Always a back story... thanks!

shimano sucks

Absolutely agree with you. The Fathom two speeds in particular open the door for guys to build a solid arsenal at a reasonable level of financial commitment. Even a long range trip of say 8 days and down, a 25N and 40N, both 2 speed, could cover 90%+ of what we'd encounter, maybe more. Good for 30 to 60# use, with two reels and a couple of the right rods. Now, having 3 rigs even better no doubt, but a guy could be in the game for most every stop we'd be making with even 2 rods/reels with two speed flexibility.

@@CharkBaitUSA absolutely. I have 4 of them now. 40n two 25n and a 15.

@@thisfool89 Well done! Preaching to the choir again...

Absolutly, i actually view them better than some $500 reels, such as the talics.

@@fieshyfish i agree. Obviously how long will they last is still to be decided but just looking at stats and fishing them the fathoms definitely punch above their weight class

I could not have expressed your point any better. The Torques have always been better than talica series, both in terms of construction and execution. Gear ratios also make more sense. Some guys only seem to respond to manufacturer advertising or retailer "push" (which will always seem to go towards the highest profit reel line, which the bike maker certainly is - more water in their product than any other in the industry). I'm not a shimano fan, probably the only retailer in America who will not sell their product. I have not allowed them to profit from our business since 2005. Their anti-competitive price fixing practices burned me twice, they don't get a third chance. When you take competition out of the equation innovation is stifled - market forces are not applied. Shimano is a very good example of what happens when you don't have to play by fair competitive market rules of supply and demand.

@@CharkBaitUSA Thanks for this video Mark! I agree about the Talicas.... way overpriced in my opinion. Over time I have upgraded my offshore gear from TLD’s and Daiwa graphite LD-50’s to a few Avets and an Accurate ( BV-2 600 ) for bottom fishing Snapper and Grouper and for Tarpon fishing here in Fla. All American made, machined aluminum and stainless steel, and not a speck of plastic. I’m in the market for an LX Raptor and an HX Raptor, but I’ll look at the Torque’s and see how they compare.

@@raleighthomas3079 while the Accurates and Avets are much much better there is no reel that can claim there is absolutely no plastic in the constitution, the Accurates have a lot of plastic actually, though it's not that bad of a thing. One of the biggest reasons for use of plastic is reducing corrosion. Avets are certainly nice reels, my only "gripe" is the bearings are not the best, but if you pack them with grease they should be fine. Thats where the torque stands out to me, they use the Thrust bearing, this DRASTICALLY reduces pressure on the spool bearings and will allow you to fish higher drag without handle binding, the Torques use some of the nicest bearings there are so you will rarely have a problem with that. Another thing is beautiful american stainless gears, there heicle cut and have some very useful gear ratios that put out unmatched cranking power, the name torque really shows in these reels! The materials built in the torque allow you to fish all year long with 0 to very little maintenance. One of Shimanos problems is that they use crappy bearings for high pressure but want to advertise 40lbs of drag, the bearings will explode before you hook a fish. My favorite reels I've ever used so far definitely have to be the Okuma Makaira, and penn Torques, they are the king's of there class, imo at least.

@@CharkBaitUSA thank you for not supporting those bike makers, someone has to do it..

Good call RE, always liked that LP.

Well said, problem with china production is that typically those seeking production there opt for lowest cost rather than highest quality at a cost. Good stuff can indeed come from china, but you have to put the time in to clearly be understood.

@@CharkBaitUSA that's true in most cases with reels made in china, but fathoms have been out for nearly 10 years now with very little failure, they must be making them in a pretty darn good factory! They are definitely not lacking in quality either, all metal frame, ss gears, excellent beatings, what is there lacking? Of course Penn could make them in the us but that would make them a $350-$450 reel which would make budget anglers go after other products such as Shimanos new "Shimano Fathom" that call the "speedmaster" more popular. Shimano actually made these new reels because if the fathoms sale rates were so amazing and there garbage Talica reels where slowing down. If your not ganna spend $500 on a reel, I would go with the penn fathoms, there proven reels.

Early '80's Zap, some good tunes from 'em.

25nld for 40lb I would match with a UC 800 Delmar or a 80 monster 30ld for 50lb on a UC us76Predator 40nld for 60lb on a UC76 Raptor or UC GP76Predator The internationals are some of the best in there class, absolutely will and have kill(ed) 200plus lb tuna on even the 12 visx. The 16 is your best bet for close trips (overnight-3 day) If you are only after cows the 20 is the way. Pair the visx with a UC 76 Cuentar and fish 100lb.

@@fieshyfish thank you for the great info. How do you feel about the okuma rods xh and rail rods? Great price too. Thank you

@@sab35263 if you are not able to get the uc rods, the Okuma PCH are the best you can get for the price, I mean it. For the 25n a 7'6xh or 801xh would fish 40lb easily For the 30ld a 701XH (30-80) would be good for 50lb For your 40n I would step up to the PCH 741XXH rail rod for 60 and even 80 if you wanted. For your visx the PCH 741XXXH will kill cows. I have a picture of the pch 3x bending a 30lb dumbbell, you definitely don't wanna fish less than 25lbs of drag on that beast of a rod!

@@sab35263 Okuma followed United Composites in creation of the PCH series rather than using Calstar as the reference for their older Makaira series rods. The PCH's are better pieces than prior models, however their actions are quite a bit different than UC and that's one reason for the superiority of the USA made rods. Having said that, PCH series rods are priced rationally, offer a labor-related reduced price as one should expect from china production. UC's better, PCH's get the job done. Like comparing Torques to Fathoms in some respects. Good value, different construction, good performance offered.

