Reels....Explain the differences to me...Islander, Amundson, Trophy, etc

[Slabbedout]

The smaller 175 was cool and great for top water column trolling. They still work down deep, but line capacity is where the 175's bigger brother the 275 really shines through. They were the original knock off simulation to the Hardy Longstone, right down to the quality of sound. They were and still are awesome OG style reels for the serious oldschool'er. When you find them in great shape buy them and take care of them, they will last a LONG TIME.

X 2 vote for the 275’s or the Shimano 4000’s

I really feel that too many fellows feel spending money on fancy gear is going to put more fish in the boat . YOU DONT DONT NEED EXPENSIVE GEAR TO CATCH FISH. You just need flashy gear if your a guide trying to impress clients. Of course I do appreciate having nice gear too though.


I have a set of 275’s that I bought new at Fields in CR and are probably 30+ years old and other than replacing drags once in the late
90’s and a annual lube / check up are still being fished to this day.

Some fellows didn’t care for them saying the spools warped or went of balance, but I have only seen this on one reel.


Of course if your into the real classic mooching set up the Hardy Longstone is the only one to have.

 

[Redfisher]

Picked up 2 of these at Peetz today. Looking forward to using them!

Those would look ever cooler with a brass machined handles....old school sexy

 

[Waterwolf2230]

275's are awesome reels, as are Longstones...I agree all reels will wind in fish. I really don't care about money or what things cost, I just buy what I like. Sometimes it takes me a long time to get what I want, but I always get it in the end. Money is just like the tide, it comes and goes...but it is always there.

Well said!

 

[advTHXance]

 

[donnie d]

I have a set of 275’s that I bought new at Fields in CR and are probably 30+ years old

Fields! There’s a blast from the past. It’s been gone years but the smell of that store is burned into my memory.

 

[Slamminsalmon]

I thought this was pretty a pretty funny video, some of you guys will probly get a kick out of it too haha. Can’t beet bang for buck on a dirty old Shimmano though!

 

[Saxe Point]

Here’s something my Peetz Steel Wheels have that, to my knowledge, is unique and an advantage: the reel has two palming rims. In other words, both edges of the spool can be used to apply additional pressure on a fish.

Is anyone aware of any mooching reel sharing this design?

I hope to get out and fish them soon to see how I like them.

 

[SteelyDan]

Here’s something my Peetz Steel Wheels have that, to my knowledge, is unique and an advantage: the reel has two palming rims. In other words, both edges of the spool can be used to apply additional pressure on a fish.

Is anyone aware of any mooching reel sharing this design?

I hope to get out and fish them soon to see how I like them.

How much line did those baby's hold

 

[Saxe Point]

How much line did those baby's hold

Not exactly sure as I got them spooled At Trotac, but about 300 yards. 30 lb Maxima on top of some backing.

 

[Shearwater]

I've had the Amundson TMX-5 for the last 2 years. Love it, hasn't needed a lick of maintenance yet (It gets used maybe 25-30 times a year). A few hundred dollars less than the Islanders.. Plus, now that they got rid of the fish scale pattern, they look really slick.

I started a similar thread when I was in the market. Link below.

https://www.sportfishingbc.com/foru...lander-vs-trophy-vs-rapala-vs-amundson.65713/

I agree with the TMX5 , GREAT REELS and priced right. Several friends have also switched to them.

 

[wavetamer]

does the TMX5 have a free wheel mode

 

[advTHXance]

No freespool. The TMX5 can be backed off pretty much all the way but I wouldnt recommend it, my buddy did that to one of mine because he likes the freespool mode and it hasnt been the same since. Only issue Ive had with the reels though and theyre a great deal for the price. Id take one over an MR2 or MR3, but not a TR3.

 

[walleyes]

No freespool. The TMX5 can be backed off pretty much all the way but I wouldnt recommend it, my buddy did that to one of mine because he likes the freespool mode and it hasnt been the same since. Only issue Ive had with the reels though and theyre a great deal for the price. Id take one over an MR2 or MR3, but not a TR3.

