Quick Shimano Convergence Question

[T-Rex]

Now your talking my language !!

Ok here is my take on the 3 Islanders..
I love the drag on my MR3, its like butter & not the least bit sticky and will stop a Huge fish if you need to.
I don't really need the large arbor myself, it does add some weight over the original MR2.
It suffered from a little"line creep" while in the rigger, i had to clamp the drag down tighter than i would like to stop it, i called customer service and they sent me a heavier drag spring, but before i received it i figured out that just a tiny bit of cals drag grease on the cork worked aswome, islander recomends  super lube with ptef, i found it simply too slick ,maybe there was simply too much grease on the cork drag to begin with. The new Spring took care of it so no worries now.
i wish i could silence the clicker, it clicks when you reel (i don't like that) and when line goes out. ive loosened and lubed the clicker/antireverse "dogs" as much as possible (you cant go too loose with them or it will freespool like a center pin)
I'm very paticular about things, thats probably the worst report your going to find on that one but i DO love the reel.
When there is big fish around nobody comes near it   "Mine"

The origional MR2 is a great reel aswell, i don't own one but friends do and i have fished them several days.
The arbor is the size i like, who needs more than 300 yards of line for Salmon anyways ? iv'e only ever had to chase a Spring once or twice maybe.
Love the freespool lever !
The drag isn't as nice or as beefy as the MR3 but its still a nice drag.
Lighter

The new MR2LA (large Arbor) is a MR3 with a freespool lever added

My next reel will be an MR2 , MR2LA ( simply for the freespool lever) or an Abel Moocher (been drooling over one of these for a few months)

Any of these reels would be a great match for that Beauty Loomis you have  :biggrin:

[Salmon King]

You guys are talking right up my alley.  This year I really fell in love with the mooching rods and reels.  I found them to be excellent for trolling herring in the Columbia.  Here's one outfit I use.

Found this reel in the bargain bin at Cabelas.  Was marked down to $74.99 minus 20% so I paid $59.99 plus tax.



The Shimano Convergence was very reasonable and a good rod.


Seems that since the Canucks use this style of rod and reel, but few Yankees do, we can find bargains from time to time.  I just purchased a G Loomis SAR 1265 BC for a song...  Now I'm saving my pennies for an Islander to go with it.  Hoping Santa will be good to me.

How long ago did you find that reel?
I RARELY go to Cabela's because I choose not to support the tribal businesses or those that give the tribes a kickback.
I might go once a year. 
I do not shop online to keep my credit information to a bare minimum out on the web.

I will continue to look for a SCREAMIN', KILLER deal on a USED setup however.

[blindmonkey]

Islander MR2 is really a great reel, I have used one for the past 9 years and really enjoy it. That said I also use various Diawa and Shimano Moocher Plus GT 2000 reels which are great value and last a long time with minimal maintenance.

[polarbill1999]

I was down in SODO today at my family's business so I stopped by Outdoor Emporium on my way out of Seattle.  Found something pretty interesting.

The "Casting" version of the Convergence won't work with Penn GT320 or Shimano TRN200.  The real seat doesn't get wide enough to get the reel in.  Has anybody else come across this problem? 

Looks like I am going to have to try one of these options:

1) Buy the mooching version of the Convergence and run a level wind on it even though that doesn't sound like it is recommended.
2) Buy the mooching version of the Convergence and buy a Shimano Moocher 2000.
3) Buy another 10'6" rod that will fit a normal salmon reel.

I kind of want to try out one of those Squal Reels from Penn.  They look nice. 

If I do go with the the moocher rod and knucklebuster what do you think is preferred?  The 10-20 or the 15-25 version?

[T-Rex]

Buy another 10'6" rod that will fit a normal salmon reel

But its already made for a normal salmon reel  :biggrin:

If you buy the 15-25lb you can fish for any salmon species and may not need another.
If you buy the 10-20lb and later decide you need a little more backbone or beef you can then buy the 15-25lb and another reel, then you will have one for each side of the boat.

Seriously though..just get what feels good in your hand and fits the application.

[polarbill1999]

But the casting convergences don't actually fit the real?  You can't actually mount any of the reels I was looking at.

Buy another 10'6" rod that will fit a normal salmon reel

But its already made for a normal salmon reel  :biggrin:

If you buy the 15-25lb you can fish for any salmon species and may not need another.
If you buy the 10-20lb and later decide you need a little more backbone or beef you can then buy the 15-25lb and another reel, then you will have one for each side of the boat.

Seriously though..just get what feels good in your hand and fits the application.

