Daiwa Goldcast Spincaster Reels : Been around 50 years and still going strong




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 .

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Just got back ( 30-1-2023) from a fishing session on the local creek . Really enjoyed using the spincasters . One with 4 lb line and the other with 6 lb line . I have reels costing $900 plus second hand on ebay yet the fun I had this afternoon with a couple of reels worth $109 is priceless . After all the fish don’t know the price of the reel they get caught on .

No pictures unfortunately .The SD card got corrupted . :scream: Caught 3 .I redfin and 2 mud marlins ( carp)

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09-02-2023 Camera working ok again . Seemed to be a corrupted SD card . Fish were small .Burleyed the margins ( areas near reeds and sunken structure ) with a mixture of bread crumbs ,corn and Big John’s Whiting attractant . Reels performed well although no big fish were caught . The GC 80 developed a knock on retrieve towards the end of the session .

Turned out to be a loose line cover . Tightened and all good .

It is like a wind tunnel where I fish so the spin casters come into their own over the standard spinning reel .( No wind knots )

All good with reels will post again soon .

Some local wildlife . I think they are called Coots

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