Garbolino SuperCaster Carbon SPC535C
First Impressions
Garbolino UK, over the past decade, have put together a comprehensive range of poles, rods and accessories that are competing on a par with the pack leaders and deservedly getting a big slice of the market place. So it was inevitable that the French based company would eventually have a dive into the already competitive and over crowded world of Reels to accompany the superb rod ranges Garbolino have already established amongst the match angling legions
There are two pattern options in the range that are designed with both overall practical performance and finished appearance taken into consideration, as these are critical selling points when establishing a new range of reels into an already swamped market.
Firstly you have the SuperCaster Alloy which is a great all round reel design to cope with the most physical of tasks, making it suitable for all fresh water and heavy lure work, even on salt waters.
To accompany the Alloy, Garbolino have also released the SuperCaster Carbon. We received the SPC535C model from Darren Cox a couple of months ago to have a play with. So we put it under the Microscope over the past few weeks, just to get to know what the SuperCaster Carbon was 
all about, here’s what we have found.
Vital Statistics
- Carbon main body and rotor
- Compression spring closure on bail arm pick-up
- Reversible folding forged handle with ‘T’ shaped knob
- Infinite anti-reverse
- 6 stainless steel ball bearings
- Easy line control on spool lip
- Line clip
- Wide diameter spool gives less line twists and coil memory as well as less tangles especially with braid ultimately putting more yards onto your cast
- Shielded wider drag disks give better braking ability and wider adjustment range
- Line capacity reducer included with each spool
- A free spare spool as standard (Graphite with Line Capacity Reducer)
First Impressions
The SuperCaster Carbon is based upon a design that has become very popular amongst the North American lure anglers over the past decade. The major feature which makes them totally different from other front drag reels that are readily available in the UK at present, is that the spool is much wider in diameter than your usual fixed spool reel. The idea behind this is to allow for larger coils to come off of the spool, which adds distance to your casting and also greatly assists in eliminating line twist.
The large diameter of the spools gives the reel incredible line storage when using heavier gauged lines but in most match fishing situations this large capacity is not essential. So to compensate, each spool is supplied with a Line Capacity Reducer, if you are using a 0.33mm diameter line the spool will take 190m of line to totally fill the spool. By adding the reducer, you will only require 110m of line to perfectly fill the spool every time, which could reduce your annual line bill considerably.
These feature packed spools are housed on a surprisingly small black carbon body with gold trim and graphics, making them not only very useful reels but they also look the part on your rod, which to many anglers is far more important (tarts that we all are) This combination creates a very well balanced reel that features a wishbone style handle with a T-shaped grip and a line lay that compares to any I have seen on reels that are in the same price bracket as the SuperCaster Carbon..
There are two sizes available in the SuperCaster Carbon range. You have the SPC535C model, which is a standard 3500 sized match reel (featured) which has a powerful 4.2/1 ratio and is perfect for all Pellet Waggler and light to medium, feeder work on most commercial fisheries. On venues were big fish are the target we recommend that you use the SPC545C (4500size). This is a real beast, with the same ratio as its little brother but with far more power in reserve.
To keep all this power under control, like on all performance machines you require a reliable gear and clutch system. So Garbolino have added a front drag system that is wider than normal shielded drag discs, offering an improved braking ability as well as a wider range of clutch adjustment. The very precise 'plus' and 'minus' movements that are possible noticeably change the control of line being released when under pressure, giving you total control when you have a lump under your rod tip.
Final Thoughts
We as yet have to really put the SuperCaster Carbon through a really hard session to see exactly what they can do but on first impressions Garbolino have added features to this reel that make a practical difference to the man on the bank. The front drag is a dream, the line capacity reducers make the loading of a 110yd spool of line a simple as you like, no more backing line or guestimating - perfectly filled spools every time. The SuperCaster Carbon SPC 535C carries an RRP of £54.99 and the SPC 545C selling for £64.99, with spare spools for both costing £14.99 each.
Watch this space for our full on the bank test coming to UKMA very soon
