Reel Review: Carbon X II 3000 by Piscifun

I’m not bragging… Really, I’m not…but I do have a lot of fishing reels. Not as many as my father, a collector of vintage reels, but plenty. Spinning reels. Casting reels. Knuckle-buster level winds. Fly reels. Old School push-button spin-casting reels. Name it, and it’s here somewhere.

And despite having what my wife refers to as a ‘ridiculous number of reels,’ annually, it seems, I find myself acquiring more. Why? Because fishing tackle manufacturers insist on introducing, this year, reels that are superior to those introduced last year. These latest innovations are lighter, stronger, smoother, and more aesthetically pleasing than their year-old brethren. They cast farther and simply do the tasks of winding line and fighting fish more efficiently than their predecessors.

Such is the case with Piscifun’s Carbon X II 3000 spinning reel. A direct descendent of the original Carbon X reel, the XII is labelled by the folks at Piscifun as being ‘ultralight,’ whereas the X carries a ‘light’ designation. There are some other differences as well, which we’ll get into in a moment.

While to some it might seem trivial, I was quite impressed with how the XII arrived in terms of packaging. A rather plain, yet not unattractive black/white box with cut-to-fit closed cell Styrofoam protective inserts. Nothing bad going to happen to this reel in transit!

Included in the box is the reel and separate reversible handle; a small zipper seal bag containing two spool spacers to be explained; a black cloth draw-string PISCIFUN storage bag (nice touch!); and simple instructions outlining several steps integral to the XII’s use on the water, e.g. winding line, changing spools, adjusting drag tension, and in-depth maintenance.

To my eye, the XII at first appears both elemental and futuristic at the same time. She seems small, fitting for a reel in the ‘ultralight’ category; however, it’s interesting to note, at least it is to me, that the XII weighs in at 5.5 ounces, while her supposedly larger cousin, the X, tips the scales at 5.1 ounces. Four-tenths of an ounce isn’t much. In fact, a GOOGLE search revealed that (.4 ounce) to be slightly less than the weight of a single 3x5 index card. But I digress.

I was immediately drawn to the XII’s skeletonized spool, which (1) looks really cool, (2) helps reduce overall weight, and (3) I would imagine keeps the inner workings, i.e. the main reel shaft and the whole of the drag system cooler by allowing some air circulation while fighting a fish, especially a larger fish. The spool carries the reel name – Carbon XII 3000 – in white, as well as very simple line capacity information for both braid (165 yards - #20) and monofilament (140 yards - #10).

To final notes about the spool I find interesting. The first are the included two spool spacers. Adding the spacers allows more line to be wrapped onto the back of the spool, while taking spacers away puts more line on the front portion of the spool. I’ve not seen this variable before; personal preference and (perhaps) casting style, I would imagine.

The second note concerns what I’ll call the ‘throat’ of the spool; that is, that portion of the spool upon which the line is actually/literally wrapped. With braid, it’s often necessary to first put a wrap of electrical tape tightly around this throat to prevent ‘ghost drag,’ which is essentially to prevent the slick braided line from slipping or spinning around the spool itself. Piscifun seems to have eliminated the need for this electrical tape wrap by incorporating a ¼-inch-wide knurled insert into the middle of the spool throat. This insert secures the braid, stopping this annoying slippage.

The XII in hand and given a quick 360, I like it. It’s a nice tight good-looking albeit visually simple little reel, perfect in this 3000 series format for crappie, yellow perch, bluegill, trout, and eater-size walleyes.

For in-the-field testing, I filled the XII with #8 monofilament and fitted it to a Piscifun 6’10” medium action spinning rod (PSR610MS). The complete outfit was then put through its paces at a local marina where the target species were largemouth bass, bluegills, pumpkinseeds, and yellow perch, as well as on a twin pair of alpine ponds not far from the Washington Coast where we focused on planted rainbow trout, with the hope of hooking into one of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s surplus #5-plus brood stock steelhead.

