finally used this reel and its really nice. Its smooth, no bearing feel as with lower priced reels. I did not measure it but i think i have a bit more distance particularly with 2-3 oz lures. I did get 3 bird nest tangles with the first few casts but that was for over fill; after that smooth sailing.
Sounds like a great surf reel...I need a new reel for my surf fishing this season so I am glad that I just caught your video...It give me another option to to check out... Also the price seems very reasonable....Thanks for another excellent video, Sy
One of the best features Okuma offers is the affordability Seymour. It's packed with desirable features that are top tier but at affordable prices. I used to own other good rigs by other top companies but was forced to eat cup-o-noodles to pbj so i could afford a new piece of gear each month. My chihuahua used to eat better then me so i could afford my addiction. Lol! But Okuma does offer comparable gear to what i had before at a fraction of what i paid. I plan on making future vids of these reels after i pick them up from being spooled. Also just got a new used fishing SUV that i'm still working on outfitting. Thanks for giving Okuma a look:)
Pretty awesome reel for under a hundred bucks. They e been super popular in the NE for the long casting shore fisherman chasing big stripers. Another great video Chris 👍
My vids aren't as good as yours Davey! Being closer to the source you have first hand knowledge buddy. I enjoy watching your fishing reviews. You're correct, can't beat the price of this reel.
Great product. The only flaw, and necessity, because of the weight, is plastic body, which in time and repeated screwing, tightening, loses threads, and starts to peel of under load. If with magnesium body it would be world best, for heavy duty long cast fishing.
I'm still using my 2 prototypes. Back then MSRP was just under a 100. Unheard of pricing for a long distance caster that can hold that much line with such a high max drag! And this reel won the caster a new US World Record casting distance record!
It is Joe! But the reel is amazingly light. I also have a large prototype Okuma spinning reel on me that is so new that there's no box or info on it. Yet. Will be putting that on a Prototype rod for field testing this month.
Great reel for chunking baits! Better then most conventionals as this took 345yd after i re-spooled it yesterday, has brushes to inhibit the sealed unit & has 40lb max drag. No such thing as birdnesting!
This reel seems like it could be used with a 13" ulua pole if some people don't want to use a conversational reel , I use my 6k penn clash spinner with my 10" penn battalion surf rode to me it seems to be a good combo👍🏼🤙
You could it's so big & has huge line capacity & power (40lb max drag). Just don't put a spinner on a casting rod. 2 reasons why you shouldn't. 1) Because of the spline/spine you won't get the casting distance. 2) The lack of a strong correctly placed spline/spine will create a flex weak-point. This may result in breakage. There are surf rods out there that can handle a reel this big. For Okuma the 11' Heavy Cedros Surf to both the 12' Longitude & Solaris will work. To do this remember the rod has to be a "S class for "Spinning".
Can't wait to take a look at that reel at the Fred Hall Show in California but does it really need that big of a spool ? and 1 lb 6 oz is a heavy reel good for casting bait and waiting for a bite
For the line layering system to work you need a large surface area. So a larger spool is required. To reduce weight it must be thinner to the point where it can still be solid under pressure. I had all 3 Utegras that were line layering reels. They wobbled during casting & under pressure from a fight because of all the non-metal components between the spool & carriage. I spent $1,300 on those 3 reels to discover this. For sm-med sized catches it was good, but any powerful fights (ie sharks & rays) the bowing got worse. Shimano did this to reduce weight, but using plastic components over metal was the achilles heel of the Ultegras. At that time big companies like Shimano & Daiwa listen but didn't want to do anything on the design imperfections of their line (even though others of my level & above backed me up). I called the companies, wrote emails to talking with the reps who seemed aware of the issues but nothing was done. The only company who wanted to hear about improvements & listen to what the angler's needs are is Okuma. I can honestly say that because i was present as part of Okuma when bottom jiggers & shore casters were giving their praises & suggestions at trade/expo shows. Then they asked me my opinions, then other knowledgeable shop owners like Brian Kimata to Rodney of Izuo. Okuma checks with local experts before implementing design modifications like grip lengths to guide placements. I myself have made similar request and the request were sent by the Director of Product Development directly to the factory to be implemented. I don't see this kind of service made by other major fishing companies.
