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Posts: 432
Location: Eagan, MN | I guess a few guys are just starting to get their hands on these. To those who have been able to play around a little with them, I have a question. Is there any issue with the handle re-engaging when you cast? Since there isn't a counterweight opposite the grip, and it's a push button reel, I would think it might re-engage if the handle is anywhere between about 9 and 3 o'clock. I thought one of the early threads here said it wasn't an issue, but there is a thread on thorne bros' forum that says you have to make sure the handle is in a certain position, or it will re-engage. Who's right? |
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Posts: 150
Location: Central Minnesota | I haven't casted any lures with one, however I did get a look at one of the display reels that they have a Thorne Bros. I asked Pat at Thorne's the same quiestion and he said it is a possibility. He made a few dummy casts on the display model and a few times he was able to get it to engage. It depended on the handle position and also how you cast (from the side, sraight over head or somewhere in between). |
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Posts: 432
Location: Eagan, MN | Kind of puzzling and disappointing that Shimano doesn't put a counter balanced handle on it... it's a $500 reel for crying out loud. |
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| joemsanderson - 3/12/2012 2:07 PM
It depended on the handle position and also how you cast (from the side, sraight over head or somewhere in between).
What's the preferred method? |
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Posts: 150
Location: Central Minnesota | I want to say that it engaged more often with the straight over the head cast motion, but I think handle location is going to be the biggest factor. If the handle is casted in the down postion it shouldn't engage. |
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Posts: 136
Location: Chicago | fish. |
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Posts: 663
| I've seen the Tranx engage on "dry casts" for sure. Not sure what the real world experience will be like. Here's a thought for you though. If you're having problems with the reel engaging on the cast try cocking your hand with the handle at least partially up. Not sure that's very clear but I'm thinking if you turn your hand somewhere between 45 and 90 degrees to the left it should help relieve some of the inertial force that would make that handle engage the reel. Try it and let me know what happens. |
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Posts: 203
Location: Minnesota | I cast with my left hand palming the reel... Been doing this since I started muskie fishing... then the following year, I caught an episode of Muskie Hunter that had advices from Jim Saric... He was doing a segment on wrist, elbow, and shoulder fatigue and suggested that you palm your reel and cast while the reel is sideways... to get a general picture of what Im trying to say... when you're holding the rod while palming the reel, your palm should be facing downward, the reel would be sideway... Shortly after I tried doing that and found that it really HELPS whole lot... It doesnt work too well with non-levelwind reels such as Saltist or Trinidads, as I notice I would have more backlashes than casting it with the reel side up... but it works very well with levelwind reels... Seeing how the Tranx has levelwind, and is about the size of an 16NA, I dont think there would be any problem with casting it the way I describe... that way, the handle wont engage... No harm in trying this... |
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Posts: 136
Location: Chicago | . |
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Posts: 185
Location: On the water | Just keep your thumb on the thumb bar.. That should do the trick.. |
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| Worst case scenario, we'll all have to spend $50 for a new, counter-balanced handle. OK scenario, Shimano sends Tranx owners new handles. Best case scenario, it's a non-issue. I can live with these possibilities.
Now why the heck did they put a while knob on the handle? It's going to look awful after the first couple of trips!  |
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Posts: 999
| that would really suck if that is the case! |
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Location: Contrarian Island | the 16na didn't have a counter balanced handle and I never had a single issue of it engaging on the cast prematurely...why would the Tranx? looks to be same handle...? as far as it getting dirty, surprisingly the white handle stays fairly white all season...if you want to clean it a little 409 brightens it right up |
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Posts: 432
Location: Eagan, MN | BNelson - 3/13/2012 12:41 PM
the 16na didn't have a counter balanced handle and I never had a single issue of it engaging on the cast prematurely...why would the Tranx? looks to be same handle...? as far as it getting dirty, surprisingly the white handle stays fairly white all season...if you want to clean it a little 409 brightens it right up
Because the 16na doesn't have a thumb bar. It has a lever that you have to manually re-engage. Turning the handle doesn't cause the spool to re-engage.
