Tranx reel

[Ray Perry]

Ty, have you had a chance to try the Tranx reel? If so what were your thoughts? Could you palm it ok? Do you think the 20 oz weight will wear on you throughout the day? And if u do like it which one would u get?

Thanks for the help,
Ray

[makins117]

I have been thinking about the same things so I will be interested to see what Ty thinks. I played with one a little bit at the Chicago Musky Show and I didn't notice any problematic issues with palming, but I have big hands. I wouldn't say it's nearly as easy to palm as the bass reels it is based off of, but then again you need a bigger reel to handle bigger fish.

And I was thinking yesterday that the weight difference between the Tranx and most other musky reels is similar to the weight difference between a 12oz can of Coke and a 20oz bottle of Coke. Pick one of each of those up and you can get an idea of the added weight.

As far as gear ratios it would depend on what you are using it for. My guess is that the power model with the lower gear ratio is the better all around reel because you still get 30 inches of line in per turn of the handle.

That's just my two cents on it. I haven't used a lot of different reels in my time so I am sure Ty will have a better response.

Matt

[Ray Perry]

Matt,

Thanks for the help. I really like the soda comparison. My thought was the same for gear ratio.

Ray

[Ty Sennett]

I tried one at the Chicago show also and am not sold on it. I would never buy a reel the first year out anyway but for what it's worth you can burn Cowgirls faster with a plain old Calcutta B or LJV than the new Tranx. I know some will say that the 30 inches per handle turn would make the Tranx one of the fastest reels out there. You also have to understand that you can only do so much with a reel. If the gear ratio is higer you can't physically make as many full revolutions of the handle without wearing yourself out. With a lower gear ratio you can turn the handle faster and achieve the same speed with less stress on your hands. There's got to be some sort of physics lesson that could show the equation I'm talking about. Man, I should have paid more attention in college.

The weight alone should scare most people away. That's a lot to throw all day. I don't want to see your golf game suffer Ray. The price will also scare most away. That's a big chunk of change when you can get the same thing done with a Calcutta B.

There's going to be problems with the reel because most of the time the people testing them out don't fish like we do. That's inevitable. Look at the last few reels that were supposed to be "the answer to Cowgirls"; they never lasted. You can't test them out in a shop in the winter. I've heard a lot of people say they were tested on Peacock Bass. That doesn't test them out against muskies. The hardest reels work when muskie fishing isn't the fight, it's the reeling in and casting of lures.

Overall it's still a Shimano product so it will be made well and the warranty is seccond to none. Ask me next year and I might have a better answer.

[Ray Perry]

Thanks for the help

Ray

[makins117]

Here is my take on the gear ratio thing.

On the 6.6:1 version you get 43 inches of line pulled in with one full rotation of the handle. This is great if you are pulling in baits that don't pull back much, but not for big bladed baits because each time you rotate the handle you are pulling that bait in by 43 inches. That means you are getting more resistance every time you turn that handle. To counteract that you end up slowing down your retrieve to reduce the pain in your arm. In addition, if you hook into a big fish you are going to have a harder time putting a full rotation on your handle because moving a big fish 43 inches each handle turn is going to be tough. The only thing I can really think this reel is good for is baits that don't fight you on the retrieve (rubber, topwaters, smaller bucktails).

On the 4.6:1 version you get 30 inches of line pulled in with one full rotation of the handle. This results in a slower retrieve, but less stress on your arm because you don't get as much resistance for each handle turn. This is great if you are pulling in baits that do pull back because each time you rotate the handle you are pulling that bait in by only 30 inches now. By the way, this is better than the average reel that pulls in about 25 inches (Calcuttas). If you hook into a big fish you have a better chance of getting it in without completing wearing yourself out because now you only have to move the fish 30 inches with each handle turn.

By comparison, the Calcutta LJV is a 5.0:1 ratio reel that pulls in 25 inches of line with each turn. So now this reel has even more power than the 4.6:1 Tranx reel.

An analogy I like to use is 10-speed bikes. On the lower gears you peddle more to move less, but remember how that felt when going up hills? Even though you peddled more you got less tired and faced far less resistance getting up that hill. Now take that same hill at the higher gears and you may get more out of each peddle turn but you expended far more energy and got a lot more resistance trying to get up that hill. So when riding your ten speed bike you would kick it into the lower gears when resistance became higher to expend less energy and then back into the higher gears when the resistance got lower to get more speed. Hope I didn't lose anyone there.

