Another reason to get good tackle for travel
Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 9:23 amI was about to mount my Daiwa SG47LCA ($90) line counter trolling reel to a new rod last night and accidentally knocked it off the workbench so it fell onto a linoleum floor. It hit at the rim of the end cap opposite the crank (i.e., the side with no external moving parts). The visible external damage was a small dent in the ornamental metal plate that is screwed to the plastic "graphite" frame end cap.
There was internal damage. The reel was binding when reeling in or letting out line. The problem was that the shaft that the spool rides on was bent!
That was quite a surprise considering the drop was only about 3.5 feet and essentially impacted plastic-on-plastic.
I was able to fix it. Darned if I know how an impact like that could bend the shaft, but it did shake my confidence in the strength and durability of this reel. Makes me wonder what a tough fish can do to it.
These reels are very highly regarded freshwater trolling reels, so they can't be bad. But I figure that a little ding like that would be routine in a boating situation, and could yield an incapacitated reel.
One more reason to keep a backup when travelling.
There was internal damage. The reel was binding when reeling in or letting out line. The problem was that the shaft that the spool rides on was bent!
That was quite a surprise considering the drop was only about 3.5 feet and essentially impacted plastic-on-plastic.
I was able to fix it. Darned if I know how an impact like that could bend the shaft, but it did shake my confidence in the strength and durability of this reel. Makes me wonder what a tough fish can do to it.
These reels are very highly regarded freshwater trolling reels, so they can't be bad. But I figure that a little ding like that would be routine in a boating situation, and could yield an incapacitated reel.
One more reason to keep a backup when travelling.