INDIANANGLER

Daiwa BG 4000

In continuation of my previous reports on the new breed of reels i.e. those with a low price, all metal
bodies and high drag output, I was quite interested to see the new kid on the block.

I am referring, of course, to the Daiwa BG SW reel that has just hit the stores and can be bought in the US for under $100, depending on the size. The size range for the BG SW starts from the 1500 and goes all the way to 8000, in other words it covers light fishing for trout to GTs in the surf.

The reel has been extensively reviewed by the various gurus and I am not going to repeat what they have said ... I suggest you Google the reviews if interested.

What appeals to me is the low price, all metal body ( not the rotor), screw in handle, hefty internal gears and very smooth operation of the reel ... as good as reels costing 3 times its price. It also has a hefty drag and good line capacity ( I have their 4000 model in hand and have also ordered a size 4500).

The sizes up to 4000 have an automatic bail trip whilst the higher sizes have a manual trip, although every angler should attempt manual closure of the bail to save wear and tear on the mechanism.

I have yet to load the reel with braid (20lb Power Pro) and test it out on the salt waters nearby but the handling seems to be sweet and I see no reason why this reel will not become a firm favourite amongst
anglers. It is already rated among the top 5 reels by a renowned critic!

Some pictures follow.

Kingfish

I hope to report on its on field ( on water?) performance in due course. I intend to use it for estuary fishing for tailor, flathead, bream etc. as well as fishing from a boat for Barramundi.

It will really be a backup reel to take along on a trip, just in case the main reel has some problem with it.

If anyone of you has a Daiwa BG SW, I would be interested to hear your opinion of it.

I apologise for the fuzziness and smaller size of the pictures, still experimenting with the updated ipad.


Kingfish

Where is it Made?

Hello Bobby,

It is made in China ... I know you will not like that!

PM sent to you.

Regards,
Kingfish

Yep, wont touch it :), it looks beautiful though. But like so many things Chinese, they all look great on the outside :)

This is a great reel for the price. I saw this last time when I was in Cabelas, and they are smooth to reel and looks very well made. I may buy a 2500/3000 size one this year.

Kingfish,
Waiting to hear more reports after you use it.

Hello Binu,

I have just not been able to go out on the water to test the reels.

What fishing will you be using the size 2500/3000 for?

Regards,
Kingfish

Kingfish,
I plan to use it on a 7 feet rod for some freshwater fishing for Largemouth bass etc.
I may also use it for some light surf fishing on a 8 feet rod for Summer flounder, and small bluefish.
I was looking at a couple of budget priced reels in 4000 and 2500 sizes. Last week I picked a Shimano Nexave 4000 that was on sale in Dicks Sporting Goods for $25. For that price it was a great reel. I haven't used it yet, but it looks and feels great.

Regards
Binu

Binu,

The BG should be ideal for freshwater fishing but one would have to be a bit careful when surf fishing, as these reels are not sealed against saltwater. The BG reels are superbly smooth for that very reason i.e.
lack of too many seals...... so I guess it is a trade off.

The Nexave at $25 is a steal !

Good fishing and looking forward to more of your reports!

Kingfish

I have used and still use the old BG reels, but those were Japanese built. The first time I had problems with one of them was this November may be after 22 years, this was on the small BG where you can pop the spool off by pressing a button on the star drag know, the wire clip that holds that spool in place got displaced and the spool pops out so it can be repaired.

I have the old BG-90 the spool on GS-9 can be interchanged with the BG-90.

Bobby,

I have a GS-9 bought some 36 years ago from a small fishing store in Quebec ( Canada) and it is still in good shape.... it was only used for fresh water fishing and I caught a personal best Northern Pike weighing some 12-15 lbs with it. The only reason it does not see more usage by me is because I cannot (will not) use braided line on my older reels.

I will try and post a picture of the reel next month, as it is in storage with all my fishing gear in India.

I hope the new BG reels can live up to the reputation of their predecessors.

Regards,
Kingfish

Cannot believe it !

Brand new Daiwa GS-9 are still available in Australia, just checked on the internet and two well known shops still list them for around A$ 220.