Got mine early this year. Spool it with 500m 40lb braid. Doesn't get a chance to try fishing with this reel. Do you think is a good idea to using it for bottom fishing on boat? Fishing 10-30lbs snapper and grouper at 60-120 meters depth.
I think it'll be a great reel for that. Just use a shorter rod & use heavy lead to get your baits down faster & it'll help reduce the effects of current.
dang!! I thought I would get mine before you. It got lost in the mail three weeks now. Please do a casting distance of this vs a regular reel. I have the Okuma avenger ABF 90 and a cedros csx 10.5 footer and will do my own comparison for distance.
It can but i really think it'll be better on the 12' Ocean Ugly Stick. It's a massive spinner but if you put it on the 10' it can handle but you'll see why. I do use it on my 11' Cedros Surf Rods but that's at the absolute edge of what i'll match it up with.
My friend I have taken your advice and bought a new 12' Ugly Stik and I am so glad I did. Thank you. I love Okuma reels but I will always own Ugly Stik rods.
Hey how's it going Scuba Chris been watching your channel for awhile now, wanted to ask if you had any tips on dunking rig, I'm using the 3 swivel and my leader line and weight line keep tangling together when I throw out any tips to prevent this from happening?
@@ScubaChris I started off with 12in fluorocarbon leader and lead line was 8in... 2oz weight.... I was fishing off of dillingham afb not sure if the waves had alot to do with them twisting together. I reduced the leader line to 6 to 8 inches and lead line to about 6in. 1st time dunking so not sure what I was doing wrong.
Current & surge have a distinct play on both. For a area like that i use a roughly 4ft leader to a 10in lead line. In muddy crab infested areas i reverse that to keep the bait off the bottom. You can also use Corkies on extra long leaders.
@@ScubaChris thank you for the response I really appreciate the advice.... I will be hitting that area soon and will be trying different size leader and lead line. Thank you!
Okuma wise the new Rockaway HD 12ft Rod for spinners. Rated for 6-16oz. POWERFUL 12ft Rockaway Surf HD Rod For 2021! ua-cam.com/video/bUzzsr0a2Is/v-deo.html My 12' Rockaway HD POWER Surf Rod Review in The Field! ua-cam.com/video/IvXRRU-nuAs/v-deo.html
I have 2 units. I put both on 2 11' Cedros Surf CSX 11' MH #CSX-S-1102MH. Any MH to H rods 11-13' will do. One has 50lb braid backing to 40lb mono topshot, the other 65lb braid to 40lb mono top shot. I originally had 50lb mono topshots but it really limited my casting distance. The 40lb mono i can get the distance.
Looks like a great surf reel at a great price. :) BTW, can you look into "normalizing" your video's audio ? The music is noticeably louder than your voice. :)
The audio on the intro was done using a action cam. It's a separate clip i'm using for my current vids. I have several that i go back & forth on using. The main video was done on my iphone, also segmentized. The action cam & iphone have different audio recording settings that i can't equalize exactly. Sorry buddy. If all clips were done on the same filming media then yes i can.
MarineBoar These are built as ultra long casting reels. Built for casting big bait a long way. Not really our normal SoCal surf rig. This is a very popular design in the North East.
