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Posts: 21
| Having a slow day I spent part of the day reading up on the most desired reels for Muskie fishing. Seems that the Shimano Tranx is on a lot of wish lists of Muskie fisherman. I'm transitioning to Muskie after a lot of years fishing the salt for tuna, Yellowtail and freshwater for trout and salmon. I've seen and handled the Tranx on the Yellowtail and tuna boats, it's a big reel! I use a Toro 60 and various other reels and they are large but not the size of the Tranx. Lacking experience of actually seeing what is really used on the lakes for Muskie maybe some of you can tell me what the average size reel is really being used. I know there is a big difference between the equipment I see being used on fishing TV shows and reality when I actually get to the lake to fish myself. This got me wondering how large compared to each other my reels were. Never really thought about it before. The Toro 60 looks really large and the Tranx is a lot larger.LOL Reg in SoCal
Took a picture of the Toro 60 next to a Penn TRQ25N 2 speed my medium size tuna reel at 21oz its only 1oz heavier than the Tranx. Also next to it is a Revo Inshore about what a low profile bass reel is.
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Posts: 1209
| Tranx is renowned for being able to pull in inches of line fast without the resistance of the "smaller reels ". To me tranx wouldn't be comfortable. And at no point have I felt limited with my Abu toro 50-60's. Personal preference really. Just no bass stuff |
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Posts: 21
| I agree I've never had problems with the Toro pulling heavy tuna jigs. I guess with reading everything about the Tranx for muskie got me wondering if I should upgrade. No experience pulling 16oz lures though! |
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Posts: 735
Location: Apparently where the Muskie aren't | Another vote for the toro's here. Got the toro nacl and it's my favorite reel. Very comfortable as well. It's about the same size as the toro S but it's a little wider. I would defiantly say as far as average size goes the S, beast and nacl is the average but reels like the tranx are far from uncommon. Like you were saying the tranx is on everybody's wish list, it's defiantly on mine. |
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Posts: 21
| Going to fish this season with the Toro S60 and the Diawa Saltist 20 H-C it has 35" per turn for speed. The 20H-C is a little more of a touchy casting reel though. Will keep looking at the Tranx.on a wish list. I'll bring my Torque 25NLD2 its almost got the same size, gear and weight as the Tranx at 39" per turn, just to try. Can't wait for my first trip! Hey if I just had my 6500C3 I'd be tickled just catching my first large muskie!
A quick side question. What is the heaviest lure you cast with the Toro? |
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Posts: 34
Location: New Carlisle, IN | Is there a levelwind on the torque? How do you like the Saltisst vs the Toro? I also came from a saltwater background, opposite coast as you though, and have been surprised by the size Musky gear after catching a few. The size gear is all about the baits we use for Musky. I have the Toro S 60 and I love it. I am looking for another reel and debating on getting another Abu Garcia brand or 13 fishing A3 or Okuma Komodo. I was also considering the Saltist but have heard it's harder to cast light baits. The Toro S casts so easy, I may not want to switch. To me, I feel like the Tranx would be overkill but I can see loving it if I fished a long weekend and 10,000 casts. |
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Posts: 1638
Location: Minnesota | The Tranx is a great reel PG and HG put it on a 9foot rod it balance out very well. I use the HG for rubber and the Pg for blades. I do have 400 D and 400 TE , last year I used my Tranx more then my other reels. I'm a small guy and I have no problem with using the Tranx all day |
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Posts: 1209
| The 16 oz lures aren't that heavy once there wet, so speed requirement may lean toward a toro beast ( rocket) or tranx hg. It's the tranx hg with an extended handle that lets you pull a high resistance lure like a double 10 fast. And since I haven't seen speed work that good in my area I'm not getting one. |
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Posts: 2337
Location: Chisholm, MN | I know a lot of people do it, but I would have a hard time using a smaller reel than a Tranx for big blades. I just know in my mind that I am using the right reel for the job, and anything smaller would make me think I am going to have problems eventually. The Abu Beast is a sweet reel though. |
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Posts: 785
| The Saltist would be my "go to" of the reels pictured, at least on larger lures. I run two Saltist 20's and have a 30 but have it as a back up currently. For smaller stuff I break out a Shimano Calcutta. Speed is a concern with a musky reel but the other issue is how the heavy drag of muskie lures chews up gears and really reduces the life of a reel. Saltist will handle that abuse longer. However for big blades I did finally break down and get a Tranx which I've been using for 3 years now and really like. For smaller lures the smaller reels should hold up fine. Just realize as you start getting into magnum bulldawgs and cowgirls the gears of lesser reels will be getting really overworked.
