Lamson Litespeed 4 for Tarpon?
- This topic has 20 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated Sep 21, 2011 at 11:58 pm by
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I LOVE Lamsons and I do a fair amount of tarpon fishing (at least one or 2 trips a year). But I have never taken a Lamson on a tarpon trip. As good as they are, I just don’t know that they are up to the job of handling a fish the size and strength of an adult tarpon. I would spend the money and get the right gear, or borrow.
They may be perfectly capable, but that is my two cents for what it’s worth.
I also love Lamsons and a Lightspeed 3.5 is my favorite 8wt saltwater flats reel, but I think they are too light for tarpon, even the 4. I am building a 12 wt right now and have been looking around for a decent reel without breaking the bank. Some of the around $300 reels I am looking at are the Orvis Hydros VI, Redington Delta 11/12, and the Sea Level Extreme IV or V. I’m leaning toward the Hydros since it comes in gold and matches the trim in my rod, but the Sea Level reels have been getting good reviews and are built like a tank. I’m not real sure any of them could be a match for a 100#+ tarpon.
I have an old Pflueger Medalist 1499 CJ that has a huge cork drag.
But would it be wise for you to risk a tarpon trip on a drag that remains the same from trout through salt, regardless of target?
Actually the drag of the Litespeed 4 is bigger than that of all the other Litespeed sizes. It’s identical to the one in all the Waterworks Force Saltwater/Spey reels.
I’ve personally landed jacks up to 25 lbs and tarpon up to about 40 lbs on my Litespeed 4 without a problem. A friend of mine has had several 120+ lbs tarpon on his Force reels.
Have fun whatever you go with, tarpon are addictive!
Jan
Joe Brooks and Stu Apte used bamboo rods and medalist reels in the 1950s on silver kings…just sayin….
Joe Brooks and Stu Apte used bamboo rods and medalist reels in the 1950s on silver kings…just sayin….
Did you look at the Colton Torrent?
If I were in your shoes, I would go that route
They are made in the US and have more drag than a tibor
If you’re going with a guide (highly recommended, hugely increasing chance of success), just use his/her gear. Most expect clients, especially first timers, won’t have their own gear, and they will have first class outfits rigged for both right- and left-hand wind, set up for the fishing they plan on doing. They’ll have lines, leaders and KNOTS that work. They want you to succeed! Pick their brains on what they use and why, and then decide what you might want to buy. Might turn out that you don’t like tarpon fishing, and then you’ve invested an awful lot of cash . . .
Might turn out that you don’t like tarpon fishing, and then you’ve invested an awful lot of cash . . .
Good advice!
Might turn out that you don’t like tarpon fishing, and then you’ve invested an awful lot of cash . . .
Good advice! I’m learning that no matter which avenue pursued, tarpon fishing isn’t cheap. Going rate for a Keys guide appears to be $550/day prior to any tip. While I don’t doubt they are worth it for their knowledge and hard work, a week of guided tarpon fishing just isn’t economically feasable for me. But I will definitely invest a day with a guide to learn some basics.
Fight a big one and land it and then decide
I’d say with the Litespeed, it isn’t the overall drag pressure that can be applied by the reel, but rather the super light frame design on a reel of that diameter. The frame will flex under force and cause the spool to bind against the frame, usually when reeling, but I’ve seen it happen on some reels while the fish is running. In reality, you’re probably fishing 17-20 lb class tippet unless the guide is running straight 50-60lb mono which some do (but your flyline’s breaking strength is usually lower than 30lb backing) so a locked down spool, ‘train stopping drag’ is moot. Ideally, you’d want a large arbor reel with a smooth drag that has a ultra low start up inertia and a frame that is beefy enough to handle hard cranking with pressure.
Nautilus has the new Monster out this year which was designed specifically for tarpon and big game. Super smooth NV system with a 5″ reel that weights under 10oz. Granted they’re not in the $500 realm.
I’d just go with a reputable guide and use their gear. Like they said above, most guides have rods/reels rigged with left and right hand reels and they’re all high quality. I’d try out their stuff and then buy based on what you see/experience. You can read about fighting big fish like that all day long, but no amount of discourse will substitute the real deal.
j
Interesting thread.
I used a Galvan Torque 12 and the Rush 12, as you can cross over the spools.
My 2 points.
1. With rods getting so much lighter, you need a light weight reel, or the stick is not balanced until 3/4 of the line is out. Well that’s what i experience, casting an Abel Super 12 and then the Torque, on an Xi3.
2. Didn’t matter how tight the drag was, when the fish wanted to go for the horizon, that’s where it went… Torque or Abel, cranked all the way down, so you can’t pull line off with your hand, and the freek’n fish pulls line off like there is no drag…However…
I agree that the reel needs to be rugged; the internal pressure that must be excreted must be astronomical.
I agree that the drag needs to be strong and reliable.
And lastly, balance the reel with the rod.Here’s my call
12w – Torque or Rush
But I also like the Sage 4210 reelPS, I have been back from Cuba for 6 weeks now and I still haven’t slept through the night, wake up dreaming of those freek’n fish daisy chaining on the flats…
there is nothing like seeing a 150lbs fish behind your fly… and you know that ALL HELL is about to break loose…I was just looking at the Orvis Hyros again and noticed that they had some of the discontinued Battenkill Large Arbors on sale for a closeout price.
I use litespeeds for reds and love them for that but 1 jack crevalle that went about 35lbs forever changed my 3.5.
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