Daiwa Pluton

[tehtuna]

100# braid? Dunno about that one. Sorry if linking to other boards isn't allowed, mods delete if necessary, this is one that I've read on the Pluton though:

http://www.bloodydecks.com/forums/fishi ... users.html

[GARRIGA]

I own one and it's an awesome reel. Have no experience with the Calcutta other then in store comparison where the Pluton appeared to be more impressive if that helps at all. Zero experience with a Conquest. I've only fished a few times and haven't given it a hard workout yet but I have no doubts it will be a perfect reel for swimbaits or chasing Tarpon, Redfish and Snook in the back country. As for line capacity. I was able to transfer 65 lb Sufix Performance Braid from a Curado 301. All of it. I think there's more line capacity then you would need to catch a world record Bass and I'm not a Musky Fisherman but I've never seen one strip out more than a few yards on the many TV shows. I can see this reel packed with 100 lb braid and stopping every big Musky or Pike that swims. It's specifics indicate 100 yards or so of 20 lb. I believe that to be true. Highly recommended by those that have used it and I'm buying more down the line.

The Curado 301 is rated at 12lb line will hold 240yds, a Pluton is 12lb line only 185yds, the Luna 203 has a rating of 12lb line 180yds, the pluton has the same line cap as a 203 Luna. 100lb test braid with a disengaging level wind system, good luck with that.

I learned a long time ago of being cautious of manufacturer's claims. I know what I experience to be my best judge of the truth. Line from one reel fitting the other even if the other was ever so slightly under filled is all I need to know. There's no 55 yard difference of 12lb line between these two reels.

Besides, 100 yards of 20 is more than adequate for monster Bass, Musky and Pike. We're talking of pound test I use to stop yellowfin tuna and amberjack. I believe the need for the heavier lines are more a factor of the baits being thrown these days and the inherent tendency of braid to dig into spools then to catch these magnificent fish we used to catch with half or a quarter some 15 years ago. I could be wrong but in the last half year I've spent $1k gambling the Pluton and Z will be just right. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has or will.

As for the disengaging line winder. Don't know but I'm guessing the super narrow spool may help. Aren't the Calcutta 200 the same? Hope to find out today. Going offshore for Dolphin and plan to catch a few for dinner on the Pluton where such a light package may be lots of fun.

[Buck2thPerch]

Hmmm...seems I may have to gamble as well. A guy has offered a new Pluton for $200. I may have to jump on it.

[spicytuna]

The Pluton's spool fills with a little less line than the Daiwa specs claim. However, if you choose to spool with 30, 40, 50 lb. braid, you will have plenty of line for largemouths, muskies, and pikes. I've never heard of any of these fish going on extended 100+ yard runs. The only instance where I had trouble with the line capacity was when I took the Pluton out for white sea bass with 12 lb. mono. I had serisously underestimated the power of these fish. When I hooked into a 70 lb'er, I got spooled twice at 175 yards, nearly to the end of the spool. We had to chase down the fish with the boat 3 times. This was only because I was only applying about 6 lbs. of drag pressure.

However, when I loaded the reel up with approx. 260 yards of 40 lb. Samurai Braid, line capacity was no longer an issue because I was now able to use a little more drag and I had more line. 50-70 lb. white sea bass were no match for the reel loaded with the new line. I've also taken 20 lb. albacore tuna on the Pluton with ease. The Pluton has more than enough drag power and line capacity with 30 lb. or 40 lb. braid to tackle pelagic fish in the 20-30 lb. class range, provided you are not jigging for them in deep water. I've also caught these fish on Calcutta 300 & 400 TEs, and I must say the the battle was easier with the Pluton.

100# braid? Dunno about that one. Sorry if linking to other boards isn't allowed, mods delete if necessary, this is one that I've read on the Pluton though:

http://www.bloodydecks.com/forums/fishi ... users.html

I have never had mechanical issues of any type with mine, and I have used it heavily since it came out. It is a solid reel in my opinion. Alan Tani is a saltwater reel guru in the SF Bay area. Many anglers in the are take their reels to him for tuning / upgrades, and I respect his opinion. When it comes to the max. drag pressure, he is right: I wouldn't run my Pluton at the 13 lbs. for hard running fish. If I need over 10 lbs. of drag pressure to stop fish, then I would definitely use my Accurate 197s or 270s. Way overkill for freshwater fish, unless we are talking about sturgeon.

Going offshore for Dolphin and plan to catch a few for dinner on the Pluton where such a light package may be lots of fun.

Yes, you will have fun. Good luck.

Hmmm...seems I may have to gamble as well. A guy has offered a new Pluton for $200. I may have to jump on it.

I would do it. Heck of a deal.

[Ong Jim]

I have a Pluton and so far so good. It is a very strong reel and pulling out 10lb stripers is cake. However, the price you pay is having a fairly big and heavy reel. Someone with smaller hands like myself may not be able to palm this reel and cast all day. Another thing, the reel does not hold as much line as Daiwa claims. But if you're using it for large mouth, it will be enough line.

I too have read about the level wind failures, but have not fished my reel long enough to experience it.

Here is a site that I think has the best price for the Pluton.
http://www.luremefishing.com/daiwa_baitcast_reels.html

You might want to check out TW and other retailers to see if they will match the price. I know Basspro did.

Or if you wait long enough, the unsatified Pluton owners will sell theirs.