I had the Shimano 5500, 10K & 14K models. By far the 5500 was a SOLID edition. The 14K was extremely flimsy with a wobbling wormshaft. Same problem with the 10K but it held up much better then the 14K. Actually the 10K & 14K was virtually the same size when laid side by side. I sold the 2 larger units. The first time i hooked a 3lb Jack with the 14K i was soo disappointed. Extremely wobbly under load. But the 5500 to me outperformed the other 2 units. The Okuma 8K is a beast! Only a hundred bucks. My strongest solid spinner. So much so that when i use my $330 UW video camera i only use this reel for its retrieval safety. I pulled in a 33lb GT with it spooled with 65lb braid backing to 50lb mono top shot. I literally horsed it in. Didn't stand a chance. My friend that was with me asked me not to show that video because he didn't want that place packed when others saw what we did. Afterall it was his spot.
Every fishing company has or had issues at times. I returned a bad Shimano Reel due to a defect (which i was asked not to expose). Also a rod series by Daiwa that i did do a video on. 2 brand new rods broke casting lures at less then 1/2 it's rating (my friend there confirmed the comp knew about it but was hoping the cost of replacing/posting replacements would've been less then the actual returns). I even videoed the rod snapping in 2 & sent that to them on the cast. On that i received a high number of pics showing similar breakage). Since they ended up doing the right thing i didn't do a follow-up on that as they decided to take care of their mistake. Some companies may release an item that wasn't up to standards, even the Japanese. Part of doing business. It's how they correct that mistake that tells me the kind of company they really are. Right now the current companies out there have a good return policy. The only complaints i hear are products that can't be returned as the buyer didn't register their purchase, or it broke past the warranty period. On this video on the Surf 8K i contacted Ron who's the service manager. There is concern out there on the spool shafts of all long distance casters when fully extended either on the cast or fighting a fish. There has never been a return on this reel due to that. I myself returned a long distance casting spinner years ago that i paid almost 3x of my 8K. The spool shaft was badly bent when fighting a small stingray. That company knew who i was and sent me not only a replacement but a smaller unit with extra spools after they reviewed the link to that uncirculated video. I thought that was nice & deleted the video on standby. But i kinda lost faith in that product so i sold the larger unit for what i paid for it while still BNIB & gave the smaller one away to my mentor. Sorry this is lengthy but i'm in the position where i now know "things" that the public doesn't. So i've decided not to post any "obvious" issues like before.
@@ScubaChris Thanks bro. I prefer spin reel over conventional reel for when reeling in the big catch is seems faster, more manageable and balanced( the rod doesn't twist and turn in your fingers)
Thanks for all the info on Okuma products !--- great alternative to the big three .
No problem!
Just ordered me one last night. Gonna pair this with a 12ft fiblink surf rod. Can't wait!
Just gotta think what to do on line layering now.
finally used this reel and its really nice. Its smooth, no bearing feel as with lower priced reels. I did not measure it but i think i have a bit more distance particularly with 2-3 oz lures. I did get 3 bird nest tangles with the first few casts but that was for over fill; after that smooth sailing.
Sounds like a great surf reel...I need a new reel for my surf fishing this season so I am glad that I just caught your video...It give me another option to to check out... Also the price seems very reasonable....Thanks for another excellent video, Sy
One of the best features Okuma offers is the affordability Seymour. It's packed with desirable features that are top tier but at affordable prices. I used to own other good rigs by other top companies but was forced to eat cup-o-noodles to pbj so i could afford a new piece of gear each month. My chihuahua used to eat better then me so i could afford my addiction. Lol! But Okuma does offer comparable gear to what i had before at a fraction of what i paid. I plan on making future vids of these reels after i pick them up from being spooled. Also just got a new used fishing SUV that i'm still working on outfitting. Thanks for giving Okuma a look:)
Got mine in February. Can't wait to try it out in late May. Surf fishing is short in Maine!
My wife's family is from Mexico, Maine. Loved trout fishing there.
Pretty awesome reel for under a hundred bucks. They e been super popular in the NE for the long casting shore fisherman chasing big stripers.
Another great video Chris 👍
My vids aren't as good as yours Davey! Being closer to the source you have first hand knowledge buddy. I enjoy watching your fishing reviews. You're correct, can't beat the price of this reel.
