# Pflueger or Okuma



## Dave73 (Dec 3, 2006)

Found a gap in the arsenal, requiring a cheap reel for the Nitro Godzilla.
Choice is between the Pflueger Salina or Okuma Lithium.
I dont know either of these reels, but need something as backup for upcoming Fiji and ofcourse it will need to be kayak friendly for general use back home.

Anyone with any knowledge or experience on either of these?

Cheers Dave


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## Fishing Man (Oct 4, 2006)

sorry Dave,

Cant tell you to buy rubbish, 
go straight past both of them in the store until you reach the daiwa section.
go daiwa mate you wont regret it


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

Fishing Man said:


> go straight past both of them in the store until you reach the daiwa section.
> go daiwa mate you wont regret it


:? :? :shock: :shock: Fair dinkum. How did i know that was coming...

Ben, Dave asked if there was anyone with experience with the reels in question. He didn't ask you to come in and plug another brand (which has become a bit regular and is now slightly annoying) OR to call these brands 'rubbish' (which they are certainly not). OK, you like Daiwa. Fair enough.. We get it.. Now move on. 8)

DAve I recently bought a Pflueger Medallist reel (not the model you are talking about) but have found that it's super tough, has a great drag and was really well priced. I also have an Okuma and found that it was great straight out of the box but started to get a bit 'rough' after 6 months of use. Just my 2 cents


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## abitfishy (Sep 24, 2006)

Not sure about the Salina, but I've ordered a couple of Pflueger Trion GX7's from OS after reading good things about them in regards to reliability and being pretty good in the salt (for the price). About $79 here available in pretty much all sizes.


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## chrissy (Jul 7, 2007)

You said that the Salina was from the Pflueger lineup. But it is actually from Okuma. Have heard great reports about this reel. Havent heard any negative feedback on it either. It has a great Multi-disc duel drag system and an all aluminium body. For the price and warranty ya cant go wrong.


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## landyman (Oct 17, 2007)

Davey G said:


> Fishing Man said:
> 
> 
> > go straight past both of them in the store until you reach the daiwa section.
> ...


I somewhat agree with both of you... BUT if you can afford it, a Nitro rod does "deserve" a nicer, lighter reel ..
I'm not saying that the 2 you mentioned arent nice.. yes Pflueger and Okuma make nice reels.. but a lighter reel like a daiwa might be better weighted and balanced on the Nitro..

If it is a choice between only the Pflueger or the Okuma.. I'd go the Okuma - their warranty seems pretty good.. just read the fine print..


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## Clarkos (Oct 11, 2006)

Have a few Pfluegers and am pretty happy with them. The Okumas have a great warrenty though. For a cheap reel you can't really lose.


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## Dave73 (Dec 3, 2006)

Thanks for all for your comments so far.

Background for this decision is a forthcoming trip to Fiji, got 2 outfits (50lb and 80lb) ready to go.
Thought I'd take the Nitro along also for lighter stuff, motivation was Woppies recent thread on this rod.
So simply dont have the cash to go excy, or need for that matter. This will be a 20 or 30 lb outfit for the trip, and these models have been recommended. The rod is great to cast over the lagoon, the reel needs to be braid suitable with an adequate drag 

Ofcourse the kayak usage is something that needs to be considered, and the need for this thread.

I've never owned either of these 2 brands, but realise that to be competitive in the tackle industry, all brands have to make a whole range to suit, from premium quality to budget (crappy). (with 2 brands bigger and more established than all the others)

With all respect, I dont want to hear that even a crap Holden is better than a top of the range Ford.

Cheers Dave


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## colzinho (Aug 6, 2007)

Dunno, never had any experience with either BUT I will like to see results of your choice in fiji - I guess you could really test these reels out especially the drag over there.


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## crazyratwoman (Feb 26, 2007)

i dont know anything bout either of those reels but can i come to fiji too? :lol:

we want to see heaps of pics!


