Shimano Calais Okay for Salt?

[Wingnut]

I was thinking of bringing my Shimano Calais 200DC set-up on my next surf fishing trip to throw some LC's. Is it a good idea to put this reel in action in the surf & salt? I'm really bad and often drop my set-ups in the sand and water. Will a simple rinse in freshwater enough to rid the reel of all salt & grind after each trip? Thanks in advance for any input. :D

[spooks]

I was thinking of bringing my Shimano Calais 200DC set-up on my next surf fishing trip to throw some LC's. Is it a good idea to put this reel in action in the surf & salt? I'm really bad and often drop my set-ups in the sand and water. Will a simple rinse in freshwater enough to rid the reel of all salt & grind after each trip? Thanks in advance for any input. :D

if you know you're bad and often drop your set ups the Q. would be. why take it,you are better of taking some thing of less value.

[flopps1]

I'm sure you will be fine. That reel is made to fish inshore applications for salt. I would try and be careful that you don't drop in the water though. That wouldn't be nice for any reel. The Calais DC is Shimano's top of line baitcaster. With that, I'm pretty sure you are covered under their lifetime warranty. So, if by some chance you start having problems, I'm sure the Shimano guys will take care of it.

Once your done, a simple rinse and drying if off with a rag would be fine. Just don't put too much water pressure on it. That higher pressure could push salt inside and eventually cause corrison. If you find yourself fishing salt all the time, then I would get it serviced once a year. Because, it is Calais, you may even get the cleaning done at no cost from Shimano. Don't quote me on that......you would have to give them a call and verify.

Hope this helps....Good luck on your trip!

[bsp]

I strongly suggest that you do not bring it. If you want a low profile reel for the surf I would buy a Citica as they have a very good discount going right now. As a rule of thumb I never use expensive gear in the salt because it is going to get beaten up no matter what by the wave spray and the wind whipping sand into it.Also, an all metal reel like that is going to corrode really fast. If you want to bring it anyway there are a few good things to do. Before you even go fishing put some Corrosion X on it. Then once you are done for the day, gently and thoroughly rinse the reel with fresh water. After you have done that, open it up and clean all the easily accessed parts. Reapply Corrosion X and rebuild the reel. A final reason I would not bring that particular reel into the surf is that it has sensitive electronics in it. Also, the chrome on the Calais series just cries out "rust magnet" to me. I hope this helped.

[SanDimasLMB]

My Calais 200DC does perfectly fine with saltwater. However, its not the salt that will mess up the reel. The sand in the surf will. I have dropped my reel in saltwater before while surf fishing. The saltwater did absolutely nothing, but because of the disengaging spool which is the reason for the super free spool, sand got all in there and in the tiny parts of the sideplate switch.


Calais 200DC vs. Salt -------------------> Calais 200DC wins





Calais 200DC vs. Sand -----------------> Sand Wins

[SanDimasLMB]

Because, it is Calais, you may even get the cleaning done at no cost from Shimano. Don't quote me on that......you would have to give them a call and verify.

Hope this helps....Good luck on your trip!

Nope, no free cleaning for the Calais, I've already tried :lol: Hiowever, you do get the Platinum Warranty Coverage
which is 2 years, compared to the regular Premium Warranty Coverage.




If you do decide to get the reel and need a total breakdown and cleaning of the reel, just PM me. I got so used to cleaning my reel, I practice evne when I'm bored.

[Wingnut]

All great information and advice, thank you! I guess it's better to leave the Calais at home. I have a Citica set-up also & will bring that one instead. I like the Calais better because it has a digital setting that allows me to cast farther & better under windy conditions while virtuallly eliminating backlash. But I don't want to take the chance of ruining it somehow.. I guess it'll remain in my Bass arsenal. :mrgreen: