ItchenRoach wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2023 10:18 am
morning all with the rivers in flood thought i might try a spot of bass fishing , i spotted a winfield bass multiplier reel online going cheap has anyone used these reels and are they worth a try, i dont need to cast far about 30 yards any advice please.
From my experience, you will find this reel eminently suitable for bass fishing-and for fishing for many other species besides.
There is a very common misconception about estuary or sea fish generally, that very heavy tackle plus very strong line is needed, which is quite untrue.
Think about the species itself and where you are going to fish for it. The bass record is on a par with barbel, as it it’s fighting abilities and the bass that most of us catch are nowhere near the average barbel size….Oh that I wish they were!!
Secondly, as in rivers, you have to be prepared to accept losses of terminal tackle on unknown snags, but that doesn’t mean that you need enormously strong reel line and a bombproof reel!
My own choice of outfit for distance estuary and shore fishing-apart from float fishing- is an eleven foot, very light carbon rod matched to a reel loaded with 0,3mm diameter, abrasion resistant line which is about 15 lbs b.s. dry. I have two reels; an Abu 6500 Mag Elite (the green one) and a more modern Akios 555 MM3 tourno. which has a light, narrow drum, rather like the Winfield reel. Out of the two, the older Abu is by far the better made and smoother to use. The little Akios is OK and will cast phenomenal distances, but I found the winder too unwieldy and changed it for a single crank. Personally, I never use a lead heavier than 3 oz and then only when a strong tide is running; 2 oz will give you more than enough distance for most situations, especially if you are only casting less than 50 yards.
In the 1960s, I used a Penn multiplier with a plastic spool and never cracked it once-or even heard of one cracking up. The Penn was fine but too heavy, hence the switch to an Abu.
The same reels are equally at home casting from the beach by the way.
For general estuary fishing, I use a trace of 12 lbs b.s. which is a sacrificial link. To date, I have yet to hook up with something that this cannot handle and only have to break off when catching up on a snag-which is actually quite rare because I use flat leads which tend to plane up to the surface when you retrieve.
Most bass fishing can comfortably be done with tackle suitable for chub and barbel-and will allow a good fish to show it’s sporting qualities; catch one on a streamer fly on a #6 weight fly rod outfit and you will know what I mean!
A lot depends upon the angler and the manner in which tackle is used. If heavy lines and weights are used and the reel treated as a winch in an unmerciful manner, it isn’t going to last very long!
But for general shore-based bass fishing, a medium fixed spool or light multiplier will be ideal and you will find that the Japan-made, Winfield reel will cope admirably, pleasant to use and is excellent value for money
wm+