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## Cid (Nov 14, 2005)

Hi Dave,

I'll be upfront here and say that Pflueger are one of my website sponsors, so you can choose to take my comments with a grain of salt if you like. But the reason I asked Pflueger to sponsor it is because I'd been buying and using their gear for years and wanted a company I had faith in.

So are they rubbish? No. Are they the top of the line? No again. But they are a great reel for a great price. I use a variety of models (President, Eschelon, Trion, Medallist) and they've all copped a flogging over the last couple of years. I use them almost exclusively and they've never let me down: No sticking drags, no shredded gears, no busted bail arms, nuthin'! The only minor problem I've had with two of them is the chrome plating on the handles has peeled off slightly, but seeing as they get used at least twice a week, this has been a minor issue.

In fact my oldest outfit (president reel that's over 2 years old) is still my choice when it comes to fishing SP's for bream. And it's landed some big bruisers, too. For HB's, I use my medallist as it does have the better drag system and this helps when the lure can get smacked by anything from bream to flatties to jewfish.

Okuma I'm not sponsored by but they rate right up there with the Pfluegers. I bought an Okuma Inspira at the same time as a Daiwa Capricorn and both are great reels but I'd give my preference to the Okuma if I had to choose one to use exclusively. I've been using one of the Okuma baitrunner reels for kingies and it is doing a great job so far, although it's retrieval rate (on this model anyway) is a bit slow for high speed stuff.

cheers,
Cid


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

I'll second Cid's call, my little president 6625 has coped a flogging and couple of dunkings and caught 90% of my fish as i always grab that rod first. Top little real at a bargin price for under $100 (mo's).

Cheers Dave


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## DrJed (Sep 13, 2007)

Hey bud - I have a few Okuma reels and love em. They are a great option for the cheaper end of the scale, and considering the punishment the get on the yak very replaceable when the time comes.

I am not sure about the warranty though. 5 years is great but will they replace bearings and stuff due to salt water damage from having it on the yak???? I really should have a look at the warranty card eh.

Cheers
Steve


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## Latitude (Nov 17, 2007)

I think that was meant to be Pflueger Lithium or Okuma Salina.

My brother has a couple of Salinas and is happy with them. That have a unique gearing system that is pretty clever. They have good bearings too but salt water will kill anything if you let it. Be liberal and frequent with lubricants.

I have a Lithium as a backup reel myself and it's been fine, but it's not special. I get some wind knots with braid that I don't get with the expensive reels. I think the Salina might be a better reel.


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## ScottLovig (Aug 7, 2006)

Hi Dave

Vatulele Island Resort in Fiji has Hobie Outbacks, access to the outer reef and GTs. Paradise..............

Cheers

Scott


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## Dave73 (Dec 3, 2006)

Hobie Vic said:


> Hi Dave
> 
> Vatulele Island Resort in Fiji has Hobie Outbacks, access to the outer reef and GTs. Paradise..............
> 
> ...


Bula Scott, 
Not going to Vatulele resort, going straight to the remote island of Kadavu and it's small neighbour Ono island.
They have kayaks but I doubt rod holders, let alone a Hobie Outback.
I'm hoping to take a kayak out and cast a few lures around, could be interesting. :shock: :lol:

cheers Dave


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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QlpoOTFBWSZTWfmnxIkAAC7fgAAQUIWAEong3Qo//f7gMADspDUp+VPaj1J+pP1QHpBoxGmTQ0MaaDQAyaAyNNDE0YNU/RAU8intFPUZkajENlNkklBwIWe7+xd4KZBrMjfDDUyBMTiefxG0K7g5peq4xmliC4wltdu7GH7LDCQVPmkQhxICEZ5ItIuZ44yczE9jrV4dzF+h5jdV0+hQSRudjya0IWanbW6TWvg6zyGuC2s4pm2nSIVlj+E4lFOYfIXjXU12nctUhROQIxywVwvlrCrLgE6NV4/wts+0gyZCP6cGfl9tbPYIoNK+O1w0eIZxW1EFpVoM6gjvLotCNWkT9t3D37nJb5qli/xdyRThQkPmnxIk


