The C6000 jigging reels that DNG began producing back in 1995 have certainly stood the test of time. But now servicing for these reels is to be phased out in steps, and the new R1 reel is increasingly taking over.
The original reels were very much ahead of their time in the 1990s, hence their longevity. But the problem today is that much of the technology used in them is past its sell-by date, and spare parts are increasingly difficult to source. Some items are no longer manufactured, and the situation worsened significantly during the pandemic – when production of the C6000 reels came to an end.
The new R1 reel has been on the market now for a while, and it’s more powerful and sophisticated than its long-lived predecessor, and is designed to keep fish on the hook as effectively as possible.
‘The new R1 reel combines the qualities of the old reels, alongside being based on the latest technology to make jig fishing more effective than ever,’ said Daði Tryggvason, DNG project manager at the Slippurinn shipyard in Akureyri which took over DNG some years ago.
Servicing old reels is being shut down in steps as spares become increasingly scarce. From 15th March this year, machines produced before 2005 will no longer be handled. Anything older than 2012 drops out from January next year and from January 2028 the service department will no longer deal with reels from before 2020.
‘We’re talking about components that are decades old and at a certain point they have to be replaced,’ said service manager Ármann Guðmundsson, commenting that they have made efforts to keep a stock of components to be able to offer customers continued servicing.
‘We have taken our time to prepare our customers for these changes, and a key aspect of this is that we can offer them the new R1 reels to replace their older machines.
DNG is now offering its customers the opportunity to part-exchange older reels for new.
‘This is an upgrade offer, exchanging reels older than 2005 and newer ones that can’t be put back into use as ISK100,000 towards each new reel,’ Daði Tryggvason said.
‘This offer stands through 2026. We’re also offering customers the opportunity to bring reels in to be evaluated, and we can provide advice on repair, overhaul or part-exchange, depending what is the most cost-effective option. The R1 reels have performed exceptionally well for the small boat fishermen who have been using them. So we have some good options to offer our customers.’
