For Christmas, Santa brought me a Shimano Corsair 400A....very pretty in gold ( matches my earrings ). Someone I know has an older, silver Corsair, I don't know the model, but it's been trouble since the get-go. I just noticed that that older model was seized up after being in storage for a year or so.
What I'm wondering is.....do I keep the 400A or do I return it and get a better reel? It will be used heavily in the saltwater for salmon. I especially like to cast Buzz Bombs, so the ability to cast without problems is important.
Thanks in advance. Diana

Those gold reels were made to replace the silver ones, there was alot of proplems with the silver ones.There's also some proplems with the gold ones,I took both of my gold ones back and got ambassador's instead.They would go into free wheeling without any warning and you couldn't reel your fish in.cost me a springer last April.
Bob

I agree with Bob. Take back the Corsair and get an Ambassadeur 6500 or put another $35 and go with the Shimano Catala. Can't figure out why Shimano can't get it right with the Corsair. I took two of them back also.
Good Luck

I have to agree with Stew and Bob, the Corsairs are junk. Go with an ambassaduer or Calcutta for our in the salt. I have a Corsair 401A and hate it, also have a garage full of ambassaduers and they are very durable and easy to repair if anything does go wrong. which it rarely does.

[ 01-01-2002: Message edited by: Firedog ]

Well, here I am, 2 hours after the initial post, and my schedule for tomorrow now has "Return Reel" added to it.
I used 6500's for my driftboat plug rods for years. I want to go a step above that now. I was taken with the looks of the Calcutta, but wasn't that the one that runs about $250-300? Apparently, Santa didn't think I was *THAT* nice of a girl this year.

Also, what I'd really like is a reel that is suitable for saltwater, but still light enough for steelhead. Santa said the Calcutta would probably get ruined in saltwater. Hmmmm....Penn International?
Thanks again.....especially the part about the "free-wheeling"......now I remember using that rod/reel out silver fishing a couple years ago. It did EXACTLY that....free-wheeled unexpectedly. It acted like the gears couldn't engage. THAT was why it was set aside for so long.
Diana

My buddie has the silver corsair. ITS HORRIBLE!
tyler

According to the guys at Ollie Damon, the suitability of a light casting reel for salt water is inversely proportional to the number of ball bearings in the reel. Those bearings are very susceptible to salt water corrosion. The Penn reels have mainly bushings for that reason, the Calcuttas have 2 ball and 1 roller bearing. The more exotic freshwater baitcasters (including the Shimano Curados and Quantum PR600s) have even more bearings and should be avoided for salt water use (according to Ollie Damon again).

Corsair must be some form of dialect that translates in the BIGGEST PIECE OF **** THIS SIDE OF TOKYO.

I've taken 2 back, back to back, myself. Just free wheelin' pieces of ****to.

Get an ambassadeur. 6500 for the salt so you can have more line capacity. Should be $79.95 at Kmart.

All reels suck after salt abuse if not properly lubed. Rinse with fresh water, then lube.

May I be excused now? I have to go take a Corsair. Must be my diet.

Well, the Corsair is a goner now. I looked at the Calcutta....it was $225. Hmmm.....I *do* have a birthday coming up in 4 days. Maybe I'll go sit on Santas' knee and tell him what I want for my birthday.

heh heh heh.....good one about the Corsair Constitutional...heh heh heh

That's good information about the bearings/bushings relationship. I always knew there was something about salt/freshwater reel construction that I didn't know. The few times I have taken a good freshwater reel to the coast, I have always rinsed it well afterward. But "LUBE"? Huh? Wazzat? Isn't that what women keep men around for?
diana

Diana, if I were you and going to use the reel mainly in the saltwater I would opt for a Penn International 975, 965 or something like that. They are passable baitcasters and (I think) still mainly use bushings instead of ball-bearings. World-class drags too.

$225 for a Calcutta, you may want to shop elsewhere for fishing gear, that place is hosing you.

Yeah, I still have my Corsair. The silver one. It is crap. I don't use it anymore. It has "free wheeled" on me more than once, luckily not on a fish though. It's also a real sucker for birdcages! What do you guys suggest I do with this reel since I lost the receipt and the warranty of one year I believe is long gone anyway.

Shimano has a recall on the sliver corsairs, so go to your local sporting goods store that carry shimano's and turn in that reel. you dont need a box, or reciept. good luck

Kitsap sports in silverdale sells Calcuttas 250 for $169. Calcutta 400 for $199. I think that these prices are right. If you want to call
360-698-4808 to make sure I am right that is their number. Hope that helps. Oh, happy premature birthday.

I'm still trying to decide which way to go on the reels. I've been out of the steelhead thing for a few years and have been out more this year so far than I have been out in the last 6 years combined. That looks like it may be changing, tho.
Last time I launched my boat in the Bogey, at 4 a.m., I was number 32 in line. That made me hang up the oars for good. But I still have the boat and have been beating the beach this season....sorry, I'm blathering.
I don't know if I'm going to steelhead enough to justify that much cash for a specialty reel.
Buuuut, if I got the Penn, I can use that for both steelhead and salmon ( which I do alot of ).
Sooooo.....Bass Pro has the Penn with, and without the level-wind bar. I'd think that without the bar, it would be a better casting reel. I'd buy an extra spool so I can put dacron line on for salmon.
Anybody see any flaws in my thinking? Will the dacron pile up and cut into itself without the level wind bar?
Thanks for your input.
And thank you for the birthday wishes. Personally, I think cakes are getting smaller than they used to be. There used to be a whole lot more room for my candles. Kinda like my blue jeans.....

Just send it back to Shimano. They are an absolutely excellent company to deal with and that one year warranty is just a guideline as I have sent back 5 y.o reels that have been used and abused and they replace them at no charge.

The adress is
Shimano of America
One Holland Drive
Irvine, Ca (I always forget the zip)

Nope...that is what men keep around when they dont have a women.

If you're going to sit on Santa's lap again well just nibble on his ear and whisper the words Curado 201 BSF and Ambassedor 6500. Spool of 12 pd Maxima UG and 50 pd Proline. Your set for both fresh and salt and everyone will be the happier for it. Cost about the same as that $225 Calcutta. Such an easy decision for Santa.

Gooose

There are at LEAST 3 6500's downstairs already. So that base is covered. That's the pluggin' reels.
There are 2 Shimano Black Bantams, that are currently in use for baitcasting....so they're already similar to the Curado, aren't they?

I want one of those gold-anodized earring-matching fish catching-gizmos that cost an arm and a leg. Isn't fish-catching ability proportionate to debt accrued? I always though so....we catch way more fish after making painments on that 22 footer sitting in the driveway.

Besides...it's my birthday, dammit.

heh heh heh ... good one, P.
:p diana

I would get the Calcutta 400 or the new Calcutta
TE 300 or 400. The Calcuttas that are below 300 are not good Salt Water reels. I have friends that
had problems with the smaller ones fishing Salt
Water. I have used the 400 and 700 for years of
frequent fishing and have never had a problem. I
have caught 100's of fish without a mechanical
failure. Wash it down after use in Salt water and
Lube it when needed without excess and you to can
have aa reel that will last for year's. I keep all
my reels in a reel case when they are not in use.
Be sure to by a new one. Good fishing..