Sakura Gold

Well as you know iv just returned back from fishing ireland and putting some gear through its paces!! i took over a couple Plano's full of hard and soft lures to try for Pollack and of coarse the new Sakura Aplax 4008FD...... as posted many times before you can prob see i have a unhealthy issue with shimano in the fact i really have no interest in using any other brand for my cranking power, BUT i can safely say i am completely blown away by the Sakura Alpax from start to finish!! this really is a bargain at just under a 100smackers i believe there is no reel that comes close to performance and styling! all the details from Micrometric front drag to the bio T-handle which didnt slip once while battling the impressive "crash dives, hold on for dear life" fight of the Irish Pollack. with a once piece billet spool anodised in black and Sakura orange, with milled out holes in the spool for lightness and sheer style-appeal! for this styling and performance i would at least be looking along the lines of reels twice the price and more!

I fished this reel pretty much all week through the rain and winds i even got a goo walloping by waves and the reel got a good royal soaking! i even dropped the rod in sheer panic while unhooking fish the reel got dunked a good few times i got back to the bungalow that night and took the reel apart to try and dry it up and to my surprise it was bone dry inside...... with only a bit of salt water under the spool which io dried and whipped it back together, the reel still spins as smoothly as when i took it out of the box. even when wet the drag was smooth as silk and packed allot of punch for such a small unit! the bio handle really worked well its very well ballanced and is well designed for pumping up the biggest of fish from the deeps on lighter gear! it swallowed up a fair bit of 30lb braid with a bit of backing. even after dropping it a few times and giving it a bit of barnicle rash it still looks the business and performs really well indeed. time will tell indeed but after 500plus Pollack i reckon i got a keeper here and wouldnt think twice of splashing my own cash on getting another one! they can be purchased from www.basslures.co.uk and i cant fault it..... Go on treat ya self

Danny