Casting Distance Contest: 3000 vs. 1000 Spinning Reel
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
Which reel casts farther: a 3000 or a 1000 size spinning reel?
Smaller reels are becoming the new trend now, but since you can only catch the fish between you and how far you can cast out your lure, which reel casts farther is a really important question.
And there are valid arguments on both sides:
Smaller reels cause the line to have more rotations when you cast out your lure, which could hinder casting distance.
But on the other hand, the rotations aren’t as wide, which could benefit casting distance.
So instead of relying on anecdotes or logic, I decided to test these reels head to head to discover the truth.
Check out the video below to see which reel casts farther!
P.S. The contest is between a 3000 and a 1000, but I was mistakenly saying 2500 the whole video. Either way, 2500s and 3000s are very similar. And this test is really about spool diameter, so these results are applicable no matter what size reel you’re choosing.
Casting Contest: 3000 vs. 1000 Spinning Reel [VIDEO]
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Gear used:
- Rod: TFO TFG Pro 7’6″ Medium power
- Line: 10 lb. Power Pro
- Reels:
Each setup had the same exact rod, line, and weight.
We also had the same type of reel, the only difference was the size.
Here are the results:
Round 1 Results
I forgot my measuring device here, but as you can see, there was clearly a winner for round one.
The green flags mark the casting distance for the 1000 and the pink flags mark the casting distance for the 3000.
So on average, the 3000 outcasted the 1000 by about 3.5 to 4 feet.
And to make sure there wasn’t some tiny difference in the weight that caused the difference here, I changed the weights and did another round of testing.
Here are the results:
Round 2 Results
In round one, there was an obvious difference of about 3.5 to 4 feet, but in round two, after I switched the weights, the casting distances were pretty much the same between the two reels.
So what that tells me is there’s probably a slight difference in the weight of the leads I was casting, but, more importantly, the 3000 outcasts the 1000 by about 1 to 2 feet on average.
Conclusion
On average, the 3000 casts about 1 to 2 feet farther than the 1000.
It’s not a huge difference, but over a few hundred casts in a day it can add up.
Plus when you factor in the fact that the 1000 has a much higher chance for wind knots because of the smaller diameter spool, the 3000 reel is a clear winner when deciding between these two sizes.
Have you had any different experiences with these two reels regarding casting distance?
Or have any other thoughts on this experiment?
Let me know down in the comments!
And if you know someone who’s deciding between these two reels, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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hmmmmm. i wonder if doubling the weight would double the distance? i guess thats for another test on another day. thanks, you guys are great
Kind of off subject but will 10lb braid catch most trout,flounder,Redfish. I like the small line but worried it will break.
Absolutely! I use 10 lb braid 90% of the time when targeting redfish, seatrout, and snook. I’ve more recently started using 5 lb braid and have already landed two slot snook on it without losing anything due to line breakage.
Well, that sounds perfectly reasonable. Many anglers forget what the adjustable drag is for, those who don’t, do just fine with thinner braid.
Look no further than IGFA world records to see what can be caught on light line. What is crucial are drag settings and a smooth drag when using a light line. Luke’s tests of line-breaking strength show that most of these braided lines that are 10 lb. rated break at a much greater strength. If you want to know exactly what you’re fishing with, use an IGFA-rated line. It is guaranteed to break at or slightly below the stated rating. As for rods when using braided lines, braids have nearly zero stretch, so there is no shock absorbency in the line. Somewhat limber rods add that factor to help prevent break-offs from sudden runs a fish might take. A fast tip section can give good casting distance and add some shock absorbency while a stiffer mid-section and butt give more backbone and strength for fighting larger fish. Avoiding high-sticking the rod will prevent rod breakage.
