Shimano Tekota Reels

I love this reel. It has a compact design with plenty of power.

I have 4 for stripers and blues around Cape Cod. They handle it all.

Reel used for saltwater trolling and jigging mainly, but fine for all types of fishing. Reel is very smooth, solid built and compact. Shimano quality.

Had this particular model for a long time had to review it since it’s been through so much. Handled bay rays in SF bay to 65 pounds, tons of sharks to 20-30 pounds; also got my bigger salmon up to 18 pounds on this reel as well. Not exactly what it’s intended for but I’m sure the larger models will fare for a lifetime. Lol pretty much used it as a beater and loaner reel. Can’t kill it, wonderful reel.

I have two for west coast fishing. The Mdl 300 (got the optional Shimano single knob crank handle) with 50 # PowerPro w/25# floro topshot which is great for flyling sardines/anchovies for calicos in the kelp to schoolie yellows/albies in open water on a f/t-h/d 8ft Seeker trigger rod. The mdl 700 w/an after market long shank power handle with 65# powerPro tied right on to a 2 hook ganglon and a 6 1/2 heavy rod is great for deep water (300ft) rock codding. Both great reels and unlike many I like a level wind especially when cranking up 16 oz + of sinker and 10lbs + of fish from way down deep.

I have owned and used two Tekota 800 reels for six years. I bought them as strong reels with levelwinds as I often take very inexperienced people wahoo and mahi fishing. They have held up GREAT. I run 65 lb. braid on these reels and they hold miles. This because we could always tangle with a marlin. Hasn't happened yet, but we did land a 168 lb. sailfish recently. Surprisingly, these Tekotas knocked out my Saltist and Accurate bottom fishing reels. These Tekotas are just so smooth and strong, and I found it much easier to drag up the big grouper and snapper with these larger Tekotas than on the somewhat smaller but higher gear ratio Saltist and Accurate reels. And not having to use your sore thumb to levelwind abrasive braid all day is a plus. The levelwinds are strong and have never been challenged by big fish and big weights 800 feet down. I maintain my reels very well, soak in rainwater after every trip, partially disassemble and grease often, and these reels are still functioning like new. There is enough plastic on this reel to get scobbed up in hard use, but none of that stuff is structural. They still look good. I would not choose these reels for marlin or really big tuna, but these reels have the power and capacity to handle anything swimming up to maybe 200 lbs. And not having to constantly remind kids and rookies to thumb the line on retrieve is worth a lot.

U USE TWO OF THESE REELS TO TROLL BUKER SPOONS ON WIRE WITH TONY MAJA RODS.... WORKS GREAT

One of the best reels I own, Bar none! The Tekota and the Torium are bullet proof reels.

Good reel for casting heavy lures for snook fishing

Great reel for wreck and reef fishing. Holds a lot of braid so you can reach the deeper wrecks and reefs if you like fishing in 150-250 feet of water. Has the drag to lockdown on big tog and those monster blues which seem to love to hang out over the wrecks. Also capable of handling big stripers as well. Easy to maintain, have had no issues with birds' nest or any braid issue for that matter.

This reel is not great for casting but is my favorite reel for bottom fishing. Agree with other reviews, best application is when the captain announces at how many feet from the bottom fish are.

Got a linecounter 500, which is great for bottom fishing. The linecounter is great, when the captain says fish at 80 feet. No more trying to count how many pulls of line to guess depth

One of the best reels I own, Bar none! Handling the Tekota 500, was my experience with Shimano Products. I was on a party boat, fishing for Fluke, and the fella next to me had the 500 on a 7' Compre Rod. I noticed how well the combo he was using was standing up to the 6 oz lead we were using to hold bottom that day. And what little effort he used when reeling in a plus 20.5", or better, Fluke. I asked him if I could use it, and my Peen Reel days ended right there on the deck of that party boat. Compared to my Penn, this rod/reel combo was super light and with superb balance to boot. I actually hooked a decent size Fluke on that cast. I was amazed how smooth the drag. And I was exerting a lot less effort compared to the Penn. Not that these are large fighting fish. None the less, I felt a big difference. The levelwind was also very smooth. No grinding or sticking. And this reel was a few years old. I was just as taken with the over sized knob. I could tell right away I was handling a high quality reel in which a lot of thought and detail was used to design it. The next day, I bought a Tekota 300 and 500. That was about 3 years ago. And I have since replaced all of my tackle and gear, with predominately Shimano Products! If you are as passionate about fishing as I am, you to would want to use a quality product. Not to take away anything from Penn Products. They are very well made reels. And they have been around forever! After handling that reel, I simply preferred Shimano.

Outstanding reel. I own 4 of the these and use them for bottom fishing. They have hauled in 30# snapper to 200# sharks without an issue. Great for the kids because of the level wind function.