Help! Calcutta vs. Luna

[sansou]

Could use some help here from you tackle-ho folks regarding some reels I am unfamiliar with.

Looking for a slightly beefed up saltwater push button reel that fishes 10lb to 17lb, with ideas of boiler rock style fishing (hence the need for push button) and maybe light flylining for smaller fish. I also like to throw some relatively lightweight artificials.

In the past I used to use small Newells and in the recent past few years Avet SXs. It's taken me a while (and a lot of missed fish, buttholing and snags) but I now have come to appreciate push buttons for this type of fishing. I've also been using a little Daiwa TDA but it is waaay overmatched for most saltwater stuff I like to do.

Got it narrowed down to Calcutta 201 (they don't make a 301) and a Daiwa Luna 300L.

Well known drag issues aside, which one do you guys prefer?

Calcutta 201
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descp...ANO-SHCTE.html

Luna 300
http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descp...AIWA-DLCR.html

Are these 2 even comparable or should I be looking at something else?? (not fond of low profile baitcasters for this stuff...I tried a righty Curado E7 recently and did not care much for the specs and feel of it)

Thanks for any meaningful input you may have.

[victor101]

have you tried low profile reels such as the Curado e series or the new Revo inshore reels? Ive been using my curado 200e7 spooled with 12lb pline and been having lots of fun with the calicos. its also my bay/surf reel...If i would get another one exclusively for saltwater boat fishing id go with a 300.

Btw...if i had to choose between calcutta and luna...id go with the....hmmmmm

[Nessie Hunter]

Rich, ya cant go wrong with either one, both great for that purpose..

I lean toward the Daiwa, I appreciate the extra drag washers, for fine tuning and smoothness....
You will also get quite a bit more line capacity with the Luna..
20/190 (about the same as 400 size Calcutta)...

[Gossamer]

calcutta 201..great . reel i got one, buttery smooth and casts like a dream. also because of the warranty that you will get with shimano. if it breaks for any reason whether it be your fault or not it will most likely get replaced no charge no questions asked....haven't had my reel bust but when i broke the eye off my rod they replaced it for free.

[GeordyBass]

I'm personally a Shimano guy, but the Daiwa Luna smokes the Calcutta!!!! You'll love it sansumo,,,

[fish4keep]

calcutta 201..great . reel i got one, buttery smooth and casts like a dream. also because of the warranty that you will get with shimano. if it breaks for any reason whether it be your fault or not it will most likely get replaced no charge no questions asked....haven't had my reel bust but when i broke the eye off my rod they replaced it for free.

I don't think that warranty goes for reels. Rod they will replace but not reel.......

If it was me, I'll go with the smaller daiwa luna 253la....

[GeordyBass]

I don't think that warranty goes for reels. Rod they will replace but not reel.......

Only 1 year for Manufacturer defect, after that they'll charge yu a small nominal fee to repair it.

[calico killer kevin]

Dude, as much as I hate to say it, for the price, the Luna. Luna is quite a bit better than the B series Calcuttas at that price range and are more comparable in performance to the TE, which is $75 more.

If you're just fishing boiler rocks, I would definitely get a Revo Inshore. LOVE that reel. If you need a little more capacity, go Curado 300. LOVE that reel. There's no need for a 400 sized reel for boiler pitching.

[steelhead]

I am using a new luna 203 AND a usedcalcutta 201TE. Not quite a fair comparison but I've put the TE through the ringer and it still is working althrough the drag is not quite there still. I would say stick with the shimano because of their great customer service. This is my second foray into Daiwa since using their capricorn spinnners a few years ago. I love the luna, casts a mile and it's a very smooth reel also made in Japan so you know the quality control is good. I know that some of the Shimano's were made in Malaysia nowadays.

[bsp]

Those two reels aren't really comparable. The Luna 300 holds twice the amount of 14lb as the Calcutta 201.

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descp...ANO-SC3ER.html

Curado 301E would be my choice. The Curado 300 is a low profile powerhouse, and if you load it with 50lb spectra and the topshot of your choice can handle pretty much any saltwater inshore game fish. This is ideal for what you want to do as it has a good drag (15lbs), holds plenty of line, has power that is comparable or better than many round reels, and casts light weights easily. I have one of the older 301DSVs and it is a killer reel for slug fishing thick kelp or tossing swimbaits to boiler rocks. It can flyline well too.

Now if you want round reels, look at a Luna 253 or a Daiwa Pluton. The Luna 253 has more line capacity, but the Pluton is supposedly the more powerful reel (think a Saltiga as a round reel). I have never used a Pluton, but I use a Luna 203 for surf fishing and it handles halibut very well. The 253 is what you would want though in Lunas as it has the higher line capacity, while maintaining the external cast control of the 203 for easy, accurate casting of lighter weights.

Can't describe the Pluton to you since I have never used it, but I do know that Daiwa engineered it for braid and larger fish.

I would suggest that you give low profiles another shot and go with the Curado 301E. It is in a completely different class than the 200E7 in terms of power, and there are lots of calico guys that use them in the SWBA tournaments. If you want a an example of their power, they caught sailfish on the Curado 300E prototypes!