How Accurate and Consistent are Line Counters on Kokanee Reels

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Line counters reels are a critically important component to the Kokanee angler's tackle kit, especially if using snap or dropper weights to target fish at depth. Accuracy and consistency are critical to success and repeatability of that success. In this video I test several of my Kokanee reels for accuracy and consistency.
Kokanee Reels Ranked from Worst to Best:
Tica Samira KL 150 LC: amzn.to/3tlkSVn
Daiwa Lexa 100 LC H: amzn.to/36zef7W
Daiwa Lexa 100 LC HL: amzn.to/45zZbD9
Abu Garcia 5500LC: amzn.to/3qx9gCe
Abu Garcia Max DLC amzn.to/36BVvF4
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[@patrickromano1876]

I would love to have also seen the Okuma cold water low pro and the Okuma Convector Low Pro. I might have to try this. It will also be interesting to see variances across all reels on the boat.

[@BirdLegacyBlades]

Came here to say this. I've been very happy with the Okuma but will test myself

[@townsend96]

Same here. I would love to see the top salmon reels head to head.

[@loganfishbeard]

I have a couple of the cheap magda 20's I use for salmon trolling and I was surprised at how spot on they were at 50 ft in my back yard(within a couple feet). I'm sure the larger spools help maintain accuracy for longer distances but if okuma can make it work for a $50 reel I sure sure hope it would be just as good on a $130 reel.

[@neverhomeguideservice]

Great video. Subject we’ve all pondered! I do the same in my yard. I mark my 100’ length on my line and adjust that as I use/waste line. That helps me a lot too. Good info and thx again

[@asully70]

You always have videos that answer the questions I’ve been pondering when I’m out fishing. I run a Lexa and Convector when Kokanee fishing, might have to test out both to see how they fare. Cool video.

[@GemMorrisMV]

As others have said you can get your line counter spot on by varying the amount of line you load the reel with in the first place and testing/adjusting. But none of that matters, the ONLY thing that really matters is the relative distance. In other words no variance between the reels you use and all of them loaded with the same amount of line. To achieve this ONLY use the identical reel on all of your rods and load them the same amount of line using the line counter.

[@spiltmilt]

Yeah I wanted to do a more real world test. Most angles walk in to tackle shops and have reels spooled to capacity with 10 lb line and assume it’s all good 👍

[@brian1204]

Consistency is important. I would guess the reels are tuned differently. Some may be for filled spools, some for average filling of about 2/3 or 3/4 fill, some for 8lb line, some for 15lb, etc… Re: the line strengths.… different lines have different diameters for the same lb test. So if you can measure each reel and note the reading as it is, then measure again if/when you change lines, then you can adjust your fishing accordingly.

[@scottwilson9328]

you should also try Okuma coldwater low pro

[@mattbrown7483]

Piscifun just came out with a digital line counter reel. I bet if you reached out to them, they'd send one to be included in your test. I'm curious how it would compare to the rest.

[@brotherbax4083]

I was at a store tonight looking at the Diawa and remembered you mentioned doing an accuracy test in another video. Waited to make a purchase until I’d seen this. Diawa seems like a decent choice. Thanks for the video!

[@kylefriez6744]

I wonder how the lexa, and 5500 lc would do for accurate readings with a full spool of 15 lb braid?

[@s33dub3]

I almost wonder if the Tica is faulty- 30 feet is crazy

[@ReelFilmVideos]

Colored/metered braid is also an option. Lots of variety from JDM brands if you want to fish in meters.

[@tla1950]

Hello Thank you for all your videos , I have learned a lot from your expertise. I have 3 Lexa 100 LH reels which I had spooled with 105 yards of Maxima Ultra Green 10# to start with. I backed off to the 100' and observed what the line counter read. The counters read below 100' and I would then remove line until I got the line counter to read 100' . Once I did that the consistency was spot on. I'm sure the measurements have to do with not only the amount of line spooled on, what diameter, but also the tightness. I must admit that I am retired and a little anal, so I have plenty of time to experiment. I do the same with my Okuma Coldwater 300LP reels for salmon fishing. Thanks again for all your great videos.

[@spiltmilt]

Good idea

[@tla1950]

@@spiltmilt Are there still a lot of sockeye hanging out in the Brewster pool?

[@kevinwaggy2656]

I have a friend that is a Columbia River fishing guide... he does the same test with all his fishing reels...he then adds or takes off line to get them all to match completely...it's why he is as good as he is, attention to detail....

