Getting ready to pull the trigger on a couple lead core rods, and have been looking a the Okuma’s. I’ve heard they are a pretty good reel for the price. Anyone have any feed back on these reels? Or perhaps could recommend a descent lead core rod/reel combo in the $100 range.
Thanks in advance!
I got 5 Cabelas DepthMasters…I would buy another in a heart beat! Never had a problem with them at all!
They are around $80 from the website….
(I alsohave a Daiwa Accudepth…It good too, but I would rather have the DepthMaster)
FYI Cabelas has there Depthmaster rods and reels normal $88 a set up for $19.99 each
Cabelas has/had a sale for those depthmasters for $19.99, not to steer you away from Okuma, but money is money, right.
Just my opinion, but I would get the Diawa Sealine LCX-47 reel over any of those mention here. Much more dependable and if you plan to use them a lot, they will take a lot more abuse.
For Rods, talk with Dean Marshal of Dean’s Tackle Box.
Boog
I’ve been using an Okuma Convector 30 DLX (left hand) for
about a year. It’s a good reel, slightly heavier than a
Cabelas size 30. I didn’t like the knob on the handle..way too big, so I took the handle off a Cabelas depthmaster and
it fit good so that solved that issue. I have a couple
Cabelas depthmaster golds and most days I start with those
just because of the lighter feel.
Quote:
FYI Cabelas has there Depthmaster rods and reels normal $88 a set up for $19.99 each
Can you post a link for that or is it in store somewhere?
Thanks,
Quote:
Just my opinion, but I would get the Diawa Sealine LCX-47 reel over any of those mention here. Much more dependable and if you plan to use them a lot, they will take a lot more abuse.
For Rods, talk with Dean Marshal of Dean’s Tackle Box.Boog
X2
Cabelas line counters ARE Okuma. Look at them side by side, Okuma Magda. 
Personally, I am currently switching over to Diawa from Cabelas. -Mark
I have several worn out Okuma magda LC reels sitting in my basement. I also have two with a broken LC mechanism.
I’ve heard better things about the convector series but I know (several times over)from personal experience that the magdas…well,buy cheap,buy twice.
I don’t troll enough to have worn out trolling reels.
Another vote for the Sealines.
(edit) This IS for walleyes,isn’t it?…Two,three colors? Otherwise,none of the reels mentioned are big enough for half or full core. For that,bigger reels are necessary. I have some Penn (non line-counter) reels but other guys have far more experience with trolling with 5 or 10 colors.
I have okuma magdas for both walleye and muskie trolling reels. They only get used a few times/year, but they’ve held up fine to that relatively light use. I’d buy them again, but hearing about the cabela’s sale would make me think twice. If you’re going to troll a lot, my understanding is that Shimano Tekotas are the best you’ll find. I’ve used them a couple times with friends and they feel very solid, so I believe what I hear about them.
Quote:
I have okuma magdas for both walleye and muskie trolling reels. They only get used a few times/year, but they’ve held up fine to that relatively light use. I’d buy them again, but hearing about the cabela’s sale would make me think twice. If you’re going to troll a lot, my understanding is that Shimano Tekotas are the best you’ll find. I’ve used them a couple times with friends and they feel very solid, so I believe what I hear about them.
Bingo!
Nothing touches the Tekota’s but you will pay for them as well.
By the way, I run 8 colors of lead core on my LCX-47 reels and still have room for 150yds of 30# power pro beneath the 18lb lead core.
You may not believe it, but that extra 450′ of line has saved me from being spooled several times already.
Boog
Tekota LC reels are the absolute top of the line and if I could swing it I would replace all Diawas in my arsenal with them in a heartbeat. The drags on the Tekota reels are far superior in my opinion to other comparable reels and the smoothness and ease of retrieve, even when winching segmented leadcore and a planer board or dipsy divers back to the boat, sets these reels apart from the rest.
As others have said, they’re NOT CHEAP but they’re of such quality that you’ll pass them down to your son / grandkids before ever wearing them out.
At this point I’ve phased out 4 Diawas and replaced them with Tekotas and will slowly work through the rest of my linecounters as my budget allows. I’m confident they’re the last line counter reels I’ll ever own. Now that I have the Tekotas in my arsenal using them side-by-side with other counters makes me enjoy using the Diawas less and less. Flat out they just feel cheap when used side by side.
If I was an occasional/light duty troller or just getting into the sport I would opt for the Diawa LCs. My experience with the Okumas has been very poor with 3 of 4 reels purchased rendered inoperable within a couple months of bringing them into my trolling setups. I have no firsthand experience with the Cabelas brand LC reels.