So in the world of musky fishing you would want a lower geared reel with a better inches per turn when fishing with baits that fight back and when putting the screws to a big fish. That's why, in my mind, the 4.6:1 ratio reel is a good concept when thinking about musky fishing, but is it worth a half a pound more in weight increase over hundreds of casts a day? Time will only tell.

[Paul Schueller]

So when riding your ten speed bike you would kick it into the lower gears when resistance became higher to expend less energy and then back into the higher gears when the resistance got lower to get more speed.
.

That sounds like a good argument for manufacturers to start messing with two-speed casting reels.

[makins117]

They do have two-speed casting reels. One of the Daiwa Saltist models is probably the best for musky applications. This reel can be 6.3:1 and then 3.1:1 by simply flipping a switch. I have also heard of people using Avet reels. I believe all two-speed reels are saltwater models at this point. Shimano does it on their larger reels.

[DMBFID]

Ty - do you know what gear ratio this reel is? Ray is trying to sell me this for 300 bucks.

-Fidler

[Ray Perry]

Ty don't mess this up. Fidler believes that Louie Spray caught the world record musky with this reel. It should be worth a lot more that $300.

Ray

[Paul Schueller]

I thought the Diawa Saltists were conventional reels (i.e. no levelwind).

[musky3]

You guys are all crazy the HS reel is the only way to go. You cant make a slow reel fast. You buy the HS reel and only fill spool 3/4
and that will change that ratio then you add the LVJ handle that will give you a little extra leverage. Also the HS reel will be magic with
10" Jakes and other crankbaits not to mention Rubber baits in shallow water. There are a lot of reels out there that pull in 30" of line
per crank that don't weigh 20 oz.

[makins117]

You clearly didn't see Mike Hulbert in the bucktail burning contest at the Chicago musky show. He certainly made a slow reel fast.

But to the point, the high speed reel will be great for baits that don't pull back like jerk baits, some crankbaits and rubber. I have a feeling that not a lot of people are going to use the high speed reel for double cowgirls or supermodels. In my experience I end up spending most of my days fishing a lot of the time with the big bucktails and for that I would be going the slower, power model reel. Like any reels each one has it's specific use. Just depends on how you fish.

Doesn't matter to me anyway at this point. I just recently bought the LJV reel to use this season. Really looking forward to putting that reel through the paces.

[musky3]

You clearly didn't see Mike Hulbert in the bucktail burning contest at the Chicago musky show. He certainly made a slow reel fast.
That is just a silly comment nobody can reel like that all day...that contest was a joke. The LJV reel is a Calcutta 400TE with
a power handle and a longer drive shaft and its silver...no magic here

[makins117]

Did you come on this board just to put others down?

[Ty Sennett]

The burning contest wasn't a joke when Mike and I were trying out the Tranx reels before the contest. The LJV was definitely faster. We switched back and forth between the two and whoever had the LJV was faster and it was easier to reel. During the contest Mike had the LJV and if you didn't think he smoked everyone else then you didn't watch very hard. I've been in the boat with almost everyone that was in the contest and smart money was on Luke but he was about the forth fastest with the Tranx. The Tranx was just slower when it was all said and done. Period. We tried it before the competition and Mike and I were exactly the same in retrieve speeds with our LJV's. As sooon as I got the Tranx he smoked me. Then I gave him the Tranx and I smoked him using my LJV.

[makins117]

Hey Ty,

Why do you think that is? What is it about the LJV that makes it easier to burn the big bucktails in? Based on specs you would assume the Tranx would win, but what holds it back?

[Ty Sennett]

I think there is just only so much a reel can do compared to what your body mechanics put out. The LJV and Calcutta B must just be at the upper level of our physical capabilities for power in turning a handle. Sounds pretty weird but it just works out that way.

In comparison, the Abu Garcia Record is also one of the fastest reels to burn with although it doesn't hold up well. Doesn't make sense on paper until you put a power handle on it and try it. You'll only get to try that one for a little bit though because it will break right away.

Like I've said before, the Tranx will be a great reel because of the company that made it. I can tell you flat out that it isn't "the answer" for Cowgirls. Frankly, I don't think there is. If you reel them fast they just wear on you.