Shimano Aerlex XTA 7000 Spod Reel

Spodding has become a major part of the carp angler’s arsenal and over the years it soon became apparent that if you want to fish the spod at distance and regularly, the standard rods and reels that you would use for your regular fishing would soon start to suffer from the stresses of continuously casting 5 – 8 ounce weight big distances. To assist the angler a new generation of beefed up, hard wearing rods and in particular reels were required to handle this punishing activity and over the years Shimano have been one of the pack leaders. So it came as no surprise when we heard about the latest addition to the spod angler’s artillery, the new for 2011 Aerlex 7000 XTA Spod reel.

So we made a call to Richard Griffiths the Shimano marketing chief who kindly offered to send one for the UKMA team to have a look at.

Whilst we had him on the phone we asked Richard what are the three main features that make the Aerlex XTA 7000 Spod reel stand out over other reels designed to do the same job.

1. The Baitrunner spool II spool - Only requires 3 to 4 clicks to activate the freespool making it easier to pull braid from the spool when depth finding with a marker floats.
2. The 5.3:1 Gear Ratio - This was the hardest part of the reel to get spot on and required more time to develop to meet Shimanos strength standards - The super high retrieve means that spods will effortlessly skip over the surface of the water not diving under making spodding more effortless.
3. Three line clips - I would thing that most people have used a single line clip twice - Line clips are only designed to hold a single strand of line (this is evident by the click when you place it under the line clip) a second strand of line wont click and will often release itself when you wind in straight after hitting the clip losing your marker.

So after listening to these good points and having a play in the office, we took the Aerlex XTA7000 Spod reel out on the bank to put it through its pace, here’s how we got on.

Vital Statistics

• 1 x Shielded stainless steel bearing
• 1 x roller bearing
• Floating Shaft II
• Aerowrap II
• Super Stopper II
• AR-C Line Management System
• Baitrunner Spool II
• 2 Speed Oscillation
• Maintenance Port
• High efficiency gear
• Gear ratio - 5.3:1
• Line cap. - 270yds/17lb (250m/0.40mm)
• Weight - 580g

The Aerlex XTA 7000 Spod reel is specifically designed for spod work and when you look at the features it all makes sense. To cope with the continuous abuse the reel is put under casting and retrieving heavy weights, a powerful 5.3:1 gear ratio has been selected which is a very quick retrieve for a reel of this size and perfect for continuous spodding. It boasts three strong metal line clips on its lightweight aluminium spool that are clearly numbered I, II & III and the inclusion of the three line clips allows you to mark up three different spodding distances at the same time. I found the easies way to do this was to mark the furthest distance first and once clipped up mark the braid with a small piece of insulating tape just above the line clip. Then mark the middle distance and then the shortest distance last, it is that simple.

TOP TIP - To make each distance marks recognition easier simply use a different coloured insulating tape for each mark.

Other noticeable features to be found on the Aerlex XTA 7000 Spod reel include the lightweight aluminium spool which has a huge line capacity of 270 yards of 17lb line. The spool is also fitted with a Baitrunner spool II system, which also makes it an ideal choice for use as a marker reel as well. Although it is a reel designed specifically for all spod and marker situations. The inclusion of the Baitrunner spool II system and the fact that the reel only weighs in at 580g, means that the Aerlex XTA 7000 Spod reel with its sleek mat black and chrome finish will also find favour as a reel suitable for all usual fishing situations where a big pit reel is required. So what you are really buying here is an all rounder that can be used for spod, marker and general fishing situations and its all round performance when tested justifies these claims.

Final Thoughts

The release of the all new Aerlex XTA 7000 Spod reel has seen Shimano take the old Aerlex XS reels and totally re-vamped the range, giving it an entirely new look and credentials for 2011. Faster gear ratio for quicker retrieve and better line lay are just two of the features that make the Aerlex XTA 7000 Spod reel definitely worth a look if you’re in the market for a hard working, reliable reel that can handle some proper hard core angling punishment. Add to the equation a total cosmetic re-boot and Shimano have turned these hard working ponies into stallions of the reel world and designed a reel that is well worthy of a place on any anglers Spod or Marker rod. The biggest plus that the Aerlex XTA 7000 spod reel brings to the table is superb value for money. These top quality reels comfortably sit in the £104.99 price bracket but shop around on-line and you can make some great saving.

For further information on the range of Shimano products, please click the image below.