Could go 30/40/60 or 40/50/60 quite easily, even 80 on the upper end but 60 a better match. There are three or more series of rods from UC which would match up at those tests, and which series is best will be subjective - something we can go over by way of phone or email thru our shop. In Challenger Elite 7', 700H, XH and XXH for the three rigs. In RUS series, again three rods match up well in the line classes and same for Challenger Platinums - but which series is right for your use...? That's where we need to do some talking.

Best to cover questions directly thru email, use of our website verses YT. Don't catch things here so much. Matching up a rig, it's a question of line test being run, that's where the match comes in and your own fishing style. On a 16 I like 80#, maxed braid, hollowcore, terminated in a spliced loop and then run wind-on leaders from 60-100 drag set to the lightest line on the reel. At that I fish an RCP700XH - aggressively. At 50-60 on top, RCP70HP is where I go. But, where I go may not be where you want to go. Question of action of rod matching your fishing style. Can't address questions like this so well off a one-way conversation. Best to call us at the shop or bounce me an email so we can go back and forth. That's not here with YT.

Pure Fishing, parent of Penn changed hands again last year. This may be a better match than previous ownership who purchased Pure Fishing/Penn only to gain Rubbermaid (was also owned by same corporate group). Time will tell... Inventory frankly sucks, they have nothing. Even USA made pieces like Internationals are apparently being built to order. Other manufacturers, the big majors, all have issues with inventory. The only bright spots are Avet, Accurate and Seigler - all three USA firms being family owned and operated. Perhaps the big firms are more prone to buy into the Great Reset agenda while the smaller private firms understand that if you're not open for business you are out of business. This year, folks better plan ahead for their gear or there will be disappointment.

@@CharkBaitUSA, thx for the REEL explanation!! PENN says they have no inventory because their gear is so popular. Guess that’s the typical corporate response 😂

@@racrx7 I've gotten that line too from more than one factory. BS to that. Not hard to quantify, what's the available inventory in $. We've done the math, seems to me that the majors are working off 50% the inventory they had a year ago. Yes, sales are up, so you'd think inventory would ramp up too. Lots of "fake news" and it ain't just about the WuFlu and election... This old fart has a BS detector that's buzz'n like crazy these days. And, that's one reason we all go fishing, the great escape from the Great Reset that's being forced upon us all by the... I need to get back on the water!

Pretty much a general purpose reel, 40-50# application - leader test. Good for most species you'll encounter, schoolie tuna, yellowtail...

Best if we can work thru email and our website for more specific info/questions. I don't respond to YT messages as quickly as I do with email to my inbox, and may pay less attention given they're in the censure game. Yellowtail, white seabass... I'll want to know which rod, specific model, length. I've got ideas.., we have many options these days, and that's a wonderful situation for someone planning a good arsenal. WIth the advent of excellent casting leverdrag two speed reels, versatility has increased significantly. Some great options. Bounce me an email, we can talk. You can reach me thru our website: www.charkbait.com . Given spam, volume of spam which comes from posting email address on a webpage, I try to avoid doing so. E-form from our site will get to me, then we can do some talking. Phone also fine, I'm here early weekdays, get in before 8am then take "old guy" hours and leave around 3 now. .

Thank you Mark , you are an amazing businessman and admire what you have done in your lifetime. I will go through the email on the website. I appreciate the response, you have earned my business and will only support Charkbait.

Look to Avet (one of the owners is a lefty) and Accurate - both family owned USA based firms, products made in USA vs china for majority of Penn reels. Penn's small low profile baitcasters are Korea made, probably from Abu factory, Fathoms and most other reels come from china factories and typically don't cater to lefties. Avet really was a driving force for increasing lefty reels from other manufacturers like Accurate. Internationals and Torques, Metal Senators all being USA made reels one might think Penn would do more, but it's not in the cards now they are struggling to produce as it is. Consider Avet for lefty reels, best source at the present time, with Accurate also doing a great job.

There are plenty of catfishers who make use of the more robust, higher legit drag capability of saltwater oriented reels. The question I have for you, which will determine the right reel is: what line test do you intend to fish? WIth that one can narrow the selection. Please contact us directly thru our website rather than YT... www.charkbait.com

Uc is the way to go if you got money to spend.

United Composites Cx76 raptor for 60# Cx80 raptor for 60# or light 80# Cx76 centaur for 80# Cx76 viper for 100# Cx76 invictus for 130#/150# Cx 70 or 76 gladiator for 200#

So, nothing from Calstar or Seeker?

@@stephenearly9550 seeker Osp 1x3 for 80# Osp 2x4 for 100# Osp 3x5 for 130# Calstar 775h for 60 775xh for 80 775xxh for 100 775xxxh for 130

@@ilikedirtx22 thank you for your input!

I think they're good reels. They looked at the right competitors when improving their design, Avet Raptor and Okuma Makaira. The Penn's are considerably lighter in weight, very good freespool. Negatives? I've heard some criticism regarding of the new Internationals popping out of gear, not sure have not experienced myself and can't speak to the accuracy of report. I think a lot of this will come down to application, style of fishing, private boat, long range SD style or something else. Best place for questions like this is really back to me/us at the shop or the CharkBoard which is linked on our website . Usually, faster response time and if you use the CharkBoard others can more directly benefit from your question.