Which rod for my reel

[Niels Axel Bucumi Sommer]

Hi,

No one seems to talk about the Penn TRQ spinning reel series when it comes to GT fishing. I wonder why. They seem like they are build like tanks. I have the small one, a Penn TRQS5. It's definitively not a monster sized reel but it's got a very nice smooth drag and I guess that I'll be able to load it with 200+ meters Spiderwire Stealth 0,40 mm that holds about 50 kg.

I did some rod testing in the garden yesterday. The TRQS5 let out line so smoothly at 12 kg of drag while I was trying to see if my 4-piece Shimano Beastmaster AX Boat could maybe be used for GT popping. The rod surprised me very positively when trying to pull a tipped bamboo sofa on the lawn. It is very strong with a firm tip and it has rather big line guides.

I think I'll go popperfishing (my first ever) in Tanzania in march 2016 and I need to pair my TRQS5 to a suitable popping rod and buy some poppers up to I guess 150 gr. Any suggestions on a new rod for te reel as well as comments on the reel? I'll also bring the Beastmaster rod just for fun.

[Mark Richie]

Hi Niels,

People are always looking for an alternative to a stella/saltiga but to be honest, nothing can really come that close to what these reels are like and their capabilities are truly astounding once you screw them down. I have not use the Penn Torque but if it were truly capable of popping for geets, we'd of heard about it on this forum by now. Maybe it's flying under the radar? One very important consideration with regards to reels is the gears. The stella and saltiga have such seamless and bullet-proof gearing systems meaning that even if another reel is capable of landing monster GT's, it will feel flawed and brittle after fishing with a stella/saltiga. I hope someone can contribute to this thread giving solid 1st hand accounts of the reel.

The Torque 5 though is looking a little short on line capacity. Your saying 200m of 0.4 (pe6) which won't let you target any big fish so you should only be looking at lures up to 125g or you'll risk braid explosions while casting (heart-breaking sight watching a beloved lure sailing through the air on its way to a rocky head land/un-accessible section of reef) or enticing a fish that is too big and strong for your equipment.

As for the rod, we'll need a little more info.
1. popper or stickbait preference?
2. Land-based or from a boat?
3. Casting requirements?
 Have you had a read of Brandon's thread about buying a GT rod and also his guide to going on your first GT trip?

Cheers
Rich 


 

[Trevor Skinner]

Rich has pretty well nailed the advice.

Maybe other reels work for chasing GTs on a sporadic basis but I mainly see Stellas/Saltigas amongst serious GT fisherman. In real life being attached to a rampaging 100b GT and a piece of garden furniture are very different things (although I could name some fish that do fight like garden furniture)

Brandon's excellent posts (pinned to the top of this forum) are required reading for GT equipment selection 101 and will help you make well informed choices. When you've formulated an idea based on that information your queries will be much more specific and the advice will be much more effective.

Regards,



Trev   

[Amr Kehila]

Hi Niels,

People are always looking for an alternative to a stella/saltiga but to be honest, nothing can really come that close to what these reels are like and their capabilities are truly astounding once you screw them down. I have not use the Penn Torque but if it were truly capable of popping for geets, we'd of heard about it on this forum by now. Maybe it's flying under the radar? One very important consideration with regards to reels is the gears. The stella and saltiga have such seamless and bullet-proof gearing systems meaning that even if another reel is capable of landing monster GT's, it will feel flawed and brittle after fishing with a stella/saltiga. I hope someone can contribute to this thread giving solid 1st hand accounts of the reel.

The Torque 5 though is looking a little short on line capacity. Your saying 200m of 0.4 (pe6) which won't let you target any big fish so you should only be looking at lures up to 125g or you'll risk braid explosions while casting (heart-breaking sight watching a beloved lure sailing through the air on its way to a rocky head land/un-accessible section of reef) or enticing a fish that is too big and strong for your equipment.

As for the rod, we'll need a little more info.
1. popper or stickbait preference?
2. Land-based or from a boat?
3. Casting requirements?
 Have you had a read of Brandon's thread about buying a GT rod and also his guide to going on your first GT trip?

Cheers
Rich 


 

Nailed it!

[Niels Axel Bucumi Sommer]

Hi and thanks,
Yes I already read the article on your first rod - and did so with great pleasure.
I'll use poppers from boat. Don't know what you ean by casting requirements.
Having read the article, and since I live not that far from Tanzania and all its possibilities, I've decided to start out with what I've already got and not start out spending a fortune. Maybe I'll get some beating along the line but hopefully also some fantastic moments and all of that, i reckon, will finally give me the info about the fishing and about myself to make the right desicions as for more serious equipment.
I very much appreciate your comments and look forward to see if there are other Penn reels out popping.