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 !
