[TOO]

Got a question or two on the above reels that was emailed to us by a person on the TBB 06 trip. Guess he didn't want to post the question himself.

Paraphrased:
Is the Diawa Saltist equal, below or above the Toriums in strength, reliablility, and toughness for tuna and other big Gulf fish? Especially for topwater casting? In the Saltists would the 4.9 be good enough for topwater only, or is the 6.4 better for working topwaters?
Wondering if the Saltist is as advertised, more rugged than the Torium? Also does the Saltist cast as good as a Torium? Have cast a Torium before and was impressed with that aspect.
Would the SSTT 40T equal close to the Toium 20?

Guess that was more than a few questions.
Appreciate any answers i can send to him.

 

[jedi243]

The two reels fill the same spot in the two manufacturers line-up but have some distinct differences. The toriums generate 15-20lbs(maybe) out of the box and have good freespool but it can use some tuning. The saltist will generate 22+ lbs of drag out of the box and have beautifully tuned bearings that will freespool longer than you need. A torium can be tuned to the same level of performance but will need a new drag stack including drag plate and for the bearings to be throroughly degreased to increase freespool. As far as the 4.9 vs. 6.4 it comes down to personal preference. Either one will work a jig or popper with the faster retrieve being better for jigging.

 

[Muddskipper]

IMO there both great reels with the same class fish in mind.

For top-waters the Diawa would be the way to go- the lower gear ratio would help.

For jigging- do the Torium, the higher the speed the less fatigue on the angler on deep drops like 200' +

You realy cant go wrong with either

 

[SkeeterRonnie]

what about throwing an AVET LX 6:1 in the mix? HOw does it rate to the other 2?

 

[Muddskipper]

what about throwing an AVET LX 6:1 in the mix? HOw does it rate to the other 2?

It's better IMO......2 speed with a low gear for the big boys and an occasional Rig donkey

 

[Big_Zugie]

I have a daiwa saltist 40 and im very impressed with the real. highly recommend the reel.

Zugie

 

[TOO]

Appreciate the comments. I basically copied everything relevant to the questions and emailed the gentleman. I'm guessing his concern is will the 6.4 gears be able to handle a 100 lb tuna, and will the 4.9 gear be able to work a topwater fast enough. Along with, does the Saltist cast as well as the Torium.
Apparently he is looking to stay in the $150+ range.
Offered to sell him my Penn 525 with 200 yards of spectra, but he seems to wants to go with one of these two reels.

 

[Big_Zugie]

i actually use my saltist on a 10 foot surf rod haha...but i can cast easily 100 yards with no problem haha. cast very smoothly and is very strong have yet to catch anything huge with it but have managed to reel my friend in and he weighs in at 250 pounds. the daiwa 40h i have reels in at i believe 47" a crank and i was skipping a 6 ounce weight across the water from 75 yards away like it was nothing. dont know if this help
oh and it is spooed with 300 yards of 40# powerpro and 150 yards of mono.

Ryan

 

[bellyup]

I really like the toriums. They have only one flaw that is worth considering. The antireverse is susceptable to failure when putting heavy pressure on fish. The high speed on the torium is great and I have had no problem catching numerous tuna on topwaters with the. That includes a 91 and a 118 pounder, both caught on toriums. The rod is just as important. Purchase a high quality 40-50 pound rod. My toriums consistantly put out 21 pounds of drag just as advertised by shimano.

I bought a saltist 40 and took it back. It only generated 11 pounds of drag out of the box. This may have been from too much grease on the drag washers, but I didn't want to chance it. The saltist is pretty fast at its 4.9 to 1 ratio. There were some reports of saltists having problems like I experienced, but apparently that has all been fixed. Just check the drag on the saltist when and if you get one.

I am very interested in a saltiga 40. I am becoming a reel junkie. The saltiga 40 and trinidad 40s would make great topwater reels. The trinidad is just a little bigger than what I would like, but it is a powerful beast.