I just picked up a used 301 Corsair (silver). I paid $25. The reel looks and feels in good condition. I will use it for salmon fishing in the salt. Any thoughts on this reel?

CRAP!! But for $25 ... Still CRAP

i have a corsair 300A and i basically use it for salt salmon as well. it is a good cheap reel and i use when i go to seacrest or edmonds and throw darts and jigs. or when trolling. I would say that 25 bucks is a good deal for an extra reel especially for a salt water only reel. I never want to take any of my good reels off the river.

I also have had nothing but problems with that reel I used it for freshwater salmon it will be bad in the salt!! Sorry

Silver Corsairs might be ok for pinks and small silvers, for a while. I had a couple guests 3 yrs. ago bring 2 silver Corsairs with them to fish silvers (between 8 & 14 lbs.) neither reel was working after a 3 day trip.

The new gold reels are supposed to be better but I don't plan on buying 1 to find out.

I have not used the silver model but have used the gold 401's and have to say that I beat the hell out of them in the salt and they hold up very well. I finally broke my first one here a few months back after 2 years of heavy salt abuse (half of the handle broke). The drag is still is ok condition. I had planned on buying a new "upgraded" reel and ended back with the same one. On the other hand I have heard a lot of poor reports on them but can confirm. Lots of perple swear by abu's but after smoking 6-8 of them in a year I'll never buy another. Give it a shot and good luck.

Dang man! You guys are harsh on your tackle! As long as you know how to properly take care of your reels, you'll never have any problems with them. I've owned a Ambassadeur C3 5501 for about 3 years w/o ever having problems.

You payed $24 dollars to much unless it came with line then you payed $20 too much...LOL
Im a shimano nut I have a few calcuttas, a calayx(my fav for river fishing), a catala, 15 lexicas (a shimano that they used to sell as a basspros reel but its made by shimano) and 2 cosairs, the drags slips alot especially if you get greese/oil on it while cleaning your reel. They also tend to reel backwards when setting the hook (also from greese on the back stop star washer)...so what Im saying is make sure you clean it and dont over oil/greese like I do the rest of my reels, It is the bottom line of shimano and you do get what you pay for......Try the calayx for drifting eggs, low profile same metal gears as the calcutta at half the price...I dont use my calcuttas for drifting eggs cause thats like using a race horse to plow the field....DJ

I was part of a random group of people who are shimano fans, and were selected to try out the corsairs even before they went on sale. I was told to beat it up, do what i wanted to give them a fair report on its performance. They give me three to start with I dont remember the numbers. On day one two were giving my knuckles a slamming. I was mooching for BM and the reel handels were suddenly spinning backwards while reeling in or just while I had the reel in my hands. Reel 3 lasted until the end of the day and did the same. I sent them to shimano. I got two more a couple days later all brand new. Same thing on one, the other malfunctioned in the drag area major jerky drag problems. This happened in one day. I had lost 3 fish in two trips due 100% to the reel failing miserably. Again sent them to shimano. I got two more a few days later, i used one about 4 times and same thing happened. I threw the extra new one in the trash, and the other went in the sound when it failed me. I wrote shimano a letter telling them to never bother sending me another product again, That I was happy to stick with my Bantam 50,Bantam 1000. A week later I got new Bantam 1000, in the mail with a letter thanking me for my help. I know of at least 5 people who have thrown those reels in the trash...

Gotta agree with the majority here, Corsairs are crap. I had a 401(Silver model) it was garbage sent it to Shimano they replaced it with a 401A (Gold) that was supposed to be the fix all the problems the 401's were having. Still crap. If you are using yours as a spare you might be fine but, I would stick to other shimano reels or Ambassaduers.

The Corsair is an absolute Cracker reel, if there was ever one. I have heard way to many horror stories from people that have tried them.

I guess what I am saying is that the reel is junk. Cut your losses and get rid of it, before the headaches start.

O.K. I admit it, I actually fish with the corsair gold 401. The main problem with the old silver corsairs was that the gears would disengage without a warning and you would be left in a "free spool" mode. This still happens on my gold corsair, but only once in a great while, and usually a hard spin of the handle will pop the clutch back up.

These reels do have there place though, if you fish a fishery that puts severe abuse on reel and you don't want to worry about ruining a good reel, this is where the gold corsairs are ideal. For example, salmon fihsing on the Fraser requires heavy brades and casting of a 2-3 oz. betty all day, and fighting fish up to 40-50 pounds. I've severely beat my corsair for two summers in a row now. Drag is still smooth and the only problem I've had with it is the little metal slider on top of the worm gear had to be replaced, because I wore it out! I have a Calcutta, but why beat the snot out of it when Corsair handles the job?

BD

I should have known better because I think the calcutta is crap. I'm about done with Shimano. I have to send my calcutta in at the end of every season for repairs. I have paid more for the repairs than I did for the reel. I have been told that I should rinse them in fresh water after every saltwater use, then told the next year to never rinse them rather coat them with wd40.... both by the same repair person! I will be using the corsair as a backup to the calcutta when it fails again. Oh well..... maybe I'll get $25 worth of satisfaction kicking it around the boat! Thanks for the input.