Wellstone
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Saltwater
Large Arbor |
From
Japan comes this high quality reel for both saltwater and fresh.
I kept reading excellent reports of this reel on various internet
bulletin boards so I decided to order one for my own use. What
I received was a reel that was beautifully crafted and very strong
for its weight. Unlike many other reels I've seen from Japan,
this is not an exact replica of someone else's reel. Though almost
all saltwater reels share many features, this is an original design.
The freshwater models are simply smaller and simpler versions
of the large arbor variation of the saltwater reel. Anodizing
comes in black, gold, blue, silver and a very unique camoflage.
Perhaps the single biggest advantage of the Wellstone is the quality
to cost factor. This is a way to acquire an extremely well designed
and manufactured reel at a terrific price without having to resort
to something made in the third world. I have found Noboru Ishii,
the reel's designer, to be very knowledgeable and extremely excited
about having his reels available in the United States.
The
freshwater models are available in large arbor only, whereas the
saltwater models have both full arbor and large arbor models.
The spools are interchangeable between frames of the same size.
The drag is a massive piece of cork and the clutch is a one-way
needle bearing. It features rim control and is easily converted
from RH to LH retrieve. They all have an outgoing
click, but are silent when retrieving line. I will initially be stocking these in the
blue anodizing. Noboru mentioned that this is, by far, the most
popular color at this point. Other colors would be available with
a brief waiting period.
The new for 2010, the DH reels (for double-handed rods) are actually quite capable of handling many types of fresh and saltwater fishing. I've caught several false albacore on mine already using a single-handed rod. Its drag consists of several small discs of teflon and requires a fraction of the amount of maintenance that cork requires. One doesn't get quite the same amount of top-end drag, but other than that there are no disadvantages of this material. The only color available is black, at least for now, and the backplates are ported as it is intended primarily for freshwater use, and there is no cork to contaminate. The photos will be up soon!
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Freshwater |
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Model |
Dia. |
Wd. |
Wt. |
Capacity |
Price |
Spool |
|
Trout
1 |
2.95 |
0.82 |
3.88 |
WF3F
& 50yds of 20# |
$429.00 |
$278.00 |
|
Trout
2 |
3.35 |
0.82 |
4.23 |
WF5F
& 100yds of 20# |
$441.00 |
$286.00 |
|
Trout
3 |
3.75 |
0.82 |
5.30 |
WF7F
& 150yds of 20# |
$464.00 |
$301.00 |
DH 8-10 |
3.75 |
|
|
7/8 Scando head, 100ft running line and 150yds of 20# |
$699.00 |
$455.00 |
DH 9-12 |
4.30 |
1.35 |
13.3 |
9/10 Scando head, 100ft running line, and 150yds of 30# |
$720.00 |
$468.00 |
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Saltwater |
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Model |
Dia |
Wd. |
Wt. |
Capacity |
Price |
Spool |
|
SW7-8FA |
3.340 |
0.90 |
6.9 |
WF7F
&150yds of 20# |
$406.00 |
$263.00 |
|
SW9-10FA |
3.750 |
0.86 |
10.9 |
WF9F
& 250yds of 20# |
$582.00 |
$378.00 |
|
SW9-10LA |
3.750 |
0.86 |
9.2 |
WF8F
& 200yds of 30# |
$639.00 |
$415.00 |
SW10-11LA |
3.750 |
1.10 |
10.05 |
WF9F & 250yds of 20# |
$697.00 |
$453.00 |
|
SW11-12FA |
4.30 |
1.10 |
12.0 |
WF12F
& 400yds of 30# |
$639.00 |
$415.00 |
|
SW11-12LA |
4.30 |
1.10 |
10.9 |
WF11F
& 250 yds of 30# |
$697.00 |
$453.00 |
|
SW14-15LA |
4.75 |
2.36 |
16.5 |
WF15F
& 1000yds of 50# GSP |
$931.00 |
$605.00 |
Please
note:
There is no large arbor SW7-8 nor a full arbor SW14-15.
Add $150.00 for the camoflage finish.
Full arbor models have small ventilating holes on the spool while
large arbor models have large holes. The SW14-15 is available with a solid spool if desired.
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Saltwater |

Saltwater |
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Saltwater
Full Arbor |

Saltwater
Large Arbor |

SW14-15
in Camouflage
|

Color
options
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Trout
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