Okuma Komodo SS 471P: First Look

[johndtuttle]

OK, another post giving a preview of another "new" reel introduced at ICAST 2016 and just coming into stock now at a fisho store near you etc.

This is the Okuma Komodo SS a "400" sized LP baitcaster that uses an all stainless steel gear train and makes ~30 lbs of drag.

I put "new" in parenthesis because this is simply a larger version of the Komodo 364P that has been out for several years and is now considered a proven design. Okuma has updated the cosmetics and went to all stainless for an even tougher version that epitomizes the "small reel for big fish" concept. The reel weighs only about 16 oz but has the capacity (~250 of 65 lb) of a Spherogosa 8k but those weigh  22 oz...its not sealed of course, but it has massive cranking power for it's size. These reels are real powerhouses for their size and weight.

Got about ~250 yards of PP 65 lb on there:



Next to a Revo Toro Rocket (more about that later). It looks much bigger but its not. They are both about the same height. The Komodo SS is just a little wider for more capacity:



Matte grey with black and silver:



Only ~16 oz with a 120mm power handle. This is the 471P or the 400 size in 7:1...~38" IPT.

Still has a clicker for live baiting or slow trolling (think drifting a bait for white sea bass at the islands):



One of the improvements over the older version is a much simpler method of adjusting the Centrifugal Brakes:



Another cosmetic shot:



The Thumb Button opening into the body is well protected from splashes entering the reel:



Titanium Nitride coating for the line guide. That's a little wax left from spooling tightly with power pro:



Raceway for the brakes inside the graphite left side cover:



Inside the gear box pure stainless steel beef:



Drag is well greased. Its a stack of 3 carbon fiber washers that Okuma rates for 30 lbs max:



Main gear is MASSIVE at ~54mm and a spool line height of only about 40mm. A Tranx (22 oz and a much larger reel) has a main gear (brass) that is only 50 mm with a much larger spool in proportion. The Komodo 471P SS should be the new king of cranking power and power transmission for it's speed (7:1 ~38" IPT).



Ok, so why are these reels so exciting to me? Cranking power to weight. Try to imagine a Penn Senator with the Main Gear 25% larger than the spool....or a spinning reel with a Main Gear 25% wider than the rotor width...you can't because the reality is that other reel geometries produce gears that are working against spools/rotors that have much wider radii than the gear...a huge mechanical disadvantage. This is why every Bass Pro uses a conventional reel for crank baits...if you are casting and retrieving something with resistance this is the way to go. Think Poppers, SP Minnows, Mag Darters and such fished fast or just all day cranking...that is where these reels are a joy. Oh, and also with a big fish on.

Lets take a look under that bracket retaining the Main Shaft as it can be a problem area:



Its well greased with a synthetic waterproof grease to protect that bearing in it's receptacle which is notorious in all of the LP reels for saltwater collection. Someday it would be nice to actually seal this area...:



Ok, so all of this is first impressions. I fished a Komodo 364p for over 2 years without a hiccup, but we will have to see if anything in the production of these larger models comes up....so far, very impressed.

If you haven't fished one of these you are missing one of the finest reels Okuma makes and not at all painful on the pocket. Top notch top to bottom and the Komodo SS can probably make an argument for "Best in Class for the Money" in this hyper-competitive segment of "Large Low Profile" reels albeit by a small margin over it's competitors. All of these reels are just that good, imho.

Here's a photo of a pending world record Broomtail Grouper caught at Cedros by Jeff Mariani with a prototype Komodo 450:






best


ps: for a full service tutorial on the smaller version (essentially the same) see this thread: http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=17311.0

[mo65]

Wow...I really like that reel. The gear is awesome! My brother has Okumas...but I've never owned one...looks like I might need to get in!

[steelfish]

great information John, thanks for posting it

the reel looks awesome

[boon]

Our local Okuma rep had one with him when he popped into our local fishing shop the other day. First impression is that it's huge! But very chunky. I'd love to have a play with one as a topwater stickbait/popper reel on our local Yellowtail population.

[johndtuttle]

Our local Okuma rep had one with him when he popped into our local fishing shop the other day. First impression is that it's huge! But very chunky. I'd love to have a play with one as a topwater stickbait/popper reel on our local Yellowtail population.

Heheh, you should see a Tranx, now, that is a HUGE LP reel.

This one fits in my hands pretty well. I am amazed at the tiny Bass versions that only weigh 6 oz!

[Steve-O]

Me likey!

My question is...do I get one? Because I have the Komodo 364p and it is the dog's danglies of my small reels. Can I say that and stay within the rules?

Anyway, for my needs the 364 carries enough line for the game I'm targeting and the depths I fish it at. Any bigger or deeper and I go to one of my Omotos.

John, you do a good review with great pics, thanks.

I really don't know that I need one just yet.

Nice power handle on it.

[fritz1]

hi guys,
i recently got a 364 and i like it. one thing i would like to ask u is about the sound it makes during casting. it does seem to be very loud and rattling and i didnt expect that, since it has a bearing supported wind. is there something that can be done to reduce the noise?

thank u very much!

[johndtuttle]

hi guys,
i recently got a 364 and i like it. one thing i would like to ask u is about the sound it makes during casting. it does seem to be very loud and rattling and i didnt expect that, since it has a bearing supported wind. is there something that can be done to reduce the noise?

thank u very much!

Oil the bearings. 

Other than that the centrifugal brakes of any baitcaster can whine after some use. Clean the raceway inside the left side plate and it may quiet some.

[fritz1]

hi john,
i think its the levelwind guide. i once had an abu record with the same non disengaging mechanism, but it wasnt as loud and plastic(unhealthy) sound like my komodo. Is yours the same?

THX

[fritz1]

c´mon guys, do i really have to live with this annoying sound? how many pins do u fish it with, mine tends to overrun even with 3 pins activated which is already more than i usually use on all my other reels.

THX

[johndtuttle]

Have you inspected the raceway inside the left cover for schmutz?

[philaroman]

closely inspect the collars, themselves, too
some of the spares that came w/ my old Okuma VS, had tiny burrs
I guess that's why they included way more than 6 (uninspected?)

[johndtuttle]

Yes, and certainly a return to Okuma for inspection is an option too.

[Gfish]

John, or anyone else that's seen the reel in person, do you think a very thin(in cross section) and relatively large in diameter o-ring gasket could go between the reel plate where the common sump bearing is, and the 2 screw plate that fastens the crank shaft down?

[johndtuttle]

^^^Maybe. 

Certainly this is an area that should be sealed in future gens of any of these saltwater LP reels.