Opinions on the Lindgen-Pitman S-1200 electric reel?

[Vimy Ridge 1917]

Hi Guys,
I am looking for opinions on the new Lindgren–Pitman s-1200 electric reel? Anyone who owns one, or has used one care to share their "real world" thoughts?
Thank you,
Curt

[cogzwell]

i have heard they are the newest and best around. I was just talking with Tom Green about them and he has 10 on backorder. I am thinking of getting one.

[Rockhound]

would like to see one. Looks small compared to L.P. on a 130. Will wait to buy one. Can't believe they can make a reel as good as the guys that have been building them forever. Should be cheaper. 24 or 36 volts?

[wackme]

they are a 12 volt reel and the only one on the market as i know for deep dropping. which is good for me my dad doesnt want to buy a converter for a 24 or 36 volt so he is probabily going to buy this one.

[RiskTaker]

I tell you: I am very excited about this reel. But I have not used one yet nor own one yet.

Is there anyone out there that can say they own one and have any feedback yet.

I hope that all of you Electric reel candidates drooling over this reel are aware of the price.

http://www.alltackle.com/Merchant2/m...e=LP-S1200-TTN

Seems like the price has dropped $500 already, unless I forgot and was including the titanium spool.

I need to refresh, but if this reel could boast a substantial warranty, the bite will turn on.

Yes, and you can justify the sticker price just a wee bit more if you consider the cost to configure a 24VDC wiring configuration: this is totaly eliminated with this 12VDC system. Unless you stlll need to be configured for another 24VDC load.

[jerry]

RT, I have not used one as yet, however, a guy I know that deepdrops quite a bit here in Jamaica has had one a couple of months now. He says it works very well, the features are cool and the power is as good as the LP's we all know so well. He is so pleased he has just ordered his second one.

[bajakian]

Just got mine, looks really sweet but i havent had a chance to try it out yet. It may be a bit more voltage sensitive than some other reels-Its got some computer circuits in it.

[Vimy Ridge 1917]

Thanks for the feedback.... please keep it coming!
Curt

[RiskTaker]

Curt:

OK man, I've got some news that you can use now.

We just got back from a 5 day fishing adventure in the Bahamas, with Cogzwell. He stopped thinking about buying one and did it.

So we got to get that baby wet for the first time on this trip.

WOW. I am very impressed with this reel. It seems like LP has done a very good job with putting this reel together. Lindgren and Pitman.

Report: The very first fish we caught with this reel was a 50# plus Amber Jack in about 450 FSW: it was the biggest Amber Jack I have ever caught. We knew that we had something very big, so big that I thought that it was a shark (just forgot for the moment about the possibility of an AJ).

This reel is a two speed, but we did not put it into low gear; although, with that bruiser on the line we should have changed speeds.

The reel is an absolute pleasure to use: Make sure you are reset on zero, put it into full free spool position, the line pays out smoothly without any touching of the spool or backlashing. Just keep an eye on the number, when it gets close to the depth you are showing on the sounder, get your hand ready. A soon as it hits bottom, stop the spool quickly or you will get some backlash (that is my preference, but I suppose you could increase the drag setting slightly until you are on bottom.

The cavity on the spool is perfectly suited for handling. We were going up and down in somee sloppy seas one day and it was so easy to keep the line taught as well as not bouncing the lead on the bottom.

Now that I have had a chance to test drive this reel, I am further convinced that it is a wonderful piece of machinery. Will let you know 5 years from now how it is holding up.

It is just a bummer that the price jumped up another $500: but I suppose that is how you can balance the supply to the demand. But I sure hope the price comes down again (or the occassional SALE), once the initial orders have all been satisfied.

A solid thumbs up on this reel, from my vantage point.
(And I have nothing to gain from LP by saying so either.)

RT

[Vimy Ridge 1917]

Thanks Risky for taking the time to give the detailed post.

Curt

[Vimy Ridge 1917]

Well I deep dropped into my wallet and ordered an s-1200 today. A bit of a wait, but TEK assured me it will be worth it.
Curt

[RiskTaker]

Worth the wait or worth the big bucks?

I think you will like it, so long as you can digest the sticker price.

[Electricfishing]

Whats the best part of this reel while using it?
how fast does it reel up?
real world thought are great. thanks for all the info

[Vimy Ridge 1917]

I have to wait 6-8 weeks to get it. Sorry for the confusion on that. I will post a detailed report when I use it.
In the meantime, maybe forum member Dakine will chime in with an owners report. I notice he has one.
Thanks guys.
Curt

[RiskTaker]

I think that I read somwwhere that he borrowed it from a friend. By the way, I have the same friend and got to use the unit in the Bahamas a few months back.

This electric reel it "da Bom". You set the 0 counter at the beginning of your drop, but everytime is not necessary. On the retrieve, it will automatically stop before the swivel can slam the rod tip.

It is a two speed reel: I believe that you can change on the fly or it is as simple as pressing two buttons simultaneously.