Geez I love this site.
What more could a guy ask for.
Thanks to all for the replies
I concur with alot of the above thoughts.
Daiwa Sealine is a dynamite reel that will do just about everything you want and will be with you for awhile as well.
During Tom Keenan’s Angler of the Year acceptance speech at the last FLW Walleye Tour tournament, he joked that he took all his wedding money years ago and bought 8 Daiwa Sealines much to his wife’s dismay. He said he still has the same Sealines and those reels have probably won him near 800k on the Tour.
The Tekotas are awesome but the price tag is a little hard to swallow when you are equipping a boat.
I’ve been using a couple of Magda’s for two years without issue. The common complaint with these are the drags and if I were fishing for Kings or using dipsey’s I’d probably look into replacing the drags with carbon fiber. I haven’t had a problem with the drags though.
Alan Tani runs a reel repair website at alantani.com. Last year he put out an article breaking down an Okuma Convector. His conclusion was the the drag washers could be better, but these are fairly replaceable. Overall he rated it higher than the Shimano Tekota because it uses so much graphite and stainless steel.
Very interesting post D-Train.
Alan defenetly knows his reels, defenetly an interesting read. I’m still convinced that consideration needs to be given to the Convector. This reel can be purchased online at Walmat for $66 bucks paired up with a Depthmaster rod at Cabelas for $19.99…….As another guy mentioned here, money is money right?
I run okuma Magdas, an Accudepth and Cabelas Trollmasters. By far, I am most happy with the Magdas. I have had trouble with the Cabelas and Accudepth, never the Okumas. I use these only for planer boards, not lead. If you are planning to give them moderate use, I think any of the 3 listed would do just fine. If you use them a ton, I would consider the Sealines or Convectors.
James said it best! 
I’ve owned most of the line counters listed above. If you are a casual troller, any of them will do the job. Being all I do is troll crankbaits from opener to ice, I’m hard on my reels and put a lot of hours on them each year. Therefore, I want the best and it’s Tekotas. 
I have 6 of them and when I can afford more, I will continue to replace my other line counter brands.
Shimano Tekota’s are Awesome!
Daiwa Sealines are Great!
Okuma Magda’s are OK!
I buy used Sealines off Ebay over new Okuma’s. I buy about 4 per year and have just over a dozen Sealines now. I have not wrecked one yet. Salmon fishing with all of the above mentioned gave me a really good idea of their qualities, and although I only Salmon fish one week per year, they have outlasted any technique I have put them through.
By the way, my avg used limit price on ebay has been $45-65 bucks and I pick out the good sellers and like new products.
Quote:
James said it best!
Ironically the night after I posted my thoughts regarding line counters I had yet ANOTHER Daiwa die on me. As Cal Svihel is my witness…. 
The spool will no longer disengage so the only way to get line out is to loosen the drag. I have 3 or 4 Daiwas sitting in my garage sitting on a window shelf right now with this same issue.
So… let’s talk cost. Yes, the Shimanos are expensive but I go through Daiwas in 3, maybe 4 years on average. Some, like the Sealine 17 that died on me the other night, worked for less than 2 trolling seasons of LIGHT duty use. I’ve tried sending them off to be repaired and for $35 – $50 I get another half season out of them. Talk about good money after bad.
I’m not trying to say everyone should drop for the Tekotas or that Daiwas are a bad product. But if you want gear that will last forever OR you plan to be in the sport for the duration all you’ll have to do is replace a reel one time… and you could have had a Tekota.
The issue with the Diawa Sealine SG17 has come up before.
That particular reel in the Diawa line up does not match up to the performance of the SG27’s and SG47’s. Although they look and feel like a very good reel, they just are not as durable as the other two in the Diawa lineup.
The Diawa SG17 belongs in the same grouping as Cabela’s & Accudepth reels. (IMHO)
Nor would most of us put lead core on a reel that small.
Someday, I hope to be able to afford about a half dozen Tekota’s. But they average $80-$90 per reel over the cost of the Diawa’s and that’s why I don’t own them right now.
Did everybody miss the OP said $100 combo…:)
The Tekota 300LC lists at right around $150, that puts him at twice the amount after you include a rod.
Bit of web searching didn’t come up with much for a $100 though.
Sealine 27 or 47 depending on line cap and a TRD Shimano rod might be a good choice to consider if cost is a issue.
Not sure how much lead core a Accudepth can hold but it’d be a few bucks cheaper and still a decent reel.
