08-10-2006, 01:21 PM
Buy the Daiwa's now, or buy them later after spending your money on something else. That became clear not long after the Daiwa's were introduce. Many tourney and charter anglers dumped their Okuma's. Maybe the Okuma's have improved their product, but the Daiwa's are still the mark the Okuma's shoot for. If you don't fish much, the Okuma's may last for you. The $12 clip-ons are good too, if you don't want to invest in a new reel.
As for accuracy, using line counters isn't about dead-on accuracy--It's about repeatability and precision. So buy them in pairs: same rod, same reels, same line. Run them differently until you find what's catching fish, then it's a breeze to put everyone else with the same rig in the zone.
If you fish with kids or beginners, it's also indespensible since you don't need to worry about telling them to find the bottom and come up just above it. I'd take my young (grade school) kids out walleye fishing and I'd drive from the bow while they're in the back. Every time I'd change depth I'd tell them and they'd adjust. They'd catch as many as I would. That's why they're so popular with charter captains.
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As for accuracy, using line counters isn't about dead-on accuracy--It's about repeatability and precision. So buy them in pairs: same rod, same reels, same line. Run them differently until you find what's catching fish, then it's a breeze to put everyone else with the same rig in the zone.
If you fish with kids or beginners, it's also indespensible since you don't need to worry about telling them to find the bottom and come up just above it. I'd take my young (grade school) kids out walleye fishing and I'd drive from the bow while they're in the back. Every time I'd change depth I'd tell them and they'd adjust. They'd catch as many as I would. That's why they're so popular with charter captains.
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