I have a St Croix with a 2500 Shimano with 6lb mono on it. It is by far the best rig I have ever owned.
I’m liking my 2000 size reels on my UL’s , but most of them are compact reels with 1000 size frame and 2000 size shallow spools .
I’m looking at ordering a 2500 size reel to see if I can squeeze out a little more distance casting 1/64 and possibly lighter jigs using 2# Floroclear.
The reel I’m looking at only weighs 175g , so it would be less than some of my 2000 reels .
But of course it’s going to cost more .
This will be a special rig . May pair it up with my 6’ Iprimi XUL travel rod . Or maybe even a seven footer . Whatever casts best .
Anyone use 2500 size reels for light jig fishing .
“ The bigger the Bend , the Wider the Grin ! “
I have a St Croix with a 2500 Shimano with 6lb mono on it. It is by far the best rig I have ever owned.
Fair Winds and Following Seas
Bill H. PTC USN Ret
Chesapeake, Va
gillchaser999, Slabprowler LIKED above post
I've used my REVO MGX20 reels on longer ultralight rods and they cast a long way. Have one on a 7'6" Shimano Soare right now. A 7 footer would be a good choice if you want more distance. I really like the longer rods more than shorter ones.
gillchaser999, Tradbow LIKED above post
How far is to far to cast UL gear? Does the farther you cast cause a delay by feeling the bite?
I don’t know , with a 1/32 jighead and Trout Magnet body I’ve been able to cast 75’ . I haven’t noticed any loss of feeling the lure .
I use 60’ as my guide for casting ultralight lures .
If I can put together a combo that will consistently cast a 1/80 jighead with a Bobby Garland Itty Bit Swim’r sixty feet I’ll be happy.
That’s my goal . But farther would be better .
The riprap around boat ramps , at full pool extends as far as the ramp does and holds fish .
The farther I can cast , the more fish I can reach .
Using a lighter jig makes it fall and look more natural . Glides over the rocks better too , keeping the jig from getting into the rocks and hung up .
I’ve tried using a float and I don’t get bit as much .
“ The bigger the Bend , the Wider the Grin ! “
My thoughts on longer rods comes down to accuracy. I’m lots better with shorter rods for pickin pockets but I can’t argue with ya about longer rods for longer casts. If you’re casting to open water it would be the thing.
The 2500 reel is one I use in saltwater mostly but always on heavier rods. Point is I’m no help on the reel. Cool that you found a light one.
Creativity is just intelligence fooling aroundgillchaser999 LIKED above post
Skeet , I’ve been experimenting with different size reels and rod lengths.
I started casting different rods this morning with my 500 size reels and think I’ve discovered something.
I’m getting almost the same distance with the smaller reels that I was getting with my 2000 reels.
I think the difference is , the first guide on most of my UL rods is about the same diameter as a 500 reel spool .
When using a bigger reel , the larger line loops are jamming trying to be forced through the smaller guides .
I don’t think I’ll gain much distance with the larger reel unless I go to a long rod with bigger diameter guides .
More to come..
“ The bigger the Bend , the Wider the Grin ! “
I have a 7’ Browning Airstream that has a very large, maybe a 24 or bigger stripper guide. It will cast a small rooster tail a long way and it’s rated UL. Let me see if I have some comparable line on it and I’ll try your test, I have a bunch of real small jigs that should tell the tale. Nice rod and not expensive, just hard to find. I’ll see what today brings.
gillchaser999 LIKED above post
For longer casts I use a 3/4" weighted float to get my tiny jigs out there and the advantage of having the float is it allows you to fish slower at precise depths. A 7' rod will get more distance plus it will move more line when you set the hook. I use a Stella C2000S with this set up and it's bigger than the 1000 series, have one of those too. This is a dream set up and have the NASCI on my other 7' SOARE that I will be testing soon.
Well chaser, here’s my findings. Sounds official, doesn’t it? I took the Airstream with a stripper guide that’s real close to an inch and an eighth and my latest build, both 6’6”. Took one of my 500 reels with 5 lb braid and strapped it onto each rod with a 1/80 jighead and an Itty Bitty slab slayer body on the end. Took them out in the yard and made the first cast to about 32’. I put a marker down and made 5 more casts, no wind today yet. No cast exceeded 34’, that was the Airstream with the big guide. The build had a size 20 stripper guide that measured about 5/8”, a full half inch difference. When I moved the reel and jig to the built rod, none of the 5 casts exceeded 33’. I did everything as equal as I could and net gain was about a foot. For my money, I’d look elsewhere for the extra distance. I’m out of aces for suggestions also. I think that the only consistent way to add distance is more weight or different line. The twitchmaster in 3 lb casts as good as anything I’ve ever tried but with braid having no memory I would think it would do better. Hope this helps you figure it out, and I weighed the mjighead at 1/79. As close as I can get.
And if you need I’ll send you the airstream and you can try it with your stuff just to be sure.
Creativity is just intelligence fooling aroundgillchaser999 thanked you for this post