Tuna / Gamefish Setup

[_Obelix_]

Hi South African newbie here wanting to get kitted out with full tuna rigs. My friend bought the boat, now I buy the gear

Been looking at the Shimano Tiagra line. Only thing is, on the website all the dimensions, figures etc get me a bit confused. Which would be the best for tuna in the 100 - 200 lb range? Occasionally we'll head up the coast after wahoo, king mackerel, with the odd venture into marlin waters, but don't want a rig specifically for marlin. Tuna predominantly.

Are there any other brands/models out the that are comparable to the Tiagras. We get Penn and Daiwa as well in South Africa.

Thanks for your time guys...

[Knot Proper]

If money is flowing free get your self a nice set of alutecnos the fiftys can handle monsters.

[Boboe]

I am a big fan of the Shimano Tiagra line. They're tough and not ridiculously high priced. The Tiagra 50W is a great tuna reel, and in the right hands it can handle pretty much any yellowfin. You could upgrade to the 80W, but they're considerably heavier and more cumbersome. If you intend to fish standup gear, I would highly recommend going with the 50W's. If you intend to fight fish from the chair, and you regularly expect to get into tunas around that 200 pound mark and large marlin, the 80's would probably be a better bet.

My final word will be that the Tiagra 50W is my favorite offshore reel.

[DIRTYFOOT2]

no argument Tiagra 50W. Best value to performance ratio
Good luck, catch em up, and send in the reports

[_Obelix_]

Thanks for the replies chaps.

Gonna be doing stand up fishing, boat's got no fighting chair. Definitely leaning towards the Tiagras. So I'll go into the local shop and ask to check out the 50W's. Nobody got opinions on the rival Daiwas and Penns? Upsides / downsides?

Wow, those Alutecnos are beautiful! I dont think they have product support or dealers in SA though. Nice to dream though...

To go with the 50W's for standup tuna fishing, what would be a decent rod to get? Dimensions?

[Knot Proper]

rod length really does depend on your height most shops will help select the size for you. As far as the penn reels go I love my 80's they have not let me down yet.

[fishensticker]

Tiagra 50 wides--very versatile, good service/ support, etc,,,

[Boboe]

Penn Internationals cost more than Shimano Tiagras, and aren't as good, in my opinion. The Shimano drag is smoother, the clicker is louder, and the reels are tougher. I wouldn't buy a Penn, even if the Shimano cost the same.

[islandshark633]

Shimano Tiagras for sure over Penn, love the Alutecnos here but with no product support presence in SA I'd leave them alone.

There is a good rod builder in SA though I can not remember the name. I'll try to find it in my files and post it. I'd make you some rods but the shipping costs will likely kill the deal.

By the way, regards to Asterix and Dogmatix

[_Obelix_]

By the way, regards to Asterix and Dogmatix

Thanks Islandshark, if you could find that rodbuilder I'd really appreciate it.

[islandshark633]

Originally Posted by _Obelix_

Thanks Islandshark, if you could find that rodbuilder I'd really appreciate it.

I tried looking and googling but no luck, I must have deleted the link. Drag around SA fishing info online and you should find them, they offer charters and all sorts of tackle too, lots of stuff on the web site.

Failing that, call Getafix