SportFishing and Charters Forum - Need help to decide between shimano saragosa or shimano tld 50

hey guys this is my first post... I go 3 - 5 times a year to port aransas texas to deep sea fish (I am from Mexico)...and I am looking to buy a reel for my 24 hr. deep sea fishing trips... I am trying to decide between the shimano saragosa 18000f and the shimano tld50lrsa (I know they are black and white)... I have lost so many fish because I was underpower (I use what the charter boat supplies which are penn 113 or 114)... I mostly do deep bottom fishing (up to 400 ft. deep)... I am between those two because of max drag (around 40 lbs for both)... I can get the saragosa for about $240 or the tld 50 lrsa for about $329 ... thank you for your help

As you described it, Saragossa hands down.

If you plan to troll a lot, then I'd recommend TLD.

thank you josh... I am still debating...I am really inclining towards the saragosa... but, what are the benefits of a spinning reel (saragosa with 44 lbs of drag) vs conventional (tld 50) for bottom fishing... also, is the TLD 50 LRSA too heavy to fish for 12 hrs?

Sent you a pm

The disadvantage of the TLD is how bulky/heavy it is. For bottom fishing, I think you'll be happiest with spinning reel (weight under the rod) or a smaller profile conventional reel. I think the TLD is too heavy to fish for 2 hours let alone 12, unless it's sitting in a rod holder while trolling.

It makes sense... I was looking at the specs for both reels and the tld is 57 oz and the saragosa is about 28 oz... that is a huuuugeee diff.... one more question: would fishing groupers red snappers and other bottom feeders will affect performance of the saragosa since those fish fight more vertically (more vertical torque needed)?

A 18000 Saragossa will whip the species you list no problem. I think a lot of people fish them with a lot less reel.

And don't underestimate the torque put on your hands with a big heavy conventional on top of the rod vs the spinning setup.

I'm not knocking the TLD. My boat fishes all TLD 25s and 50s. But we are fishing for tuna and sharks and billfish. In your application, between the two, it's no contest in my opinion.

I've got a Gosa 18000f but I don't use it for bottom fishing...just jigging. If I hook into something big, its going to be damn hard to crank him off the bottom with such a high speed reel. A lower gear conventional with similar drag will be a lot more manageable to crank on.

Also, note what type of boat you're fishing from. I do a lot of head host fishing which has a rail that rises higher than most boats. A spinning reel must be held up higher than a conventional & you're unable to rest a spinner on the rail. Also, most amateurs don't do well with spinning rods for whatever reason

I still love my Gosa though, I just prefer a lower speed reel for big bottom fish

Porcha... you are right I would not be able to rest the reel on the rail... which after several hours will be killer to the arm...what about a TLD 30 ($299) or a TLD 20 ($249)... would that suffice for the occasional big fishes that are caught on the line? which would you recommend from those those? is there another good conventional reel with 40 lbs of drag in the $299 range that is good for 12 hr stand up bottom fishing? what type of drag do need for 100 lbs braided line?


EDIT: just fell in love with the Talica 16II... is it a good performer?

honestly i'd go with a 4/0 or 6/0 penn senator w/ carbontex or ht-100 drag upgrades

you don't need that much drag for bottom fishing in most places, you can always manually stop the spool to prevent a grouper from running to his hole....they basically give up after 20 ft

AJs can wreck you but if you're using 100# braid and some mono shock leader, you can just stop the runs to the bottom and brute force the fish....heavy drag becomes more important if you're targeted species makes long runs and you need to tire them out

save the expensive gear for high speed jigging/trolling

Thank you guys for all your input... I decided to buy the talica 16ii... Since I would be spending a little more than 300 if I purchase the TLD30 or Tyrnos 30, and I can get the talica for 430, it would be better to spend the extra money to buy a reel that will not need to be replaced by something bigger in case I need it...

smart choice.

thank you josh.... since I am from Mexico, most of the things we buy here are overpriced... for example an iphone 4 is around 1,000 dlls... we dont have the luxury to buy something that we have to replace later, we can not chose by trial and error, if we buy something is because we are going to use the crap out of it

ok guys I was talking to my friend that can get the reels for me and he can get me a talica16 single speed for 380 or a talica12 two speed for 430...which one would you choose? it is a matter of more line (tac16) vs two speeds (tac12).... please help!!!!

EDIT: just talked to my friend and I finally bought a tac16 2 speed for 440 with taxes and s&H!!!!.... would you guys pair it with a shimano trevala 5' 8" XHeavy 80-200 lbs??? I am looking for a rod that is short (less than 6'), any recomendations?