I agree, all of this is solved by buying a counter-balanced handle. It's just annoying that the stock handle isn't really 'right' for the reel's intended purpose. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | ah yah good point... yah might have to get a new handle ... |
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Posts: 582
| piker - 3/12/2012 11:57 PM
Just keep your thumb on the thumb bar.. That should do the trick..
exactly. Can't see an issue if do this. |
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Posts: 209
| The counterbalanced handle would help a lot in it's own right, but what I don't get is why they made the paddle itself on the handle so heavy. If it were lighter, the spring would be plenty strong to hold it in place on all but the very, very hardest casts regardless of handle position. |
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Posts: 136
Location: Chicago | This reel was heralded as the grail of musky reels. At least the grail for certain applications. I mean they took an ad out in Musky Hunter. I would expect the "grail" of musky reels to come out of the box ready for water. Not have to worry about handle placement. Not hold the thumb bar which I highly doubt would work. Considering the force and inertia produced casting say soaking wet dbl. 10 marabou with added weight to counter the speed and lift my new grail produces. Now add in some heavy wind I have to fight through and exert even more force. The grail would have a power handle as the weight gives you more fulcrum and is easier to hold when you want that ultimate speed, but now you want me to take that off and put on a calcutta handle? Last the grail would have a level wind to help eliminate backlash that the Trinidad is notorious for in strong wind. |
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Posts: 2427
Location: Ft. Wayne Indiana | I would assume they would NOT engage during the cast...but alot of it might also depend on HOW you cast... I run all Shimano 400 LJV's...I have seen on this board over and over how that reel engages during casting...well, I have yet to see it happen...I don't change out handles like everybody says you have to. I just cast...and keep my thumb on the thumb bar. I have used the Tranx and didn't see any issues with this reel. I don't see it being a problem. But then again, it's kind of like how so many people have issues deploying a Minn Kota Power Drive...it's not the trolling motor, you don't need to use WD-40...it's HOW the person is deploying it that causes problems....so again, it probably all depends on how you cast, but I haven't seen any issues with it nor do I think they will be any engaging issues. Amazing reel for sure. |
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| I've made thousands and thousands of full out boomer bomber casts with the Tranx and have yet for it to engage when I didn't want it to.
From what my experience has been, it's totally a non-issue.
LD
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| I have used the Shimano 400 LJV for the past two seasons. I would guestimate that I engage the reel about once very 1000 casts. It does surprise you when it happens, but I have had not ill effects except the surprise itself. No damage to the reel to my knowledge, and I tore it apart after the first season for inspection.
On the other hand, my Brother in law has had the same reel for about half a season and I would estimate he engages it about 1 in a 100 casts. Not sure what he is doing differently, but obviously he has a slightly different casting style. Again, no ill effects to the reel or lure, just a big surprise when it happens.
Steve V |
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Location: Latitude 41.3016 Longitude 88.6160 | Guest - 3/15/2012 8:13 PM
I have used the Shimano 400 LJV for the past two seasons. I would guestimate that I engage the reel about once very 1000 casts. It does surprise you when it happens, but I have had not ill effects except the surprise itself. No damage to the reel to my knowledge, and I tore it apart after the first season for inspection.
On the other hand, my Brother in law has had the same reel for about half a season and I would estimate he engages it about 1 in a 100 casts. Not sure what he is doing differently, but obviously he has a slightly different casting style. Again, no ill effects to the reel or lure, just a big surprise when it happens.
Steve V
When the reel engages on the cast the spool pin and the pinion gear take the most of the force. Ck out the spool pin and the slots on top of the pinion gear for signs of damage. The gears set also take some of the force to and they are made of brass so they will damage very easy.
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Posts: 432
Location: Eagan, MN | So, the consensus seems to be that depending upon your individual casting style, some people will definitely have issues, while others will wonder what the fuss is about, and this may or may not directly correlate with your Power Drive deployment technique. I'd imagine that holding the thumbar down until you've finished your casting motion might do the trick, but what's really aggravating is it's a $500 reel and for $500 I don't feel like holding the button down. Why not go ahead and make it a $510 reel and do it right. I've also heard the level-wind disengages on the cast, and I just have to ask why they made some of these design decisions. I don't want to sound like I'm product bashing... I may in fact still buy one or two. Shimano makes great stuff and maybe that's the reason I've just come to expect a little more from them. |
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| Hopefully this will be a non-issue for most users in the long run. Clearly there is the potential for the reel to engage. However, my interpretation of the cases mentioned above were situations where the goal was to make it engage. Hard to say without actually being there, but it seems as though there was effort being put into making the reel engage, rather than trying to avoid it happening. |
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Posts: 743
| I think this is all nit picking without anyone other than LD having an experience with them. And he says no problem. There may be a few others who have used them a little and none of them has complained either. |
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| As what Larry said, i used the reel for 11 day's last fall and engagement was a non issue. Before anglers claim what the think they know maybe test one out.
