Double Trouble Shimano Sedona 1000Fi and Kuying TopCaster Review......so good we take another look

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earthworm77
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Double Trouble Shimano Sedona 1000Fi and Kuying TopCaster Review......so good we take another look

Post by earthworm77 » Fri Nov 08, 2019 6:33 pm

Shimano Sedona 1000Fi.........inshore salt water reel?
by Craig DeFronzo

I know, you rolled your eyes George. The truth is that I am a Shimano guy. In 40+ years of using them I've never experienced a problem that I couldn't fix myself. I've tried other brands and always quickly came back to Shimano.

I picked up a Sedona 1000Fi for 54.00 because I was looking for a cheaper reel to bang around with for bluegill fishing in the river. I don't know how it happened actually but this reel wound up on a ML Kuying Top Caster that I use for inshore fishing. I had purchased a JDM Sahara 2000S for this but somehow I put the Sedona reel on my ML inshore rod instead. Let's call it a happy accident.

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I spooled the reel with 14lb Nanofil Yellow and a 20lb Fluoro leader. Now I was a little worried about the connection, braid to leader, because the Nano is so slick. I tied a bimini twist with 7 loops and Zap a Gapped it. I had no issues and haven't since. This includes several over slot 30 to 32" redfish.

The Stats:
The SE1000Fi can hold 2/270, 4/140, 6/110 of mono and 15/85 and 20/65 of braid. My guess is that with the 14lb Nano I spooled up with, I had over 100 yards on the spool considering it is a super thin diameter line. The reel weighs 6.6oz, has 3+1 BB and is a 5.6 to 1 ratio. The Fi series is the first lower end series to incorporate the cold forged Hagane gearing, G free body and increased max drag. The drag slipped consistently and has performed flawlessly on hard charging snook and bull dogging redfish. I've taken dozens of them on this reel.

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What I liked:
Pro- G Free body makes this smaller reel easy to navigate, it is not a knuckle masher. I had no issues with my hands/fingers on the reel. The smaller Shimano reels in past years were notorious for that.

Pro- Hagane cold forged gearing is smoother and more durable than prior gear materials. I will note that I normally use higher end JDM Shimano reels that have had this technology for a few years. The Sedona felt really smooth for an inexpensive reel.

Pro- I like lighter reels and this one for a salt water application is about as light as they come while still being quite capable of handling strong fish like Redfish and Snook. This reel has handled plenty of them.

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Pro- the Drag, clocks in at over 7lbs max. resistance, the Sedona's drag has been used often by me when fighting hard charging fish. It proved smooth and consistent every time. I recently fought an over sized Jack Crevelle and it seemed like the drag was singing non stop. No complaints at all here.

Pro- smooth operation. The bail operated flawlessly, the reel was smooth and did not flex under load. The drag was smooth and consistent. The reel cast 1/8oz+ baits with ease. The line wound on the spool evenly and consistently. I never had any of those phantom bail closings on a cast. The operation and performance of the reel was fantastic considering its price point.

Pro- 54,00, my inshore SW reels consist of a Stella 3000FD, Saros 4000FA, a pair of Saros 2500FA's and a Curado 51e7. The cheapest one was about 100+ new. Again, 54.00 for an inshore SW capable reel seems incredibly inexpensive.

What I did not like about it:

Con- lack of anti reverse switch. I like to disengage the anti at times to play more line out either as the leader knot is in the tip or getting ready for a cast.....the lack of a lever to do this means I have to flip the bail and there is no back reeling. For some reason, Shimano thinks this lever is no longer necessary. I can get over it but I'd rather have it there to be completely honest.

Con- No spare spool.......but this is a 54.00 reel so I never expected a spare.

Con- Did I mention no anti reverse switch? Yeah, I miss that.

In all, the Sedona was a nice surprise for me. I didn't expect it to provide much but I found that it was really fun to fish in the SW. I've taken dozens of reds and snook on this reel and I find myself picking it up for virtually every inshore trip I take.......even over my beloved Stella.

