I've got one of each Sam, and there both great IMO.

Personally I'd rather use the Saltiga as it feels smaller and smoother when hooked up to fish. However the Stella does have a 10yr warranty as opposed to the Saltigas 5, as well as the fact that the Stella is about $300 cheaper.

John

yeh that bigger warranty would be a good thing to have! but im still undecided! price doesnt bother me as i want quality...i was originally goin to get the expo but i just bought a 8k stella and they are mighty nice...this got me thinking if i should get a 20k for the big boys

cheers
sam

5yrs or 10yrs? warranty doesnt cover wear and tear, just manafacturing defaults.

If a manafacturing default is going to occur its going to happen way before 5 years is up :)

Ive got a EXP myself, But its basicly what you prefer. similar the Ford/Holden debate.

Just my few cents.
Cheers
ROb

 Sam  have got the Expedition and the dogfight and very happy with both good solid reliable reels,If you can get one from overseas they are even cheaper again.Or you could wait for the new torsa 40 to be released which will be very very nice




I have a problem I'm a tackle junkie Andrew

i new it would come down to which i preferred! does the stella pull 30kg of drag? as the expo does!
i spose ill have to do some thinking....

andrew, torsa 40 would be mint but im after spinning..

cheers
sam

Realistically is any one going to use 30kg of drag?

John

They may state 30kgs of drag, but i doubt you would get that much out of it.

One critisism for the Saltiga is the stock drag washers. These can be a bit on the sticky side.
Easy fixed with a set of carbontex washers.

Cheers
Rob

you could never prove 30kgs of drag anyway.....10kgs and your almost out the side of the boat!

cheers
sam

How about a Van Staal?

nah...never liked the look of them, each to their own i spose

cheers
sam

Yeah I like the black Van Staals, regarding Stella or saltiga.  Personally I prefer The Stella, But as said before they are similar and like Holden v Ford, comes down to personal choice.

the Penn is nothing compared to a Saltiga  / Stella.



yeah they can do the same job, but  no way near as good as a high end reel.

Once picking up a saltiga you will never go back to a Penn for heavy type fishing applications, they are just not designed for it.



My one saltiga will probaly outlast 5 Penn Spinfishers for the type of fishing i do.



Cheers

Rob

I admit they are good reels but for 50lb or below maybe.

Trying fishing 80 - 130lb braid on these pumping 15kg+ of drag i dont think it would last very long at all.

I'm targeting some big fish and thats why i use these reels. I wouldnt use it for say catching dhuies or snapper ect.



 ive put my saltiga through 2 or 3 seasons of samson fish and during the process seen a few penns go bang. + a few trips to exmouth chasing gt's and it feels just as good as the day i got it.



Cheers

Rob

Try popping mate. ~180 gram lures, 100lb line and 15kg of drag. even stellas and saltigas fall to bits.  sambos are like trainin wheels ;)

Penn won't last long in a place like Marmion Reef (for Rob) or New Caledonia (for me). And when you pay between 4-6 grand on a fishing holiday in the middle of nowhere, the last thing you want is a reel failing; I know, I had it happen at the murions. long drive back. Not talking poddy fish here; not many reels can handle a 50kg GT without a whole heap of luck, and even then, see bits flying off ;)

Stellas and Saltigas not for the average bottom bouncing or fishing for meat.

not sucked in with the bling either, alot of people have them now, its the showoffs that might give you that impression. maybe the first stella or salti you buy you post a few pics cause its your first, but hey once you reach a few more its no big deal; just another reel.

As for the choice mate, they are on par. salti's tougher, hmm maybe, seen a few break (haha). stella's drag smoother, hmm yes ok won't argue there but the saltigas have carbontex upgrades.
 topics been done to death, I reckon the best way is go to the shop with the rod, take turns putting the reel on, and see which colour matches the rods best ;)

good luck.

I agree with you 15kgs of drag is very tough to fish.



Check out this photo from Bugatti reef, of a guy hooked up to a big GT pulling him off his feet.

Photo from www.nomadsportfishing.com.au Hope they dont mind.



Cheers

Rob

Good point.
But from his first post it seems to me he is going to be targetting samson fish with his new setup.
The rod his getting built will be able to fish 80 - 100lb line so i think he plans to fish pretty heavy and this is where a saltiga or stella will be perfect.

You dont need to fish that heavy on these fish but it is fun :)

Cheers
Rob

At the moment just 80lb for samson fish, Yes you dont have trouble using 50lb but as i said above fishing heavy makes it more fun for alot of people. Also reduces fight times which seems to work well when releasing them.

I am based in Perth, but have  a couple trips Booked / Planned chasing 50kg+ GTs (in 3 mtrs or less of water ) and 90 odd kilo dogtooth tuna, even a 50kg doggie would do :). These are the trips ill be taking 100lb+ line along, based on the fact ill have more room for error.

Cheers
ROb

Had to make the same decision for my GT rod - I went the Stella 20000. Look around and you can get them for well under $900 new in Perth. So when compared with the Saltiga you can get a spare spool, and fill both of them with good quality braid for the stella vs just buying the reel for the Saltiga. Which is better - who cares, I hope I can't break either of them if I look after it, and the drag on the Shimano is beyond compare straight out of the box. I got a 10000 spool and filled it with 80lb for GT's, then put 50lb on the 20000 spool for sailies, marlin and hopefully some big yellow fin.