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## ScottLovig (Aug 7, 2006)

Hi Red

Its small quiet exclusive resort, not cheap to stay there but will win big points with the missus for a romantic getaway. The food and service is top notch. Rise early in the morning to fish and let her sleep in. They have a new 07 Hobie kayak fleet of Outbacks, Oasis, Konas and Lanais. I dont have a picture but its the usual white sand palm tree paradise, deep water is only 200m from the beach and the Fijian staff are very enthusiastic about seeing you get big fish. Their dive operation is fantastic. Well worth doing your PADI ticket as well.

http://www.vatulele.com

Cheers

Scott


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## Fishing Man (Oct 4, 2006)

sorry for the Daiwa plug guys....

just think that on such a nice rod you would be better off with a quality reel.
even if you go a tierra or exceller.

but that asides i would go for Okuma everytime over phleuger, 
personally i cant stand the pheluger/shakespear gear (however u say it)
just screams tacky to me..

Just my 2 cents,

so yeah go the okuma unless u change ur mind and go with the Daiwa 

Have Fun


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## Guest (Dec 30, 2007)

All I can offer you is my experience in using all of the above mentioned brands, and my dealings with them through working at several tackle outlets over the years.

I am a Shimano man by nature, but that is out of over 20 years of habit. I have only ever had a problem with one shimano which was an older model stradic. I must admit however that over the last 4 years, Diawa have been the market leaders in design and technology. Thier current range of reels are magnificent.

On the down side with Diawa, they offer horrible after market service, and 3 - 6 month waits on a reel repair is not uncommon. This view is shared by many tackle shop owners over the country, and may be disputed on individual cases's, but overall in general is a fact.

Okuma offer excellent after market service, as do Shakespear (pfluger), and though I cannot speak for all tackle stores, I personally have had more faulty Diawa's returned than either pfluger or okuma.

I think okuma is a more refined reel than the pflugers, and seem to have a better build and feel to them, with alot more models in thier range and a better warranty, (Okuma Lifetime warranty)

I dont think it matters which make you end up choosing, both have excellent price point reels, and both companies offer excellent after market service. I think if it were me however, the lifetime warranty offered by okuma would probably win me over. I have read the fine print, and its a pretty clear cut warranty eg. keep proof of purchase, neglect or abuse by yourself is not covered etc.

If you end up deciding to spend more money, then definatley take a look at the new range of Diawa gear, it is very nice. The new range of Shimano is nice also, but I think Diawa are in the lead at the moment.

Good luck with your choice


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## bombora (Mar 8, 2006)

G'day mate don't know if this reply is too late (been away from puters for a few weeks) but I took a Pflueger Medalist to some atolls east of Tahiti (so same style of fishing as Fiji) and, well, I would not recommend it, at least as a 10kg braid reel. I know you've mentioned another Pflueger model but just as a pointer 10kg braid puts a LOT of pressure on a reel when fishing tropical bruisers and trying to stop em from reaching the coral. My Medalist was good for the first few days then the problems began: handle became loose and most important of all the bail arm spring karked it (a problem Shakespeare/Pflueger have had for years!!!!). When casting the bail arm would close and consequently the lure was flung back in your face _ NOT fun. Bail arm also did this during a one chance shot at a school yellowfin on a popper. Not happy! By day 6 of 11 day trip the drag was just about thrashed and becoming seriously dodgy and I normally love their oiled washer drag systems. In it's defence the fish I was asking it to handle were up to 6-7kg reef bruisers and it was serious drag em from their lairs stuff in shallow water and it was non stop hook ups pretty well all day every day between surfs. Also there were signs of corrosion at the end of the trip (reel bought new specifiaclly for the trip) despite washing and WD40ing at the end of each day. 
There's my 2 cents anyway and maybe it's worth a think that after spending the bucks on such a great trip might be worth forking out a little bit more. Cheers.


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