[@spiltmilt]

Great idea!

[@makapa2u]

Awesome But I like the Dock Demon !!!

[@ryanbarton6739]

Why no okuma?

[@BirdLegacyBlades]

What I use for trout and kokanee.. agreed

[@CarpCommander]

Calibration should solve the issues on all of these reels right? See calibration example walk through: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXOnq3iHbK2jpNU

[@BumpNrun69]

pfft.., I seen that video YEARS ago. That's not "calibrating" that is only "compensating" and for ONLY 100 feet of line. Did you notice how he never check 150 feet ... 200 feet... 50 feet? Because you cannot calibrate anything. Only way you can get a true reading is off the line at the end of the reel. Line counters guess from their gearing mechanism. The diameter of line around your barrel of the spool is tremendously Larger or smaller depending on the amount taken from reel.

[@lunchbox5825]

I did this with my reels when i first got them. They were all within 2-3 feet at 50. I have lexa, abu digital and a okuma. I use 15 lb test. I also use them for sockeye.

[@MikePfeifer-te6es]

Tyler, I have become an avid follower. Your videos are so helpful! I love to fish and don't normally have much success. The information that you have shared has helped me improve by following your recommendations. I caught my first ever (3) Kokanee this year on Lake Chelan this summer thanks to your help. Do you have any suggestions for locating Kokanee on Lake Chelan now as we approach the late summer and early fall season? I use the same set up that you have with Kayak and accessories.

[@spiltmilt]

They are headed up lake to spawn this time of year. Your best bets will be around 25 Mile Creek but the quality of the meat will be in decline.

[@chubbrock659]

Woah! You just took me back to my applied stats class! 😂

[@aleksanderbokov3574]

Thanks! Perfect timing was just looking at getting new reel!

[@spiltmilt]

Glad I could help and than you.

[@TheXanthoman]

The same reel might yield different results depending on line diameter and how much is spooled on the reel . Obviously if the reel is only spooled to 1/4 of capacity its going to give a different reading than when it is spooled to capacity . The same applies to line diameter . Obviously a 5 lb braid is going to give a noticably different reading than a 14 lb mono . Line counters rely on revolutions of the spool and most arent that good at judging line diameter or how much line is on the spool . Their best attribute is repeatability which is just as important as accuracy . If you can return to the same depth you were just at thats just as important as how accurate it is . Just sayin

[@slacktide_angler]

Wow, great test. I’ve always run metered braid because I’d know not having a precise counter would drive me nuts. I’m assuming the Abu Max’s calibration by line rating uses typical PE/diameter numbers. That’s good enough for me. Was looking into a Lexa for jigging, but now I’m going to look into the Max. Thanks.

[@seanthorntonmd3908]

Thanks for doing this. I have the blue Daiwa thanks to your recommendation, and notice a large discrepancy between the line counter and what appears on my Garmin Echomap fish finder. Using 4 oz weight, the fish finder says I'm at the thermocline (approximately 48 feet on Lake Washington now) but the line counter says it has let out 43-45 ft. At 1.2 MPH, there must be more line out than the line counter is reporting, or my fish finder is faulty. Good to know my observation is not wacko. Keep up the good work.

[@chorn103]

Remember, the fish finder shows distance from the transducer within it's cone. So if your line is at an angle, behind your boat, it will still show straight down on the graph. I do the same thing all the time, and have experienced what you describe. But if you stop the troll and let the lines go vertical, the depth on the graph will increase.

[@seanthorntonmd3908]

@@chorn103 Thanks, Sir! After doing some more reading, taking your point that the distance the FF is giving is from the transducer, and taking into account the steep angle when using a heavier weight, it appears they line counter and depth reported on the FF are actually in reasonable agreement. I just need to zero the line counter from the point the weight is at the same depth as the transducer, and the numbers should be close and the depth seen on the weight will approximate the depth in the water column. Of course, this won't work with lighter weights/long lining when the water cools. Thanks for making me re-think this!

[@puppypilot5573]

I've gone to multicolored braid. Change in color every 10'. Improved my catch.

[@kroutdooradventures]

I love the Abu Garcia reels. I switched most of my reels over to the abu garcia black max. They’re cheap and surprisingly durable, I’ve caught a lot of salmon on my current one. I have never seen the point in spending a lot of money on a reel especially when I can fix/replace the black max for so little. That being said I was given a shimano curado as partial payment for a custom rod I built and I love that reel 😂

[@chorn103]

I ran this same experiment w/ my okuma Magda 15s. They came in about 10% under reporting. They’d say 90 ft, even though 100 was pulled out. similar to your Lexa. It’s interesting none of them over report.

