Shimano Torium 30 or TLD 15/30S..??

[BobbyC]

I'm having a debate of what new reel to get later. I currently have a Shimano TR 200g and a Newell P200F.

I wanted another durable reel for saltwater fishing, can cast pretty well, and use it for jigging also.

Do you recommend the Shimano Torium 20 and 30 or the Shimano TLD 15/30s and 20/40s..??

Any input is helpful. Thanks.

[sidisdabest1]

toriums are good reels but i havent used the other

[handi2]

I haven't seen any of those mentioned that will cast really well except the smaller TLD's. The Toriums are notorious for losing there finish and will corrode if not taken care of all the time. They are very good reels but I see many of them with the finish coming off.

[conchydong]

I'd go with a Torium 16 or 20 if you plan on using it for vertical Asian style jigging. Of course, you will need to swap out the drag washers to carbon fibers. I would consider that a "must". The springed dog upgrade from the Trinidad DC is an "option".

[Jeri]

Hi guys,

Toriums are popular down here for surf casting, but being an 'economy' version of the Trinidad, the cost saving items are where they have problems. The bush at the end of the handle shaft is problematic, and the Toriums do not have any form of cast control. They also have very small bearings which don't seem to have any real lifespan if worked hard.

I have a personal dislike for the pressed aluminium bodies, as the housing where the anti-reverse bearing is carried works loose in time – a common failing on both Toriums and Trinidads – I would have thought they would have addressed that issue when they brought out the newer model of the Trinidad – they didn't!!!

The star drag TLD reels are great 'light duty' reels, they have all the same issues as the Toriums – no cast control and bush problems on the handle shaft. They were popular down here, but have long since lost favour to all the aluminium bodied reels – Diawa and Finnor – more robust and better build.

Personally, I would recommend you have a look at the Finnor Offshore star drag series, a great reel, very robust, though they did have anodising issues with the bodies. They might have cured that with the latest model the Lethal. I used the OFC for all my guiding, and even my clients couldn't break them – good drag, big bearings, and have a cast control for those that need it. The newer models have been upgraded with ceramic hybrid bearings on the spools, and improved paint – according to the sales literature (I will believe that when I have seen them on our beaches for 6 months – retire cynical head for a moment).

All the problems with most reels can be cured with after- market goodies – but I prefer not to buy a reel, and then spend more on getting it up to reasonable performance levels, which is why I favour the Finnors, apart from the poor quality anodising.

Hope that helps.

Cheers from sunny Africa


Jeri

[johndtuttle]

I'm having a debate of what new reel to get later. I currently have a Shimano TR 200g and a Newell P200F.

I wanted another durable reel for saltwater fishing, can cast pretty well, and use it for jigging also.

Do you recommend the Shimano Torium 20 and 30 or the Shimano TLD 15/30s and 20/40s..??

Any input is helpful. Thanks.

Graphite framed reels are not going to be first choice for fishing iron, but will certainly catch fish in a pinch or an a budget, for a time. Always get as strong a frame as you can afford, molded graphite<<molded aluminum<<light machined aluminum<<heavy duty machined aluminum.

Very generally speaking the quality of the frame is mated to the internals. No sense in overbuilding a graphite framed reel when the frame will flex at higher loads. This is not to disparage graphite reels, they are often terrific values for the casual fisherman, an unequivocal recommendation for daily fishing on big fish is another thing entirely.

The only amzing "bargains" out there are used classics of the past found on ebay etc (Daiwa Sealine 500h with aluminum frame for $50 etc). No one else has any true miracle out there when buying new. There's a few lemons around but mostly the offerings from Daiwa, Okuma, Penn or Shimano offer comparable value. The market is very competitive right now.

[Quoc_Pham]

I'm having a debate of what new reel to get later. I currently have a Shimano TR 200g and a Newell P200F.

I wanted another durable reel for saltwater fishing, can cast pretty well, and use it for jigging also.

Do you recommend the Shimano Torium 20 and 30 or the Shimano TLD 15/30s and 20/40s..??

Any input is helpful. Thanks.

I'm a budget fisherman, I bought my Torium 30 brand new from a "Divorce Sale" for $50. I'm a fairly new angler myself. I think it's a great value even at $170 from Walmart and I'm sure you can find one used. I upgraded my drag washers and serviced the reel before it even touches the water. I'm going on a 1.5 Day Tuna trip on Sunday and will let you know first hand how it goes.

Personally it's a great beginning reel from the looks of it and you can always sell it if you don't like it. It's still a popular reel among budget fisherman who want something decent that wont break the bank.

I have this reel mated up to a Shimano Terez 8'0" casting rod.

[BobbyC]

Thanks a lot guys for your inputs

[BobbyC]

I'm having a debate of what new reel to get later. I currently have a Shimano TR 200g and a Newell P200F.