Just shows what good reels these are to be in production for nearly 40 years.

Kingfish

Good the know, the GS-9 is a classic, I have never fished with a smoother reel than the GS-9, I believe you can still buy them in the Middle East and in Singapore as well, I know this because in November 2016 I was discussing the reel with an old fishing buddy of mine who also has one and he told me that he saw these reels for sale in the middle east and in Singapore a few months ago. It goes to show you what a great reel it has been and still is. I have caught my first Large Barra on that reel and many more fish after that.

I got my GS-9 by chance in Mumbai, those were the days when I was still studying and had no cash, A friend had a GS-9 that he used sparingly and never really fished, so someone told me that he wanted to get rid of this reel along with a telescopic rod. I knew the guy quite well and he was just giving me the GS-9 and the rod, but I insisted on paying him, the money he took reluctantly, a princely sum of Rs. 750 , that is all I had.

Anyway, several years later after I had left India and was back in Mumbai for a holiday, a common friend was fishing for that reel again, he came to my place one evening and said "do you remember the reel that Robbie gave you, he wants it back!" I was sure guy wanted the reel for himself, I told him that he did not give it to me, I bought it off him. (I can never part with that reel, far too many memories). Later on I felt bad for the guy and sent a message saying he could have any other new reel from by collection of samples (not the top of the lines ones, I have several Shakespeare reels I had bought some years ago as I wanted to start a tackle shop along with a friend in India, it never took off ), but I think he was too embarrassed to come and claim it. So the GS9 is still safe and sound.

Bobby,

Good on you for keeping that reel, it holds some pleasant memories for you.

Upon delving further, I found that the GS-9 was (is) used for surf fishing in Australia because of its all metal body and large line capacity .... some anglers use it with braided line.

Are you able to post any pictures of your reel?

Kingfish

I will try posting those pictures in March, the reel is at in Mumbai. I have caught some huge barra on that reel and also the BG-90 at close range, 40lb range just jamming the reel and not allowing the fish to run because of the terrain, these reels are really tough.

BG 4500

So I recently received the above model reel, a big brother to the earlier size 4000 that I own.

Although it may not look very large compared to the 4000, it is definitely a big jump in line capacity and
in weight (625 gms vs 405 gms.).

As the size 4500 has a line capacity of 310 meters of 40lb braid, there was no way I was going to put an entire spool of expensive braid on what is a cheaper reel, to be used as a backup or as a lending reel.

I have thus loaded 20lb monofilament line on the spool and will use this reel, mated to a 3 piece 9'6" Shimano Aerowave surf rod, for beach fishing.

It will be interesting to revert to mono line after such a long time!

Kingfish

BG 4500 on top, BG 4000 below - size comparison.

You can clearly see the green mono line on the larger reel, compared to the braid on the size 4000.The line lay on Daiwa reels is excellent.

There is an inbuilt rubber gasket on the spool, so that braid can be tied directly without danger of slippage, in case one does not wish to use any backing.

Kingfish

I finally had a chance to use the 4000 BG on the water today. I had it mounted on a 7ft Shimano Revolution Offshore rod, rated 5-10 kilos and capable of casting 10-40gm lures, basically an estuary fishing set up.

Despite being larger than other 4000 series reels, this Daiwa was a balanced fit on the rod and came to hand readily. It was easy to cast and I averaged about 30 meters with the lighter lures and upto 50-60
meters with the heavier lures ... not earthshaking distances but I was casting into a strong cross wind which must have shaved off some 10 meters in distance.

The casts were very smooth, no wind knots, and the retrieval was just as smooth. This smoothness is one of the dominant attributes of the reel.

Some half an hour later, with no action, I packed up and went home to a hot dinner.

For an A$130 reel, I am very pleased with it and would recommend the Daiwa BG SW reels to anglers just starting out and also to those more advanced, who need a back up reel in their arsenal.

Kingfish

The BG 4000 on the water, with a variety of lures it was used to cast with. This reel has a good drag (8 kilos) and is capable of handling most of the fish prevalent in these waters ... such as tailor, flathead, jewfish, frigate mackerel, Australian salmon to mention a few.