Manual bails are the best. No lost expensive plugs/lures. Okuma makes some of the coolest reels at great price ranges
That's what many anglers are finding out. Thanks:)
Wsh u have 1m subs, really such a humble man n informative channel . Good surf reel that would casts miles away .
Thanks! Not about me, it's trying to inform & educate is the main driving force of my channel.
Just ordered this reel was going to get the Penn surfblaster but ordered the 8k instead can't wait to use it thanks for the review
Hope you enjoy it!
How much did you pay for it?
Great product. The only flaw, and necessity, because of the weight, is plastic body, which in time and repeated screwing, tightening, loses threads, and starts to peel of under load.
If with magnesium body it would be world best, for heavy duty long cast fishing.
I'm still using my 2 prototypes. Back then MSRP was just under a 100. Unheard of pricing for a long distance caster that can hold that much line with such a high max drag! And this reel won the caster a new US World Record casting distance record!
Magnesium and salt water don't go together. It is surf reel.
Whoa..monstah reel is right..thks for sharing...
It is Joe! But the reel is amazingly light. I also have a large prototype Okuma spinning reel on me that is so new that there's no box or info on it. Yet. Will be putting that on a Prototype rod for field testing this month.
@@ScubaChris we await your field testing of ot..good luck..
Great reel for chunking baits! Better then most conventionals as this took 345yd after i re-spooled it yesterday, has brushes to inhibit the sealed unit & has 40lb max drag. No such thing as birdnesting!
This reel seems like it could be used with a 13" ulua pole if some people don't want to use a conversational reel , I use my 6k penn clash spinner with my 10" penn battalion surf rode to me it seems to be a good combo👍🏼🤙
You could it's so big & has huge line capacity & power (40lb max drag). Just don't put a spinner on a casting rod. 2 reasons why you shouldn't.
1) Because of the spline/spine you won't get the casting distance.
2) The lack of a strong correctly placed spline/spine will create a flex weak-point. This may result in breakage. There are surf rods out there that can handle a reel this big. For Okuma the 11' Heavy Cedros Surf to both the 12' Longitude & Solaris will work. To do this remember the rod has to be a "S class for "Spinning".
Can't wait to take a look at that reel at the Fred Hall Show in California but does it really need that big of a spool ? and 1 lb 6 oz is a heavy reel good for casting bait and waiting for a bite
For the line layering system to work you need a large surface area. So a larger spool is required. To reduce weight it must be thinner to the point where it can still be solid under pressure. I had all 3 Utegras that were line layering reels. They wobbled during casting & under pressure from a fight because of all the non-metal components between the spool & carriage. I spent $1,300 on those 3 reels to discover this. For sm-med sized catches it was good, but any powerful fights (ie sharks & rays) the bowing got worse. Shimano did this to reduce weight, but using plastic components over metal was the achilles heel of the Ultegras. At that time big companies like Shimano & Daiwa listen but didn't want to do anything on the design imperfections of their line (even though others of my level & above backed me up). I called the companies, wrote emails to talking with the reps who seemed aware of the issues but nothing was done. The only company who wanted to hear about improvements & listen to what the angler's needs are is Okuma. I can honestly say that because i was present as part of Okuma when bottom jiggers & shore casters were giving their praises & suggestions at trade/expo shows. Then they asked me my opinions, then other knowledgeable shop owners like Brian Kimata to Rodney of Izuo. Okuma checks with local experts before implementing design modifications like grip lengths to guide placements. I myself have made similar request and the request were sent by the Director of Product Development directly to the factory to be implemented. I don't see this kind of service made by other major fishing companies.
Got mine early this year. Spool it with 500m 40lb braid. Doesn't get a chance to try fishing with this reel. Do you think is a good idea to using it for bottom fishing on boat? Fishing 10-30lbs snapper and grouper at 60-120 meters depth.
I think it'll be a great reel for that. Just use a shorter rod & use heavy lead to get your baits down faster & it'll help reduce the effects of current.
