Is the tranx worth the extra money

[Jgonzalez7]

I apologize for not elaborating more on my comment.... fishing constantly at 15 lbs of drag a reel that has a max drag of 18 lbs, will cause a lot of wear and tear... think about your car, driving constantly at 100 mph will have more wear and tear than driving at 60 if your car max speed is 120 mph., if your car has a max speed of 160 mph, driving at 100 mph will not be a big problem.

I spooled my tranx 500 with 80 lbs line (maxcuattro). If you follow the recommended drag rule, for 20 lbs of drag you need at least 60 or 80 lbs line. I use it to fish yellow fin tuna in the golf of mexico, any drag less than 18 lbs will be smoked by a 70 lbs yft or will piss everybody on the boat (party boat) because of the long fight. On a 400 class baitcaster (remember that saying 400 class on a reel has no reference or meaning in reality, all manufacturers have their own opinion of what a 400, 500, 30w, 50w, 600n are)... but to standardize the idea, let's say a reel that has a capacity of 270 yds of 50 lbs braid (tranx 400) with a drag of 18 lbs... then according to the rule of drag vs line, we do 18 x 3, which will give us 55, then the closes to upper bound line will be 65, if you choose 50 you are compromising the line (18 drag is more than 1/3 of line)...then we are fishing a reel with 18 lbs of drag with 65 lbs line, which probably will only fit about 180 yds... if we want to fish 50 lbs braid on it, we do 50/3 which is 16. Then we are paying 299 for a top of the line baitcaster with 270 yds of 50 lbs braid and only 16 lbs of drag, keep in mind that the max drag for the tranx 400 hs is 18 lbs. Now, Lets look at the new fathom 400, advertised capacity of 200 yds of 50 lbs braid. I can use maxcuattro and gain maybe an extra 40 yds of line... so, 240 yds of 50 lbs braid, the fishishable drag for that line is again 16, but the reel has a max drag of 24...which one do you think will have more wear and tear after a couple of seasons? Also you can still push your 25 lbs drag reel more when needed... on the other hand, the tranx its already at its limit, you have to thumb spool, but it can cause bending.

Look at accurate ideology "big fish small reel" (valiant series), more manufacturers are moving into that direction more and more, its amazing to see an accurate valiant 800 drag vs weight ratio.

But tell me, what do you guys think?

 

[can]

Yeah kind of get what you're saying, but when do you set your drag based on your braid backing? Shouldn't you set the drag setting based on your top shot/leader (your weakest line)?

Even if I was fishing a fathom 400size baitcaster with 24lb drag or tranx with18lb drag, I would only be fishing at max a leader of 40lb, no? 40lb leader would mean that i will be at around 10-13lb drag, which would still be far lower than the stated max of both reels.

I really appreciate your comments and questions as it was always on the back of my mind but was never fully answered.

 

[Jgonzalez7]

When vertical jigging i dont use a top shot, i tried but strengely I could not get the same action from the jigs. My weakest point is the connection to the lure such as the knot, swivel, lock, clip, etc. If I use fluorocarbon is usually 3 to 5 ft only, and its about the same lbs as the braid (65 lbs to 80lbs). I personally like to have as few connections as possible, and if I use a leader i it is about the same lbs as the braid.

Braid backing is used primary to make filling a big reel not that expensive or for older reels that the spool is not braid friendly. I have embraced that fishing is expensive and all my reels are braid friendly.

But again, fishing is the most diverse sport... each of us have different methods, ideologies, beliefs, rituals... they all are correct and wrong too.

 

[Calico Killer]

If you are fishing for long drag peeling fish on a low profile reel (Tranx 500 exempt) under heavy drag, you are asking for trouble. Could they do it? Sure but not for long. Washers are rarely the first component to give. ARBs, gear alignment, gear teeth, spool shafts are usually the first to give.

% of max drag is also an odd metric for reel performance especially if you aren’t familiar with the method by which a manufacturer measures max drag. Furthermore, reels with a max drag rating of 25lbs all handle that pressure differently. A Saltiga 30 that holds roughly 270 of 50# braid is only rated to 18# of drag, but it will handle sustained periods of that drag pressure much better than a low profile reel. This is due to the beefed up internals.

Don’t mistake a reel’s max drag rating for its recommended drag rating. Tranx 400s are rated at a max of ~20lbs but for sustained runs, I would rate it at 11-12lbs of recommended drag. Saltiga 30s are rated at ~20lbs of drag but I would recommend no more than 14-15lbs of drag. This is of course if you care about the longevity of your reels.

 

[anemic]

Evan Salvay using Tranx with 90# fluorocarbon leader over 100# braid to throw stickbaits:

 

[Cubeye]

If you are fishing for long drag peeling fish on a low profile reel (Tranx 500 exempt) under heavy drag, you are asking for trouble. Could they do it? Sure but not for long. Washers are rarely the first component to give. ARBs, gear alignment, gear teeth, spool shafts are usually the first to give.

% of max drag is also an odd metric for reel performance especially if you aren’t familiar with the method by which a manufacturer measures max drag. Furthermore, reels with a max drag rating of 25lbs all handle that pressure differently. A Saltiga 30 that holds roughly 270 of 50# braid is only rated to 18# of drag, but it will handle sustained periods of that drag pressure much better than a low profile reel. This is due to the beefed up internals.

Don’t mistake a reel’s max drag rating for its recommended drag rating. Tranx 400s are rated at a max of ~20lbs but for sustained runs, I would rate it at 11-12lbs of recommended drag. Saltiga 30s are rated at ~20lbs of drag but I would recommend no more than 14-15lbs of drag. This is of course if you care about the longevity of your reels.

Good points. Sort of like loading your 1/2 ton pickup with a one ton load. It will work, but for how long?

 

[Mike M]

For me, ergonomics is a top priority in addition to technical performance. Rod/reel combinations that feel good to others may not feel good to me - large hands v. small hands, construction hands v. computer hands.

If you have and opportunity, visit these reels in person, put on a rod (or bring your rod) and go through casting and winding motions.

 

[Jgonzalez7]

Thank you!!! that is exactly the point that I was trying to make... longevity of the reel. unfortunately, no manufacturer advertises the recommended drag, they only advertise max drag, which has become a competition.

 

[fcsd_christian]

For me its not worth the extra money when I can get a badass open faced conventional reel for half the cost that feels better in my hands and will likely last longer. Something about reeling in a big fish on these low profiles is just off. I use my Lexas (300/400) as oversized bass reels that work if I connect to a decent YT or WSB. I've hook everything from Calicos to BFTs on my 400 and I will not ever throw that thing at tuna again. Yeah the Lexa held up, but it did not feel good reeling that fish in. That said I've never hooked a big one on a Tranx and I hear they feel a lot better than the Lexas.