Revo Toro Beast Preview: A Revolution in Large Bait Casting

[johndtuttle]

Interesting stuff.  If tye washers are not fitted tightly to the  drive shaft, it should allow for effective drag adjustment under pressure, provided an arb bearing or something else doesn't 'grab' the shaft.

Exactly right. The IAR Sleeve is grabbed, but the shaft floats up and down through it.

[johndtuttle]

probably missed it but anyway is it synchronised levelwind system? thanks...

Didn't mean to miss this one Mel, sorry for the late reply.

No, the LW mechanism is not synced to the spool when casting (does not cycle back and forth as line pays out). This is necessary with wider reels like the NaCl 60 as the angle between the Line Guide and the far side of the spool can be acute. With a far more narrow spool and a slightly stretched geometry there is no need as the angle is never so severe. It actually hurts casting distance to sync the LW in a narrow reel and my own casting has found that to be true, the Revo Toro Beast casts better than a NaCl (which was already a good caster).

May be less true with Mono, but the vast majority will be using braid with this reel. If someone fishes one with mono then they are perhaps unclear on the concept and should be using a smaller reel less engineered for heavy drag (because they can't get enough heavy mono on there to utilize the drag capabilities.

[trevore]

Any updates on the reel? Has anyone had a chance to put it through the paces?  Looking for something to use in the GOM for casting plugs, eels and the larger waxwings for cobia, jacks and whatever else may be lurking. Thanks

[johndtuttle]

Any updates on the reel? Has anyone had a chance to put it through the paces?  Looking for something to use in the GOM for casting plugs, eels and the larger waxwings for cobia, jacks and whatever else may be lurking. Thanks

Personally I have only used it in Norcal for normal sized rockfish and small lings, nothing that remotely tests the reel. Guys have been using them in SoCal for all species and are loving the reel.

Tackletour did a review of the lower gear ratio and found smooth drag to over 25lbs which is pretty remarkable for an 11oz reel. Unless you get into bruiser tuna (ie over 75lbs) pretty sure you are going to have no trouble on your GOM target species.

Tackletour review:

http://www.tackletour.com/review15aburevotorbeast.html

[Ron Jones]

I'm glad everyone likes them but I'll keep my Albacore Special. To much to go wrong and get tied up. I've tried to land a large mouth on a reel like that while trying to clear a birds nest, a yellowtail? No thank you.

Ron

[johndtuttle]

I'm glad everyone likes them but I'll keep my Albacore Special. To much to go wrong and get tied up. I've tried to land a large mouth on a reel like that while trying to clear a birds nest, a yellowtail? No thank you.

Ron

Absolutely. If I had to pick one reel to last forever and it was the only reel I would ever have then it is impossible to beat a quality 3/0 star drag reel for capability and reliability and ease of service.

But, if I had to pick one conventional reel to fish for a day of fishing, one that I could have the most possible fun with, I would happily fish this reel over any other. Far more versatile than a standard star drag. Does everything better except troll. 


Best

[Eason mun]

Do this reel has a backup stopper in the gut ?

[johndtuttle]

Do this reel has a backup stopper in the gut ?

Yep. And a particularly good clutch as compared to the Tranx and Lexa (more and longer needles plus better handle support (2 bearings one on either side of the roller clutch).

[Eason mun]

Do this reel has a backup stopper in the gut ?

Yep. And a particularly good clutch as compared to the Tranx and Lexa (more and longer needles plus better handle support (2 bearings one on either side of the roller clutch).

Thank you sir 😊

[Ron Jones]

SO, just for the sake of discussion, again I'm glad you love the reel, what exactly makes this reel more fun than a 3/0 star drag? Lets say a 112H with a Narrow tib kit and all the bells and whistles.
Ron

[johndtuttle]

SO, just for the sake of discussion, again I'm glad you love the reel, what exactly makes this reel more fun than a 3/0 star drag? Lets say a 112H with a Narrow tib kit and all the bells and whistles.
Ron

The Revo Toro Beast family is vastly better casting with straight braid.

This enables far more variety in the types of lures thrown. Poppers, stick baits, large rubber, spooks. Real distance with ultralight lures: Bucktails, small swimbaits, small lipped plugs etc. Casts a live bait better too and fishes one better with a lighter spool.

Braid goes through the air better, and is vastly stronger for its thickness so you can use heavier drag.

Really, for even moderately accomplished casters a 112H is limited to Surface Iron and Wahoo Iron (heavy and dense stuff) on straight mono top shots. There is a guy out there that can use it for everything of course, the vast majority will do better with a better reel for casting.

Instead of a straight 40 lb mono top shot I cast poppers on 50 lb braid to 60-100 lb leaders.

A 112H with all the bells and whistles is going to be somewhere around 22 oz. These reels weigh 11 oz. and make the same (or better if the 112H is not fully modded) drag pressure.

The only thing a 112H does better is troll, especially 3lbs of lead like we do on the party boats in NorCal.

If you want stainless steel gearing then there is Komodo and Lexa HD. And the main gear on a Toro Beast is far larger than that of a 112H with corresponding strength (albeit at a higher gear ratio, generally). But a Revo Toro Beast at 4.9:1 has a massively strong main gear and remarkable cranking power. It gains smoothness with brass gearing (a personal quibble, but for all day casting its noticeable) at some loss of ultimate strength.

A fully modded 112h is over $400. These can be found in the $175-$225 range in this class (Okuma Komodo, Lexa 400 and Revo Toro S). The Toro Beast is particularly refined and is $299 if bargain hunting.

If I wanted a reel to last forever and be simple to work on the standard well made 3/0 reel is a great one reel to fish.

If I wanted a conventional reel for casting lures that I could max the fun meter on whether shore casting, live baiting or popping offshore then I would fish a Revo Toro Beast.

[Rancanfish]

Excellent explanation John.  I can take that info right to the boss.   

She's always shocked when I put a reel up for sale.

I can't wait to try the Lexa out this year for rockies & lings.

But the Abu holds a sudden fascination to me...hmmm.

[trevore]

Thanks for feedback.

[trevore]

Can anyone tell me how to get this bearing off this shaft? Anyone tried yet. Reel took an extended trip in the surf when I turtled my kayak. Its the only one I can't get to. 

[johndtuttle]

Can anyone tell me how to get this bearing off this shaft? Anyone tried yet. Reel took an extended trip in the surf when I turtled my kayak. Its the only one I can't get to. 

Its held on above and below by circle clips. when replacing it you have to be sure that the teeth on the AR Sleeve are properly seated in the drag washers to get the clip back in the slot on the sleeve.