[@Rob-db4qc]

Its to be expected that the abu garcia analog was slightly off, the reel is rated for 12lb. Every line counter reel is designed for the diameter line on the box.

[@traildadd]

After having too many of my line counters stick or stop working all together I recently got two of the digital line counters. I’m happy to see they are as accurate as I would expect a digital counter to be. Thanks for the recommendation.

[@leegordon6116]

Abu Garcia Max DLC, which rod can I pair it with for great lake kayak fishing

[@jerryberg6244]

I ground truth my reels every year before jigging in late summer and fall. 5' can make a difference when jigging. For trolling it is probably not as critical.

[@kylefriez6744]

Have you tried the tica with 14 lb to see if the counter is more accurate with haevier line? And I like 14 lb on my stuff. Haha

[@jasonhurdlow6607]

I have a DLC MAX LH. Good to know it's accurate. Curious to know what my Okuma Coldwater does.... Both nice reels.

[@ShenpaiWasTaken]

Really interesting... I wonder if i switched reels if I would suddenly be not as good of a kokanee angler. Haha

[@robertwaid51]

You have to Calibrate your line counter first before you start pulling measurements you think

[@adamsnyder9347]

I was planning to check my Samira against other reels after having that particular setup snag bottom a bunch of times targeting Kokanee about 20 feet off the bottom. That explains everything!

[@L3Dhelpguide]

You had to not do the okuma low profile,. I know what i have to do over the weekend now....lol

[@brian1204]

I wonder how much the stretch of the line affects the measurements; perhaps lighter drags, different line materials and different line diameters make a difference.

[@RonaldWieglenda]

Great test, but the real truth is a constant reference, this is the truth, go out farther or come in closer from my starting point. Dad taught me to count reel turns of handle when letting out, back before counters

[@muddnyreye]

Great idea, I’ve always wondered how accurate my line counters might be… I also run a pair of diawa lexa 100’s and have no intention of changing. Keep up the great videos 👍

[@ashphelps1701]

Now I'm going to have to try this on my okuma converter and coldwater reels. Great video thanks

[@xnorcal831x]

I just picked up a okuma kokanee pro. Been looking at the dlc now I definitely need to get one

[@Fishfuzzlove]

Great test and idea for video! Glad to see the ABU DLC did so well:)

[@Stittsy1963]

I have two of those electronic Abu Garcia Line counters. Love them!

[@Bubbles36DD]

I have two also, and I've had no issues with parts breaking. Great, compact reels.

[@johnnypea43]

This has motivated me to finally do this test on my line counters.

[@dwayned8932]

Ditch the heavy oversized line counter reels and buy power pro depth hunter or another colored metered line. Best switch I have made.

[@spiltmilt]

These aren’t oversized by any means. They are as compact as any level wind or baitcaster on the market

[@Derekfowler88]

You the man

[@ClintFredenberg]

Hi Tyler. You got me thinking. I have 2 of the Tica reels, so I had to do my own test. I would have to do math if my reels were off by about 30% like your test. I have 10lb Maxima on both and they are almost full of line. I did a 50ft test with each twice and the reels were constant. One reel got 52 ft each time and the other got 47 ft. So as I like to say close enough for government work and much closer to true than your test. I also tested a Bass Pro Strata Maxx line counter and got 72ft. Anyways I guess it is good to check. Thanks for the video.

[@kellylambert4527]

I've always over spooled my reels just a bit then ran them out to a 100 ft. Then i can remove line if needed.But if there off that's why one rod catches all the fish being at a different depth.Great video!

[@leaveitonthefeild]

I wonder if the difference in feet varies depending on the length of the line you let out. Also, I wonder if you're walking the line out against the clicker is stripping more line than it can count? Great video and I hope to see more on this subject in the future. TL

[@waltblanding810]

Tyler, I have not seen a new video come out for a few weeks is all ok or am I just missing where they are. Thanks

[@spiltmilt]

I have been dealing with covid.

[@waltblanding810]

Sorry to hear that but glad you are still around was worried there. Get better and fish more.@@spiltmilt

[@rja62b]

shimano tekota line counters never failed me

[@spiltmilt]

A little big for Kokanee though

[@dognzo893]

Fish on