musky reel options

[smeese]

I want to upgrade my Revo Toro HS-60 to either a Calcutta 400 TE or a

Calcutta 400 TE LJV Any input? I have used the 400B and the 400 TE just not the LJV.

Will be putting it on a Gloomis BuckTail rod or a St. Croix

[Muskie maniac]

I've got a TE and LVJ -- the power handle on the LVJ is really nice however it can swing forward while casting engaging the spool and abruptly halting your cast. This has only happened to me once but I know guys have had issues with this. Both are great reels but I don't think the LVJ is worth the extra money unless you can find it for the price of the TE. Good luck!

[NCLaker]

Love my 400TE with a power handle (from a Tekota). Haven't had any issues with the power handle engaging accidentally. It is pretty effortless to reel in hard pulling bates like cowgirls. But the retrieve rate is slower than your Revo HS. I think it is 25" vs 30.9" for the Toro HS.

I'm not a hard core users like some on this board, so can't speak to it's durability ... but most generally have good things to say about it.

I've since added a Trinidad 14 - according to some I've talked to, it makes pulling cow girls even easier and faster than the TE. I'll have to get use to no level wind and manually re-engaing the spool, but I'm not too concerned.

[clm]

i would say that if you plan on using it for bucktails and you can afford it, get a trinidad 16.

[smeese]

How big is that in comparison? Need to hold my reel can't hold rod in front of it. I was looking at that and the T 20 is that just overkill on the 20 to the 16 as they are similiar in price. Thanks for your input.

[clm]

i cannot say exactly the size difference on a 400 or a T 20. i have fished a 16 for a while and i can palm the reel. i dont have very large hands and i am 5' 11'' at the most. it seems a little awkward at first but after a while u get used to it. you should head up to thorne bros and take a look and feel them out.

[smeese]

I contemplated the 400 TE for the longest time and went for the LJV after all. I think the powerhandle with be worth the extra money spent along with a couple more bearings.

[Dylan33]

I contemplated the 400 TE for the longest time and went for the LJV after all. I think the powerhandle with be worth the extra money spent along with a couple more bearings.

Maybe this is a dumb question...but what exactly does a few extra bearing do for you? Is it more power? or a smoother reel?

[hunter991]

actually NOTHING... to me its a marketing gimmick. I don't care how many bearings are in a reel only that they are corrosion resistant and of good quality. You will see cheap reels with 8 BB's, and expensive reels with 8 bb's and some with 2 bb's.. you get my point. More bearings doens't mean better.

[Nick Kuhn]

actually NOTHING... to me its a marketing gimmick. I don't care how many bearings are in a reel only that they are corrosion resistant and of good quality. You will see cheap reels with 8 BB's, and expensive reels with 8 bb's and some with 2 bb's.. you get my point. More bearings doens't mean better.

For a muskie reel this is true. The requirements for how we fish are that things are heavy duty, not that they are precision. When fishing with bass sized lures, a lot of bearings are needed to get the smoothness to make long casts with light baits. If my muskie reels where as smooth as say a Diawa Zillion I spend most of my time fishing waiting for my lure to land after a cast.