I recently bought a Calcutta 250 and have been fishing using it for primarily halibut here in SB and calico bass down in Palos Verdes. I initially noticed that the drag was smooth once it started to pay out but that there was a large amount of pressure was needed to begin that payout of line. I didn't like that at all. I thought it was just not "broken in" or something. Anyways, that problem just got worse over the next 3 weeks and cost me at least one fish and a fastrac (not counting the Moby ##### fish). This past Sunday in PV, I had the joy of noticing a very loud grinding gear sound during every 10th cast or so. I was a bit distressed that my $170.00 piece of crap was crapping out on me, so I went in and returned/exchanged the lemon at the Hook to a disgruntled Mr. Shin (sp?).

Previously, I talked with a guy at Turner's Outdoorsman down in LA and he told me a bunch of stories of Calcuttas going bad, most of them with several of his own, even after repair by Shimano. He told me not to overtighten the sideplate screws or else you'll warp the spool. He also said the those same screws tend to back themselves out on extended fights if you use your Calcutta on things like football sized tuna. Point 3 was that the drags tend to burn out on big runs and that the replacment drag kits aren't cheap (20-30 bucks or something).

So, I "upgraded" to a Penn International 965 with currently EXCELLENT, and I assume cheap HT100 drag washers. I think I have to fish 15 pound on it at least though 'cause of a possible small line eating problem though (I needed to beef up anyway....). I wanted to know if anyone else has had problems with their Calcuttas. Maybe its due to all the plastic parts in the right sideplate. To be fair, the Penn has a bit of plastic too, but it seems to be in really low-stress areas having to due with the levelwind, clicker, and backlash control. I talked to a friend of mine and we seem to agree on the idea that good Shimano equipment is a bit too tempermental and not quite tough enough for non-freshwater-bass-boat environments...even though it is usually very, very nice to begin with. (Talk amongst yo'selves)

Oh, didn't see the tackle board....

Ya I'm repling to myself.

I fished Goleta Beach for 2 hours late this afternoon and caught my first fish on my shiny new Penn, a legal flattie. Ahh, what sweet music that is! He sucked down a 4" fishtrap in about 8 feet of water. The fight was pretty good and he ran again both times I missed him with the net...I gotta stop doin' that.

It wasn't a typical afternoon, one that made me glad I use a wetsuit. The whitecaps kept breaking over my tube and soaking me. There was a lot of loose kelp in the water but I stayed away from shore, kind of by the stairs and it wasn't too bad. Didn't even loose any swimbaits!

Many people seem surprized my 250 went south. I kind of am myself......

Yeah Frank, had way too many problems with my 400, even after Shimano "fixed" it. After 2 seasons with the p.o.s. I traded it for a Diawa SL20. Everyone thought I was nuts, even the guys I worked with who new how bad the reel was. But, it was the best thing I ever did. A year and a half later I made the mistake of buying a Corsair. I only wanted it to last through 3 months of Calicoes. Well I went through 4 of them in 1 month, never fished them hard and the last one was bad in the box. Finally took it back where I bought it and exchanged it for an Ambassdeur 5 Star. I now own 3 different one and no Shimano's. They may have good customer service, but I'll take a better product.

Amish Ed

This is really interesting. Besides the crapsairs, I've never had too serious a problem with like any shimano products that I couldn't crack the reel open and fix myself. My smaller calcutta, the 200XT, japanese model has had some problems which I wasn't too happy with however. Every now and then it makes a sound like there's a piece of sand or something stuck between the frame and the spool. I still don't know what it is and can't fix it. I don't really want to send it back to japan to get it fixed, so I'm gonna have to deal with it. After all those wsb this year, the drag is pretty hurt on that reel too. But as for the 400S, I've had no problems with it. At one point it made a squeaking noise and that was due to the roller bearings accumulating rust in them, but a little reel oil loosened that right up. I probably don't fish the calcutta as hard as Ed does, he being a deckhand and all, but I've had the reel for a couple years and never had to replace a single part. Drag's still as smooth as the day it came outta the box. The corsairs on the other hand... Well, they make great paperweights...
-Brian

It's kinda strrange for me to read about all of these problems you guys are having... I bought my first corsair (a 400) about 6 months ago and have had problem free operation ever since. I fish about 3 days a week from my kayak so it isnt that it isn't getting used. Last weekend I sailed to catalina and used it to boat several 10 to 20 # yt and the drag worked great - I am pretty anal about keeping it saltwater and sand free, but so are most people I know. These posts have kinda scared me as I have a buddy that is thinking about getting one too and I was thinking about upgrading to a calcutta. Since I don't want to steer my friend wrong, can any of you guys reccomend a better reel in the same price range as the corsair?

I've had great luck with my Calcuttas. I have a 250, 150, and 50. I haven't got around to getting a 400 yet because I have a Quantum Big Iron IR410CX.

