I'm not exactly short of reels but i felt that i could do with a 'little baitrunner' rather than my carp outfit size reels, and not a 'float' reel either 'cos they wouldn't have the baitrunner/freespool facility, so i needed a compromise . . . . . . . .
I'd had a look at the Polycast's a good while back when they first came out, they looked pretty impressive, they had what i wanted, so i bought one ! (yes, bought not given one free! )
I took it out for the first time on the same club water, set up a waggler rod first and then my 11' 4'' feeder - thinking i'd just float fish first and feed a few pellets and skinz into a close in swim where i'd had carp before, but leave it to build up for a while before actually fishing it. So out went the float. . . . . an hour and a half later i was getting a bit tired of rudd after rudd, the odd bream (aren't they all odd?) and the occassional roach for good measure....... so out went 'the bomb'.
With a 1 oz bomb on a running lead, 6lb line straight through to a swivel and size 12 hook topped off with a 12mm Skinz hooker i was ready . . . . . .
As i was still flirting around for the rudd on the float rod, i had the quiver rod on a rest at my side with the baitrunner/freespool on so if a carp happened along i wouldn't have to be worried about diving in after the rod come a 'lively' carp ......
After a few chucks with the Polyscast i was impressed already ! Lovely and smooth, nice flat line lay, no line 'bedding' and an instant anti-reverse that stops the handle 'rolling' when you've just set the quiver right (the double handle helps this).
Half an hour after chucking in i noticed a couple of quick tugs on the quiver so i dropped the float rod back onto the rest just in time to see the tip fly round and she was off ! The baitrunner immediately kicked in and the spool whizzed off at a pace akin to that scene from 'JAWS' . . . . . . alright i'm exagerating now . . . . . lol
Pick up the rod, quarter turn of the handle and im straight into the clutch which was by now flying off at some rate 'cos i hadn't set it ! So . . . . a little front adjustment and i was in control ! The clutch was impressive too, nice and smooth and didn't 'snatch' at all throughout the fight.
Five min's later and i'm sliding the net under what turned out to be a nice mirror carp, just getting into double figures at 10lb 3 ozs, not bad at all for a reel 'christener' so i was well chuffed !
For those out there that would like to know the technical specification . . . . . . . .
The model is Okuma OPF 30, it has 4 bearings in total - 3 ball bearings and a roller bearing. It comes with 3 metal spools, one shallow and another two deep - line capacity is approx 200 yds of 4 lb on the shallow and 250 yds of 6 lb on the deeps.
It's got an instant 'quick set' anti-reverse, it uses a 'rotor equalizing system' which means flat line lay to you and me . . . . .
All three spools are die cast aluminium, and the pinion gearing is all machine cut from brass which is another plus as this is the gear that takes the most hammer in any reel.
One thing i have noticed with Okuma reels. . . . . they sometimes seem too cheap to be true, and i'll admit when we first started stocking them i was as sceptical as anyone as to whether they'd be any good, but after god knows how many years they've been around now i'd say we have the least amount of faults with Okuma, and rarely ever send any back !
I don't think i could say fairer than that, and now after actually using one, i'd rate it on par with any of the budget big names like shimano or daiwa.
Not bad at all for a £35 reel . . . . . . . check them out on the site if ya like . . . . .
Okuma Polycast 30 Reel
