Hello and Happy New Year from Italy. I write with the translator of Google, because I can not write well in English. I wanted to know some feedback on Solterra 50W that I would buy for the giant tuna. In the Tyrrhenian Sea, where I fish, do not exceed 100kg. Tell me what you think of this reel. Thank you all. :) :)
Is it possible that none of you, apart AlanTani knows the Solterra 50hw? :o :o ??? ???
I'm writing from Italy in this forum, because it seems very qualified. Come on, do not make me regret it. ::) ::) ::)
the solterra is very new. i actually do not know of a single person that owns one, so it does not surprise me that you would not get much of a response. if a reel has been in service for a long time and problems develop, then new reels will often be torn down to address those problems before a reel is pressed into service. the shimano tld 30 two speed would be a good example, there are many of these reels in service and there are several known issues. a tld 30 can be serviced when it is brand new and that will allow you to avoid some of the problems that we know will eventually crop of.
in the case of the solterra, i would imagine that there are very few people that are as intimately familar with this reel as we are with the shimano tld's or the penn internationals. in general, i would recommend against using a reel with a graphite frame for a heavy duty application such as 100 kg tuna. i would rather see you use an okuma makaira, or any other reel with a one piece aluminum frame. graphite frame failures are well know. i would hate to see you fall victim to that. alan
Welcome!
Some times it takes several days to get replies/ answers to your questions on this website. So if you ask a question, do not expect it to be answered within a hour or two.... :)
As for the reel, I am sure it is a nice reel. Alan's comments on graphite frame failure is something he often
sees when talking about reels and big fish or high drag pressures.
You're in Italy; some of the finest big game reels ever designed are of Italian design and function. Buy an Alutecnos or an Everol and go catch tuna!
I own a solterra slr-50w but yet i haven't had the luck to catch anything big on it. This reel can't be used for any type of casting therefor the only time that i personally use it is when i go pier fishing. The water here in Florida is too cold to use my surf board to swim the bait out for shark fishing. So far the only "problem" that i notice with this reel is the drag over 30-34lbs. It's loosing free spool. This is also a common issue with level drag type of reels, unless has a thrust ball bearing like Okuma Makaira. I was able to measure on my digital scale ~43lbs of drag that was pretty smooth, but again no free spool. Even dough you loosing free spool after around 35lb drag, there is an insignificant difference in free spool between 35lbs drag and 43-44lbs. You can't turn the handle to reel at all if the drag is over ~20lbs. Overall the price that i paid for this reel i would consider theoretically a better option then penn 9/0 or daiwa 900h. One thing i can confirm for fact - the clicker is WAY WAY louder then 12/0 Penn.(Some people got really surprised by this when tried this reel from a pier).
So far, all this is without catching a big one. When that will happen i will post a feedback.
Thanks for the replies. However last year, I had two tuna, the first of 100 kg, 70 kg and the second, both with a 30 GTR OMOTO speed, and I had big problems with recovery. Of course, for the first, I had to pump a lot, and after about 40 minutes, the boat rose and the second one after 20 minutes was in the boat. The OMOTO GTR 30 I have to say a good reel with a clutch very soft. If I can, I post photos.
From Solterra series the SLR-20L was used by Jeremy Wade in "River Monsters" on Discovery channels to catch a 9ft White Sturgeon that weight about 300lbs. I'm not really sure how those fish fight, since i haven't fished for one, but sure enough these reels are on the path to be a killer for some big fish. Now, i don't wanna go as far as saying that a slr-50w would easily land a marlin, but for medium sized sharks it should work fine. The only test that wasn't proved yet is the endurance. So far reels like Penn and Daiwa has a good reputation along shark fishermen, but there is always room for something better. We'll see if solterra slr-50w will be up for the task. I'm just one of the people who takes this chance.
Tiburon is also well known for they redesigned reel frame for Pen reels. I wouldn't be surprised if solterra series has a touch of Tiburon frame design. I can't confirm if the reel frame was designed by Tiburon, but has a bulky design. What i can confirm is that this reel has the T-Bar handle design from Tiburon with that 9 degree angle.