May 24, 2017

Shimano Tranx Review

I've been using a new Shimano reel for the past month and have loved fishing it. The Shimano Tranx is a big, beefy reel that is perfect for swimbaits and deep crankbaits.

The reel comes in two sizes a 300 and 400 size. The reel I have is the 300 and it is giant compared to most of my low-profile reels. The trend over the past several years is for lighter, smaller and more compact baitcast reels. Looking at the Tranx compared to them shows how big this reel is, but if you compare it to a reel like the famous "green Curado" from the late 90's, it really isn't that big.



The Tranx weighs about 11 ounces for the 300 size and this is where you really notice the size difference. The handle is another piece of the reel that is big, but with a technique like swimbaits, it will help handle big fish.

One of the best things about the reel is the great line capacity (150 yards of 17lb) and the 22 pounds of drag. It comes in two different retrieve speeds, a 5.8:1 and 7.6:1 (HG). The HG models come with a big single power handle, which I am not really a fan of and the 5.8:1 comes with the double handle. I have seen some posts online about changing out the handle on the HG models, so that is another option if you want the double handle with a faster retrieve.

Overall, the Tranx has been great to fish with. It casts well and is very smooth thanks to the Shimano technologies like X-Ship. The one downside would be the weight and it's relatively limited use. I have used it for swimbaits but think it will also be great for deep crankbaits like a 10XD.

It retails for around $300 from Tackle Warehouse.

Here is my video review of the Tranx:



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