Match up nice with the 12ft. Ocean Master.
Butt diameter of the Ocean Master made it hard to use w/standard sand spikes unless you special ordered one.
dang!! I thought I would get mine before you. It got lost in the mail three weeks now. Please do a casting distance of this vs a regular reel. I have the Okuma avenger ABF 90 and a cedros csx 10.5 footer and will do my own comparison for distance.
They're at a local tackle shop getting a special line lay for casting over shallow reefs to deep drops off piers now.
bua ha ha ha....I got it in the mail!!!!!testing at the month's end
New subscriber here. I love this channel and just ordered this reel. Do you this this would go good on my Ugly Stik 10' Bigwater spinning rod?
It can but i really think it'll be better on the 12' Ocean Ugly Stick. It's a massive spinner but if you put it on the 10' it can handle but you'll see why. I do use it on my 11' Cedros Surf Rods but that's at the absolute edge of what i'll match it up with.
Also consider the 12ft Longitude ("S" model).
My friend I have taken your advice and bought a new 12' Ugly Stik and I am so glad I did. Thank you. I love Okuma reels but I will always own Ugly Stik rods.
Have you tried the shallow spool for this reel? Thanks!
I never knew there was a shallower spool.
Where can u find a shallow spool
Hey how's it going Scuba Chris been watching your channel for awhile now, wanted to ask if you had any tips on dunking rig, I'm using the 3 swivel and my leader line and weight line keep tangling together when I throw out any tips to prevent this from happening?
I need to know how long is your leader & lead line.
@@ScubaChris I started off with 12in fluorocarbon leader and lead line was 8in... 2oz weight.... I was fishing off of dillingham afb not sure if the waves had alot to do with them twisting together. I reduced the leader line to 6 to 8 inches and lead line to about 6in. 1st time dunking so not sure what I was doing wrong.
Current & surge have a distinct play on both. For a area like that i use a roughly 4ft leader to a 10in lead line. In muddy crab infested areas i reverse that to keep the bait off the bottom. You can also use Corkies on extra long leaders.
@@ScubaChris thank you for the response I really appreciate the advice.... I will be hitting that area soon and will be trying different size leader and lead line. Thank you!
Because of your question i'm going to do another video on the different ways i do my leadering system.
What size rod should this be paired with?
Okuma wise the new Rockaway HD 12ft Rod for spinners. Rated for 6-16oz.
POWERFUL 12ft Rockaway Surf HD Rod For 2021!
ua-cam.com/video/bUzzsr0a2Is/v-deo.html
My 12' Rockaway HD POWER Surf Rod Review in The Field!
ua-cam.com/video/IvXRRU-nuAs/v-deo.html
Just got mine, what rods have you paired this with and what # line/braid?
I have 2 units. I put both on 2 11' Cedros Surf CSX 11' MH #CSX-S-1102MH. Any MH to H rods 11-13' will do. One has 50lb braid backing to 40lb mono topshot, the other 65lb braid to 40lb mono top shot. I originally had 50lb mono topshots but it really limited my casting distance. The 40lb mono i can get the distance.
Also if you get a 12' H Longitude it'll be good. A foot longer, higher strength rating, only a $100.
@@ScubaChris thank you!
I bought this reel because of your recommendation.What is the highest lb of braid that you can use with this reel?
My 2 Surf 8K’s. 260yd 65lb JB braid backing to 85yd Trilene Big Game Mono top shot. 345yds at 40lb max drag.
@@ScubaChris Thank you
Thanks Raymon! This real has power, line capacity, & is a long distance caster with excellent line layering technology!
Looks like a great surf reel at a great price. :) BTW, can you look into "normalizing" your video's audio ? The music is noticeably louder than your voice. :)
The audio on the intro was done using a action cam. It's a separate clip i'm using for my current vids. I have several that i go back & forth on using. The main video was done on my iphone, also segmentized. The action cam & iphone have different audio recording settings that i can't equalize exactly. Sorry buddy. If all clips were done on the same filming media then yes i can.
