Okuma's 2010 Flagship Reel - Makaira

[skip]

Will do - Penn 30VW weight 57oz, Shimano Tiagra A 30WLRS 55.6oz, Okuma Makaira MK-30II 50oz, Okuma Cavalla CA-30II 39.7oz, Okuma Solterra SLR-30 38.5oz

Will revert back once we have an idea of pricing and availability

[skip]

Contact me by PM for pricing on the MK-30II or the CA-30II or SLR-30

The pricing we have obtained as the forum is much lower than the cost if you had to purchase from any of the USA websites, then add shipping to Malta, duty and VAT.......in fact you'll find that the MK-30II reel will be at least €100 less than the cost for you to purchase one online. Same applies to the Cavalla CA-30II which also works out around €100 cheaper and around €50 cheaper on the Solterra SLR-30

[benri]

Today i got hold of my Okuma Makaira MK-30II and wow....... it is a beauty. After having held it in my hands and played around with it, I can actuallly start believing all the good comments written about this reel.
A great reel from Okuma which supercedes competition! Now all I need to give the final verdict is a fight against a daddy aj or a grandpa bft (catch and release of course )

Thanks Okuma and Santa Claus

[ganni]

havent seen this reel yet. but could this reel seriously compare to a tiagra, gorilla or albacore??

[robby017]

i saw it...... not in action....... but i got a good feel of it...... the answer to ganni's question is yes...... definately

[benri]

yes ganni, I think so. To be honest I wasn't sure whether to go for the Albacore or Makaira but after having seen them both in hand I preferred the Makaira. Not that the Albacore seems so much inferior - but the feel of the Makaira has that something extra. Please feel free to try it out! If you're coming over for drinks tomorrow, tell me and I'll get the reel with me.
Now I need a good rod to match it

[shanook]

buy some viagra bryan and u will have an instant telescopic rod :)PP

@ganni yes a definite alternative to all the reels u mentioned. Provare per credere

[ganni]

im supposed to be there benri, if you could get it that would be great

@ shanook, yes its true there is only one way out, trying it however till now i bought a good number of reels that have deluded me and i don't want that to happen again. i found that only the very high end reels can deliver to the full over and over again...maybe the makaira is one of them after all only time can tell if its got the power of a tiagra and the endurance of an alutecnos or an everol

[The_Gaffer]

I guess we'll soon find out.  The Makaira has been available for almost a year now.  I'm sure that for marketing purposes, some Charter captains in the States, Australia and other great fishing grounds have been testing these reels on a daily basis.  So a good lpok around the big game forums should give us an idea whether the Makaira compares well to the Penn Internationals, the Tiagras and Alutecnos commonly used by Big Game Fishing Charter Captains.  They are the ones who hook up the big Marlins, YFT and other big game species that put up real (reel) fights that last long and test the reels capabilities on a daily basis!!. 

[ganni]

found a report from such a charter boat, however they were catching YFT up to 100lb, no monsters

[The_Gaffer]

No need to catch monsters.  Its the constant pressure on the drag system that counts, since Charter boats are out every day, and catch a number of 100lbs/ers constantly.  This will prove the reliability of the reels in question, by taking repetetive pu nishment and then one can vouch for their durability.  Initial reports I've read suggest that the Makaira can withstand the punishment. 
What puzzles me is that sometimes here in Malta we tend to overkill, no, let me rephrase that, we tend to commit mass genocide....going for alungi armed with tiagra 30's (me included!!!) 40 to 80lbs rods, main lines that could pull a ship, and leaders and hooks that could pull in a monster. 
lets face it guys, we're all suckers to the marketing guru's of this world, we tend to rig up with the rods and reels that are way too heavy for the fish we seek. 
My best guess is that if we rig up with light 4kg tackle, it should be more then sufficient to reel in a 10 to 15kg alonga!. 

[ganni]

at the moment im fishing with a size 12 reel and light rod, you should all give a try using light tackel

[benri]

If you get the Makaira for alungi I agree that it is an overkill - but how many of us mark our lures "alungi only" and never hook up their cousins?
For other types of fishing, I guess it's a great match. Hook up a +18kg aj and you can tell the difference between reels and wheels

[ganni]

for ajs, even the biggest of them all, a size 12 reel is more than enough    for tuna its another story