Daiwa Capricorn CA 3500 Reel
by Darran Goulder
by Darran Goulder
Designed for heavy feeder fishing, ideal for specimen Barbel and Big Chub.
Ball Bearings: 4, of which 3 CRBB (Corrosion Resistant Ball Bearings)
Gear Ratio: 4.9:1
Line Capacity: 220m of 10lb mono
Spare Spools: 2 Aluminium supplied, spare retails at £25
Weight: 14.5oz
Other: HARDBODYZ- rigid metal construction, Air Bail, Infinite Anti-Reverse, Twistbuster, ABS Aluminium Spool with TiN plated lip, Locomotive Level Winding, Machined Aluminium Handle.
The Front Drag
With all the high tech business out of the way, lets get down to business. The reel is from the same collection as the popular 'TD Advantage' at a slightly less RRP.
The reel is not so loud in the design as the TD, with toned down colours of silver with a hint of gold. Upon opening the box, the first thing you do is crank the well-machined handle. The rotor flies around in an effortless, silky smooth motion with barely a whisper. Immediately you can tell you have a high-quality piece of kit. The reels precision cut innards have been geared down to a 4.9:1 retrieve rate to give added cranking power when battling it out with a big fish.
The micro adjustable front drag slips ultra smoothly with no hint at all of 'snatching' (like my 6010GT tends to do at the critical moment).
When you hook something that pulls back you can tell why you purchased this lovely bit of kit. The hollow air bail construction is perfection and when it clicks over it does so with the sound of a rifle shot, there is no way this is closing during the cast.
The line lay has a reverse taper, but comes supplied with washers should you wish to adjust it.
The front drag took a touch of getting used to, as I have only been familiar with rear drag products, but once you get the hang of it I found it easier to adjust during the duration of a fight. As it is a front drag it looks compact but to be fair, it looks the 'dogs' anyway.
With a super 'engine' hidden underneath the high precision body structure, it really is a workhorse of a reel. The RRP was £150, not cheap, but I believe now you can get a deal at around £100.
Even better shop around on ebay and you could pick up a model on 'harlee rod' - a US company for less than half the RRP including postage! This truly is a cranking machine designed to do battle with specimen-sized fish, and a handsome bit of kit at that.
Worth every penny IMO.
Darran Goulder
May 2005