I wanted another durable reel for saltwater fishing, can cast pretty well, and use it for jigging also.

Do you recommend the Shimano Torium 20 and 30 or the Shimano TLD 15/30s and 20/40s..??

Any input is helpful. Thanks.

I'm a budget fisherman, I bought my Torium 30 brand new from a "Divorce Sale" for $50. I'm a fairly new angler myself. I think it's a great value even at $170 from Walmart and I'm sure you can find one used. I upgraded my drag washers and serviced the reel before it even touches the water. I'm going on a 1.5 Day Tuna trip on Sunday and will let you know first hand how it goes.

Personally it's a great beginning reel from the looks of it and you can always sell it if you don't like it. It's still a popular reel among budget fisherman who want something decent that wont break the bank.

I have this reel mated up to a Shimano Terez 8'0" casting rod.

Oh ya sure.. Lemme know how it goes..

[MarkT]

I'd go with a Torium 16 loaded with 50# spectra and a leader of 25-40# mono or spectra and have at it.  The 16/20/30 all have the same gears/drags and the only difference is the width of the frame/spool. Narrower is better for jigging and you'll have plenty of capacity.  I have a 20 as well I use for surface iron with 40#.

[Quoc_Pham]

So! I just got back from my 1.5 day out of San Diego, we were fishing near San Clemente island. First of all the Torium 30 in my opinion has a ton of line capacity. Especially if you're using spectra. If your fish is going to take 400 yards you probably shouldn't be using the Torium 30. In my opinion I would have gotten a smaller Torium had I thought about it more.

I did manage to get 7 yellowfin tuna on the reel and it performed wonderfully. We were in some nice tuna and I landed a 30# yft. I am so glad I serviced the reel and did the anti reverse upgrade and the drag upgrade to carbon tex. My drag was fairly tighter than normal and when that 30# fish took off my line took off with it at an alarming rate. I'm sure if I had factory drags it wouldn't have held up long with that fish.

[MarkT]

Did you have the drag set to 10#?  The stock drag would've probably been fine... On that fish.  They don't hold up over the long haul and get greasy graphite dust all over the place in the reel as they wear.

[Quoc_Pham]

Did you have the drag set to 10#?  The stock drag would've probably been fine... On that fish.  They don't hold up over the long haul and get greasy graphite dust all over the place in the reel as they wear.

Drag was around 12-13 lbs on 30# fluoro. Probably didn't need to be that high but I wasn't pulling any hooks from the fish. Using #1 or 1/0 hook for our trip.

[BobbyC]

So! I just got back from my 1.5 day out of San Diego, we were fishing near San Clemente island. First of all the Torium 30 in my opinion has a ton of line capacity. Especially if you're using spectra. If your fish is going to take 400 yards you probably shouldn't be using the Torium 30. In my opinion I would have gotten a smaller Torium had I thought about it more.

I did manage to get 7 yellowfin tuna on the reel and it performed wonderfully. We were in some nice tuna and I landed a 30# yft. I am so glad I serviced the reel and did the anti reverse upgrade and the drag upgrade to carbon tex. My drag was fairly tighter than normal and when that 30# fish took off my line took off with it at an alarming rate. I'm sure if I had factory drags it wouldn't have held up long with that fish.

That's awesome.. Great fishing day for you..

[CapeFish]

So! I just got back from my 1.5 day out of San Diego, we were fishing near San Clemente island. First of all the Torium 30 in my opinion has a ton of line capacity. Especially if you're using spectra. If your fish is going to take 400 yards you probably shouldn't be using the Torium 30. In my opinion I would have gotten a smaller Torium had I thought about it more.

I did manage to get 7 yellowfin tuna on the reel and it performed wonderfully. We were in some nice tuna and I landed a 30# yft. I am so glad I serviced the reel and did the anti reverse upgrade and the drag upgrade to carbon tex. My drag was fairly tighter than normal and when that 30# fish took off my line took off with it at an alarming rate. I'm sure if I had factory drags it wouldn't have held up long with that fish.

That's awesome.. Great fishing day for you..

Excellent fishing, well done. You don't have to worry about fish taking long runs on a Torium 30. We use them from the shore for shark fishing and often get 500m plus runs, (braid backing of around 400-600m with 200m nylon on top gives you 600-800m of line on it) and have fish on for an hour plus. I have been creamed by an unstoppable fish that took all my line, about 750 m, I had it on for a long time getting close to the drum a few times when it suddenly just decided to head for the blue yonder and bang, all gone. No ill effect to the reel. It does get hot though. Many people here use them for this purpose and long, fast runs are the norm. A Torium 30 handles it pretty ok, mine is still fine.