MarineBoar These are built as ultra long casting reels. Built for casting big bait a long way. Not really our normal SoCal surf rig. This is a very popular design in the North East.
@@DaveysWorldFishing I'm sure the Stripers must love that reel!
can these stand upto the shimano Ci4 14000 XSC?
I had the Shimano 5500, 10K & 14K models. By far the 5500 was a SOLID edition. The 14K was extremely flimsy with a wobbling wormshaft. Same problem with the 10K but it held up much better then the 14K. Actually the 10K & 14K was virtually the same size when laid side by side. I sold the 2 larger units. The first time i hooked a 3lb Jack with the 14K i was soo disappointed. Extremely wobbly under load. But the 5500 to me outperformed the other 2 units.
The Okuma 8K is a beast! Only a hundred bucks. My strongest solid spinner. So much so that when i use my $330 UW video camera i only use this reel for its retrieval safety. I pulled in a 33lb GT with it spooled with 65lb braid backing to 50lb mono top shot. I literally horsed it in. Didn't stand a chance. My friend that was with me asked me not to show that video because he didn't want that place packed when others saw what we did. Afterall it was his spot.
Thank you for the reply, you have helped me make my pick of reels, smashing stuff thank you!!!!
@@markymark9935 I wish someone gave me that info earlier! I could've gotten 3 Surf 8K's for the price of 1 wobbly 14K.
Looks the part, really good. Everything I get from China seems to break. Or so it feels. I think I'll trust my gut and get Japanese.
Every fishing company has or had issues at times. I returned a bad Shimano Reel due to a defect (which i was asked not to expose). Also a rod series by Daiwa that i did do a video on. 2 brand new rods broke casting lures at less then 1/2 it's rating (my friend there confirmed the comp knew about it but was hoping the cost of replacing/posting replacements would've been less then the actual returns). I even videoed the rod snapping in 2 & sent that to them on the cast. On that i received a high number of pics showing similar breakage). Since they ended up doing the right thing i didn't do a follow-up on that as they decided to take care of their mistake. Some companies may release an item that wasn't up to standards, even the Japanese. Part of doing business. It's how they correct that mistake that tells me the kind of company they really are. Right now the current companies out there have a good return policy. The only complaints i hear are products that can't be returned as the buyer didn't register their purchase, or it broke past the warranty period. On this video on the Surf 8K i contacted Ron who's the service manager. There is concern out there on the spool shafts of all long distance casters when fully extended either on the cast or fighting a fish. There has never been a return on this reel due to that. I myself returned a long distance casting spinner years ago that i paid almost 3x of my 8K. The spool shaft was badly bent when fighting a small stingray. That company knew who i was and sent me not only a replacement but a smaller unit with extra spools after they reviewed the link to that uncirculated video. I thought that was nice & deleted the video on standby. But i kinda lost faith in that product so i sold the larger unit for what i paid for it while still BNIB & gave the smaller one away to my mentor. Sorry this is lengthy but i'm in the position where i now know "things" that the public doesn't. So i've decided not to post any "obvious" issues like before.
Can this be for offshore big fish
It's for shoreline surf casting. But can't see why you couldn't use it off a boat if you have to.
@@ScubaChris Thanks bro. I prefer spin reel over conventional reel for when reeling in the big catch is seems faster, more manageable and balanced( the rod doesn't twist and turn in your fingers)
Found it on ebay for 90$ free shipping
That's a deal!
Great casting reel but the gear ratio is to high for UK shore fishing. Drop the gear ratio to 4 to 1 or lower and the reel would be a real winner.
Sorry to hear that. You do get some big skates up there?
How much can this reel pull in ?
40lb max drag. But most experienced anglers don't rely on the drag on a long drawn-out fight. They "palm" the spool. pro-longs your reel life.
£70