okuma solterra 6'6" boat rod

[white rose]

What do you think of the okuma solterra boat rod

Has anybody used an okuma solterra boat rod

Is it good for trolling

[The_Gaffer]

Great rod.  I have 4 solterra reels, and 2 rods.  Their fish fighting abilities are great

[Accjolaman]

Kont thajjart nixxi wiehed rukkell, imma dal kliem ma tantx daqqli eeh "I lost a lure because the line broke quite near the rod.  I suspect the drag on the Solterra reel wasn't letting out line in a consistant way, more like jerks"

[ganni]

as i told you when we met, you know what reel you should get...you should know since you tried mine with a very big one

[white rose]

Thanks
Hope its good as it will be my first time boat fishing

But fished for lampuki and sword fish with my dad years ago by hand

[The_Gaffer]

Kont thajjart nixxi wiehed rukkell, imma dal kliem ma tantx daqqli eeh "I lost a lure because the line broke quite near the rod.  I suspect the drag on the Solterra reel wasn't letting out line in a consistant way, more like jerks"

you are right to quote that.  However, I need to be transparent here.  Since then, I took the reel apart, and as suspected, the drag washer and drag plate lacked grease.  I have since greased the washer and plate, and the reel drag is now working perfectly.  I believe Okuma have make a large step in the right  direction with the solterra reels, and a giant leap with the Makaira model.  
However, and this is where my mind and heart are, nothing beats Shimano (TLD & Tiagra)...nothing!!.  They are the No.1 reel in the world, even the IGFA monthly magazine puts the Shimano reels as the best in the world...and this information is gathered (voting) by all charter captains around the world...who use the reels day in, day out!

Again, it is a mmatter of personal choice, but Shimano Tiagra;s and TLD's are the reels which are used most by charter captains around the world...they must have something right.

[ganni]

Glad that you have managed to solve the problem, a sticky drag is not a nice thing to have.  I've had a couple of very bad encounters due to faulty drag all of which ended up with loosing the fish

[The_Gaffer]

Glad that you have managed to solve the problem, a sticky drag is not a nice thing to have.  I've had a couple of very bad encounters due to faulty drag all of which ended up with loosing the fish

I have 4 solterras, but only this one failed me.  Usually, I have my drags in their best condition, but I had not tested the drag on this solterra, knowing it was still brand new!.  My fault, never assume, because you make an ass of yourself, and in this case, lose the fish!.  I borrowed some Cal's grease from Nick, and re applied the grease in no time.  Solterra's are very easy to dismantle and re assemble. 

[skip]

For the money the Solterra reels are good, but I think the Shimano's TLD25 is definately smoother out of the box. The TLD25 has an AWFUL crappy little handle which as I've said before Shimano should be ashamed of themselves with, and so you have to purchase an upgrade if you want to make them worthwhile for decent fish.

Both are graphite frames, the Okuma has a very good handle and very good clicker. Similar drag pressures, but for ultimate smoothness I suggest you re-grease your drag washer with Cal's drag grease which if you're interested in smooth drags you should aim to do on all your reels, regardless of whether it's a Shimano, Okuma, Penn etc the diff after is amazing. Gaffer wrote that comment on the jerk and found his drag washer on that reel was nearly dry. But after directing him to Alan Tani's website and pointing out that the drag prob needs greasing, with Cal's drag grease applied, it's silky smooth.

I also have two Solterra rods, a 20-30 and a 30-50 and I love their action and construction, they are also quite light. BUT I don't think they are 6'6 as that is more a chair size rod than a stand-up. I know themn as being 5'6 so you might have a typo.

[white rose]

For the money the Solterra reels are good, but I think the Shimano's TLD25 is definately smoother out of the box. The TLD25 has an AWFUL crappy little handle which as I've said before Shimano should be ashamed of themselves with, and so you have to purchase an upgrade if you want to make them worthwhile for decent fish.

Both are graphite frames, the Okuma has a very good handle and very good clicker. Similar drag pressures, but for ultimate smoothness I suggest you re-grease your drag washer with Cal's drag grease which if you're interested in smooth drags you should aim to do on all your reels, regardless of whether it's a Shimano, Okuma, Penn etc the diff after is amazing. Gaffer wrote that comment on the jerk and found his drag washer on that reel was nearly dry. But after directing him to Alan Tani's website and pointing out that the drag prob needs greasing, with Cal's drag grease applied, it's silky smooth.

I also have two Solterra rods, a 20-30 and a 30-50 and I love their action and construction, they are also quite light. BUT I don't think they are 6'6 as that is more a chair size rod than a stand-up. I know themn as being 5'6 so you might have a typo.

I have the okuma solterr 6'6" 20-30lb boat rod
Sow you are saying its a chair sized rod

Sorry to intrude in your comment

Thanks

t

[skip]

Traditionally 6'6 is a length often assoicated with fighting fish in a chair as the longer length is used to clear the stern of the boat. A standup size tends to be 6ft or less and the action tends to be very fast, with the power coming from the rod butt and you would see a very pronounced curve. Whereas the longer rods tend to be more progressive....

However as yours is 20-30lbs and appears to be a 2 piece rod perhaps this all doesn't apply, so I wouldn't worry as ultimately it needs to be something you feel comfortable fighting a fish with. Standup rods in the 50lbs and + category really work your back and you need to wear a standup harness. So for the 20/30 no worries

[white rose]

Traditionally 6'6 is a length often assoicated with fighting fish in a chair as the longer length is used to clear the stern of the boat. A standup size tends to be 6ft or less and the action tends to be very fast, with the power coming from the rod butt and you would see a very pronounced curve. Whereas the longer rods tend to be more progressive....

However as yours is 20-30lbs and appears to be a 2 piece rod perhaps this all doesn't apply, so I wouldn't worry as ultimately it needs to be something you feel comfortable fighting a fish with. Standup rods in the 50lbs and + category really work your back and you need to wear a standup harness. So for the 20/30 no worries

Thank you

Will see. What happens when i use it