I bought a St. Croix Troumph (6'6" medium power fast action 1/4-5/8 oz) and a Daiwa Regal LT (3000) around a month ago. Fresh out of the box the reel had problems. Every time I cast it would make this grinding noise and cast significantly less than my other rod. I originally thought this was maybe a problem with the reel. So after trying and trying to fix it myself i eventually just went back into the store and returned it and bought a size bigger (3000) even, I did this on Saturday. I talked to the people there and they were all surprised that there were problems with the reel since it's a very nice reel especially for its price. They checked the eyes of my rod for anything that could snag the line and found nothing. So we all chalked it up to a manufacturing issue with my specific reel, which is why I returned it and bought a new one.
Yesterday morning I hit the lake to fish with the new reel for the first time. And the same problem existed. So I thought maybe there was something wrong with my rod after all.
My other rod is a Berkeley 7' rod with a Daiwa Legalis 3000 reel. The thing maybe has 75 yards of line on it, pretty under spooled tbh. And it casts so beautifully and perfectly.
So around 2 hours in after it was starting to warm up and the fish were no longer jumping I wanted to get to the bottom of this. I switched out the reels and placed them on the opposite rod. Only for them both to then make a grinding noise. The 7'rod now cast significantly less, so it's not an issue of height. I switched them back. The Berkeley rod cast like a dream again.
What is wrong with my rod and reel? It has to be something wrong with both right? I've tried literally everything, add more line, remove some line. Check the gears. Increase drag. I even returned it and bought a new one. Nothing. I have no idea what is wrong with it. It reels in smooth. The only problem is when I cast.
Could it just be that I bought a defective rod? Another defective reel? Should I scrap these and get a different Daiwa reel and either a new triumph or different rod? I really love my triumph. It looks so sweet. But at the end of the day I'm here for my stuff to work well, not for my stuff to look the nicest.
TLDR: Something's wrong with my rod and reel. Please help me diagnose this problem. If you think it's something I can't fix could you give me some suggestions whether I should replace these with the same rod and reel or buy a different rod and reel.
Posted by FirstShraders
7 Comments
It sounds like the sound is the line peeling off of your reel which is perfectly normal especially since you don’t have the spool filled. I’m sure if you filled it that sound would be highly diminished if not gone. Also, practice casting in the grass. By dragging your line on the street and concrete you’re abrading the line.
Where does the noise come from when you cast? What line do you use? Take a close up picture of the rod/reel and focus on each guide the line goes through. If there’s something wrong with casting, it’s very seldom the reel. What lures do you cast with the set-up? What is the recommended weight range compared to your lures? When you spooled the reel, how dod you do it (in detail)?
Shitty line sounds like
If you change rods, and the problem disappears, it must be the rod. Maybe you can take the rod back
Sounds like stiff line to me. Is the line you installed the correct spec for the reel? Your reel should have came with a user manual that gives you the correct line lb-yds for you reel. Also sometimes says it on the spool.
You are fishing on concrete not water
The line could also just be bad even if it’s new. Does the line feel inflexible and have a lot of memory in it?