Shimano pulled out all the stops in putting high-quality components into a value-priced package
Title Image: The Shimano NASCI 1000 paired with an ultra-light rod for spring pan fish action
By Ben Martin
Outdoor Action Ontario
When you spend as much time on the water as Outdoor Action Ontario (OAO) founder and President Ben Martin, it becomes engrained in your attitude to always seek out the best-quality gear you can find. This constant search means a lot of time spent in the field, testing out products to ensure that tools taken out for professional pursuits are high-grade enough to match the rigours of outdoor life in Ontario – equipment that can stand up to rain, sleet and snow, extremely high and low temperature runs, and pounding abuse over thousands of kilometers of some of the roughest, rugged and ultimately beautiful terrain that exists.
Such is life for your average outdoorsman and woman in Ontario. A favorite activity for the author is field-testing gear so that Outdoor Action Ontario can share reports to assist you when it comes time to spending your hard-earned dough on gear for whatever outdoor pursuits you favour. Of course, when it comes to angling in Ontario, you need to make sure that you can get past the promotional hype behind a lot of products to select a quality rod or reel that will have lasting value for you as a consumer.
Across Ontario’s waters we are blessed with different species of fish. When it comes to angling, it pays to have versatile equipment that can handle the situations you may come across: Finesse-fishing, jigging for walleye, drop-shotting and “wacky” rigging, as well as throwing light/smaller presentations for pan fish would usually all require different set-ups for fishing reels.
Enter the Shimano NASCI series of reels, which Outdoor Action Ontario has been diligently testing for the last several months over a series of different applications.
NASCI 1000 FB Features:
- X-Ship
- 4+1 Bearings, 5:0:1 gear ratio
- Retrieve 26 (in)
- 7.6 oz.
- Front Drag
- 7 (lb) Drag Power
Official Shimano NASCI Specification Page:
http://fish.shimano.com/content/sac-fish/en/home/products/fishing-reels/spinning/nasci.html
From Ice-fishing to Finesse to Heavy Hauling – NASCI can “Handle” it
The NASCI is officially listed by Shimano as being a “powerful spinning reel with unparalleled gear durability at its price point. Incorporating upgraded drag, X-Ship and HGN Gearing, and available in sizes from 1000 through 5000, it’s a great choice for everything from light freshwater to medium saltwater applications.” OAO can attest that this description is accurate – allow us to explain.
When it was first introduced, Outdoor Action Ontario was intrigued by what was being offered in this unique package. Reels such as the Shimano Stradic Ci4+ and HG lines had already been extensively utilized in the field by OAO, and their quality was and is well-known to thousands of anglers around the world. The fact that the NASCI series was being portrayed as having many of the same bells and whistles, like X-Ship and Hagane forged gears, but in such a lower price point was very attractive.
Having a quality reel at such a low price-point allows anglers to maximize their rod/reel combos, outfitting 2-3 different rods with the NASCI 1000 or 2500, for example. This allows extremely high-quality gear at a very affordable price. With this in mind, the author procured 2 NASCI 1000 FB spinning reels in the late winter of 2016 to begin the extensive field-testing required to give a thorough and accurate review of this product to our Readership.
For many anglers the 1000 may seem like a strange option, as most choose larger reels with capacity on the spool for more line. Frankly, OAO chose the 1000 for two different reasons – to test for more finesse applications as well as to outfit on an ice-fishing combo to truly put it to a hardcore test during the 2017 winter. The 1000-series fit very nicely onto a 36 inch ice-fishing rod. Weighing in at 7.6 ounces also means you can fish long days with it remaining comfortable.
The Shimano NASCI 1000 FB as seen on a 36-inch St. Croix ice-fishing rod.
The durability factor is one of the most important for anglers in Ontario. Conditions can be grueling, especially for tournament anglers who may be on the water for 10-12 hours during practice days and a minimum of 8 hours during tournament days. Ice-fishing with the NASCI 1000 was meant to see how the reel performs in the harshest conditions possible for long periods: 3-5 hours at a time in -20 conditions across frozen Ontario lakes and rivers. The end results were nothing short of fantastic: The reel performed flawlessly, even in the worst conditions imaginable. Pan fish, pike and walleye all came up through the ice with no problems whatsoever. In fact, this is the first noticeable impression of the NASCI series, with its smooth-handling drag and quality components: With the drag set right you will have success fighting the lightest pan fish or very large toothy critters with no issue at all. To say that the author was pleased with the NASCI 1000 reel during the hard water season is an understatement – the reels were flawless.
A typical Ontario winter day on the Lake – 20 inches of ice and -25 degree weather!
For most anglers, hard-water season is just a prelude to spring and summer and the opportunity to chase our favorite fish across waterways around the province. For many this starts with pan fish in the spring, such as Crappie and Perch. Later in the season, it leads to Walleye and Bass. The author had the chance to fish for Bass on the Quebec side earlier this spring, but we will focus on the efforts to locate and catch Crappie in Eastern Ontario with the NASCI 1000.
A St. Lawrence smallmouth bass proved no match for the NASCI’s smooth drag performance.
When chasing large Crappie, the first thing to understand is that the bull males can and will behave many times like a bass. Thus, you can utilize light line and finesse float-tactics if you wish – but for the most esteemed anglers there is a realization that simply minimizing your bass gear (think 6-8 pound fluorocarbon line with 2-3 inch minnow, tube and grub baits) you can really lessen your search times and put trophy pan fish into your live wells.
A bruiser of a pumpkinseed on 4 pound test monofilament in mid-April.
That was exactly the concept with an ultralight rod, combined with the NASCI 1000 and 8 pound monofilament with a 4 pound fluorocarbon leader. The ticket to success: pinning a 2.8 inch Jackall Rhythm Wave to a 1/16 oz. swimming jig. With aggressive male Crappie located, you can simply cast and swim this bait to create a frenzy of fish in no time. The trick is understanding that large Crappie can really fight – weighing upwards of 1-2 pounds, so with light line you need a great drag system.
The Jackall Rhythm Wave 2.8 pinned to a 1/16 oz. swimming jig has proved quite effective when paired with an ultralight combo involving the Shimano NASCI 1000 FB.
Another trophy Ontario Crappie taken in early spring in Eastern Ontario.
This is where the NASCI 1000 shines. Even with light line, you will have reason to appreciate the drag – too often to count you will see bass and pike hit your lures when fishing for large Crappie. The drag allows you to land fish that would normally break the light lines used for pan fish. This proved to be true, time after time while catching trophy Crappie.
Shimano has taken technology from higher-end reels and brought it down throughout their entire Reel line, giving Anglers a lot more “bang” for their buck.
The NASCI more than delivers on Shimano’s promise that it is “a powerful spinning reel with unparalleled gear durability” and at its price point it truly gives anglers ranging in ability from beginner to advanced more than their money’s worth. The X-Ship and HGN Gearing, along with range of choices from 1000 to 5000 size reels also provide a great range of options no matter what type of fishing you prefer.
Shimano has taken technology from their higher end reels and transferred it into a range of reels that will suit most any angler’s budget, as well as meeting needs for specific types of angling. That said, as the author has shown, even 1 single reel, the NASCI 1000 FB, can handle pretty much anything you can possibly throw at it.
Tight lines, Friends!
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You can contact the Author, Ben Martin, through email at Benjamin@outdooractionontario.com