While the fishing was slow, I’m sure due in part to nighttime temperatures in the mid-20s, the rod/reel combination performed remarkably well. Here’s my take -

Direct drive

The XII is a direct drive system, which means the handle screws directly into the unit’s drivetrain. This makes for stronger system on the whole. It also results in what I’ll call a very positive system, meaning there’s no ‘slop’ or play between the handle, the drivetrain, and the spool; rather, there’s an immediate response during operation. Over the years, I’ve worked with plenty of both systems – direct drive, and pass-through – and I’m partial to the former due to the aforementioned immediate response.

Anti-reverse

Some may disagree, but given the efficiency of modern drag systems, the anti-reverse feature found on many spinning reels – rather the ability to turn the anti-reverse system OFF allowing you to back-reel and give a fish line along with using the drag – is somewhat of a moot point. Like its direct drive retrieve, the XII’s anti-reverse function is extremely positive; a ‘set it and forget it’ type of operation. I like that I have the option to turn the anti-reverse OFF; however, I can’t imagine a scenario, thanks to the reel’s excellent drag system, where I would use it.

Drag system

The XII features a multi-washer carbon fiber drag system offering up to a maximum of 22 pounds of resistance. That’s the technical part of the equation. The on-the-water element showed the drag to be incredibly smooth, without the ‘starts and stops’ common in lesser reels. Piscifun did a great of sizing, per se, the forward-facing drag knob at 1.5” long and .375” high, making it easy to adjust, even while wearing gloves.

Handle

This may seem a ridiculous analogy to some, but to me, there’s nothing worse than going to an all-you-can-eat buffet, building the world’s finest salad, and then at the end of the line finding the choice of salad dressings is mediocre at best. So, too, reels and their handles; nothing worse than a great reel with a terrible handle. That’s not a problem with the XII. The outfit’s aluminum handle combines strength with weight reduction, while the grip itself is proportioned nicely. As a note, the grip proper measure 1” wide by 1.5” long, and is made of Ethylene-vinyl acetate, or EVA, a soft copolymer with a ‘rubber-like’ feel that’s resistant to abuse, low temperatures, and ultraviolet radiation.

The rod (PSR610MS)

At first glance, I thought the Carbon R1 rod a bit on the light side – 6’10” / Medium Action – for something like steelhead or smaller (#6-9) silver salmon – however, and once I had the opportunity to play with the rod/reel outfit as a whole, I’m having to rethink that first impression. True, the rod is only rated for #12 test line with an upper lure weight limit of 5/18 ounce, a touch on the smaller side for my preferred salmon lures range from 5/8 to 1 ounce. But she seems to have plenty of spine, and given the abilities of the XII reel, I believe the system will do just fine at the mouth of the Columbia River come late August.

Visually, the R1 is a handsome piece; however, ‘pretty’ doesn’t catch fish nor does it keep a rod together when fighting a 12-pound fresh-from-the-ocean coho salmon. I’m pleased to see the R1 wears Fuji line guides, which in turn hold alconite, a lightweight yet incredibly strong and carrying a low abrasion value, inserts. She’s a comfortable – I believe the phrase might be ‘ergonomically superb’ – rod to hold for extended periods of time, thanks to a light one-piece carbon fiber handle and integrated reel seat. Techno-speak? A bit, but what it all means is you’re not going to get tired working all day with this rod. Oh, and the handle at the reel seat? Almost a ‘palm swell’ design, which makes for an incredibly comfortable and easy-to-feel outfit.

Overall, I’m impressed with the Carbon XII 3000 and the R1 rod separately, and particularly pleased with the two as a system. Silky smooth operation, positive response, lightweight, plenty of backbone in the rod; this system will make a fine smallmouth and walleye rig, along with serving double duty in early fall for Pacific salmon. Stay tuned for more once the season really gets rolling.