The reel is for real  |
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| I can't believe all of this talk of the tranx. The Muskie expo in wasaua showed what it was really worth, a shiny metal reel, weighing as much as gold and not near the worth of 500 bones. Why do people need to feel a high speed reel that can burn big blades is worth gold. Is it prestige that people need to feel to buy a 500 dollar non functional reel sped out in production to get greedy muskie fisherman a swollen head over a reel. " I got a tranx, what do you have" ? Makes me think back to the rednecks who drove trucks with oversized tires to compensate for their physical deficiencies. Is that what the hype for the tranx is? |
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Posts: 8842
| I am guessing that the reel manufacturers have figured out that muskie anglers are a lot like fly fishermen - no expense is too large. And with the increasing popularity of large lures, and big blades, it stands to reason that someone would eventually catch on and produce a high end real with a high end orice tag. Judging by the amount of talk, and the guys who have ordered the reel already, sight unseen? I'd say it was a good business move.
Is it hype? Time will tell whether or not the quality and durability are worth the price tag. But even if it IS hype, can you blame them? Hype sells product, even when you don't have the name or the track record to justify it. Shimano has always been known for producing reels of the highest quality. Look and how many TE's were and still are sold. Look at the Trinidad. Even when you're talking low-end, the Cardiff comes up again and again and again. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | Non shimano - 3/16/2012 10:31 PM I can't believe all of this talk of the tranx. The Muskie expo in wasaua showed what it was really worth, a shiny metal reel, weighing as much as gold and not near the worth of 500 bones. Why do people need to feel a high speed reel that can burn big blades is worth gold. Is it prestige that people need to feel to buy a 500 dollar non functional reel sped out in production to get greedy muskie fisherman a swollen head over a reel. " I got a tranx, what do you have" ? Makes me think back to the rednecks who drove trucks with oversized tires to compensate for their physical deficiencies. Is that what the hype for the tranx is? I was skeptical of the hype as well, and I love my Trinidads so I was thinking "what's the big deal?" So myself once being of the "hype" mindset, I'll give you my take on it as I see it now. If you search this site back over the past several years there has been an immense desire for a burner that'll hold up to the blades, AND have a levelwind and thumb bar. Well here it is. Prayers of hundreds of muskie guys answered in one reel. I remember reading replies such as "the muskie market is so small, you'll never see it." And I believed that to be true, until this reel showed up. I could easily be wrong, but I'd bet Larry has Shimano's ear as much as anyone on the planet, and we likely owe him a debt of gratitude for pushing the concept on them....dunno....just a guess. So the hype follows the desire. Kindof a similar hype surrounded the Yamaha SHO, but it was the same thing; prayers answered by a reputable company and now we have a light, fast, four stroke. The only other desire this passionate is the desire for burners in lefty. As to your other points, why do people think a high speed burner is worth so much? That answer should be obvious. "Non functional?" Seriously? As for price, ego or compensation or whatever...meh, don't think so. This reel is the best of the best and ya gotta pay for it. Same as boats, tires, chainsaws, or a friggin blender. Can you catch muskies on a sub-$100 reel? Of course you can. I've done it. But if I want what this reel can do and the quality that comes with it, I'm gonna drop $500 on it. I wish my fly reels only cost $500...the Tranx, or any bait caster has more moving parts and technology than any fly reel. It's a bargain if you ask me. Just my humble, stupid opinion, but it's a badass reel. |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | I don't think the Handle will be a problem.
I have had 2 of these reels in my hand, but have not fished with one yet....... But IMHO I think that this reel is a good one.
It's built like a tank and I'm sure it will hold up to anything you try throwing with it, but It's big, heavy,cumbersome, and Ya, Big.
I'll wait a yr. or so to see how it pans out, or just barrow yours.
Jerome |
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