20
April, 2015
NEW GEAR
Archenemy Nemesis Reel and Archenemy Reel Seat
New for 2015, Bass Pro Shops is now offering the Archenemy Nemesis spincast reel and Archenemy Bowfishing Reel Seat. This reel has a lot of great features and appears to have addressed some of the biggest concerns many spincast shooters face today.
Let’s start with the reel cap. The oversized cap offers a large opening with ample room for the line to stream off the reel cleanly. The cap is plastic, and in this case I see that as a good thing. The overall reel is quite large and a metal cap could add unnecessary weight. There are three large cutouts surrounding the base of the cap that offer easy access to spray down braided lines with a silicone lubricant.
After removing the cap you can easily see the dual pick-up pins that make quick work of pulling in line. According to the manufacturer you’ll get 21 inches of line back for each turn of the handle. The oversized, single handle is easy to find and doesn’t get in the way. This feature should prevent accidentally engaging the reel in between shots which can lead to frustrating arrow pull-offs, or worse, lost arrows.
The push button is very large and should make it easy to find, especially with gloves on, during cold spring and fall nights. When the reel is engaged after the shot, a 2.7:1 gear ratio gives the reel plenty of horsepower. The reel will hold approximately 25 yards of 200# test braided line.
Removing the body from the plastic casing reveals a well-built, sturdy design with substantial gears that should avoid stripping even up against large fish. Archenemy calls this their 4X SSC Technology (Super-Sized Components). The drag system has an advertised clamping strength up to 33 lbs. This will allow you to lock it down if drag isn’t needed and my on the water experience found the drag to be relatively smooth when it was.
Comparing the internals of this reel to a Shakespeare Ti-20 reveal some similarities, but there are also substantial differences which should make this reel a rock-solid work horse. This reel features 4 ball bearings for smooth operation, compared to the Ti-20’s 2 bearings.
The reel foot is part of the die-cast aluminum lower frame. Although that sounds great, it’s one area
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Comparing cap sizes between 4 popular reel models clearly shows how much longer the AE Nemesis cap is.
Left to Right: AE Nemesis, Muzzy XD Pro, Muzzy XD, Shakespeare Ti-20
Comparing internals shows how much beefier the AE Nemesis (right) is compared to the Ti-20
All photos by Pete Gregoire