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I want to order a butterfly jigging combo to catch Bluefin that will also catch it's share of Cod and Stripers. Obviously my concern is how the reel will handle a 65" Tuna at 20 pounds plus of drag. Will the less expensive route get it done?
The anti-reverse on the Torium will crap out on you - I've seen it happen several times. If you want to stick with a less expensive reel, the Daiwa Saltist is basically a beefed up version of the Torium for the same price.
Go talk to Andy and tell him you want to see the rod and reel setup he put together for me. Great setup at short money. I left it at the house the day I went on your boat.
The heavy spinners like the spheros 14000-18000 penn 850-950 (the 9500 if you can find one) and the Fin nor are all around the price point and I feel are a better option I have the toriums The 30 has 2 fish in your size range the antireverse is toast I never caught a fish that size on the smaller 20 but I would think that it would have the same result only quicker
I have a torruim 20. I love the reel and it does what it was designed for. But if you are looking at targeting BFT (to 65" as you stated) you may want to get a better quality reel. The torrium is a great reel but out of the box the 20 it is only rated for 20 lbs of drag max, as is the 30. The 20 and 30 are basicly the same reel with the 30 being a bit bigger giving you more line capsity. Also as stated above the anti reverse on both is a week point under max drag. The only torrium that will give you more then 20 lbs of max drag out of the box is the 50. Also the stock drag washers will not last under heavy drag. Replace them with the carbon fiber drags and grease them as Alan T. recomends.. I use my 20 for ground fishing, and love it. The high speed retrieve is great in deep water east of the bank and it will hold 500 yards of 50lb power pro, I have used it for jiging tuna in the past but only smaller school tuna under 75 lbs. in my honest opinion it is not the jigging reel of choice for tuna to 150 lbs
I have two of the Torium 20's and two Torium 16's (Only real difference is spool width.)
I also have two TN-16's mounted on jigging rods.
Although I like my Toriums for King fishing, I don't think they have the guts or drag for a really good jigging reel. Ive cought AJ's and African pompano to nearly 40 lbs on the little TN-16's It's an awsome and tough little reel. So are the Trevala jigging rods...I can't see how they didn't explode!
But for the small BFT you will need to up-size I'm sure. (The little TN-16's were cranked down pretty hard for the above fish)
My 2 cents is that you need to go with the TN reels over the Torium to get the drag pressures and drag control you will need for the BFT.
Shimano has all the specs at fishshimano.com
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I bought a diawa saltist last year and the antireverse failed when setting the hook blufish/striper fishing multiple times resulting in a birdsnest with a freshly hooked fish on the other end. Brought it back to the tackle shop where i bought it and they fixed it. It happened again. I have to bring it back again.
I did a search to see if the torium would be a good replacement. Looks like no. Any solutions on a tough reel that will not corrode and will take a nice beating??
I bought a diawa saltist last year and the antireverse failed when setting the hook blufish/striper fishing multiple times resulting in a birdsnest with a freshly hooked fish on the other end. Brought it back to the tackle shop where i bought it and they fixed it. It happened again. I have to bring it back again.
I did a search to see if the torium would be a good replacement. Looks like no. Any solutions on a tough reel that will not corrode and will take a nice beating??
Im a little new to star drag over lever drag but a friend who is not afraid to spend , spend, and spend on tackle uses the little AVETs [around same price as torium} sx lever drags and he claims if you dont over set the drag his free spool is not an issue. avet american made and great durability. only asking because I have been jigging Blue Fins to over 100# with tlds and shimano Tiagra s . I was looking into the torium with trevalla rod but now Im all confused???? I was targeting 50# fish at the most for the torium.
I had a Torium 30 and blew it up 3 times in 5 trips all under warranty and sent to Shimano Calif. The antireverse simply won't handle any drag at all. If you keep it at 15# you will never have a problem, but don't hook up with a big aj or grouper over a wreck because you are going to have your fellings hurt. I am told that the new for 2009 Quantum Cabo conventional has a beefed up anti reverse bearing and backup dog gear for around the same money as the Torium and Saltist. I have not seen one much less heard of one in action but I am curious to see how they do, because I love jigging.
I bought a diawa saltist last year and the antireverse failed when setting the hook blufish/striper fishing multiple times resulting in a birdsnest with a freshly hooked fish on the other end. Brought it back to the tackle shop where i bought it and they fixed it. It happened again. I have to bring it back again.
I did a search to see if the torium would be a good replacement. Looks like no. Any solutions on a tough reel that will not corrode and will take a nice beating??
As already mentioned, the Penn Torque is a much stronger reel than either the Trinidad or Torium. It weighs a little more (the TRQ 200 weighs 27oz vs the 21oz for the Tn 20), but has a machined frame and better anodizing. If I didn't already have a Trinidad 20, I would have bought a TRQ 200. The TRQ 200 is $389 I think.
I bought a diawa saltist last year and the antireverse failed when setting the hook blufish/striper fishing multiple times resulting in a birdsnest with a freshly hooked fish on the other end. Brought it back to the tackle shop where i bought it and they fixed it. It happened again. I have to bring it back again.
I did a search to see if the torium would be a good replacement. Looks like no. Any solutions on a tough reel that will not corrode and will take a nice beating??
From your description it sounds like a clutch problem instead of an AR problem. Otherwise you'd be talking about the reel handle wacking your fingers instead of backlashes. AR failure makes the handle spin backwards. There might be a communication issue with the tackleshop.
The Trinindads TN30 and smaller have very smooth but weak drags even after the drag upgrade. I've done the factory upgrade and the Cal Sheets modification and still get less than 20# locked down...not good with the 30# braid I use. I later bought a Saltist and run 50# braid no problem.
I think the Toriums and Trinidads are very similar however if you are going to use the clicker a lot the Toriums are far superior. The Trinidads that we had the clicker wore out after only 15 or so trips and the Toriums clickers are still going strong....but we use them for king mackerel not sure how they would stand up to BFT
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Shimano Torium vs Trinidad 30 reels 
