Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Hello All,
I am looking at getting a reel for a rod I acquired , a shimano t-curve deep jig 200. its 24kg rated.  I would like to run 50lb braid on this outfit and will be jigging and bait fishing with this set up in the 30 to 100m + deep range. I'm based on the mid west coast of Australia and this will be a go to set up I will use regularly. I have a Calcutta 700b on it at the moment and it doesn't have enough drag, and there is almost too much line.
For this reason I would like a long lasting lever drag reel that I can service and repair for years to come. As stated I am keen on the makaira 8 and a penn torque 15 (maybe a little light on drag) or 25.
The drag is up to 27 lb on the makaira. Just wondering if it is gradual ? Is the drag gradual on the penn as well ?
Unfortunately there are none of these reels available in town so trying to gauge actual overall sizes is a little tricky. If anyone can compare them to shimano reels in actual size this would really help ? As the tackle shop here and has a good selection of those. Shimano reel is not my prefered option as I have a strong rivalry already in place with a mate 
I have played with a daiwa saltiga LD20 I think it was and a avet MXJ in the shop. When the drag lever was pushed forward to strike and then the handle turned on them both , I felt a small amount of resistance turning the handle . Is this the case with ALL lever drags ?? Especially the two I am looking at ?  This is a deal breaker for me !!
Thanks in advance for your help. All and any advice or options are greatly appreciated .
Cheers

QuoteIs this the case with ALL lever drags ??

Essentially, yes. Some more, some less. Noticeable in some, not so much in others. That is just the way they work; the nature of things.

QuoteEspecially the two I am looking at ?

Yes, at least one of the ones you tried in the store happens to be known for this. I have one here right next to me; it is the same way.

 

QuoteThis is a deal breaker for me !!

Nah, don't let it be. There are many satisfied users of all of them out there.

Your other questions: I dunno.

.

It MAY have been the drag had been turned up beyond the reels ability. This puts excessive load on the spool bearings. That causes resistance when the handle is turned. It also can damage the bearings. Both the Makairas and Torques has thrust bearings, the Diawa and Avet do not. These bearings reduce the possibility of spool bearing damage, and reduce the resistance when turning the handle at higher drag settings. They are not a green light to push the reel beyond it's capability, but are a big plus.
I am a Makaira fan owning many of them, but the Torque is a very nice reel.
I hope this helps.

AFAIK, typically it is the pinion bearing that gets crunched, not the spool bearings.   And, yes, if you have the drag buttoned down enough to feel cranking resistance, you are likely damaging the pinion bearing.

Mike

I personally would choose the PENN Torque with its two thrust bearings. Even at huge drag settings the handle pressure barely changes.

The Makaira has a different yet effective design with its thrust bearings but I have found that in some cases the pinion bearing gets damaged at high drag settings.

In both cases when I say high drag settings, I'm referring to drag settings about the reels' intended drag rating

Thanks for the reply fellas.
Do all the penn torque have the same 2 thrust bearings. even their little 15 LD2. ?
Is the penn 15  reel to small for 50 lb braid ? I'm sure i read Mr Tani has 50lb on a makaira 8 ?
Can you compare these two reels to any shimano for a size comparison , overall  width ,diameter ? Not necessarily spool capacity. Are they actually comparable in size to each other ? Being the smallest of both companys.
The makaira has a lifetime warranty in oz. Will look into penn over the next few days. Hopefully wont need it ! But are both companys easy to deal with, parts , mainly ?
Can you change the gear ratios or drag curves (fine tune drag setting/pressure)? As they are quite different in gear ratios.
Cheers

Penn Torque and Makaira are really two different reels.

Torque is my recommendation for an all around 2-speed reel for the previously posted reasons plus a sweet spot weight wise.

Makaira is significantly heavier, less ideal for vertical jigging, but a terrific and tough reel when only a tank will do.

The Makaira, while a very very nice reel, is a bit of a brick if you're going to be mechanical jigging with it.