Have you ever tested the Daiwa against Shimano Vanford as to which one would cast further?
the size of the reels dictate the lb test to use. we use the 1000 reels and the sweet spots are 6 and 8 lb test. to gain distance. the 1000s are really not made for 10lb.
i have a Daiwa 3000 Fuego..Great Real.. my question is…what type of line should i put in it and rod..i cant seem to get the distance with 15lb braided line and 6.8 ft road h2o express…im doing something wrong..please help
Drop down to 10-pound braid and go to a longer rod. Matching the reel to the rod helps. I like a 7’6′ rod for distance, but just as important is to make sure you have enough line on the spool so that when spooled, the line is within about 1/16 of an inch from the lip of the spool. Closing the bail manually and giving the line a slight tug on the reel to make sure there is tension and no loose line on the spool will help minimize getting “wind knots”. Wind doesn’t cause the knots it’s allowing loose line on the spool that does. Using a 10-pound braid on a 3000-size reel will give you a ton of line on the spool, which can be a bit costly so if you want to just have 100-150 yards of braid, use a mono backing on the spool first. One easy way to know how much backing to use takes a little time but it’s fool-proof. Spool the braided line first. Connect the mono with a line-to-line knot and spool 8-to 10-pound mono on the spool until it is full. Find an open area and tie the mono to something. Take all of the line off the spool and cut the braid off the spool. Return to the end where the mono starts and tie it back on the spool. Provide as much tension on the line as you can and reel the line back onto the spool. You end up with the exact amount of line needed on the spool.
Nicely executed experiment! Probably the only down size to the larger reel might be reel weight.
Thanks Craig. Yes, the biggest 2 benefits of the smaller reel is weight and storage.
Great test Luke, thanks for the time & effort you put into all of your testing !!! For all around Inshore fishing, I believe the 2500/3000 series is the most beneficial. I used to use very small reels when pan fishing & Trout fishing under MUCH different conditions. The right tool for the right job !!
My pleasure George! I’m glad to see that you enjoyed this experiment.
Cool test! As always your real life tests are great. At the end of the day keep it simple and just get out and fish…. Unlike myself who hasn’t been out in way too long lol
Thank Mike! Sorry to see that you haven’t been out on the water much lately. Hopefully that changes soon.
I’ve used ultralights for many years and have tried many many thousand size reels ;some shallow some deep, some narrow some wide. It has been my experience that be wider spools with the medium-depth spooled with 6 to 10 lb test will get the best results and obviously the thinner the line and the better quality the line the farther you’ll will get with your cast. I use a 9 strand braided line called monster 9. It’s very smooth and it cast very far. Also in question was the length of the rod. The longer the rod the longer cast you’ll get. My favorite ultralight setup is a 7-foot Ultra Lite or light paired with a 1000 reel that has a wide spool at medium depth and I like the 10lb braid. Less chance of a break-off,and typically I fish around the rocks and structure from the shore ;hence another reason for the 10 pound versus the smaller diameter…. another note worth mentioning here is that lately some of the companies have come out with 6.2 to 1 ratio 1000 size spinning reel and I like those also and the ones that I tried which is the kastking green Eagle seemed to work extremely well and outperformed the more well-known brand names. Now for my 3000 reel setup I will use 20 lb monster nine line a wide medium-depth spool and an 8-foot medium rod and I can cast a country mile with that thing. In short, it’s difficult if not impossible to compare these two, because in my opinion they should be rigged differently( although you can fish with the exact same species and catch the same quality fish on either 3000 setup or the 1000 setup) Truly, the purpose behind the 1000 setup has really very little or nothing to do with how far you can cast. Instead, look at it as being able to cast less weight of a lure on the 1000 and more weight of a lure on the 3000 setup …that is really the difference between the two,and you’ll optimize you cast distance by using this perspective.
Thanks so much for making time to post this super-helpful comment! I’ll keep an eye out for the high-speed 1000 reels… sounds like it would be a blast to fish with.
Great info Luke! I use the Fuego 2500 for most everything. However, I just got a Daiwa BG 3000 and I’m considering that for trolling for 2 reasons: 1. It holds more line, I often troll up to 100 yards behind my kayak or boat. 2. When trolling, and a fish gets on, you have more pressure on the reel due to the fish and the momentum of the vessel. Sometimes a bigger fish will cause the composite material to ‘give’, forcing the reel up, therefore ‘banging’ the bail on my knuckles when I’m reeling (a good problem to have!). A bigger reel with an aluminum frame will make this easier, and now I know it will also help prevent wind knots as well.
Thanks for making time to leave the nice comment Dave! I think you’re absolutely right about the bigger reel for trolling. Those BG reels have proven to hold up to a lot of abuse, so I’m confident that you’ll enjoy it for trolling.