Aluminum Reel's..Islander, Trophy, RST etc...

[searun]

Agree with the finger jam, never had that happen once, had it backed off to zero drag but that was users fault. Also when wet I find they can skip, but that's only with ported back I've found and I just keep them in covers till use and usually stops it as well

Agreed, if the user properly grips the handle they can't get a finger caught in the drag adjuster backing off the drag. Guess my bad luck with some lesser experienced guests. Problem seems to come if they insist on hanging onto the handle when a fish bolts. Had it happen a few times, and always with inexperienced anglers.

 

[wolf]

It doesnt matter if its an islander or trophy or any reel what usually hapens is they try and back rel when the fish is running and they get there thumb hitting the drag. hence the cluster F$%K seen it a few times now im constantly saying let it go let it go people get REALLY excited and they just plain forget part of the business .... had a guy do the same thing this year and the line was so tangled i hand bombed the line in grabed the gaff in one fast swoop gaffed it in the guts and tossed it in the cooler BLOOD everywhere but hey we got the fish LOL LOL

wolf

 

[bryce]

lol I usto just say let it go let it go
after someone let my mr3 sage 4120 go I now say let it run

and if you dont use the freespool definetly go with mr3
I usually use my mr3's when fishing weights or shallow on the rigger and mr2's fishing deep just because I like the freespoool

 

[Highliner]

lol I usto just say let it go let it go
after someone let my mr3 sage 4120 go I now say let it run

Hahaha! That's too funny. I'll make a mental note of that one.

MR3 for me. Although the line creep issue could be improved and so could the clicker sound. I like to reel lefty so that was the biggest deciding factor for me.

 

[Falcon]

I am in the market to upgrade my reels and searched out this thread, had my mind set on a MR3 but now I'm not so sure? Guess I'll keep searching.

 

[drpower]

As a long time fishing guide, MR2 reels have become my go to reels. Yes, they require maintenance but as does any high performance equipment and yes, the MR2 does have a smaller arbor... retrieving line is slightly faster paced. The main reason an MR2 works for me is because the free spool lever location. I can set gear in free spool and never touch the drag knob all day, casting cut-plug baits as far as 30 feet to get'm back there quick, guests that reel flashers to the tip on windy days are not a problem, these reels allow me the freedom and speed I need to perform like a professional. The only better reel I could think of would be an MR3 with same free spool lever. BTW, this is my first post!

Islander Reels

 

[Fishingaccomplished]

I guide with island islander MR3s i own 4 of them and never had a problem with any. every 4 or 5 days a take them apart and clean and oil them up. ive tryed the trophy reels but i would never buy them just didnt like the drag on them and just not as good as the islander. even tho the price is a bit better spend a little bit more and get the islander

 

[Rayray]

I have Trophy's on my boat. No real issues besides tighting up the handles on both reels.
I was in Pacific Net and Twine and the salesman was showing me the Amudson reels has anyone tested and used these. They look nice and were comaprable in price to the tropy reels.

 

[Charlie415]

I have Trophy's on my boat. No real issues besides tighting up the handles on both reels.
I was in Pacific Net and Twine and the salesman was showing me the Amudson reels has anyone tested and used these. They look nice and were comaprable in price to the tropy reels.

Trying one out that I got in August. Smooth reel but you need to crank down the tension to stop the line creep when setting the drag. Then if you get a fish on you have to back off the drag. I have also had to fix the clicker spring and had one handle fall off. Other than that I love it. LOL Not sure how that compares to an Islander.

 

[hambone]

Islander MR2-LA, check it out..... Island outfitters Facebook page

 

[Slabby20]

Trying one out that I got in August. Smooth reel but you need to crank down the tension to stop the line creep when setting the drag. Then if you get a fish on you have to back off the drag. I have also had to fix the clicker spring and had one handle fall off. Other than that I love it. LOL Not sure how that compares to an Islander.

Loctite works great on keeping the Trophy handles from backing out. i haven't had the issue ever since starting to use Loctite. I also uograded my Trophy to the Shimano paddle handles, part MCR0058. Putting those bigger paddle handles on is a real nice upgrade you should consider. It's easy to do too. You have to slightly drill the Shimano handle out to adapt them to the Trophy's. PM me if you want any info on how to do it.

 

[Humpbubble]

Diawa 275's,pinky finger drag! Just spray em off and lube the deal every so often.had mine since the early 90's
Absolutely cant stand the sound of loud clickers,esspecially without a fish on..luckily after 20+ years (and a couple fish)mine are real mellow sounding.dont have to reach around my guest and fick the switch anymore,well once in a while

 

[Tips Up]

Would like to know more about the Islander MR2-LA.
Not on Islanders website yet and nothing on Outfitters but "come see it"

Looks like an MR3.
Anyone know the scoop?

 

[GDW]

Probably an mr3 with free spool but that's just a guess.

 

[hambone]

I went and had a quick look at these reels. The new MR2-LA is the same body size as an original MR2 but has the arbour size and drag knob of an MR3. Very nice reel which incorporates the best of both MR2/MR3 It will still suffer from line creep and it sing like a Hardy, but Id think it will soon be considered the best Islander mooching reel.

 

[Fish Assassin]

If you fish deep MR2's suck. I would disagree on your last comment Hambone

I was hoping GDW was correct

 

[Tips Up]

The MR3's on my boat crept when new but are all good now. Just a bit of break in time.

FA- why do they suck deep? Fished alot with MR2s and always liked them.

Tips

 

[Fish Assassin]

Way to much reeling to do. Need larger arbour and bigger handles

 

[GDW]

So the question is - does it still have free spool?

 

[hambone]

Reviving this old thread to see if anyone's got any new reels they've been using and can share reviews on. Rapala Shift, Nautilus etc....

Also wondering what people have to say about the new peetz drag system.