Shimano Talica or Trinidad (16NA is a nice jigging reel for 50lb)
Okuma Andros (I fish a Metaloid 5N for 200g jigs/50lb braid)
Accurate has a few nice options in that area
Penn Torque
Daiwa Saltist and Saltiga

Really not a apples to apples comparison between the two reels like already stated, as their built very differently. You said you will use 50 lb braid but will your topshots/leaders be in the same lb test, lighter or heavier? What would really help is to know that lb/kg you will set your reels drag at and the yardage or meters of line you will need on the reel. Without knowing these two things it is very hard for anyone to make an intelligent recommendation of what reels may work best for you.   

SoCalAngler- Yes 50lb braid is what I want to fish with.  I will be fishing in 30-100m deep. So about 300m of braid is enough really.  A short mono leader  of 2-5m  of 50lb most of the time .
As mentioned i have a Calcutta 700b but this is not enough drag. But i still want a relatively small reel ,  narrower than my Calcutta 700b !. Which is why I'm considering the mak 8 and maybe the torque 25n. Its just hard to gauge actual overall size from youtube I really want a well made reel that will last me for years . From what i hear on both of these are great ,
I look forward to your replys. They are really helping.

I would like to set drag to 20lb + at strike possibly. This is a little higher than the 1/3 ratio generally used but I will need it ! Not for whole fight just to get fish away from structure and off the bottom.
Have just noticed I missed a line in the tuttle tutorial, a 16 Trinidad is about the same size as the torque 25, so will pop down to shops today for a look see.
cheers

Quote from: smeagle on March 24, 2016, 01:16:27 AM
I would like to set drag to 20lb + at strike possibly. This is a little higher than the 1/3 ratio generally used but I will need it ! Not for whole fight just to get fish away from structure and off the bottom.
Have just noticed I missed a line in the tuttle tutorial, a 16 Trinidad is about the same size as the torque 25, so will pop down to shops today for a look see.
cheers

Probably closer to a Trini 20...last Torium 16 I saw was more narrow than I remembered!

Yeah the Torque 25N II would be a sweet reel for what your looking to do

With my lever drag reels I set the drag at about 1/3rd of the lightest line on the reel at strike. That way if I need more drag than the strike setting I can push the lever past strike and increase the drag by a measured amount. I have found with most lever drag reels when you move the lever just past strike you will see a jump in drag pressure of about 2 lbs. I don't start to look at two speed reels until I hit around 40 to 50 lb test.

I don't know the fish you will target but I have a Penn Fathom 25N star drag that I fish 30 lb test on and last year a caught a couple of yellowtail (your king fish) that went about 35 to 40 lbs on and the reel worked fine. But, I must say after landing these two I did break out a 40 lb test setup with a 2 speed reel.

My latest avatar is of those two fish.

Thanks for the advice ! I have taken it on board and are now the proud owner of a torque 25 . Just been playing with it and have another question ! Surprised !!
When strike is set to 5kg and I want to push the drag lever forward to the full position, the lever is quite hard to push past/over the strike notch/position . Once the lever is past and between the strike and full positions it is easy to move again  . Just seems like you have to apply ALOT of force on the drag lever at that one point . Is it just tight as its new or will it possibly stay like this. ? I will have another look at the tutorial in the mean time and see if there is some sort of internal adjustment.
Cheers

Quote from: smeagle on March 24, 2016, 08:34:11 AM
Thanks for the advice ! I have taken it on board and are now the proud owner of a torque 25 . Just been playing with it and have another question ! Surprised !!
When strike is set to 5kg and I want to push the drag lever forward to the full position, the lever is quite hard to push past/over the strike notch/position . Once the lever is past and between the strike and full positions it is easy to move again  . Just seems like you have to apply ALOT of force on the drag lever at that one point . Is it just tight as its new or will it possibly stay like this. ? I will have another look at the tutorial in the mean time and see if there is some sort of internal adjustment.
Cheers

Yours is probably just a little tight. I would rather have it start this way then the other way around as it will get a little looser over time.

That said, I don't know how tight yours really is....it should be enough to stop it, and then as long as you can move it past strike in control to not push it too far when it pops past you should be fine.



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