Lever drag. This sure beats the more cheesy star drag or or 3 way wing- nut models. Release the drag all the way on the drop: it never backlashed at all. The only recommendation is to watch the Line Counter, so when you get to your bottom depth you prepare to stop the spool manually, because you can get an over run when the weight suddenly hits bottom. That is simply your skill for this, but can be master in only one or two drops. So the learning curve is extremely shallow, pardon pun.

Oh yeah, did I mention a nice LED display Line Counter. I did not use it at night so I did not see how it looks after dark.

The spool axle is on the right side of the line spool, not connected on both sides. This enables you to utilize your left hand to EASILY maintain enough tension on the line to feel bights, yet you are limber enough to allow the spool roll back and forth to compensate for wave action or boat motion from your bottom position, without dragging the weight or having slop in the line. You hand can fit inside the spool, so you can apply hand drag, inside, on the side or on the exterior surface, whichever place you have a preference. This feature to me is what sets this machine in a different league from most of the others. The level drag can be brought up in an instant and you can bump the retrieve if you like, and immmediately go back to hand drag whenever you like.

Level wind.

So far, I have used LPs with star-drag reels, the Krystal XL-75, which has a similar spool construction , and the LP s-1200.

This reel is certainly a supior product in my mind as far a form, fit and function. The long term reliability remains to be earned. And the price is certainly formidable. But some people will only go for a top shelf/quaity product.

Granted I have not personally used the Krystal 651, or any of the same style models, so I cannot compare by hands on. However, I can plainly see they you do not have the same degree of hand control like the LP s-1200.

So to each his own. They have been around a lot longer than the S-1200. So tehey may have been the state of the art up until now. Choose what you like.

[cogzwell]

yea, it is the sh_t!

just used it in Bimini on friday and killed the yellow eye. You acualy get to drink a beer when it is on its way up -- no worries the line stops at zero.

I have an order in for a second one.

[Vimy Ridge 1917]

RiskTaker, thanks for the report!

So you use your hand to move the spool back and forth to compensate for the wave action?

I'm not sure I follow the "bump the retrieve" part either.

Thanks,
Curt

[RiskTaker]

Cogzwell - You be the MAN. You may be the first kid on your block to be the proud owner of two LP reels. Now you will need a second hand to be able to operate both in sequence. Ya Mon !

Curt - Understand that I am a bit new to this deep dropping business. I do not have years of experience but I can say that some of this stuff is common sense or it makes sense when coming from an experienced deep dropper, which part, I am sharing with you from what I have already learned. So to further explain the parts where you may not have understood, I will re-state.

The part about keeping just hand drag means: I have the lever drag at a very low setting but moved up a little bit from free spool. Your hand touching the spool is acting as the drag. This allows you to pay out line, as you are drifting off of your mark and/or wave action is moving you up and down, without dragging the weight along the bottom or going slack on your line. (From what I have learned from others that deep drop, you need to keep your baits in a stationary position if you have expectations to be good at catching snappers. I do not know if the same rule applies to other fish species: groupers, tiles, AJs, etc. So a light hand pressure with your gloved left hand allows enough pressure on the line to keep it snug, so you can feel bites, yet not drag bottom.

The bump part - is about increasing the lever drag and activating the motor to retrieve for just a moment, then letting it back on the bottom. For me this seems to indicate a difference between setting a fish on the hook versus a nibble. I have heard more than one guy say that they will bump the motor to set the Circle Hooks on a fish, so that they can continue fishing a little bit longer before starting a continuous retrieve to the surface. I have not yet mastered this technique yet, since I have not yet brought a full stringer full of fish to the surface. But it seems like this is the method to gett' er done. Once you begin your retrieve to the surface, it seems like you should stay in motion without stopping. For one to keep the line tight on the fish and 2, minimizing the amount of time with fish in the water, for sharks to eat your lunch.

Hope that helps.

[Vimy Ridge 1917]

Got it... thanks RiskTaker!

Its going to be a long wait for my s-1200. Only 55 days to go. :shock:
Curt

[Electricfishing]

where can i get the specification on this reel?

never mind found some.

thanks alot

[stag11]

I have one of the first built. The best deep drop reel that I have ever owned. The most rouble free. A bit expensive. The guys at LP are very customer friendly and will spend the time with you at any time. I use wire so I can run two deep drop rigs at a time. The reel brought up a 120Lb Mystic Grouper from 1,200' (Cay Sal Bank) like nothing. I recently got hooked on sword fishing and want to try it on that. I think the guys at LP use them for that as well.

[cogzwell]

Stag11

Wire sounds interesting..... what type and how much do you have on the spool? Do you drop 2 at a time or one down and one up?

[stag11]

Any one need any info or has any questions can call me 718-755-0123 or E mail stag11@bellsouth.net. I live in Miami.

[stag11]

As for the wire question I use stainless and yes you can drop two at the same time depending on the current. There are two types of wire. Regular stainless and the other type slips my mind but is more flexible. The nice thing about wire is it cuts the current much better than braid. If you work two the catch can be pretty productive. I have had days in the bahamas that have yeilded 4 - 500 lb of fish. Grouper and fat Yellow Eye.