The Quantum has a very smooth drag and has seen quite a few nice fish (yellowtail, seabass, & salmon up to 30 lbs.). Last weekend up at the Feather River I started off using my Calcutta 250 with 15 lb. After being broke off twice I switched to the Quantum with 20 lb. It took me another 5 fish before I finally landed one - I finally got one that didn't head into the current and structure. The salmon were in the 20 - 30 lb. range. Anyway the Quantum has held up great. One of the reasons I bought it over the Corsair was because of the one piece frame. One thing I like about it over the Calcutta is it's 6.3 to 1 gear ratio. This came in really handy last weekend at the river trying to get my line in quickly which helped eliminate snagging other people's lines.

So that's my suggestion to you. At $85, a third of the price of a Calcutta 400, I feel you can't beat the Quantum. I haven't had it serviced yet so I have no idea how their customer service is.

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You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.

I second the motion for the Quantum IR410CX. I own one thanks to Leapin' Bass' advice several months ago. I've enjoyed fishing with it tremendously this summer (mostly bass and barracuda). No problems whatsoever... I never thought I'd buy a reel made by Zebco but this is no ordinary Zebco. And, for just $89 at Sportmart, it's a great low cost alternative to the Calcutta.

One more vote for the Quantum IR410CX. Have had great luck with it so far. I like the Calcutta's to but personally I feel this $90 purchase can't be beat. However, I don't know how it will hold up against 20 - 30 lb fish as I mostly fish halibut, calico, sanbass, barracuda, swrf.

Congrats, you're the first person I've heard of who fishes their Corsair regularly and has been problem free. As far as recomendations go, here's my 2 cents. If want a good 12-20lb reel (instead of a Calcutta 400) try the Diawa SL20 ( I got my by trading my Calcutta 400). They are durable and the free spool is amazing for it's price. Plus, they're 6:1. You can get them all over for a $100. Slightly cheaper is the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C4 6500, they run around $90 for that size. Similar to the SL20 in capacity and gear ratio, but it's lighter. I have a 5 Star the same size, but instead of 4 bearings it has one, and the freespool blows away my other 2 Garcias. I have put that reel through major abuse with only one minor problem, which I'm just to lazy to fix. They cost around $60. I also have a C4 5500, and a C3 5500. Both are great reels also. I fish 8-12lb on these and they do a great job. fished them 6-7 days a week this summer and have had no problems. But, these do take a bit of cleaning, but only a rinse postfishing and oil once a week. So, in short heavy bassing go for the SL, light line go Garcia.

Sorry, that was probably 4 or 5 cents.
Amish Ed

This is a great discussion topic. Living in South Orange County, literally miles from Shimano's HQ in Irvine, you'd think I'd be all about Calcutta's and Curado's and Calyxes (sp?) After buying a Calcutta 250 the first year they came out, like 92-93ish?, I had troubles with that reel. I still have problems with it. I'm a freshwater bass guy! I'm not talking about intense drag issues. I would be out fishing and like every 100th cast the reel wouldn't re-engage, the handle would spin and not catch. Then the problem started occuring every 50th cast, 25th and so on down. Ridiculous! Not to mention the side plate screws do back themselves out! Suddenly you'll have super free spool because your spool is literally free from any magnetic spool control. Not good if your throwing a bulky bait into the wind!

I have it repaired like 5 times and it still isn't fixed! I keep it and basically have been thrashing it in the saltwater lately. I keep it clean and oiled, and now it's got a great squeak to it. This has become my reel for my off my surfboard excursions. And the sad part is, it's not even reliable enough for that!

I have another newer Calcutta 250 ( A high school graduation gift)! It performs much better than my older one, meaning the gears engage the spool every cast! However, the sideplate screws always need to be checked.

I talk to all these saltwater boys around the Dana Point Harbor. They love Shimano. For the bigger, wider, two speed, big game reels I guess Shimano is solid. However, in the bass world I beg to differ.

I use a ton of Abu Garcia 4600C4 reels. 6.3 to 1 gears, smooth enough drags, and priced right! Although I'd like to get into some higher performance low-profile reels, I don't think I'll go with Shimano. I hear the Curado is good. However, when Shimano floods the market with reels like the Corsair, I sort of have trouble with that. Corsair's are serious junk, team Mickey Mouse! They're priced where you could get a solid Garcia or Quantum reel. Yes Quantum makes some solid reels at a reasonable price.

Shimano has a weird business model approach to competitive bass fishing. They seem to help some guys out, but you'd never know it from their lack of presence. John Murray, a personal hero of mine, I know is backed by Shimano. So I know Shimano must have some good to them.

I try to be open minded, but I have a hard time with Shimano's products!

southernswimbait.com
BigBait Fishing in the South

I use a Quantum E600ti for freshwater bass fishing and it is great. I prefer the low-profile reels for fw bass. Actually before I bought my Calcuttas I was using them (I have 2) for halibut and white seabass with 12 and 10 lb. test with no problems.

Pete

You can't catch tomorrow what you kill today - please practice catch and release.