Viento Reels

[Putershark]

After 10 years of good service, one of my low profile bait casters (what I use 80% of the time) finally threw a rod, and another one started having major spool release bar issues so one was saved for parts, the other hit the can... For months now though, I have been looking at the Daiwa (big fan of their reels) Viento reel

with the twitching bar since I do a lot of jig and jerk bait work, but was wondering how it would hold up to salt water use but not willing to drop 2 bones to find out the hard way .

Here is a review of the reel and it's functions by the way http://www.tackletour.com/reviewdaiwaviento.html

So after hearing mixed reviews at the different tackle shops about using it in salt water and not knowing what metals were used to make the reel (some I know hate salt water) I finally called the factory to get the skinny... Come to find out that with my normal rinse and soak routine after each trip (more on that later) I should get many years of good service So now it is time to do some power shopping on the Internet for the best price

As far as taking care of my reels, I have a 3 step process that I use after each trip that you may find useful.

1. I take them off the boat and stand them up along the bushes and after the engine is flushed, I rinse them off with fresh water. This though can drive some salt water into the reel if you are not careful so afterwards.
2. I have this tall plastic bucket that I got when buying salt for my fish tank that came with a real nice lid. Some would call them a pickle bucket, but they are twice as tall as your standard plastic bucket. Inside that bucket is a mixture of salt away http://www.saltawayproducts.com/ and water filled up to the point of the handle. I then grab a hand full of rods and reels and set them inside the buck for a good soaking and since the bucket is so tall, the reels get dunked all the way under in the mixture.
3. After soaking for a 10 min or so, I then take them outside and rinse them off with the hose one last time and let them dry in my rod rack and then put the lid back on my soak bucket for the next dunking...

The system seems to work very well and once every couple of months, I take the reels off and let them soak in the sink in "hot" water to dissolve any salt that has gotten way inside the reel and then drain and re-oil them as needed.

If anybody has gotten one of these reels (fresh or saltwater use) I would like to hear how you like it or what you hate about it while I surf around for the best price

Thanks!

[Davekfl]

Putershark
I purchased this reel on Ebay after using them at the BassMaster Classic in Orlando.
They are very smooth but to be honest I think the twitchin feature is a gimmick.
I only use them for freshwater use. They are tooo expensive to even think about getting saltwater on them. I would never pay the asking price of $200 at Bass Pro.
I paid about $140 including shipping on Ebay. I like the indexed drag system and the small size of the reel. As far as durability, I havent had them long enough to tell. I just came back from fishing in Canada for two weeks but the fishing did not lend itself to twitchin. Mostly Northern Pike fishing.
I am a big Daiwa baitcasting reel fan. I have used them since they first came out with the Mag control casting. I have the original PMF1000 and PMF1500 casting reels and to me they were the best even with just two ball bearings. The Viento is a very good reel so far and I think it would be a good reel even without the twitchin feature. I just dont use this feature that much. I find it easier to just turn the handle a little to retrieve line.
Good Luck
Dave K ( Sarasota, Florida)

[Putershark]

Thanks for your valuable input Dave and I appreciate it greatly. Soon we need to go hit the flats since I am just on the other side of the skyway from you

I will shop around and 140.00 is a lot better than the 160.00 I have found so far... I just picture in my mind a Redfish along the edge of an oyster bed going stark raving mad watching a light weight rootbeer color DOA terror eyes with the effects of the twitching bar on such a bait and thump it pretty hard Considering what I already have invested in fishing equipment (190 Bay, 150 Honda, Power pole, etc. etc) if it helps me get a few more fish to strike, what the heck... Besides, I think my lovely wife is looking (at least I have myself fooled into such ) getting me one for my birthday

I have used what many would consider "Bass Gear" for all my inshore work and until very recent, have not had much problems... Mater of fact, I have a high speed Daiwa PT33 that I use for my top water work that has held up very well. With that 7.1 gearing you can "walk your dogs" (skitterwalks mostly) pretty quick through an area and cover (rule out) a lot of water in the process for sure.

Thanks again for the input Dave and I will grind on it some more.. Hopefully (though in no rush) I will find a deal on one that is too hard to pass up or maybe one that is used to try

[Putershark]

Well waiting has its advantages and they came out with a much less expensive model that (much better for saltwater work anyway) does not have a metal case http://www.daiwa.com/Reel/detail.aspx?ID=234 so I got one here not log ago and just love it