IMO id go the saltie! Just better build reels than the shimanos. Ive been shimano for ever now im selling most of that gear and replacing it with diawa reels. BUT THATS ONLY MY THOUGHTS ON THE MATTER! Not saying shimano are shit i still love some of them and i will never sell them.

Keep it tight, reeeeeeel tight!

cheers for the input boys...i guess ill just have to make a desicion on which looks better on the rod! metallic blue bindings and a metallic blue gimble...spose both would look good!
oh god it only gets harder!
as for what ill be chasing with this reel...jigging for sambos this year then next year ive got numbers of trips booked! eventually this reel will be put on a longer rod for popping (gusa or gt76 etc) and will be used chasing GTs at exmouth then i got a trip to telo islands (sumatra) where theres some horse GTs and then (not comfirmed) maybe vanawatu to chase doggies n once again big gts..
but i think a big gt is going to chew your reel up and spit it back at you whether it be a saltiga or stella...hmmm

also kasey what happened to your stella at the murions? seized up or sumthing?

cheers
sam

I have seen them ALL busted on Sambo's.

PS I wouldn't go a spinner for Sambo's ,

but thats just me .

IF I had to it would be a STELLA , my next Spinner will be the new Stella for spinning and popping BIG fish up north , I wouldn't even pull it out the gun box unless I was going north of the 26th paralell.

( I keep all my reels locked up in a gun box bolted in my workshop.)

"I have penn 8500,7500and 6500 that are US made which I have had for 15+ years and they work just great.

I believe that the salti/stella are both over rated and people are sucked in with the bling!"



I'd like to see an 8500 hooked up to a 50kg GT ... you'd be wishing you had a Salty or Stella. They're gutsy reels made for powerful fish where every inch counts. Nothing else really compares.



-----------------

Jay Burgess

jayburgess_14@hotmail.com

Theres some big yellowtail kings and hapukas in cold waters though, don't forget. 3 kings will be done soon.

Sam my stella siezed because apparently it wasn't 'reassembled' properly after a service. thats all I can say.

Where did you get the service done on your reel , I will want to steer clear of them.

if you have had problems with your saltigas I suggest you tell us whats wrong with them becoz there have not been many with problems. I have 3 and none of them had problems unless Ive caused it. Both my salty's run 80lb and 100lb on a spare spool.



** Oceanside = Strudwick,Daiwa,Van Staal,Jigmaster Rods, Banax, Shimano,Penn, Okuma, Furuno etc...** Oceanside Tackle and Marine 364 South Street, O'Connor, Perth WA Ph# 9337 5682 Fishing/Boating/Dive/Marine ** OPEN 7 DAYS **

not too keen to say it on a forum, as the shop and person who serviced it I'm guessing has a good solid reputation. everyone makes mistakes sometimes; I was slightly compensated so I'm not as peeved as I could be.

ask me sometime if you see me on the boat, you'll be surprised. I'll just say its one of the 'top of the lot'.

p.s. have alook here and maybe reconsider the penns.

http://www.nomadsportfishing.com.au/nsa_mages-video_pages/nsa_imagesvideo_bigjigginggallery.htm

http://www.nomadsportfishing.com.au/nsa_mages-video_pages/nsa_imagesvideo_GTgallery.htm

Can't get over the 110kg doggie.... sigh. if only our bonito grew a bit more....

I'd buy the stella 10k and put the 20k spool on it as the 10k has a 6-1 ratio compared to the 20k only having 4.4-1 I personally don't think it matters if you go shimano or diawa they are both quality reels it's just personal opinion

Umm.....I personally think high speed reels is not really ideal for jigging....unless you really need the speed to get the jig going but he's gonna be jigging for dermesals so I think the 20k is fine.


** Oceanside = Strudwick,Daiwa,Van Staal,Jigmaster Rods, Banax, Shimano,Penn, Okuma, Furuno etc...** Oceanside Tackle and Marine 364 South Street, O'Connor, Perth WA Ph# 9337 5682 Fishing/Boating/Dive/Marine ** OPEN 7 DAYS **

I've fished Kenn, Frederick, Saumarez and the Calder Bank in the Coral Sea on four separate 10 day trips.

Beleive me when I tell you, when a good sized GT or Dogtooth(20kg+) is hooked in rough terrain, landing them is all about luck...It doesn't matter how much your reel costs you. I stood next to a guy with a $2000 saltiga Expo PE8 rig with 14kg drag get buried at least half a dozen times on medium sized dogtooth while jigging a dropoff. I was using a Shimano TSS-4 with 50lb spiderwire...I got smacked around too...but still managed a 60kg doggie....lucky.

The most successful reels I've seen for landing big dogtooth are TLD50lrs and Tiagra 50 ...Sure you can't cast a popper with  them.....but then again, I've seen 10 times more fish hooked on trolled lures and live baits in these locations than the guys using poppers(me included). Jigging is a different story...but most fish were hooked jigging after a heavy duty strike on a trolled lure.

Don't get me wrong...if you can afford to spend $2000 for one outfit...knock yourself out....but it won't catch you more fish...

I would rather spend the cash on my next trip.....rather than 'trying to keep up with the Jones's'

There are some really smart guys working in the S&M division at Shimano and Daiwa



Coral sea carnage