Kingfish

Bobby,

Just checked my trunk in which my reels are stored . A small correction, in that my reel is a Daiwa
GS-2. It is now some 40 years old and sweet to handle, could still give a good account of itself.

Back in the 1970s, Japanese reels were still trying to make inroads into the world market, which was dominated by American, French ( Mitchell) and Swedish ( Abu Cardinal) reels. It was a repeat of the auto market, with the Japanese making cheap but quality goods.

How the tables have turned within 3 generations!

Pictures below.

Kingfish

Good thing I logged in to IA, I am in Mumbai, have to catch a plane tonight back to Hong Kong, I will get a pic of the GS9 and the BG90, have to go and open the old cupboard too. Will do in a bit.

Managed to get a photo of the 2 reels, side by side, the BG90 and the GS9, the spools are of identical dimensions and can be interchanged, I did not check closer (as I was in a hurry) to see if the spool on the GS9 is the spare BG90 spool I have or the original GS9 spool, I have 60lb line loaded on one of them to catch very large barra between jetty pillars, the fish averaged at 40lb so we needed to try and stop them at the strike, if we missed that trick they ran around the pillar and cut the line. Have not done that for over 10 - 15 years perhaps.

Nice to see the old faithful reels come out of the closet! A unique feature of these Daiwa reels was that the bail was tripped by the line roller unit hitting the slight protuberance in front of the reel stem when the handle was rotated ... seemed odd at first but one got used to it.

Those 40 lb average barra are to dream about nowadays .Thanks for the pictures.

Regards,
Kingfish

Just remembered when you mentioned about the Bail tripping system on these reels, I never really used it in the way it was intended to, I used to let the roller rest on that bail tripper and use my forefinger to flip/trip the bail arm over, I just did not like that knocking sound when it made contact, it made me uncomfortable.

People have been catching huge barra in Bandra on poppers at the old lands end haunt over the last year, 40lb is quite common there. The problem is that the people that gather there making it a crowded place as access to the spot is very easy. Besides, there is a sewer outlet about 100 meters from the main rock where you fish and these guys open the valves ever so often. This spews sewage there in clouds of black water, the place reeks when they do that. I do not understand why the government will not do something about this Lands End is such a prominent Land Mark, some people say it is the waste from Taj Lands end that causes it, others say it is not just the Taj but a lot of other buildings as well in that area. But there is one co-incidence, that drain did appear after Taj Lands End came into being, Now Tata for all their philanthropy should do something about this. They say the sewage is treated but it sure does not look like it. They need to take that outlet much further out.

Some of the guys who fish there also need to be educated as they just add to the litter by way of irresponsibly disposing their plastic bags and snack packets into the water carelessly.

So you have the pollution from the Mitti River from the left via the Mahim creek, and these sewer outlets on the other side. I would not recommend anyone consuming these Barra as they will not make good or healthy eating, but these guys have been taking the fish home. All these fish need to be released not just for conservatory reasons.

The reason I revealed this here so that better informed anglers go there and fish and spread awareness.

Bobby,

Thanks for the warnings.... I would not fish there, ever!

Kingfish

I have just returned about an hour ago after a productive fishing trip in Goa and will put in a report shortly.

However, this is to advise that the Daiwa BG 4000 drew first blood today, catching a beautiful mangrove jack and a Barramundi whilst trolling, missing several others through no fault of its own.

It was a joy to use because it is so smooth and it had enough grunt to handle large barra and put the hurt on them. Really, for an A$ 130 reel it is very good value.

So much so that our guide was impressed enough to get the reel details from me. Presumably he will order some of the BGs for client use ... at the moment he is a Penn fan and was using the SSV3000 size
reels since the last 2 years.

Kingfish

Nice MJ, congrats on the first fish with the reel.

Many thanks, Venkat.

It always feels good to have a fish on the end of your line !!

How is your fishing? No reports from you for sometime now.

Kingfish

Last year I could not do much of fishing. I was all waiting for the season and no rainfall played havoc.
This year after the monsoon season I will do more fishing.


Regards,
H.Venkatesan.