Komodo 273 size opinion

[JasonGotaProblem]

I am looking at the okuma komodo as an option for a fast-retrieve inshore baitcaster for large lures, that may also double as a bottom fishing rig for light offshore. I had a 363 size on my bench this weekend and seeing inside made me want one.

Details that jumped out at me:
-All the steel
-Dual anti reverse with a backup that looks strong enough to function on its own.
-Non-disengaging level wind.
-Aluminum body (debatably unnecessary but I like it)
-the clicker, if I wanna use live or cut bait and a rod holder.
-Threaded brass barrels in the frame that the body screws connect to
-The things I hear from others about okumas parts dept
-The price isn't absurd
-Dave tried for years to destroy one and only managed to break an $8 part.

The negative:
I can't seem to find enough bearings inside the reel to match the published number of bearings, saw the same thing on a Citrix I worked on. Unless there's extras in the handle knobs. I hate that kind of BS.

I was looking at a 273 because it's small enough to be good inshore. I figure 150yds of braid is plenty enough when bottom fishing in maybe 80' of water. But what about if jaws stops by?

But is that too small? I know there's 2 larger sizes and the one Dave was abusing was 2 sizes up. Is it foolish to extrapolate the positive opinions on the big one to assume the small one is also up to my task?

[rogan]

Jason, I have the 273 Komodo and I really like it. I have only used it for largemouth bass so far, so I can't give an opinion on handling big fish. What I will say is that it is a small reel. Meaning it's a palming sized bass reel that feels strong. Having fished for calico bass at Cedros with a 400 sized baitcaster, I much prefer a larger size in the ocean and have plans to purchase a 364 to use for inshore work.

Don't get me wrong, I love my 273 and I will not part with it. It's going to be my heavy worming/flipping and pitching/dragging the bass out of heavy cover reel cause it's plenty strong for that application.  I am also going to take it to Cedros this year because I have an 8 foot swimbait rod (with swimbaits) that I'm going to use in the surf in the evenings for a little extra fun. The rod and reel combo is under a pound, so light and easy to take on this trip.

[Gfish]

A clicker is nice in this class of baitcasters. They count the ARB as a "bearing" in reels that have them. I have a disengaging levelwind on an Ultra Mag Plus and the spool is so narrow, it's kinda ridiculous. The "all the steel" part sounds great. Is the yolk steel?

[JasonGotaProblem]

A clicker is nice in this class of baitcasters. They count the ARB as a "bearing" in reels that have them. I have a disengaging levelwind on an Ultra Mag Plus and the spool is so narrow, it's kinda ridiculous. The "all the steel" part sounds great. Is the yolk steel?

No it's nylon. But I've never seen a low pro baitcaster that didn't have a nylon yoke. I'm convinced it's a part that doesn't see a ton of stress or a reel like this would go metal on that too.

[steelfish]

I had a 363 size on my bench this weekend and seeing inside made me want one.

I was looking at a 273 because it's small enough to be good inshore. I figure 150yds of braid is plenty enough when bottom fishing in maybe 80' of water. But what about if jaws stops by?

pick your poison, go with the small profile and light weight Komodo 273 or bulkier & bit heavier weight 364, that said, I had a Komodo 364 and was happy with the perform and quality but never liked the bulkier profile so, I sold it and got me an Abu Garcia Toro Beast 60, I dont know how it will hold in the long run compared to the Komodo 363 but I like how the Toro Beast 60 feel in my hand and it my fishing rod 3x better than the Komodo and thats a big plus in my books.

the Komodo 273 looks like it has a small size and compact profile so, it will pair good with any light rod for inshore use, I would use it for inshore use if I expect to catch small fish with it but on my local inshore playgrounds I wouldnt use anything smaller than a 300 size low profile reel, leopard groupers and king macks will destroy a 200 baitcaster soon , maybe thats why my compa Jurelometer CHOOSE a 400 size instead of a 364!!     

I picked up a Komodo KDS-463 about 2.5 years ago for tossing plugs and irons inshore in Baja.  Caught a bunch of dorado, snappers, grouper, yellowtail and smaller tuna with it.  Mostly casting, ....
-J

we fish on the same Baja waters just on each side of the pond, no wonder why the tools and weapons for the task are kinda similar .

[Jenx]

I own both the 364 and the 463. Personally I wouldn't go any smaller than a 300 size for saltwater, especially since you mentioned "light offshore". If I were just fishing the bay I would be fine with a 200 size reel, but once you get out into open water you just never know what you might run into. A 300 will just be more versatile.

The Lexa HD's are also pretty popular out here in So Cal, and those HD's also come with SS gears. It might be worth going to a tackle shop and holding both a Lexa 300 and Komodo 300 and see which feels better in your hands.

[jurelometer]

Here's some more thoughts to consider:

On the nylon yokes, I think that Lunker Larry has seen a few shredded Lexa yokes from the musky/pike guys.  My guess is that since these species are not drag burners, the shredding happened from stopping those giant plugs in flight.

In terms of load on the yoke:

Helical gears transfer a non trivial percentage of radial load into axial (side) load.  It's that angled curve in the tooth path.  The teeth act a bit like threads on a screw.  Winding drives the pinion in one direction ( toward the spool if I remember correctly), and the other direction when reversing under drag.the the harder you crank / and the higher the drag, the more load you are potentially putting on the yoke.

If you know the gear dimensions and the angle of the helical teeth, you can actually calculate the axial load percentage relatively easily.

I would't want a nylon yoke on a heavy duty star drag.  Having said that, the nylon yoke on my Komodo 463 has held up fine.  But I don't cut off my casts by turning the handle, except for the odd accident.

I would say that the Lexa is a bit more ruggedly built.  But... it has a disengaging levelwind, which  means much more wear under heavier load, and disengaging is more than a bit funky for drop jigging.  But as a rule, the disengaging Lexa should cast lighter weights better than that the Komodo.

Plus the cast control knob on the Lexa is external, so if you adjust frequently, twisting  off the sideplate to adjust the control on the Komodo probably gets old, and puts stress on the part that I broke.

If you are into casting lighter stuff, you might like the Lexa better.  The east coast guys that toss lightly weighed sluggos at stripers prefer the Lexa in the 300/400 sizes. For me, a 2oz iron is small. Not sure how big a deal this is with the 200 size models.

As to 150 yards capacity - you won't run out of line until the fish is 1 1/2 football fields away.  I would care more about drag capacity than extra line capacity. If that fish is still taking line off a tiny reel at 150 yards, it is probably not going to end well.  Need to stop them sooner.

-J

[boon]

The negative:
I can't seem to find enough bearings inside the reel to match the published number of bearings, saw the same thing on a Citrix I worked on. Unless there's extras in the handle knobs. I hate that kind of BS.

As far as I know, yes, they have a total of 4 bearings in the handle. I would hardly consider it "BS" though. They have a bearing at either end of the handle shaft, the same as every other high-end reel that aims to feel smooth.

I have a 364; I've been extremely happy with it. The drag is far beyond what would ever be useful on a reel this size unless you put it on a completely unbalanced rod. It is very smooth, even after years of fishing. I would have a very hard time differentiating it from the Lexa HD 300 we have on another rod; both are very very good, it comes down to small differences in ergonomics as highlighted, such as the disengaging level-wind and external brake adjustment.