Recently a friend asked me my advice on a good set up , rod and reel , for beach fishing . He migrated to Australia from a land locked country in Africa and had no experience in Salt water Surf fishing .
I proceeded to look through some catalogues and browsed the web to get a good set up for him . The reel I advised him to purchase was a Fin Nor offshore 8500 or 9500 size at around $ 400 . He needed a 12 ft Surf rod to match the reel to . He eventually settled on a Live Fibre brand .
The lead in passages are there because I had not noticed how expensive reels had become . Some Shimano and Daiwa spinning reels are well over a $1000 .
Whilst looking through the Daiwa catalogue I noticed the Goldcast Spincasters still available .At $109 for the Goldcast 80-100-120 and $119 for the new Goldcast 22 80-100-120 size they represent a bargain
The reels in the photos are mine .Top photo reel on left is a Goldcast 100 Mark 1 . 40 years old . The reel on the right is a Goldcast Mark 111 about 15 years old . Same construction etc except the older reel has bushings and the latter sealed bearings . These reels are fished above the rod like a baitcaster as per photo 3 .
Originally developed by Zebco in the USA the Spin caster , as they are called , was the introductory reel for many a young American lad . In the States they often refer to them as " button " reels and they refer to all Spin casters as Zebcos sometimes . Still being made the Zebco Omega Pro and Bullet Models are fine reels for the serious angler . They are rather expensive in Australia .
ABU GARCIA in Sweden manufactured the Abumatic for sometime . I have a Model 160 Abumatic . No where near as good as the Daiwa and not available anymore to the best of my knowledge .
The Daiwa Goldcast is a fresh water only reel . I think this is one reason why they have never been that popular in Australia . We seem to be more saltwater orientated in Australia . The US fresh water river and lake systems have an abundance of great fish . The Big Mouth bass , Croppie and Walleye ( if you are American reading this excuse the spelling ) and many more including freshwater Pan Fish like the Blue Gill , Sunfish etc .
Why do I use these reels ? I live in an area of Melbourne referred to as the Wet Lands . All fresh water . The Spincaster suits this environment . One creek I fish is like a wind tunnel . When using conventional spinning reels I was getting so many wind knots and spool over runs as the spool is exposed . The spincasters other popular name is the closed face spinner . Your line is covered as per the photos and less likely to wind knot .
Casting these reels is easy . Push the button the back of the reel .Flick the rod forward and release the button . Takes a little practice but is very forgiving . No tangles .No backlashers Drag is easily set and very smooth .
I keep my 2 spincasters in my small van most of the time . They take up no space .If I see a lake I have not fished it is so easy to use these reels to flick a soft plastic or other types of lures and not be worried about back lashes that occur when using a Bait caster or Wind knots when using a spinning reel . The closed face spinner has the best features of both of these reels .
THE PROS
Cheap price . Can purchase a rod and reel for under $150.
Oscillating spool design for smooth line lay .
Easy to gain skill in casting .
Pre spooled with line .
THE CONS
Fresh water only .
Can be tricky to service . Recommend watching YouTube take down tutorials or take to service centre .
4: 1 Retrieve can be a bit slow when fishing top water lures .
To summarise . A quality reel at a very good price to get you into fresh water fishing . If you enjoy the Daiwa experience and want to try salt water take a look at the Zebco Omega Pro spincaster .
Disclaimer ; I do use my spincasters in salt water for bream fishing even though on the boxes it states for 'Light Fresh water " use The reels must be thoroughly , and I mean thoroughly , cleaned after salt water use . Not just a run under the tap .That forces the salt water into the moving parts even more . I use a light trigger spray bottle of warm soapy water and a very light spray of WD 40 to clean the reels .