Blackfish Reels

[jlrotary]

I prefer a star drag for blackfish....
With that being said I caught my personal best (13lbs) on an Avet SX with drag in full and she still took some drag after I got a few turns of the handle in.
My go to reel is a saltiga 20 (star drag).

[HDMarc]

Avet SX is great for big tog. Many on here will agree, some will tell you that they don't have enough drag for their liking. It boils down to personal preference. I've caught my biggest tog on the SX with no problem.

[shrimpman steve]

Originally Posted by jlrotary

I prefer a star drag for blackfish....
With that being said I caught my personal best (13lbs) on an Avet SX with drag in full and she still took some drag after I got a few turns of the handle in.
My go to reel is a saltiga 20 (star drag).

If I had a saltiga, it would be one of my goto reels as well

[Reelron]

I also took my PB, 15lbs., on an SX 5.3 And manage to break off what felt like a bigger fish last year, when I panicked and pushed the drag all the way up!

I know of at least 12 guys who were fishing right next to me on that 6 pack charter when I did that. So I'm sure all would verify the drag on the SX works fine!

[Richieclip]

I too had the same feelings about the sx for blackfish...so I put a small shimano Torium on my Fish Poison rod and it feels oh so nice!!! Liked it so much I put another one on my older tog rod. The size 14 & 16 are only $179 and the star drag feels good and performs beautifully ...a pig tog May still peel a little drag from the smallest Torium but hey it's fishing. Not knocking Avet (I have 6), I just wish the MX had more drag

[Flukinator]

If you have trouble pulling a 10 lb tog out of her hole with 9-14 lbs of drag, it's not the drag that's the problem, it's the high gear ratio. That inability to "get a few cranks on her", where the handle won't turn, and she's inching her way back down as the drag slips just a bit...that's your high gear ratio. A gear ratio in the 3 or 4-to-one range is going to turn her head more easily as you push that drag up, and allow you to actually gain some line. That 2 or 3 more feet of line you may be able to get immediately after you set the hook will make the difference between a pig lost in a snag, and a trophy in the boat. I find a gear ratios above 5 to cause some issues.

This is why so many guys swear by their old Penn 60's, lower speed Jigmasters, etc etc for blackfish. They've got lower gear ratios, and can turn a fish's head, though it might take them an extra 5-10 seconds to get a fish to the boat, or crank the bait (or bare hook) off the bottom.

That's not to say you won't catch them just fine with that Avet, as obviously plenty of guys do. Best way to find out is to try it!

[MrAC1980]

The reel setup you have is fine, no need to change. But the rod you're using is way underpowered. If you like the trevala, I use the Heavy version tvc-66h and an SX. There are better options, but if you like trevala, I suggest you upgrade to the H, you'll be set. You could even use it offshore for seabass/cod, etc.

[SaltLife1980]

I caught my PB 8lbs with a Avet Sx on a custom Bogan rod..