Of great interest to me during the past couple of voyages with the group of Thai anglers is the performance of their tackle selections. More than the actual terminal gear on the end of the line, that is basically the same as we are accustomed to using, with rapt attention I have evaluated the rod and reel combinations that are far different than traditional west coast set ups. And while I don't think the smaller, light weight rods are ideal for our type of angling, I was thoroughly impressed by their performance. Whether or not they were to my liking the results spoke volumes to their functionality. One thing certain is that the physically lighter combinations are far easier to handle and fish live sardines with. The dramatic contrast between our heavy duty rigs and the feather light rigs preferred by the Thai anglers was demonstrated countless times while fishing when rods were being exchanged to clear tangles, or to extricate fish from the running gear or anchor line beneath the boat. Several times during the trip I commented on the difference that was like doing curls with a thirty pound dumb bell one second, then setting it down, grabbing a five pounder, and doing another set of reps; the change was that extreme.

Again I am simply offering my observations. Why I even mention it is because the gear choice is so contrary to our standard notions that the vast majority of long range anglers I know would likely laugh, and more likely scoff at the thought of using such tackle for 100 - 300 pound tuna. Prior to these voyages I would have been among them advancing the idea that it was ridiculous, preposterous to attempt to land a giant yellowfin tuna with such equipment. Rather than succumb to the haughty belief that we are the only ones who know how to catch big tuna however I have followed the use of this gear completely foreign to me with an open mind; and I am glad I did. Admittedly the achievements of the anglers using the big Shimano "Stella" spinners last season provided a leg up.

What we have witnessed, about two or three hundred times during the past couple of voyages, is a group of accomplished anglers putting the equipment they are familiar with to expert use. These guys have no trouble landing big tuna on their outfits of choice; no trouble at all. Of course the next natural thought - "wait until they tie into a three hundred pound yellowfin", takes us back to the 'we are the only ones who know how to do it' program. What I have learned in blatant terms is that we are not; or at least there is more than one way to skin a cat. I won't assign any efficiency award to the lighter rigs, but I can't say they held us up either. All of the anglers using such rigs landed the fish they hooked in reasonable, and in many cases equal, amounts of time to anglers using traditional long range equipment; the exception of course being Don Franks using the "big gear".

I do believe that the exceptional results realized by the Thai anglers using the lighter rigs were achieved in part through the use of the Shimano Talica 25 reels that are nothing short of incredible in my estimation. There are probably a few of you now saying- "here comes the Shimano plug again", but I only report what I see. I do not receive anything from Shimano in the way of compensation - zero, and never have. The reason I support and recommend Shimano so strongly is strictly business - their products do not fail, are innovative, and perform flawlessly in every situation. The Talica 25's, that I have not seen used prior to February 2011, are yet another extension of Shimano's product superiority. The torque, drag, gear ratio, and balance of this reel are perfect. Similar to the smaller rods I remarked on above normally I would not appreciate anglers selecting such a reel to target giant yellowfin tuna with. After witnessing at least a hundred battles, probably more, with tuna in the 70 - 250 pound class with anglers using the Talica 25's, my opinion has shifted. The successful results are too consistent to ignore. Not once did I see a battle when I thought the reel was outmatched. As a matter of fact, I never saw a time when I thought the Talica 25 even broke a sweat. I'm not saying there won't be a time, but based on what I observed so far my confidence in this reel for this application is enormous. It is a sound choice to add to an angler's sardine fishing arsenal. And, to finish this thought, I feel this way about the entire Talica line. They are far and away the finest smaller class two speed reels on the market. There are many others that are excellent, but in my opinion the Talica line has them all beat.

Photos today again feature Thai angler "Benz" putting one of the "smaller" rigs to good use on the bow of Royal Star during one of our better drifts. With this outfit, in short order, Benz subdued the 201 he is featured with in photo #2. I was incredibly pleased to see Benz accomplish this feat as he absorbed plenty of good natured ribbing prior to this catch; not so much afterward. Of course all of this was going on in Thai so I am assuming a bit, but ball busting is universal and seemed pretty clear; absolutely classic, good times.


Tim Ekstrom

Photo Here...

Photo Here...