Shimano Sustain Questions

[backwater]

Hello,

I've owned several Shimano reels over the years and have been very pleased with their performance. I am thinking of buying a Sustain model and would like to hear about your experiences with them. I am sure they are great reels, smooth, good drag etc. I can't decide whether I want the 2500 or the 4000 model. I am concerned that the weight of the 4000 (14 oz. Wow!) seems a lot heavier than similar reels, even heavier than the Stella. On the other hand, the 2500 is under 10oz and that would be a lot better for a day of casting. I generally only hard lures with spinning tackle, maybe a jig or two, but mostly lures. I would mostly fish for snook, redfish, trout, jacks, maybe some bass, etc. It might also serve as a backup bonefish rod on occasion. I would say that all the fish I plan to target would tend to be about 3-15 pound range on the average, with 12-15 being a little rare.

The other issue is line capacity. I'd like to use the new Yo Zuri hybrid line in about 8# test, which would equal about a 12# mono line or so. The capacity would certainly be better on the 4000, but with the exception of the bonefish, the other species don't really run that far and I would have to think that 140 yards of the Yo Zuri 8# or so would be more than enough (even if I went higher in # test I think that even 120 yds would be enough). I've caught snook my whole life and have never been spooled by one yet and that's prob the hardest fighter of the bunch. Even bones tend to run a lot shorter distances with a spinning reel than on the fly. I mostly fish the backcountry so long runs tend not to happen, I'm more concerned about these fish heading for deep cover to break me off.

I'd be curious about your thoughts as to the pros and cons of the Sustain 4000 vs. the 2500. Reel weight, line capacity, etc. (also feel free to weigh in as to the Yo Zuri line as I haven't tried it yet).

Thanks,
Thomas Smith

[Slappy]

I fish a sustain for stripers and have been pretty happy with it. I use the 4000 spooled with braid. Smooth reel, I am sure you will like it.

You sound like you have figured out the line capacity that you need. I always try to get the lightest reel with the right line capacity--so it sounds like the 2500 would work. I rate it a buy; as someone who breaks many reels, that is pretty good praise.

[DAQ]

Backwater,

I have a Sustain 5000 and it is by far the smoothest cranking reel I own. On the other hand I find the drag to be inconsistent, not nearly as good as my Daiwas or new Cabo. I thought it might be a spool problem but I have three different spools and all act the same way. Also, the clicker has broken off of two spools in two years. If you do decide to get the larger size reel you may want to consider the 5000 over the 4000. The only difference between the two is the line capacity and 0.2 oz, the bodies are the same.

D

[swstandring]

I used both a Suatain 2500 and 5000 model this past year for stripers, blues, and albies and agree with most of the comments you have seen so far. They have proven themselves to be durable and smooth. You do need to occationally use the lube port to get a drop of the supplied oil on the main wormgear and shaft as it seems to dry out.

I would not completely trust the listed capacities as I believe them to be exaggerated quite a bit and the 4000 series is almost a complete waste as you can get the 5000 series which is almost the exact same weight with more capacity. Just my opinion...

I loaded the 2500 series with 15lb powerpro and was able to land many albies without a problem so the drag is smooth but it is not very strong as it only has one drag washer and there is a finite limit as to how much pressure you can apply using only the drag, admittedly the 15lb powerpro is stronger line than the reel should be used with but... The 4000 series and above have a multiple stacked disk drag system and the smoothness and strength are fine. Shimano makes a 3000 series Spheros and I have no idea why they do not make the Stradic, Sustain, and Stella series in this size as I would have bought it over the 2500. I just don't think the 2500 spooled with 8# mono would give you enough line capacity for bones and albies. Just my opinion.