Can’t back off the drag all the way cause it will screw it up but you’ll take it over an MR2 or MR3 ? I’ll back off my MR2 all day every day for ever and it will never screw it up. So I can’t see how it can be considered a better reel. I would call something like that an OK product at best. I’m sure they are decent reels but an islander they are not.

 

[Rum Buddies]

Islanders are the expensive ones that creep line and have crap drag systems...

 

[walleyes]

Yah that’s right,,, you nailed it.

 

[Derby]

Islanders are the expensive ones that creep line and have crap drag systems...

hahaha .... if you say so.. still the best reel in the market it period.............

 

[littlechucky]

MR3s don’t creep if serviced properly. If servicing reels isn’t your thing, then don’t expect them to perform as intended.

In my experience, the key to avoiding drag creep is simple.

1) back off drag when not in use.

2) when servicing, do not put too much oil on the cork drag.

3) take the reel apart after a period of use, and wipe down where the cork drag contacts the spool. If your reel creeps, you will see oil has built up on the spool side which has been “squeezed out” of the cork from repeated application of the drag when fishing. How often you give it a quick wipe will depend on how often you fish. This takes all of 3 minutes and should solve your creep issues.

The rest of the servicing can be done less often (once per year for me). I might wipe down the drag contact after 5-10 days of fishing.

I fish deep and fast...no creep with just a modest amount of drag...not winched down.

 

[advTHXance]

Can’t back off the drag all the way cause it will screw it up but you’ll take it over an MR2 or MR3 ? I’ll back off my MR2 all day every day for ever and it will never screw it up. So I can’t see how it can be considered a better reel. I would call something like that an OK product at best. I’m sure they are decent reels but an islander they are not.

It was one reel, and in fairness to Amundsen I cant say for certain that thats what caused it. For all I know it could be a simple fix. I own 3 TMX5s and the other 2 work perfectly after several seasons of extended use and no maintenance. I never back the drag off completely on any of my reels. A buddy on my boat backed it off completely, like torqued it way harder than he should of, and to me it felt like a spring or something inside had been twisted or cracked. It still works but it doesnt feel the same to me, but I never bothered to get it repaired because I fish TR3s now, and that reel in particular is my spare-spare-spare rod. In my opinion the TMX5 is a good reel, and is often what I recommend to people that dont want to shell out $1000 for a TR3.

Dont wanna get into this debate of the best reels but I will say this, all cork-drag reels creep to some extent. Maintenance helps lessen the creep but doesnt eliminate it completely. If someone tells you their cork-drag reel doesnt creep they probably have the drag winched down like a wingnut on a battery, or they pop open the reel and rough the cork up after every few uses.

 

[ReelSlim]

MR3s don’t creep if serviced properly. If servicing reels isn’t your thing, then don’t expect them to perform as intended.

In my experience, the key to avoiding drag creep is simple.

1) back off drag when not in use.

2) when servicing, do not put too much oil on the cork drag.

3) take the reel apart after a period of use, and wipe down where the cork drag contacts the spool. If your reel creeps, you will see oil has built up on the spool side which has been “squeezed out” of the cork from repeated application of the drag when fishing. How often you give it a quick wipe will depend on how often you fish. This takes all of 3 minutes and should solve your creep issues.

The rest of the servicing can be done less often (once per year for me). I might wipe down the drag contact after 5-10 days of fishing.

I fish deep and fast...no creep with just a modest amount of drag...not winched down.

I just did the annual service on four MR3’s this afternoon. Sat down with a beer and removed the old grease and reapplied. Probably took less than hour. I also don’t have creep problems but like you mention....keep the corks damp at best and they are golden.

 

[advTHXance]

Islanders are the expensive ones that creep line and have crap drag systems...

Its not a problem with just Islander reels, its all the exposed cork-drag reels.