[T-Rex]

Thats a bummer
I think they were intended for fresh water.
The trigger rods don't give as much rod to work with either, the way i see it from the reel seat up is what you get for playing the fish, and because the reel seat is so much further up the rod compared to the moocher its like having a shorter rod.
The extra length makes a big difference, the moocher is much more comfortable as well, like the center pin rods the reel sits much closer to the butt, you don't have to deal with a long butt jabbing you in the ribs or whatever.

[T-Rex]

They do fit larger level wind's
I put abu 7000's in them, you can also get large shimano level
wind's in them aswell, we use them like that for throwing 3-4oz bouncing betties on the Fraser for Springs.
Shimano makes a saltwater bait caster that would be perfect, i cant remember the model but there are several others swell that would work, how big are those other reels your after ?
If you think about it how often do you ever need more than 100 yds of line ? 200 is plenty for salmon, maybe the occasional fish takes that extra long run that gets you looking at your spool.

Shimano Charter Specials thats what i saw guys using in downriggers, i have no experience with them myself though.
I only ever used my levelwinds for casting in rivers and jigging the ocean, once i had to use a 7000 in a rigger after a buddies
reel locked up.
I really have no clue when it comes to downrigger fishing with level winds.

[polarbill1999]

Yeah, i think i am going to go for the moocher in a 15-25 medium/heavy weight variety.  I will slap a penn levelwind to see how it works.  If that feels weird or just doesnt work i may throw a direct drive on it.

[BruceL2_Fish]

I have convergence 8'6" mooching rods with Shimano Bantam 1000 Plus reels.  This set up is a blast.  I like the free spool release on these reels.  I also have a 10'6" spinning set up I use in the salt and for a back up float rod in the rivers. Good poles.

[polarbill1999]

Anybody ever used these Okuma Classic Pro GLT Rods?  They have them in all kinds of lengths from 7' up to 10'6" with plenty of options for Medium or Medium/Heavy with moderate and slow action options.  For 30' they might be a good option for a downrigger rod?


http://www.okumafishing.com/product/view/rods/salmon-steelhead/classic-pro-glt
Click the "view models" tab to see the list of rods.

[tantastic84]

Hey I really wanted to get into this thread. 

I actually run MH 10'6 Convergence rods with my Daiwa Moocher M one Plus reels and the set up works great for me. 

If you're wondering about running conventional reels with mooching rods, I think you would be totally fine!  I saw this video on youtube out of Canada where a charter was running conventional reels on mooching rods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVy5b0QRX8M&list=PLlLRQP0JQN3QEY8yn5eV6UmRpYtl5hfGJ&index=5

Hope that helps.  I personally think people put a little too much thought into matching equipment perfectly.  I think you would be fine either way with putting a mooching reel on a conventional rod OR a conventional reel on a mooching rod.  It's just a big long stick after all.....

[tantastic84]

One other thing I noticed about the Shimano Convergence rods is:  They used to come with a lifetime warranty!  Now it is only a year!  I wonder what (besides the obvious financial impact) made this come about.  I was going to pick up two more of the rods this year but after seeing that they dropped the lifetime warranty, I am looking into other rods.

But they are damned nice rods! 

[pgbrown]

At Sportco they have a 20% off rods and reels on 12.10.2014, after reading this thread I hope they have a few 10'6's left by the time I get there. I see feathastyx has a few nice mooching rods but at a significantly higher price then those discussed..

[polarbill1999]

At Sportco they have a 20% off rods and reels on 12.10.2014, after reading this thread I hope they have a few 10'6's left by the time I get there. I see feathastyx has a few nice mooching rods but at a significantly higher price then those discussed..

I assume they have the same at outdoor emporium then.  That plus the 5% off as a member makes it a pretty good deal.

[pgbrown]

That is what I am thinking too.. thee is nothing wrong with treating yourself once in awhile.

[polarbill1999]

Thanks for that Tantastic.  Since I assume balance doesn't really matter in a down rigger rod I may try that.  I think I am going to go for a Convergence 10'6" medium, slow mooching and couple it with a Penn 320 or 209 we already have.  At some point I may try a mooching reel as well. 

Since I mentioned the Penn 320, does anybody know of someone in the Seattle area that can do the maintanance on those?  Both of the ones we have are really skicky when cranking.  I assume they both need a full tear down and rebuild.

[T-Rex]

Hey I really wanted to get into this thread. 

I actually run MH 10'6 Convergence rods with my Daiwa Moocher M one Plus reels and the set up works great for me. 

If you're wondering about running conventional reels with mooching rods, I think you would be totally fine!  I saw this video on youtube out of Canada where a charter was running conventional reels on mooching rods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVy5b0QRX8M&list=PLlLRQP0JQN3QEY8yn5eV6UmRpYtl5hfGJ&index=5

Hope that helps.  I personally think people put a little too much thought into matching equipment perfectly.  I think you would be fine either way with putting a mooching reel on a conventional rod OR a conventional reel on a mooching rod.  It's just a big long stick after all.....

