Back the 30WLRS with braid and you should get a kilometre on it, then just gut hook the thing and he won't run far. We got one this year that didn't take 300m of the reel. I know because Mick had 700m of braid under it and that was on a Tyrnos 30, 80lb braid & 50lb mono.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=473604183 - http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=473604183

Anything flasher would be munted by me in no time on the rocks.

Or buy a TLD50 and just do the drag upgrade. 

Daiwa just keep making damn good gear. hard to keep up with them these days.

I find, with the TLD25, I have trouble getting the freespool setting just right. It usually takes me 4 or 5 goes to get it to give line but not overrun, now that's with the ratchet on. The bad news is the TLD50 is just the same in that regard. I have both of these reels and use them a lot.

The reason I bought a Tiagra was that I blew a Marlin on my TLD50. The drag locked under extreme inertia when the fish went to take off. In reality what probably happened was I had way too much drag on it to expect the drag not to bite in when the fish took off. It was a very big Marlin..

So I went out and bought a Tiagra from the states for about $500.00 AUS. What I didn't realise is that the real benefit of buying this reel wouldn't be at the high end of the drag curve but at the low end.

When I run out live baits, well big baits, I like to keep a bit of pressure on them as they'll pull against it and keep heading in the right direction. Traditionally I've done this with thumb pressure, now I just click the drag lever up till it's all working and I can tend to my other rod. This is called 'Auto Drift'. I just put a line float on every 20m or so to keep the belly from sinking and it's too easy. There's enough pressure there that if a fish does hit the bait it should not over run and this is without the ratchet on.

In total free spool with the ratchet engaged you shouldn't get line slipping off the Tiagra unless it is a big sea or you have a big bait. In either case I think I've described how easy it is to adjust the drag on these reels so one click should do it. I find with the TLD's you can feel the pressure being applied to the drag plates as your moving the lever up or releasing as you move it down. This doesn't happen with the Tiagras.

A little more on the TLD's. I believe the TLD25 has the same spool capacity as the TLD30, well it's what I've been led to believe anyway. The TLD30 2 speeds are definitely a more substantial reel and a better build that the 25's but I've already discussed the drag issues with any of the TLD range so won't go into that again. Now, you could address this by changing drag washers and messing around with reel but I don't think you want to do that with something out of the box. I know I don't.

The Tyrnos doesn't have the ratchet that the Tiagra has so for me, I skip this model for heavier work. Also they're heavier than the TLD's and not really that much lighter than the Tiarga. The line capacity in the 30 sizes for both of the reels is also very different.

I don't have ant experience with the SLD's but if your interested in one I'd recommend you have a think about what I've said regarding 'Auto Drift' and ratchets because where I've found the true value in these upper class reels is in managing your bait on a drift and when you get a run. Once you push the lever up any of these reels should deal with the situation provided you don't go over spec on them.

Go into the shop and mess around with both models if you can so you can compare before you buy something off the net. I know a lot of people and bang into plenty of others and I only know of one person that uses a Diawa SLD for live baiting here. This could simply mean that Shimano have done an excellent job in maintaining market share, as I haven't heard any Diawa horror stories but I still think the stats are relevant. All that said though $200.00 for an SLD it'd be worth it just to see if you can break it

 

 

 

 

 

 

as for my tld 20/25...I agree the drag kicks in quick from freespool but if you go and see jeff the reel guy in Aucks he can do something  to improve it....a small mod..had both of mine done and its great.

 

Ditto 

Hey guys, I'm referring to getting the correct pressure setting for your live bait situation - so it'll give line when a fish takes but not overrun (and I figure you know this but let me explain anyway). Let's call it the 'live bait setting'. As I've said, the TLD's are finicky things to get right, particularly with big baits, the drag is just a bit sticky that's all. 

I tend to whinge about the overrun issue because Longtails (Tuna) hit like a bat out of hell and if your not close enough to your rod it goes badly.

The other side of the coin is if you have the 'live bait setting' to tight a fish will drop the bait before it gets going at all. This definitely happens with Yellow Fin Tuna. 

Getting your balloon to let go under the right pressure when fishing for Tuna is very important. Pencil floats are often used to cut down on resistance even when it means it's harder to get a drift (there's probably a whole other thread just on that). So you see how the idea is always to have the absolute minimum resistance in 'live bait setting'. 

With the higher quality reels it's easier to achieve this as the drag comes up much more smoothly and you don't have to bring it up, just a touch more, whoops, too much, back it off again, bring the lever up while drawing the line off the spool, bugger too much again, repeat, etc.

That said if you're maxing them (TLD25's) out like that then your free spool or lowest engaged drag setting may be affected as your drag curve is ramped up. I use my TLD25 for Tuna fishing with 10kg line so I've never set strike at over 4Kg. I think I'll have to try this now.. I'l also try it on the Tyrnos 20 I have.. and report back.

I think my tld25 is currently loaded with 15kg also, 15 kg suits it nice.. The drag is still very fiddly at the higher end. No problems fishing squid, piper, sprats or small stuff... 2kg KY will start to become an annoyance.

 

I haven't used one, but the ones I have seen in shops look very nice. Seem to have decent specs for LBG kings too.

Hey mate. Do you reckon you could fish that gear with over 13Kg of drag at strike? If not then your 80lb line is pretty much for abrasion resistance and you keep your drag settings around the norm for 50lb. 

If you don't want to blow a spool of line why don't run a 120lb wind on leader after your double. They should be around 6-7m and then with your trace you'll have some pretty good insurance for the rough stuff.

Accurate BX-500X or 600X with BX-7040C 7' Rod

http://www.accuratefishing.com/products/bx2/bx2_index.php - http://www.accuratefishing.com/products/bx2/bx2_index.php

...actually the retrieve rate might me a bit high for jigging... but there's other models!

The line floats are basically pieces of caulking strip. You know the stuff they put around door or window frames (to stop draughts), comes in a cylindrical profile, something like a 10m roll. It's a pretty closed cell foam (not like polystyrene) and comes in various diameters. Tilers also use it in the smaller diameters for edging under the kick boards.

Just cut a length of it, run a line with a black marker (sharpie penn) down the length of it then follow the line with a razor blade, cutting half the way through. I then cut it into about 40mm lengths and chuck them all in a zip lock bag. Make sure the blade is sharp or the float won't grip the line so well.

This stuff is harmful to the environment and sea life will eat it so make sure you collect them when you wind it back on to your tip. I just wind it up there then lift the rod tip vertically free spooling it back down to my hand and then into the pocket for the next drift.

It's only used to maintain wide drifts (60m+) and prevent your line belly from dragging or even worse snagging on a bommie. Please be careful with this stuff. You may like to experiment with cork as it's organic but I doubt the effects will be any more positive on the wildlife. In saying this I've found balloons and cigarette butts in the stomachs of Slimy Mackerel. Fish eat everything man!

Why not try one of those little tins with the swab that you'd have in your fly fishing jacket for treating your floating lines? Probably first port of call right there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just remember I didn't start this thread to bag out TLD's, I have two and use them all the time, Forsyth wanted to upgrade and I just chipped in with pros and cons 

I hope to put some time into fishing for Yellowfin this winter so I'll start a thread when I get going and hopefully show you guys how the things I've mentioned matter on this side of the ditch.

Oh and I have Kingfish Envy...

http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/south-coast-this-summer_topic77524.html?KW=kiwinoz - http://www.fishing.net.nz/asp_forums/south-coast-this-summer_topic77524.html?KW=kiwinoz

Click on the last pic and it should load for you.

All good mate, it's a forum after all!

If you are planning a trip over here be sure to let us know.