I just pulled the trigger on a new Okuma Epixor EB-65 Baitfeeder.

I am a real cheapskate er frugal fisherman. Most of my tackle has been acquired used from yard sales. But I decided that I would treat myself to a new reel... only the 2nd in about 20 or 25 years.

I wanted a baitfeeder/baitrunner/live-liner feature and it came down to this or a Shimano. IMHO the Shimano is better but at a much higher price. I'd have to actually catch fish to justify the higher price.


I'll get a rod from Academy...love their return policy! Any suggestions?

I will likely put 300yds of braid on it rather than use mono backing as filler as I may want to do some coastal/inshore fishing with it. Or will I need the mono filler anyway on account of the fine diameter of the braid?

Awesome, congrats! All you have to do is put some electrical tape around the spool and you won't need a mono backer.

That's the plan. A bed of electrical tape + palomar knot.

You be set now, only thing I would do is set that bad boy on a ProAngler rod....

At least you didn't pull the finger.

+1 on the electrical tape.

If you take the tag end of the braid and allow it to lay perpendicular to the direction of the winding line, your spooled line will not spin.

+1

UPDATE

Loaded the new reel with ~110yds 40# Big Game (green) + 150yds 40# Sufix 832 then a shockleader of 20# trilene. Put it on a 7ft M Ugly Stik.

Casts well but man-o-man at 22oz this is a heavy reel to cast all day. I spent 5 hours at twin buttes pitching a variety of bass lures and my shoulder is shot!

I think the reel will really shine in its intended role as a bait fishing reel. I trolled, from a kayak, a lipless hardbait using the baitfeeder. Saved losing the lure on snags as the reel was essentially in free spool using the baitfeeder drag.

I could feel every wiggle & bump of the lure transmitted up the braid and into the rod. This Sufix-832 braid does not take up water; it is pretty quite but you can hear it. The 40# is 10# mono equivalent.

My next outing will be with bait!



Twin Buttes, by the way, is very very low. The fish are getting dusty.

how does a 20# shock leader work with 40# main line?

I get your point.

Surf casters pitch a lot of weight and in that case they want the leader to have a higher tensile breaking strength than the main line, eg 50# or higher in this case. In addition to taking all the initial load on a cast if the leader has a couple of wraps on the reel at the start of the cast (a true shock leader) it also will absorb some of the shock if it stretches some, like mono.

For my freshwater fishing I figure, from experience, I only need 20# mono and I still want to protect the braid from shock as it may extend the life of the line.

It may not be necessary but I do know that when testing tensile strength the load is applied very very slowly and the result changes, often dramatically, to lower values if the load is applied too fast. Additionally a test object that has been shocked but not broken may later exhibit a lowered tensile strength. I do not know if braid exhibits this property but a mono shock leader (twice rod length) is cheap insurance.

My leader may have a lower tensile test than the main line but it still takes the shock of any cast made.... to me it is still a shock leader. If I get to go to the coast I'll build a proper heavier leader :-)

I plan on buying that very reel......from YOUR garage sale!


I can wait..........................................................I can wait............

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..............I can wait.......................................................

I never have garage sales! I have lost 3 rod & reels from loaning them out however. (Don't even think of asking...I've learned my lesson).

Despite the weight this is a reel I plan to keep a good long while. When I get too feeble to cast it I will take up bank fishing.