Al
Quote:
Did everybody miss the OP said $100 combo…:)
The Tekota 300LC lists at right around $150, that puts him at twice the amount after you include a rod.
Bit of web searching didn’t come up with much for a $100 though.
Sealine 27 or 47 depending on line cap and a TRD Shimano rod might be a good choice to consider if cost is a issue.
Not sure how much lead core a Accudepth can hold but it’d be a few bucks cheaper and still a decent reel.
Al
Line capacity between a sealine and accudepth are pretty close to the same when comparing a 27 to a 27 or 47 to 47. Problem is, the accudepths don’t hold up very well. I’ve got 4 accudepths, 2 of which I just got the counters repaired on, and two more than need them repaired. I have 4 sealines that get twice the use and have never needed a repair. Pay now, or pay later.
Quote:
Pay now, or pay later.
My point, exactly. The Accudepths are “throw-away” reels if you do any amount of trolling. Trust the guys that have used them, killed them and posted here. They’re just NOT a good buy. If the Tekotas are out of the budget go for the Sealines. They’re not much more money than the Accudepths but a much better reel. They’re not in the same league with the Tekotas but they’re the best “buy” for the money invested in that sub-$100 category.
The key here is he mentioned a $100 combo, with that….
No doubt you get what you pay for, but if you have a $100 budget and evidently don’t have money to burn, pro sponsorship, make your living fishing or can write it all off, these higher priced reels are just not affordable.
As far as the Accudepths, On some of the other forums, it seems that the people that fish occasionally don’t have much trouble with them and it’s those who are using them heavily that are having problems, which would tell me they’re not built for much abuse, like most lower end reels. imho
So I guess if your not guiding, giving them heavy use, have accounts pay for it all, tournament fishing or making TV shows and just need a reel for light use and are using a limited budget, the Accudepths may work for you…or the OP in this case.
While I tend to spend way more on my reels than I do on rods, I’ve had “Cheap” reels last many years by doing basic maintance and not using them for what they can’t handle.
Just a thought….
Al
Quote:
The key here is he mentioned a $100 combo, with that….
No doubt you get what you pay for, but if you have a $100 budget and evidently don’t have money to burn, pro sponsorship, make your living fishing or can write it all off, these higher priced reels are just not affordable.
As far as the Accudepths, On some of the other forums, it seems that the people that fish occasionally don’t have much trouble with them and it’s those who are using them heavily that are having problems, which would tell me they’re not built for much abuse, like most lower end reels. imho
So I guess if your not guiding, giving them heavy use, have accounts pay for it all, tournament fishing or making TV shows and just need a reel for light use and are using a limited budget, the Accudepths may work for you…or the OP in this case.
While I tend to spend way more on my reels than I do on rods, I’ve had “Cheap” reels last many years by doing basic maintance and not using them for what they can’t handle.
Just a thought….
Al
I’ve got a buddy who doesn’t fish very much. Maybe 6 times a year. He bought the accudepth reel for the very reason’s you listed above. After two years, his reel was just short of total junk. You could still use it but it had plenty of problems that you had to be aware of.
Be aware that sometimes spending a little more money up front, will definitely save you money down the road.
“”
Be aware that sometimes spending a little more money up front, will definitely save you money down the road.
“”
No disagreement here, but the key word is “little” money, his $100 combo limit made the accudepth fit barely in the range he wanted.
While it’d be nice, I don’t think all of us can afford high end equipment or prefer not to spend that kind of money.
But I agree, buy the best you can, it’ll save ya in the long run.
James, what Diawa’s are you destroying???
al
Quote:
James, what Diawa’s are you destroying???
al
Sealines. I have at least one dead Daiwa in all sizes from 17 – 47. I have multiple 27s with the dreaded “spool lock” where the spool cannot be disengaged into free spool and other various ailments that include sloppy or inoperable line counters, glitchy drags, etc.
These worn out reels have been accumulated over the last 3 or 4 years. I’d still take a Sealine over the other “under $100 reels” any day.
Quote:
Quote:
James, what Diawa’s are you destroying???
al
Sealines. I have at least one dead Daiwa in all sizes from 17 – 47. I have multiple 27s with the dreaded “spool lock” where the spool cannot be disengaged into free spool and other various ailments that include sloppy or inoperable line counters, glitchy drags, etc.
These worn out reels have been accumulated over the last 3 or 4 years. I’d still take a Sealine over the other “under $100 reels” any day.
Thanks, Sealines are the reels that I have and they’ve been good reels, aftermarket drags are suppose to make a much smoother drag, but I hadn’t heard of the spool lock problem though.
Are they repairable?
al
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
