Tica or Okuma Lever Drag Reels

[revs57]

G'day 'cruiser,

A mate of mine inherited an "unknown" overhead reel from his father's estate, it had a bear symbol on it. In his words, he's tried for years to kill it and can't - he's caught some awesome fish on it...turns out to be an Okuma, so I thought I'd try a couple of Okuma Dyna Drag threadline cheapies the big store were tipping out on special to use for floaters on Snapper etc, that's 3 years ago and they've been performing fine, super smooth drags, nice retrieve rate - very happy...so I've taken the plunge and picked up a couple of Okuma T50 lever drags (one 2 speed) off ebay...loaded with 37kg...looking to pull some big ambo's, sambos, kingies and other pelagics if they are around off Minnie Water at Christmas. The reels sure look the goods but I have a couple of TLD 25's loaded with 24kg on standby just in case!

Gotta cover the bases!

Rhys

[craftycarp]

okuma are a good reel for the price. They will compare favourably with tld's I have both and trust me the warping I get on a big fish is way more pronounced on my tld than on my okuma overhead. However having said that the tld is a few years old still going strong. If you started comparing an okuma to a daiwa saltiga or trinidad or something then I would say get one of them if you can afford it. However in the cheapy end of the market okuma's are a great buy.

crafty

[Baycruiser]

Anyone have any feedback on Tica lever drags? Was looking at a ST 558 in particular. What about the Okuma T-20? Do they compare to say the Shimano TLD series as far as performance goes? Any feedback appreciated.

[88fishframe]

Hate to knock particular brands, but as a reel collector I would have to say it is very hard to find any Tica in good condition after 6 or more months saltwater use. The finish seems very prone to corrosion and electrolysis. Seriously, I would stick with the TLD's as they don't corrode easily and are a proven performer. Another one worth looking at is the Daiwa LD50H.

[Baycruiser]

Fishframe.....thanks for the heads up.

[Baycruiser]

thanks guys, sounds like the Okuma gets the thumbs up versus the Tica.

[SeaSaw]

I use both TLD25 and Okuma T20l which are very similar in performance and I can't really fault either for bottom fishing or light trolling (for there price range). I have had both for a many years and actually prefer the Okuma because it has a level wind (and I am lazy ) and the handle is a much better length than the TLD's. Both these reels have caught some serious fish and seem pretty hard to break. I also get slightly more drag from the Okuma (10kg) than I can get from a TLD (8kg).

Cheers,

Mark

[aussiefool]

I use my okuma every every day and love it, although over the last 18 ths it has let me down with a noise gear drive but with a 5 yr warrarinty replaced no probs. love it good drag for jews ,jacks or tailor see av. got him on okuma mi80 loaded with 9kg

[Sportfish_5]

How cheap are these Okumas ???

At the current pricing for TLDs with 10 year warranty why would you not go with a proven performer

Cheers

Greg

[Thunderbird]

Have an okuma t30 2spd
lasted for a little while, (6 mounths)before servicing it
the anti reverse stuffed up.
got stuck between hi and low speeds.
and the clicker snuffed out on the drag lever.
and the spool seemed tight when you'd first use it on a trip.
yeah great pice of s#$t.

on the other hand also have tld25's that seem to just keep on going.

[Baycruiser]

Well, picked up an Okuma T-20 level wind for $120.......best give them a go at that price. See how it compares over time to my TLD 15's and TLD 25......time will tell??

[revs57]

I was yakking to Brad yesterday from Taylor Marine, he gets into quite a bit of comp game fishing...chatting about the sail fish shoot out coming up...They use the Shimano Tiagra's almost exclusively...reckons he could show me a couple of Okuma's that folded up under the blistering run of a sail. Brad said they fish 24kg with 12kg of drag and the Okuma's just can't hack it. I guess those of us with Okuma's will find out sooner or later hey! at less than half the cost of a tiagra, I can almost hear the words "you only get what you pay for..."

[Thunderbird]

Just took mine out today for a run after it was serviced and still no joy > > found the drag to be realy sticky which resulted in overspools while i was fighting fish... >

[Baycruiser]

oh well, see how the Okuma goes?...........certainly not planning on 12kg of drag on it. Mainly looking to use it for bottom bashing and light trolling. I'm sure it would pack up under sail fish type duty.

[revs57]

Can appreciate your ticked-off-ness Thunder...nothing worse than any reel not performing when fighting a good fish...have you had an agent look at it? Warranty????