The Guides do that because its much easier to just hand over the rod to client and not worry, the client can then just keep reeling the whole time if he/she wishes and not snap off, then when they are out alone slap the knuckle busters back on.
Not ideal but i see your point, it can be done.

[Threeweight]

Re: rebuilding a Penn 320... Alan Tani has a guide to everything you need to know to do it yourself.  They are simple reels, and parts are cheap.  I'd replace the drag washers with carbon fiber.

http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=9.0

Re: 10'6" trigger handle rods... I have 10'6" Okuma SST MH that I generally like.  I am not crazy about the length in my 17' Arima, though... self netting is out of the question, and a really big salmon (like a bruiser Columbia River Tule chinook) will have its way with you.  They make a Heavy (as opposed to Medium Heavy) model that should have more backbone.  After using this rod for much of the spring/summer, at Buoy 10 and in the ocean in September I found myself going back to my 8'6 and 9' rods.

[polarbill1999]

The Guides do that because its much easier to just hand over the rod to client and not worry, the client can then just keep reeling the whole time if he/she wishes and not snap off, then when they are out alone slap the knuckle busters back on.
Not ideal but i see your point, it can be done.

Westcoaster,

Because I like to understand the "why" of things, can you tell me why a levelwind is not ideal on a mooching rod?  At least if used for down rigger trolling?

I guess I don't really understand why it would make a big different.  The only real different would be that with a levelwind the reel and guides will be on top of the pole when reeling vs on the bottom with a mooching reel. 

I don't see why having a levelwind further towards the butt of the pole (short reargrip) would matter since the mooching reel is back there as well. 

I am not trying to be argumentative.  Like I said, just wanting to understand. 

[T-Rex]

I think your fine putting a level wind on the moocher, but i personally would not put a mooching reel on a bait casting rod, Its nice to have the mooching reel close to you, like right on your hip, its much better for palming the spool and more comfortable.Its not about in the holder, its about in your hands.

I guess i'm just trying to persuade you guys to become Full converts lol.

[Markshoreline]

I've been following this thread with interest- you really have a wealth of knowledge about this setup.  All Good Days did was hand me a screaming reel and shouted,  "Let it run!"

[T-Rex]

Well i don't claim anything Mark but thanks anyway, all i have is what i'm used to, i'm 45 years old now and remember sitting out there 35 yrs ago with my old man in his 12' aluminum, he would look to for a couple trees to line up on the shoreline, check bottom and then set up for drifting herring around, for the most part i just stayed out of his way, but when the right fish latched on he would pass me that knuckle buster, if i screwed it up would get a 5 min major penalty and would wait some time before getting another chance lol, sometimes he would fire up the 9.9 and we would troll plugged herring behind Tom Mac dodgers with slip weights ( like most people in those days) kicking it in and out of gear. When the rotating flasher came along he said it wasn't even fair for the fish anymore, he said its getting too much like commercial fishing (he still says so), years later i bought a row boat for myself and would row anchovies out there by myself, it was sometimes hard work but i was a young buck and always in shape so enjoyed the exercise,  i could here guys out there talking about me wondering if i was crazy or not, it worked pretty good once i got the hang of it, ya i changed alot of bait due to flounder etc. but with no sounder or rigger it was just part of the game.. It sure is fun though when you hook into a nice fish and it turns your little walker bay around this way and that, i do miss the sound of my line cutting through the water i must say ( the C.R. boys know all about it).

Now that i'm not so full of piss and vinegar i use a power boat and rotating flashers alot. It has never mattered whether it was the old man's tinny,my walker bay or my new boat its always been a knuckle buster, But now the old man never comes out with me when i ask him...he says i'm cheating with all the bells and whistles (cannonballs,plotters,rotating flashers etc.)  just says "let me know when i can come out there and fly cast to some coho son"

[Markshoreline]

That is a wonderful heritage- your dad sounds like a great guy!

[GoodDays]

Ha Ha ha ha ha ha ha. !!!    mark is full of s$$t ;-)

We landed a beautiful big Chinook for him ! My son Nick has landed more Tyee (chinook over 30) in his underwear than most people have caught on a lifetime ;-)

You can run level winds on mooching rods quite nicely.  When I was guiding I ran shimano triton 100's on my Fenwick 1264's. 
Now I run Islander MR2 , a couple old metal Diawas, and thanks to Wyrguys friend Mike , now we also run a Shimano 4000 moocher that looks like it will be pretty good !

Nothing like screaming reels !!!

GoodDays Greg