Showing posts with label shimano. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shimano. Show all posts

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Shimano Tekota TEK500

                                                        Shimano Tekota TEK500
My Impressions

I got bamboozled into doing a free cleaning in exchange for being able to do a review on this reel. Still not sure what I got out of this deal. LOL But anyway, Thanks to go the tncathunter for giving up this reel for 2 weeks.

The Tekota is one of those reels I have thought about getting for some time but for some reason didn't. Now that Abu Garcia has decided to drop the original Alphamar, that will change. When you first pick up the Tekota it gives the impression of being solid and well built. The handle is solid with out being overly heavy and it has a very comfortable grip.

Teardown and Inspection

The frame is diecast aluminum, and the drive side plate is stamped aluminum. The non-handle side plate is aluminum braced graphite. The graphite plate is thick and in-cased on the outside in aluminum so it is quite strong. The reel foot is stainless steel and riveted to the frame.

One thing that impressed me was the release mechanism was simple and the parts were heavy, so there should be no problems with it. The spool shaft is well supported by the frame, thereby keeping flex to a minimum.

Overall the Tekota is not a complicated to reel tear down but (there's always a but) look out for the drag clicker spring and pin when you remove the drag star. They are small and easy to loose. The reel will work just as well without them, the drag star just won't click when you turn it.

Drag

Shimano uses their Dartainium drag washers and they are known for being good drags. Not knowing how much the reel had been used, I wasn't sure how the drag would perform. It did however pull it's advertised 18 lbs of drag and was smooth throughout the drags entire rating.

Caution with this and all reels, never exceed the factory recommended drag settings.

Gear Set

The Tekota has a 4.2:1 gear ratio and retrieves 25 inches of line per turn. Which makes it a little faster than the Abu 7000iC3 and a little slower than a Fathom. The gears are about the same size as the gears in the 7000i C3 so they should give no problem. 
 
Anti-Reverse

The Tekota has an anti-reverse bearing and a anti reverse dog. Its always a good idea to have a back up to the IAR bearing.

Clickers

The Tekota has 2 clickers, the line out alarm is a simple design and loud enough to wake you up. Should you want to catch a few zzzz's at 2AM. It also has a clicker on the drag star. This will allow you to count clicks and return the drag to it's original position.
 
Line capacity

The spool has a mushroom post on it so braid users can tie directly to it and will not have to use a backing or warp the spool with electrical tape.

Test/Yards

mono 14/340, 16/285

braid 50/385, 65/365

Casting

This was a used reel so I couldn't check the casting in its fresh out of the box condition. So I gave it a good cleaning and lubed it in the same manor as I would a Penn Fathom. Casting distance fell right between the Abu 7000i C3's and an Alphamar 12. It was set with a little side to side spool play. Casting weights between 2 and 5 ounces, I never had to use my thumb to keep the spool under control.

Like Abu's Alphamar the Tekota does not have an auto engage when you turn the handle. Instead you must flip the lever back up to it's original position to engage the reel after casting. Myself I don't miss the auto-engage. It doesn't take long and flipping the lever becomes as natural as turning the handle to engage the spool.
Conclusion

The Tekota TEK 500, is about the same size as a Penn Fathom 15 or to put it another way. A little bit wider han a narrow spool 7000i HSN and a bit narrower than a 7000I C3. If you need more capacity there is a 600 size as well. The Tekota TEK 500 not only gives the impression of being well built, it is well built, smooth and great buy for anyone looking for a reel this size.




Friday, October 18, 2013

Girlfriends First Monster Catfish

In July 2013, the girlfriend (Jonous) and I took a trip over to Ohio to fish with Kip. We spent some time on the Muskingum the first night, and Jonous picked up her first ever flathead. 






The next night was on the Ohio, where I caught a small flathead about 8#. Then we caught some channel cats. We moved up into the Muskingum late at night, where I caught several more channel cats while Kip and Jonous slept. Around first light we headed back out onto the Ohio in some really cold conditions. Not long after getting set up we had a light bounce on one of the rods, then it bent double nice and slow. It was Jonous's turn, since I caught all those channels. She had a hard time removing the rod from the holder, but finally managed to get it out, and the fight was on. The fish was pulling drag, something she didn't realize as she was reeling as fast as she could. I reached over and tightened the drag a few clicks, and then left her to it. The fish stayed on bottom until it reached the boat. Kip kept saying "that's a big fish!" Upon reaching the boat, it tried to go under the boat and was headed for a snag. Jonous redirected the fish, at which point it headed for the motor. Jonous redirected the fish again, and brought it to the surface. I said "that fish is over 40#, and Kip said 42#. Kip slid the net under the pig, and we hoisted it in the boat. His scale registered 36#, and mine was bouncing between 35-39#. So we called it 36. This was the most awesome take down I have ever seen, and Kip agreed. Also the best fight I've seen in person. 

Here is the best shot of Jonous's new personal best flathead.





 That was it for that day. Next we made the trip back to Kip's house. Jonous and I went back to the hotel for about 2 hours sleep, before Kip called saying it was time to head out to fish with Robby Robinson(Katfish) So we headed off to Senaca for an evening with Robby. He had cooked some burgers on the grill, so we grabbed a bite before heading out. We didn't get any fish, but Robby had us on one of his big fish spots, looking for a trophy. The next morning we headed back to the hotel, for some much needed rest. This trip was the most fun I have ever had fishing. Way too many laughs to count. We're looking forward to fishing with Kip again anytime we get the chance. Big thanks to Kip and Robby for all the laughs and good times. 

Jonous and I at Senaca.



Here are a few more of my favorite pics from the trip.