Okuma Convector 30's and 40's. Maybe the Diawa's were a bit used, but not according to the Capt. Didn't really like them, drags still seem week. And the Okuma's, wow, I want a reel not a winch. Don't get me wrong, we had one hell of a time, but one of the things we wanted to do was try out other makes of reels. On the ride home we talked about it and decided that from here out it will probably be the 209LC's.

[muskybob]

I have sworn off, and at, Okuma's. If their products can go from good to crap in one year then I don't want to be buying them the next time they do.

I'm on my 5th season with my Okuma Convector 30DLX's and haven't had a bit of a problem with them. They're a great reel as far as I'm concerned. As with any reel I have to remember to back off the drag at the end of the day. Just my opinion.

[skipper19]

Hurray ...I win... Penn 209lc's are very good. Not expensive, very durable, and not a bit of problem with drags on seven of them for me. I have one that occasionally will skip the counter, but it's usually because I didn't push the reset button all the way down. Yes they are a little slow for retrieve but when you want to horse something in, it has the gear ratio to do it. You should be happy with your decision Trap Jaw.

Mark

[CBish]

Trap Jaw,

I am in the same delima. I have had the same trouble with Shimano that you have had with Okuma. I have not had a penn last longer than a season on my boat with out a visit to Captain's Cove Reel Hospital. Diawas are work horses, but I find the drags to be a bit clunky for my taste. If Billy V is still using the Accudepths he got from me about 4 years ago then I am impressed, I can't remember for sure, but I think that I got them gently used from another member of this board in the early years.

I started the season with some ( Garcia Ambassadeur 7000 LC Syncros........They are SWEET!!!!! Hold one in your hand and you know you have something special. Very smooth and the syncro drag makes rigger setting and dipsy creeping a cinch. I do not know how they will hold up, we have landed a couple of nice kings on them and they did just fine. I will put at least 100 days on them by the end of September so time will tell.

Good luck,

CC