Abu Revo Toro 61 (Left Handed) - First Impressions

I won a Revo Toro 61 at the "Pay It Forward" raffle thanks to Ravensblack who donated it. Thanks Craig! I have always wanted to use one since many of the NCKA guys seem to really like them but never bought one because I own a Penn 975 which I use to fish 20-25# mono. Detailed reviews are available on the web (http://www.tackletour.com/reviewabugarciarevotoropg2.html) so I decided to post some thoughts from a kayak fishing perspective.

Preparing the Reel:
Kayak fishing is really hard on reels because of saltwater and sand exposure. I always take new reels apart and fully lubricate and grease them before using as recommended by Alan Tani. The reel came with very limited directions and a schematic. After 15 minutes of studying the schematic, I couldn't figure out how to take the reel apart.  Luckily Alan Tani had posted a tutorial on the Revo Inshore (http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=16.0) which was very helpful. The threads on the drive shaft are reverse on the left handed reel.  The Toro has 7 ball bearings which makes the reel very smooth, but makes maintenance more difficult. The bearings are "corrosion resistant" but still the most likely place to fail. I lubricated all of the bearings with Corrosion X and used Cal's Universal grease on the gears and drag washers. I think if you really want to lube the reel it is better to take it apart instead of using the lubrication port. At the end of the year, I will send it in to Alan Tani to remove the bearing seals and upgrade the drag washers to Carbontex. I spooled the reel with 200 yards of 50# spectra and 75 yards of 25# P Line Fuoroclear topshot. The reel has a slightly larger line capacity than a Daiwa Luna 300.

On the Water
The reel is very light in the hand compared to my Penn 975. The low profile design makes casting easier. I matched the reel with a Lamiglas jigging rod rated 15-30# and fished swimbaits 1-3 oz. The combo casts very well and the retrieve is perfect for working swimbaits and is super smooth. If you were using surface irons, the higher gear ratio would probably work better. The left handed reel takes some getting used to but is more convenient. I gaff with my right hand so landing fish was a little awkward. I had the good fortune of hooking a nice ling on the first outing and the stock drag is pretty smooth and the reel has plenty of torque.

Conclusion
The reel is really nice but is pretty expensive putting it in the competition with the Calcutta B, Daiwa Luna and Penn 975. If you cast a lot of swimbaits or surface iron, the Revo Toro would be a good choice. If you are fishing pelagics, the larger line capacity of the Toro would be prefered over the Inshore. If you don't cast much, I would buy a less expensive reel. The reel maintenance takes a little more time because of the number of bearings but is not too bad. I would recommend lubrication after every saltwater outing. I will be using it as my #1 casting reel since it casts better and is lighter than my Penn 975 and Daiwa Luna and it has the good "Pay It Forward" vibe.

Scott

thanks for your review scott, i have been thinking about getting one, this was helpful, cameron

I got like 4 left now. Rights and lefts.60,61

I got one of the smaller revo after seeing Sean (SBD) and Mahi Mahi reel in some nice tuna on board the Islander. Then I saw Holy Toledo with the Toro and it was love at first sight Used it for the very first time last Friday on the Halibut trip - love how it handled! Like the line capacity and the low profile feel to it!

I recently picked-up a Toro from Ravensblack Bait & Tackle Co. and really like it so far.  Have it on a MH Trevala. Would like to get an Inshore for the ML Trevala.  Had been running old C4s on both rods, but really like the Revos now.  Thanks for the report Scott.

I used a Toro 60, 50# spectra,short knotless fluoro topshot for yellows on the Islander trip and had no issues. I fished it with the stock "carbon matrix" drag and had no problem yanking in a pile of Yellowtail. I would like to see what it would do on 30-50# tuna though

Thanks for the review Scott. I am also sold on the Toro 61 myself. After landing
the 61" sturgeon on it, it will be my go to setup for sturgeon fishing. At first I was
hesitant to use it for sturgeon thinking it maybe too small of a reel to fight the
big fish but it handle it just fine. I have the Toro paired with the Trevala 7' line
wt. 20-50lb braid. Perfect match for me. Just my .02 of course.

Jedmo

One thing I forgot to mention is that the Revo Toro can generate 22-23# of drag and does not come with a reel clamp. Personally I would not use over 15-20# of drag because of the potential to damage the reel. If you did want to use over 20# of drag against pelagics, I would match it with a rod with a heavy duty aluminum reel seat.

Thanks for the review Scott. I am also sold on the Toro 61 myself. After landing
the 61" sturgeon on it, it will be my go to setup for sturgeon fishing. At first I was
hesitant to use it for sturgeon thinking it maybe too small of a reel to fight the
big fish but it handle it just fine. I have the Toro paired with the Trevala 7' line
wt. 20-50lb braid. Perfect match for me. Just my .02 of course.

Jedmo

got the same set up...almost to pretty to use!

+1 on the same set up with 50lb PP.  

Thanks for the review and pic of it taken apart.  It'll definitely come in handy when it's time for a tune-up.

Only thing I would have done is to fill the reel with braid and use 3 to 5ft top shots . Dont need all that mono for rockfish . My 0.02 ...