Swimbait reel

[BassMaster1]

I have a newbie question for you guys. I am looking to buy a new swimbait reel (curado) but I need to know what gear ratio to run? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Oh and while Im at it whats your advice on a gloomis or a powell rod to put it on?

[bassdaddy]

I spend a significant time on the water throwing swimbaits and the single best advice I can give you if you're hunting truly large fish is that it's really easy to fish too fast and in most situations very difficult to to fish too slowly. Consider that when buying a reel specifically for swimbaits.
As far as the rod goes...I'm going to suggest you look at the Dobyns selection. This summer they released their 867 Mag and as far as versatility and castabilty it is IMO hands down the best big bait stick on the market. I have owned and/or used many different swimbait rods including G. Loomis and a couple different Powell rods...the Dobyns 867 is more functional with a wide variety of baits than all of of them.
Hope that helps.
Tree

[BassMaster1]

Thanks for your input. I did a little research on the dobyns rod and it sounds like a great stick. My only questions are: Will the 867 still work well with the smaller baits since its so big? I'm asking this because a few people have told me to start out throwing small to medium swimmers. On the reel, which is slower 6:9:1 or 6:2:1?

[bassdaddy]

The 6:2:1 is definitely the slower of the two...

As far as the rod goes...if you're looking for a stick to throw small/medium baits on you just can't beat the Dobyns 795...it comes in a couple different styles to accommodate personal preferences regarding handle length. I have three and at least two of them are on my deck at all times. I'm willing to bet it is easily their most popular swimbait rod. The 867 Mag is for guys who are a bit more compulsive and feel the need to throw larger baits.

[kmah]

Curado 300E

Depending on your budget check gloomis gl2 956C SWB. for larger swimmers.

BCFR893 mossy back for hollow belly/trash fish.

Good luck
K. Mah

[deltabass]

As far as reels go, the 300E is awesome for bigger baits. As far as smaller swimbaits like hollow belly type baits, from experience normal size reels work just fine. I too fish the Dobyns swimbait rods and am amazed how light and powerful they are. I own two 795's. One is the Champion 795SBMT (shorter handle) and the other the Chamoion 795SBML (longer handle)- Great umbrella rig rod.
My favorite to throw hollow belly's, trash fish and others like them is the Champion 764C. This rod casts those smaller baits a mile and is also a powerful rod. Don't be fouled by the 4 power. This rod puts it to them and allows you to be accurate with your casts.

Hope this also helps

[BassMaster1]

You've sold me on the 795 and 764 rods. Again thanks for the input guys.

[DanIsaac]

Curado 200D, Cuardo 300E, or Calcutta 200D. As for a rod, Powell 795 rocks, as does the Dobyns rod previously mentioned if your throwing the big stuff. Phenix Ultra Swimbait rod is also an awesome option.

Dan

[Ceaser]

if you plan on throwing med to big swimbaits (4 oz's+) I would look into a luna or calcutta. Those have much slower ratios in the 5:1 range and plenty of torque. Also Look at the Lexa for a direct competitor with the curado 300

[bassdaddy]

Pretty hard to beat a Curado 300...or a 301 in my case. Absolutely love them for throwing swmbaits. I was trying to make a point about retreive speed as I'm hoping the Calcutta D 401 with the 5:1 gears helps me slow down. Guess we'll see in December when the left handers come available.

[Champion Jon]

A shimano cardiff 300 is a pretty solid swimbait reel at a good price point. The 300 has a lower profile then the 400. I also like the curado 300, the cardiff is just a lot cheaper.