I've not used the newer low pro abu garcia reels so I can't speak to them. I do have a literal pile of 12 Ambassador series reels in various models that are all wrecked from musky fishing. Most didn't make it through a single season. I finally stopped repairing them and retired them all after losing my second giant fish to the reel freezing up on me during the fight. |
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| I used to think that the Tranx was too big, too heavy, and too ugly that is until I actually used one. A buddy bought one and paired it up with a 8' MH St. Croix. IMO this was not the correct rod to put this reel on but it was still not that bad from a comfort / balance standpoint. I currently own 6 Abu's and one Diawa and the next reel I purchase will be a Tranx. |
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Posts: 983
| Gotta love the the Toro S and the Beast this what I would go with...Tranx just too big imo and expensive...If I wanted a big reel like bigger than Toro I would go with the LEXAHD anyways that things a beast IMO...for what your talking toro or beast |
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Posts: 21
| Ryan21 the torque does not have a levelwind. It is my go to reel for larger yellowtail and tuna 40-65 lbs jigging. A typical lure I cast with it is 80-160gr or 2.8-5.6 oz. My thumb is the level wind and I usually have an elastic tape wrapped around the thumb. I like the Saltist 20H-C a lot for casting but its not as easy as the Toro 60. It definitely is not a lightweight reel. I put Maxcuatro braid on the Saltist because its 25% thinner than the same strength regular Powerpro so I have more line plus can cast it further. It is a lot more expensive at $17+ per hundred yard. Just read that the Shimano Tranx 300 and 400 will be at the Fred Hall show on March1. I already had plans to attend that day so I'm going to bring my Toro60 and compare them. I'll take a picture and video. I may have to sell a couple reels if I like it. LOL. Reg in SoCal. |
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Posts: 386
| Those new smaller tranx should be sweet. I don't see any of them replacing the 500 for pulling double 10s or larger blades though. Say what you will about size/weight, they pull in those high resistance baits at speed better than any other reels. The low gear ratio abus work well for this too but can't match the speed.
To get back on topic, the 300 and 400 size reels tend to be the most common (50 and 60 sizes for the abus). At the end of the day, you need to match the reel to the application. If you're wanting to stick with one reel for everything I would go with that toro s 60. It is a great utility reel that can handle about anything you want to throw. I used a saltist for a long time when throwing the double 10s and it got the job done. Works better for retrieving those big, high resistance baits but casting with it is trickier than the S 60. Try them both out and see what you prefer. With the reels you have pictured you are all set to fish skies, you really wouldn't necessarily need to replace any of them if you paired them with a rod meant for the application. |
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Posts: 256
| Welcome to muskie/big pike fishing, where people use tuna reels to fish for fish that fight less than an equal size trout.
In all seriousness, go for a quality 400 size reel if you are starting, such as a calcutta 400 or a toro 60. Should be flexible enlught for most fishing methodes.
Have you already chosen what rod you will use? Knowing that will help with chosing a reel. |
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Posts: 133
| For me using a tranx has nothing to do with fighting the fish. It's about working the lures to the best of my ability.... I may be in the minority but every single bait in my box to me works with my tranx... Blades, jerk baits, top waters, rubber. I have 7 top of the line musky reels. Amd I use my tranx 99% of the time. Don't have big hands at all either. |
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Posts: 21
| That's funny about using tuna gear for muskie fishing. My trout fishing buddies tell me a similar thing when I go bass fishing with 30lb braid. There is always a reason for species specific techniques. Caught pike where I grew up in Iowa but never a muskie.The Tranx is a great reel. Before purchasing my Torque I had looked at purchasing one. It still is on my short list to purchase in the future. My inshore rod a Veritas Toro2.0 Med Heavy 25-50lb I will continue to use with my Toro S 60. I purchased a Convergence XXH 80-100 on sale last month to use with my Saltist 20 H-C for heavier lures and double blades. Once I know what I need I'll start upgrading. |
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