Thread: Winter Lemonade time

It’s been cold and a few times nasty outside lately .
Time to do equipment maintenance, swap lines , and do the rod/reel merry-go-round .

Over the years of ultralight fishing , I’ve accumulated rods and reels .
Not much you can do to a rod except maybe clean one , especially the guides .

But with reels , they are constantly changing, supposedly upgrading models .
I’m a fan of the 500 size reels , especially Shimano’s.
With the exception of the Shimano Soare bb and XR 500 reels , I’ve found issues with their new reels .
I’m talking about the newest Sahara and Nasci 500’s . They changed the gear ratios from 4.7/1 to 5.6/1 . The general public wants speed and Shimano gave it to them .
The problem is , the new reels are smooth but the winding resistance went up with the faster ratios . And that also created another problem. Every one of the new Sahara and Nasci binds up when you apply a load on it . A small bluegill makes you have to pump it in to retrieve the line .

Time to make lemonade and use some of the parts off these reels on some of my older Shimano 500 reels .
I have five of the older silver gray colored Sienna 500 reels that are 4.7/1 . And wind smooth as butter . Yes they do have more play in the handle than the newer models , but at slow twitching speeds it barely noticeable.
They are heavier also , mainly due to their solid aluminum spool .
I tried just swapping spools and the little drag finger on the Nasci spool was shorter than the Sienna . No clicker ! .
Then I thought if the shafts are the same , why can’t I swap the crown looking drag gears .
I swapped gears and spacer washers and now have a good looking upgraded 500 size reel that is also lighter .
I wish I could swap handles , but the newer reels are screw in , where as the older ones are a through shaft with screw cap .
When I get time , I’m going to attempt to swap bails . In an attempt to help my new Saharas and Nasci’s I had upgraded the roller bearings and that will be a nice upgrade to my new Sienna/Nasci reel . Lemonade !
When I get a day to try it out on the water I’ll post an update .

I also tried one of the Nasci spools on a new red/black Sienna and it worked without having to change drag gears . The odd thing about the cheaper new Sienna is it’s also a 5.6/1 gear ratio , but it doesn’t have the binding issue . It works great . More lemonade !

Sounds like you’re making good use of your old reels. Lemonade!!

Originally Posted by SuperDave336

Sounds like you’re making good use of your old reels. Lemonade!!

Absolutely!
Folks would be surprised how many reel parts are compatible, and interchangeable.

DO NOT REMOVE THE BAIL ON THE LINE ROLLER SIDE OF A SPINNING REEL .

Somewhere I read to not take the bail screw out on the line roller side . Now I know why !
I was going to try and swap bail unit complete on the old Sienna and the newer Nasci 500 . They look like they would interchange, and probably would .
Since I was using the Nasci for parts , I removed its bail first , I’m glad I did .
There’s too many parts and springs that come apart when cracking it open . I have no idea what goes where .
I was able to remove the roller on both reels and use the ball bearing I had put in the Nasci when upgrading and fit it into the roller of the Sienna .
The rest of the bail and Nasci went into a parts bag .
I know I had put a ball bearing in the paddle on the Nasci handle . And wish I can use it in the Sienna , but the Sienna paddle has a brad and plastic roller instead of a screw and ball bearing .

I’ve never warmed up to the Nanci and Sahara in the small sizes. Swapping parts is a good thing for these cold days. I need to tie some jigs but always walk past the chair at the desk. I have a few Sahara in 3000 that do very well when I used them on my light salt rods, never had an issue with any of those or the 5000 I had for another rod. I tried some flouro 6lb on a 2000 reel and it made one trip before I took it off cuz of its tendency to jump off the spool when the bail was opened. No love. Put some original blue Stren back in its place, film at eleven. Glad to see that you’re staying busy and maybe even get out now and then.

I got a Nasci 2000 a couple years ago and it does the same thing when fish or hooked it binds up. Should have returned it, now it just sits. Several years ago I lost an under spool washer on my 2003 Stella 1000 but parts were discontinued and couldn't find a replacement. It still works fine but now spooled line has a slight v shape and drives me crazy. Tried washers from similar size reels but none fit. Wondering if some of those older reel washers of yours would fit. I lost one on my Pflueger Patriarch as well.

Originally Posted by JUNGLEJIMJIGS

I got a Nasci 2000 a couple years ago and it does the same thing when fish or hooked it binds up. Should have returned it, now it just sits. Several years ago I lost an under spool washer on my 2003 Stella 1000 but parts were discontinued and couldn't find a replacement. It still works fine but now spooled line has a slight v shape and drives me crazy. Tried washers from similar size reels but none fit. Wondering if some of those older reel washers of yours would fit. I lost one on my Pflueger Patriarch as well.

I would imagine , when you get up into the top tier reels the shaft is probably made of titanium or aluminum and has a specific size . For strength, an aluminum shaft would need to have a larger diameter than the stainless steel shaft in the entry up to mid range reels .
Ivan at I-Fish on YouTube might be able to help you find the correct washer .