[GARRIGA]

Back from my fishing trip but wasn't able to challenge the Pluton with any Dolphin. Did have a peanut on for all of three seconds before he threw the wax wing. Later we noticed oil on the fishing lines and assumed this was scaring the little fellas. Never seen small dolphin be so picky in my life. Ended up getting 7 with spinning tackle that was over kill. Yes, there's oil in the Keys. Guess the BP issue is not resolved. Unless this was coming from another source or perhaps our own boat, highly doubt it.

Anyway, the Pluton casts like a dream. Not a single backlash even into the wind. We'll see if I get to actually stress it if I get any line winder issues. As for line capacity. I've caught 40lb King Fish on 80lb braid with a Penn 9500 Spinner that had about 15-17lbs of drag. At no time did the King Fish pull more than 10-20 yards of drag. Like it's been said, drag stops fish and not line capacity. Now, unless a 50" Musky has more power than an ocean running King Fish, there's more then enough line capacity on the Pluton on the longest cast.

Also, I believe the use of 100lb braid for Musky is like using 65lb braid wih swimbaits, to handle the lures being thrown and not to handle the target species. As for the line winding issue on any reel, I'm guessing if one use the proper amount of drag versus locking it down, there should be no issues. I had an Okuma trolling reel with a disengaging level wind that brought up plenty of 13-18lb groupers without issue till the day I locked the drag and messed with something that had no intention of coming up and had the size to make that happen. The end result was a bent level wind. Zero drag was the problem plus I decided to use a trolling rod for something other than trolling. My bad. never got to see what could have been so angry with me.

I have to go back and read the article linked above on the three defective level winds to better understand what caused it. Hopefully somebody wasn't trying to land yellowfin with the maximum drag or something like that.

[RWSCHMITZ]

What U are over looking is the fact that the Pluton is a 200 size reel that is 12.5oz and holds only 70 yds of 65lb braid so on a long cast of 20-30yds your spool is almost 1/2 empty so when U start to reel in with a 5.1:1 gears that have a 23" line pickup, now with only a 1/2 full spool U will have a maybe a 15" or so line pickup at the start of the retreive, so U will have to reel very very fast to pickup line the first 50 feet. The Pluton is built like a tank, just wish it had more line cap. and a non-disengaging level wind system, but to each there own.

[spicytuna]

What U are over looking is the fact that the Pluton is a 200 size reel that is 12.5oz and holds only 70 yds of 65lb braid so on a long cast of 20-30yds your spool is almost 1/2 empty so when U start to reel in with a 5.1:1 gears that have a 23" line pickup, now with only a 1/2 full spool U will have a maybe a 15" or so line pickup at the start of the retreive, so U will have to reel very very fast to pickup line the first 50 feet. The Pluton is built like a tank, just wish it had more line cap. and a non-disengaging level wind system, but to each there own.

Yes, I wish the Pluton came in larger sizes. However, only getting 70 yards of 65# braid doesnt sound right. What diameter line are you using? It must be some awfully thick stuff... The specs for the Daiwa Samurai braid gives the 80# test an equivalent of 17# mono. You should get around 100 yards of the 80# Samurai Braid spooled on the Pluton, although I feel that 55# Samurai line would suffice, and you should be able to get around 175-200 yards of that.

[GARRIGA]

What U are over looking is the fact that the Pluton is a 200 size reel that is 12.5oz and holds only 70 yds of 65lb braid so on a long cast of 20-30yds your spool is almost 1/2 empty so when U start to reel in with a 5.1:1 gears that have a 23" line pickup, now with only a 1/2 full spool U will have a maybe a 15" or so line pickup at the start of the retreive, so U will have to reel very very fast to pickup line the first 50 feet. The Pluton is built like a tank, just wish it had more line cap. and a non-disengaging level wind system, but to each there own.

I was throwing 1.5 oz wax wing yesterday as far as I can cast with any rod and reel and still had plenty of line in case of a hook up plus I was not experiencing any issues with the 5.1 ratio considering the wax wing requires a fast retrieve to make it dance properly. Yes, I had to crank like crazy and a higher ratio would have been a better option. Perhaps with certain lures and applications this could be a problem so I see your point.

I don't know why you only got 70 yards of 65lb. I'm using 832 65lb and there's no way I only have 65 yards. At one point I was trolling and had well over a football field of line but was close to getting spooled. Is it possible you didn't wind the line on tight. Hopefully I'm not assuming too much but I know with braid, it doesn't lay as well as mono and at least 8lbs of drag is recommended to lay it on nice and tight. Again, hopefully I'm not assuming too much here.

[MondayMonkey]

There is a "high speed" 6.2 ratio available if that is a concern for people.

[GARRIGA]

There is a "high speed" 6.2 ratio available if that is a concern for people.

I thought about that but its not an option for big lures like when swimbaiting or musky fishing. I can see where for some applications a taller reel or large line capacity would be a benefit. That's why there's no one reel that can do it all. For what I'd do this reel is good enough at 5.1.

[4g63power]

I had mine spooled with 70lb samurai braid and only got about 90yd. I just switched out to 55lb samuraid braid and got about 120yd. I too wish this reel had more line cap, but still a great reel.

[RWSCHMITZ]

I have about 10 yds of 10lb Mono backing and I use Invisi Braid which is a little thicker then most braid and I don't like to fill them only about 1/8 inch from the top. Like I said if it had more line cap and a non-disengaging level wind it would give a ConQuest a run for the Title. At 12.5oz it also about 2 -3 oz to heavy for most bass guys, a Zillion is 8.5 oz and I think that's on the heavy side, but it's 4oz lighter.