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Question...I know some of you use TLD's.. I have a new 113 4/0 that I bought sometime back...Never have put it on the rod...Didn't really need it but had bought a new rod I really liked and bought the reel to go on it..Dealer said I could exchange for another reel if I wanted to...

I've never used a reel like the TLD with lever drag...Plus about all I will use one for is trolling stretches...How bout some pros and cons from some of you familiar with the TlD's and Senators? Also would you get a 20 or 25 for trolling primarily out of St Marks?

sundowner the the drag on lever drag reels are usually superior because of a bigger surface and adjustability,and that is thier main selling point...but if your using them for grouper trolling drag is not much of an issue and the penn 113 is a fine reel, and one of the most durable reels i carry onboard. i guess what im trying to say, is both types of reels are good, but if you dont plan on light tackle kingfishing,tarpon fishing or the sorts, i go with the star drag penn 113 h good luck

I have a TLD 20 that I use for trolling and love it it has 40 pound Cajun Red on it and has caught many fish for me in 30 to 40 foot For a lock down and fight reel "Don't do that much" but I do love it for trolling

I own both and like the TLD better because of the drag control. Both have held up well to date with many trips.

Ive had two TLD 15s for about 10 ys now and love them. I havent seen the need for anything larger for bottom and trolling fishing here, I use a 80lb braid and it gives me plenty of line cap. The drags are ultra smooth and the weight is lite, and can cast them really well when needed the retrieve ratio is powerful and fast but not like a speedmaster that is to fast for digging groupers. I like mine.

I like having two setups: a grouper rig with a star drag (either a 3/0 Senator or similar) spooled with 60-80lb powerpro, 5.5' standup rod, and a TLD 15 on a 6.5' med-lite action rod, with 60 lb powerpro for live baiting kings, cobia, tarpon, and amberjack, and trolling. The TLD 15 will work on the bottom, but not as well as the star drag.

If you have to go with only one, go with the star drag outfit. You can live bait and troll with it to, just not as handy for that purpose.

Luck,

EJ

I have two 112's 3/0's on heavy standup rods I've used the past two seasons..One has 30 lb mono and the other 60lb power pro. Caught a lot of grouper trolling with them this past season and they performed fine....Only reason I was considering the TLD was the light weight and seems like the lever drag would be easier to adjust than the star..

Haven't done much live baiting cept for cobia and that on a Penn 9500 so that wouldn't be a consideration.One of the reasons I bought the 4/0 Senator was to fill it with 80lb power pro and keep it in the boat for a heavy rod as well as dragging a stretch 30 close in behind the motor..Caught several fish this past fall on a stretch with maybe 35-40 ft of line out....

sundown wrote:Only reason I was considering the TLD was the light weight and seems like the lever drag would be easier to adjust than the star..

The light weight is nice, and the drag is easier to adjust when fighting a fish. But, you just can't put as much drag on a TLD 15 as you can on the Senator, but it might be enough for your taste. For light weight in a star drag, consider a Newell reel.

EJ

You can lock a TLD 15 down if you want. I snapped 80 lb ande mono on a huge stingray once trying to keep it off that sunken boat in east pass, some one had to hold on to me to keep me in the boat and I weigh 230