Wychwood - Carp Riot 65S Reel, Matt Black

Product Information

The Instant drag system is another reason why the Shimano Ultegra XTD is at the top of our list. Most modern carp fishing reels today have a dual drag system but not many do it as well as the Shimano Ultegra XTD. It allows you to seamlessly switch between two drag settings, one for freespool and another for fighting fish. Shimano has been pumping out great quality reels for a long time now and we have no hesitation in recommending their products, everything we find on any Shimano reel is always practical and precise, their attention to detail is superb, and in our opinion, the Baitrunner one of the best carp reels in this budget. Cheers. I’ve actually got the original riot as my spod reel. I’ve given it a hard time and the reel is OK but the drag has gone!

The Shimano Ultegra is one of the more expensive reels on this list but for good reason, it is equipped top to bottom with high-quality features and a finish you’d typically find on reels that cost several hundred pounds. Price: It probably sounds obvious, but there are links to the price you pay and the quality of a product. Try and set your expectations for the quality based on your budget. You wouldn’t expect a Rolls-Royce for the price of a Fiesta so bear this in mind when shopping. The performance on the Fox EOS 12000 is also astonishing, this reel is a workhorse with some serious cranking power that holds up in the toughest of situations. Although it’s not the lightest Big-pit we’ve tested, it is probably one of the toughest and is built of high-quality graphite that is designed to last. The Basia is arguably the best carp fishing reel ever made. There have been countless iterations of the Basia, making it among the most popular premium carp fishing reels. Nearly all of them are next to perfect but if money truly is no object and you want the best reel available, then the Daiwa 20 Tournament Basia 45 SCW QD is the reel for you.

Latest price search at very.co.uk: £74.99

Fights are also incredibly exciting on Shimano Ultegra XTD – which is important! It still is fun when fighting fish but it also provides plenty of control and it performs excellently in most circumstances, you have a great sense of maneuverability with this reel, providing that it is paired with an appropriate rod. Value

I also had a set of wychwood bait runners years ago and they went too so personally I won't be touching wychwood reels again. One of the main reasons we have the Shimano Ultegra XTD near the top of our list is the perfect line due to the incredibly slow oscillations in this reel. We’ve compared it to reels double its price and we seriously can’t tell much, if any difference. It is perfect for casting long distances and targeting those larger fish. Compact Big-Pits has become fashionable among anglers recently because of their amazing capabilities and they are also often cheaper than full-sized big-pits. The Wychwood Riot 65S is a perfect example of this, it’s everything you’d want your compact big-pit reel to be, it has an amazing casting capability, beautiful line, and gorgeous aesthetics (which matters a lot!) Quality A lot of people use these just for their Spod and marker setups and they say the riot big pit reels cast much further than 100 yards. Personally I think these reels are too good to use for that alone. I would buy the 75 model for marking and Spod setups and the 65RDS Reel

Price analysis of Wychwood Riot Big Pit 65S Reel

I've got 3 65s and they are great value. I'm going to be upgrading them soon and I'm looking at the Okumas as well The Vader X RS does everything you’d want a carp fishing reel to ever do and it does feel good for a reel at this price point. That being said it doesn’t feel particularly premium or special but its a reel most anglers would happily use without any problem. As you’d expect with a lot of products, quality is a very important factor for choosing products in the “Fishing” category. But it’s even more important to consider and get a feel for quality when you’re buying online because you aren’t given the benefit of being able to see and try the item for yourself. For most anglers, the reel is usually the most expensive bit of gear that you’ll buy and arguably the most important. With a vast array of options in the market, it’s a hard choice to decide which reel to invest in, which is why we’ve compiled a thoroughly researched list of our favourite carp fishing reels in 2023. Wychwood recommends that this reel is coupled with any of the top end rods the company have manufactured. This paring ensures that the Riot Big Pit Reel balances perfectly, and offers improved performance during casting. If you enjoy playing fish, then this reel is the perfect one for you.

The Riot Big Pit 75 has a considerable amount more capacity at 420m again with 15lb line. Last Thoughts These reels are awesomely priced for the build quality. They will definitely out perform any reel in this price range but are still up there with the big boys. It’s a timeless reel so it will not only last years but it will still be a good contender in years to come. Other pros are mentioned above. The okumas are larger than ss2600 I can't say in comparison to other 6000 reels. I have mine on 10ft xtractors and love them, I'm not against putting them on my 12ft rods either but I have my Penn's for that. The machine cut aluminium spool is the base on which the graphite body and rotor have been built. Graphite is an exceptional material, and is simultaneously high-strength and lightweight. This makes it the perfect material for top quality reels, as it maintains performance whilst keep overall weight to a minimum.The only con is, it’s not one of the best names out there for reels but if you can put up with that then there’s no issue at all.