Shimano Calcutta TE 400 reel

I'm thinking of treating myself with a Shimano Calcutta TE 400 reel. I know they are a little (ok, maybe a lot) expensive, but I'd really like at least one nice reel.

Is anyone using one right now? I'd like to get some feedback other than the reviews from the people who sell them.

CHEERS!

I LOOOOOOOOVE MINE I have the 401 TE (left hand retrieve). I mainly use it for salmon & stripers but since the salmon are no where to be found, I switched it over to my rock cod rod (Terevela by Shimano). If I had the money to buy another one I WOULD 
I've had mine for 3 years now and has survived a few dumps in the ocean = had Alan Tani do emergency surgery to it once and the drag still peels out like it was fresh off the box- sliky smooth baby

I'm curretly looking for a reel cover - to protect the reel from nasty surf launches. Anyone know where I can get one that would fit my TE?

Joel,

What kind of reel cover do you want?   Shimano makes neoprene ones and the Outdoor Proshop (at least the one in Rohnert Park) has them.


 I have one for my Shimano Cardiff 300 and it helps prevent scratches when I stow the rod and reel in my kayak.

You can also get them online.
http://www.tackledirect.com/shimano-reel-covers.html

Oh, and they don't seem to make them for left handed reels, but you can just put it on backwards.

Cool - thanks for the link 

I have one for the last three or four years and its still my reel of choice.  Of course,  Alan Tani has worked on it once or twice during that time.   Its great for Salmon, Rockfish etc.   I did take it to Mexico last week to try it out on Dorado but decided to hold off based on the first couple of fish.

Steve

Steve,

Could you expand on that?  Did you back off because you thought the TE wasn't up to the pressure?  What did you wind up using instead?


Randy

The Dorado we were into fight much harder than Salmon and I had a 2 speed Penn Intl 16 and Shimano TLD's that had been tricked out by Alan Tani. Thye international was a bit overkill but I wanted to give them a try as there were larger fish in the area and I just as soon use one of them if I hook up to a 75+ lb fish.  It ended up the biggest we brought in were 30ish lbs which would have been fine for the Calcutta.

Thanks!

I'm also a Calcutta TE user, and like Mooch, prefer the lefty 401 over the 400.  Other than the usual wear and tear, I've put the reel through 2 fairly severe tests: a very sandy roll at Bean Hollow, and a launch roll at Limekiln.  Both rolls got sand into the guts of the reel, where the reel has a horrible grinding to it.

I was amazed at how full of sand the reel was, especially after Bean Hollow.  That roll was just before a fishing trip to Canada, and I had no alternative but to crack open the reel and attempt to clean it out myself.  I managed to do so without too much trouble, and am still using it as my primary reel -- it is self-serviceable.  After the Limekiln reel, I cleaned it out again, and took the opportunity to grease the drag up with Shimano Drag Grease.  The drag is now very smooth, even without changing out any of the original drag disks.

I just bought a second 401TE in preparation for kayak fishing in Alaska (less than a month away now, Randy!!), so obviously I'm a happy owner.  I bought both off of eBay (full disclosure - I work for eBay), and would suggest checking out those prices...

http://sporting-goods.search.ebay.com/shimano-calcutta-400-te_Fishing_W0QQcatrefZC12QQfromZR10QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQsacatZ14104QQsaprchiZQQsaprcloZ

-- Dave

Thanks for the info Dave. I went shopping Friday and checked out the prices at the local fishing supply shops (Santa Rosa). It seems as the price is right around $340. The prices on the Ebay sites were about $60 bucks cheaper, but after shipping it's closer to $45 bucks.

Decisions decisions!

CHEERS!