diawa emcast?

anyone got one? what yee think of it?? would a surfmaster be a better chioce?? thank you.

Mark,

The Ian Golds-8000-surf is better than both of them, plus you get 2 spare aluninum spools, ask Paul Mason or Sam Roche, they both have them.

They are not in the shops yet over here, but you have my number if you want one.

Tom.

I've been using a pair of surfmasters, the 60 & 70 for over two years and they have performed well on a variety of ground. Found them fairly robust too.

Pete

My two cents are shown just below this Mark!

Presume your talking about the Fixed Spool reel. I have one, which whilst it wasnt overly expensive at 80 euro or so I would be quite slow to recommend. Its an incredibly heavy reel, a standard sized 12 foot beachcaster feels rather unbalanced teamed with it. It does however have extremely good hauling power. My model came supplied with a spare spool. I have issues cleaning sand etc from this reel as it takes quite a bit of work to dismantle all the bits and pieces. I find that this is necessary after most trips as it sounds as rough as the badgers proverbials if I dont. It also has a folding handle which Im not overly keen on, its just another point of weakness. On the plus side, they are extremely strong and cast reasonably well. The retrieve rate on them is quite good also. Prior to purchasing the Emcast I had one of the large Okuma reels which i have to say was half the price but I liked a hell of a lot more. Only problem was it gave up after 2 years of heavy ground rock fishing. An Okuma Magic I think it was.

My main issue issue with the Emcast was that it didn't last all that long. I had serious problems with it seizing up after trips (despite regular cleaning). However regularly dowsing it in the surf whilst bass fishing really didn't help it. The design is such that it's incredibly easy for sea water to get into it. If you keep in rooted on the beach and out of the sea it will last a lot longer!

other than that I thought it was good. Serious winding power (the bloody size of that handle!!), and casts very very well too. It is a nice reel, but probably more suited for big pits than sea fishing, where corrosion will definitely be an issue. And I can't understand how they justify extra spools costing 60 euro odd.

Agree with you on that Steve, I find if I dont immediately following a trip clean it, even the next morning there are signs of oxidation on it. I cannot get my head around the price of a spare spool! I purchased mine in Murrays in Cork which wouldnt be renowned for being cheap for 80 or so euro last year WITH a spare spool. I find it great for mack and pollack bashing off cliffs etc, probably more suited to that alright than regular dunkings in the surf. Its not a bad reel, I just find it excessively heavy and my bail arm has a nasty habit of flipping over mid cast also. Will be upgrading in the near future I think for the beach end of things anyway as I much prefer using the FS at night than the multiplier.

seems that with a lot of the big fixed spools the spare spools cost a fortune, a few years back i priced one for my shimano ultegra 12000 xt and it was about £50!

looks like my old boy got himself a fancy new pike reel!!!! :lol:

thanks for the replies lads.