Sorry to bring this back to life, but I really like 1000 size reels. As most said, they really make for incredibly lightweight combos especially on high-end sticks.
I use them for walleyes first, bass second, and whatever gloms on to my presentation after that, ha! I do prefer them on UL, L, and ML action rods in the 7’ to 7’-6” range. I also prefer to use 4lb Fireline Ultra 8 Carrier braid for mainline and suitable fluoro leader for the presentation and fish I am targeting. I believe running thinner braid allows these little reels to cast significantly further. The 4lb Ultra 8 Carrier is plenty strong for up to 1x (10lb diameter) Seguar Grand Max leaders thus far, FYI.
If you run fluoro, mono, or significantly thicker braid, your casting distance will be reduced in comparison to a 2500 size, or bigger reel. I personally bump up to 2500’s in those situations generally on ML and M 7’+ rods.
1000 size shimanos
Re: 1000 size shimanos
I'm sold on 1000 size reels for sure now.
My previous rig for walleye/panfish was a 2500 size Pfleuger Patriarch on a 6'10" GL2 DSR (MagMed XFast I think), which has caught me plenty of fish and I've really enjoyed it. I know the pole is designed for drop shot bass fishing, but the soft tip with good backbone has been great for vertical jigging with 1/8-3/8oz round head jigs and either rainbow chubs or shiners, which is what I'm doing 90%+ of the time.
Heading into this year though, I wanted to try something lighter and catered more towards panfish, so I just set myself up with a Daiwa Tatula LT 1000, on a 6'4" LXF St. Croix Legend Elite Panfish. If both companies specs are accurate, this new rig weighs 8.1oz before spooling. It balances right where my pointer finger naturally rests in a normal grip, and it's a feather.
Put it through its paces this weekend for walleye opener in MN, and I love it. I don't think I'm ever going back to heavier/larger size gear for most of my walleye fishing. The lakes I fish 99% of the time have slow growth rates, so the average walleye is under 20". After catching 6 this weekend ranging from 12-19.5", plus a few hammer handle northerns, I definitely don't need anything heavier. The 19.5" was fun as heck on the light power rod. The 1000 size reel felt like it handled it no problem, plenty of drag for my needs, and didn't lose any smoothness reeling under load, so I don't have any concerns if/when I hook into something even bigger.
Casting performance was every bit as good as I was used to with the 2500 size Patriarch. Might be just because I'm using 6# Nanofil on this one, which should cast better than 6# mono that was on the Patriarch, but I can't complain about being able to send a 1/32oz jig with a 2" Bobby Garland Baby Shad ~40yds if I need to. Throwing an 1/8oz jig with a 4.5" Biospawn Plasmatail worm just for kicks, I bet I was pushing 60 yards without too much effort. Distances are just best guesstimates, but regardless it satisfied my casting needs easily, the smaller spool size is a non-issue in my opinion.
I'll still keep my heavier rig around for times that I'm fishing deeper water and want to throw on a 1/4 or 3/8oz jig on to get to the bottom easier, or if I want to pull spinners or something, but other than that I'm all about the light power rods and 1000 size reels now.
My previous rig for walleye/panfish was a 2500 size Pfleuger Patriarch on a 6'10" GL2 DSR (MagMed XFast I think), which has caught me plenty of fish and I've really enjoyed it. I know the pole is designed for drop shot bass fishing, but the soft tip with good backbone has been great for vertical jigging with 1/8-3/8oz round head jigs and either rainbow chubs or shiners, which is what I'm doing 90%+ of the time.
Heading into this year though, I wanted to try something lighter and catered more towards panfish, so I just set myself up with a Daiwa Tatula LT 1000, on a 6'4" LXF St. Croix Legend Elite Panfish. If both companies specs are accurate, this new rig weighs 8.1oz before spooling. It balances right where my pointer finger naturally rests in a normal grip, and it's a feather.
Put it through its paces this weekend for walleye opener in MN, and I love it. I don't think I'm ever going back to heavier/larger size gear for most of my walleye fishing. The lakes I fish 99% of the time have slow growth rates, so the average walleye is under 20". After catching 6 this weekend ranging from 12-19.5", plus a few hammer handle northerns, I definitely don't need anything heavier. The 19.5" was fun as heck on the light power rod. The 1000 size reel felt like it handled it no problem, plenty of drag for my needs, and didn't lose any smoothness reeling under load, so I don't have any concerns if/when I hook into something even bigger.
Casting performance was every bit as good as I was used to with the 2500 size Patriarch. Might be just because I'm using 6# Nanofil on this one, which should cast better than 6# mono that was on the Patriarch, but I can't complain about being able to send a 1/32oz jig with a 2" Bobby Garland Baby Shad ~40yds if I need to. Throwing an 1/8oz jig with a 4.5" Biospawn Plasmatail worm just for kicks, I bet I was pushing 60 yards without too much effort. Distances are just best guesstimates, but regardless it satisfied my casting needs easily, the smaller spool size is a non-issue in my opinion.
I'll still keep my heavier rig around for times that I'm fishing deeper water and want to throw on a 1/4 or 3/8oz jig on to get to the bottom easier, or if I want to pull spinners or something, but other than that I'm all about the light power rods and 1000 size reels now.
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