Hello everyone. I have a question I am hoping I can get answered here in this forum. Last night I bought 2 e21 Carrot Stix bait casting rods. One is 7' 2" and the other is 7'3" tall. They are both very light. I was just wondering what reels would make really good matches for these rods. I tried 3 different Shimano Calcutta models I have on the rods but they didn't feel just right. I'd appreciate serious replies. Thanks to all. Tightlines always,

gonfishin

Hmm...those Calcuttas are large round profile baitcasters...kinda bulky for a rod like that. Try a low profile reel on one and see how that feels.
         

Try the Curado's if your a Shimano guy... If not your going to have to try out a few low profile bait casters...something light weight to match and balance the rod.

I would consider buying two different brands of low profile reel, one with a centrifugal anti-backlash and the other with magnetic. You can find well made entry level reels in the $75-$100 range. I feel anything less will be inferior and you will be fighting the reel while adapting to new equipment. You can find the occasional reel for less than $75 that will serve well but spending a bit more improves your odds of getting something satisfactory that won't self destruct in a season of hard fishing. I think you will enjoy fishing with the lighter tackle. It sure is less tiring at the end of a long day.

I'll throw my vote in for a Curado. But I'm a Shimano guy... lol

you might try a AG.silver max reasonably priced and low profile.

Hello fellow club members. I want to thank those that took the time to reply to my question about which reels to use on my new Carrot Stix bait casting rods. I tried the 3 different Calcutta models on the new Stix only because they were readily accessible, my other bait casters were packed away. I have since dug out my other bait  casters and have 4 that are "Old School". 1 of them is a Shimano Bantam S G 10 with a metal pin on top of the spool where you push it before you cast instead of a thumb bar. 1 is an old Abu Garcia Ambasseduer Royal Plus with a flipping switch I ordered out of Bass Pro Shop back in the mid 1980s. This one is also a little heavy and bulky for the Stix. The last 2 old school bait casters are 2 Daiwa HT 1000 bait casters, "Hi-Speed" with two bearings, which I bought at the BX at Torrejon Air Base Spain with a pair of Berkley Graphite Lightning Rods, 5'6" really light weight that make a perfect set up. They don't wear you out after a long day of fishing. I bought those in the mid 1980 and they are in excellent condition. I have a Quantum DS300 CXB-M6, 6:3:1 bait caster that came with a "Bill Dance" rod and reel combo. The last 3 bait casting reels I have are new. I bought the 3 of them last year and have not had the chance to use them. 2 of them are Daiwa "Strikeforce" H 100, 6:3:1 and the last 1 is a Quantum Energy E100SPT, 6:3, 9 bearings. I have paired all of the bait casters with the new Stix but something just doesn't feel just right. I think it maybe the extra long handles as I am not used to using rods with such long handles and split at that.

The A B Silver Max looked pretty good for the price and I have had my eyes on the Curados but at $400+ I can't justify it to myself, not for the small amount of fishing I am able to do due to medical conditions. My main fishing is done 1 or 2 weeks a year up in Canada from a boat. I can't stand for too long before my lower back locks up on me and I have to sit or lie down. I am exercising a little bit at a time and very slowly I am getting somewhat better. My buddies or brother have to help me in and out of the boat and have to allow extra time for me to get where we want to get.

Anyways, I wanted to thank the club members for their replies and advice. May you have tight lines always,

gonfishin

That is interesting gonfishin, you tried all those reels and none of them felt right...maybe its the rod...and not the reels!

It may be that some adjustment is required to get used to the long split handles or the difference in rod length. Stick with it!

Hello once again. I've been out in my front and backyards practicing casting with the Carrott Stixs and several low profile bait casters and the Shimano Calcuttas also. The best casting reel has been an old Shimano Bantam S G 10 from back in the 1980s. It casts further and with less effort than all the much newer reels but I hear a grinding and there is some play in the handle that was not there before I had it professionally cleaned and lubed. I thought about it and realized I had the magnetic brakes set to medium on all the other bait casters and that was affecting my distance but I had a hard time adjusting the tension knob once I turned down the brakes. I got some serious professional overruns but I sat out in the sun, enjoyed the cool breeze and worked the tangles out. Little by little I'm getting my equipment ready for my twin brother's visit. Yesterday was our birthday and we are going to catch up on some fishing. Tight lines always,

gonfishin

Wow! An old Shimano Bantam outcast the new reels? I had two Bantams that I fished with for years. Finally retired them last year...they were getting noisy and loose.(as you mentioned) If Shimano would reintroduce those reels, but with modern bearings instead of the bushings the originals had, I would have to have one!
                                                             

Hello Mo. Thank you for the instructions on finding my older posts. I read through them over the weekend. As for the Shimano Bantam it was given to me by a fishing buddy that I had met through the Rod and Gun Club at my duty station in Spain. It was part of a rod and reel combo that he had had for a while and was upgrading all of his equipment. The is I have only used it maybe a handful of times since I have had it,(since mid 1980s) It was working fine the last time I had used it but since I was getting all my other equipment worked on I figured I'd have it cleaned and lubed. That was a year ago and the gentleman that did the work said the reel was working fine. I put it away and it had been safely stored away until last week The first day in my back yard everything was fine but when I went out again and did more casting tests is when I heard and felt the grinding and then found the loose play in the handle. I was thinking of taking it to a different shop to have new bearings installed and the handle checked out and if it would be worth the cost?

That sentence should have read as, "The strange thing is that I have only used that reel a handful of times..."

Posted By gonfishin on 23 Apr 2012 04:13 PM
  I was thinking of taking it to a different shop to have new bearings installed and the handle checked out and if it would be worth the cost?

Gonfishin,
   Not sure how much it would cost to restore...but they are selling on eBay for $30 to $100 depending on condition. They are getting popular with collectors, and are still popular to use too. When I sold mine, there was no interest in them anywhere, now they are on eBay all the time. May have to pick one up while they're still affordable.

Ha ha ha. Just ONE? I'd get at least a couple of them if not more. Until recently my Bantam cast as smooth as melted butter. I found a site and bookmarked it but can't find it again. It is for a rod and repair place in Kansas and from what I read the prices are very reasonable. For instance, they had two ball bearings to replace the bearings that came with the old Daiwa HT 1000, it is a 2 bearing bait caster, light weight and very smooth. I think the price was $28 for parts and labor. If I find my bookmark I'll post the name and address. I have 2 of those Daiwa HT 1000 paired up with Berkley Lighting Rods, super light set up. They are working very well at the moment but it is good to know where to get them worked on at good prices.

Tight lines,

gonfishin

Gonfishin,
  It is interesting that you mentioned the repair shop had the bearings for the Daiwa. I have found that parts and bearings are available everywhere for some manufacturers...like Daiwa, Penn, and Abu Garcia. Then others, such as Shimano, seem hard to find. Maybe someone else can chime in here with a link or advise. Here's another option: If you really like the Bantam, and can't find parts or they are to expensive, consider the Daiwa Prolite series. I have had these too...and they look and perform just like the Bantam series...and the parts and bearings are easily available for them! If you don't mind, when you get a price on rebuilding a Bantam, post it here. I am curious about this too.