Waxing lyrical about the latest Shimano Baitrunners - which were the latest Shimano Baitrunners when I bought them but have now been superseded by another Shimano Baitrunner - I half forgot the reels I use for the other half of my pike fishing in the Fens. By other half, I mean the half that involves legering baits.
I originally got a couple of these old metal Emblems for beach fishing, but they soon ended up on my pike rods. I then found they were going for less than £50 on eBay, so ended up with three or four more.
At first glance, they're a totally no-frills reel. No Baitrunner, or whatever the Daiwa equivalent's called these days. Front drag and a bail arm that closes when it whacks a lump of metal sticking out the front of the reel stem. Hi tech, not..?
One or two things about these reels endears me to them to the point where I'll never use anything else for legering, as long as I can get my hands on them. The bail arm rollers seem to keep working, regardless of how much you abuse them and how often you drop them in the mud. This reel is a relatively clean example of the genre.
I once trod on one, leaving a Daiwa Emblem-shaped hole in the peat when I pulled it out. I once had a swan fly into the line, catapaulting rod and reel into 20ft of river. When it came out, to Muttley-like sniggers from Rob fishing down the bank, it shrugged off the experience.
They have their drawbacks, the main one being they're quite heavy, so you wouldn't want to walk far with four of them in your quiver. But they just seem to go on and on.
I also love the low gear ratio and the huge, chunky handles. As I don't use other reels for legering, I can't comment on how good the line lay is, but they seem to have spools the ideal size for 65lbs Power Pro, which is another major plus point for me.
Click here for a review of the Shimano reels I also use.
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