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Kuying TopCaster 7ft ML spin
Repurposed Inshore Delight
by Craig DeFronzo


In my quest to get the most bang for my fishing fun buck, I find myself turning to a recent "old" favorite for a new application .
I did a review of the Kuying Top Caster spin and casting rods about a year ago and I really liked them all around, especially the spinning rod which I felt was a very versatile rod that could be used comfortably in a variety of roles. Most of the testing was done for freshwater fish but I had done some inshore fishing for redfish and trout with both models.

This past season I did some extensive inshore fishing with the spinning version of the Top Caster. I took on a variety of hard fighting fish from the typical trout and redfish to the elusive snook and guerrilla tactics fighting Jack Crevalle. I also caught other species such as flounder, sand trout, whiting, lady fish and a donkey of a shovel nose hammer head shark....Bonnet head.

For a refresher, the Kuying Top Caster is a 7ft ML power, fast action spinning rod that is comprised of a woven carbon 46 ton Toray graphite. This is a very good grade of graphite considering the low price tag of the rod. The handle is comprised of a comfortable EVA foam split grip wrapped around a Fuji style reel seat. What has impressed me with this extremely affordable series is that its fit and finish is on par with rods that cost double and even triple as much. The ferrule joint is compact and sturdy. I've never had a modern 2pc rod loosen up. The graphics and epoxy coat on the rod are clear and crisp. Again, for a rod that costs about 50 bucks, it is as pretty as any mid end rod out there. The spline was correct on both of the rods I got and the guides were straight and wrapped cleanly with zero blems and no air bubbles. Maybe I should reiterate that build quality is on par with many of the "better", higher priced brands

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The TCS702ML is rated for lures 1/8oz to 3/8oz: 5 to 10lb line(I am assuming mono) and weighs in at 107grams which is just under 4oz......3.82oz to be exact. It features 7+tip "K" series guides........what that means is anybody's guess but knowing that they have identical K series SiC guides on the Rainforest line of rods which is arguably just under this model or equal to it, I would guess that they are using the same SiC guides here too. I have put this rod through some serious inshore fishing and can only conclude that the guides have performed perfectly. I haven't had any failures, breaks or oxidation in the guides.

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I pair this rod up with a Shimano Sedona 1000FI with Berkley Nanofil 14lb Yellow and a 20lb fluoro leader. This is a pure light tackle outfit but it has surprising power to successfully play larger fish. I've caught several over slot Redfish in the 32" class and a host of slot Snook up to 33" and the Top Caster has whipped them all. I love throwing small 1/8oz Johnson Sprite Spoons with a single hook and home tied marabou trailer or a 1/8oz Zman MinnowZ swimbait on a 1/8oz Mega Bass Okashira head.

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One little caveat here, being fond of modifications of my gear........I purchased a black dropshot hook keeper via Lure Parts Online for .50 and slapped it on my TopCaster........as I do all of my JDM rods that normally do not come with them.

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A few from the salt on this rod and Shimano Sedona 1000Fi combo.....summer of 2019.

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My opinion on the TopCaster is that it is the best factory 50ish dollar rod you can buy.
Freshwater, inshore, travel........this rod can do it all.

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LowRange
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Re: Double Trouble Shimano Sedona 1000Fi and Kuying TopCaster Review......so good we take another look

Post by LowRange » Sat Nov 09, 2019 12:49 am

Thanks for the update. The Topcaster ML rods are phenomenal value for the money. I wish Kuying did a whole line of Topcaster rods. Honestly they feel like $150 rods for $50. No joke.

earthworm77
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Re: Double Trouble Shimano Sedona 1000Fi and Kuying TopCaster Review......so good we take another look

Post by earthworm77 » Sat Nov 09, 2019 7:01 am

I also have the Rainforest which is a 702M spin, it is pretty much the same rod but has a cork front grip.
Same components and price. Then there is the Tournament which is a MH blank with MH and heavy tips.
My guess is that they are all the same nomenclature in different powers.

They likely could make things a lot easier by having a single series name with multiple models.

earthworm77
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Re: Double Trouble Shimano Sedona 1000Fi and Kuying TopCaster Review......so good we take another look

Post by earthworm77 » Fri Nov 22, 2019 10:12 am

Inshore Slam from yesterday with the Top Caster....
I tried to spool the reel with 12lb Nanofil, I kept breaking it trying to tighten the 7 wrap bimini to fluoro connection.......went back to the 14lb and I didn't have any issue.


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