Trevala Question .... TFC-63MH anyone used one?

Anyone used this model? How is it different than the TVC66MH? Any input would be great. I found one for $110 and thought it would be a hell of a halibut/ heavy ling rod. Not sure about the short 6'3" length though.
Thanks,
Gear whore

put trevala on the search feature



http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,25628.0.html

I'm having a hell of a time finding anything about the F-Series of Trevala rods. Any insight?

Not much out there as far as reviews go. I did manage to find this on another forum:

http://www.360tuna.com/forum/f67/trevala-tfc-63mh-1613/

$110 is a great price.

-FF

I'm having a hell of a time finding anything about the F-Series of Trevala rods. Any insight?

I think that compard to the list price it's a good deal. However, I haven't seen anything about the F series Trevala's to make me believe that they are worth nearly twice as much as the regular Trevala's most of us are using.

My conspiracy theory on this (cue the crazy ) is that Shimano felt like anyone who was willing to spend $600-$800 on a high speed Shimano jigging reel for the Trevala probably would be interested in slapping that reel on a high dollar rod instead of a $100 rod. So, they made a few tweaks to the $100 Trevala to create the F Series $200 rod.

I'd buy the $110 F series if I couldn't find a regular Trevala on sale. 

Ya I wouldn't doubt it. Even from the side by side comparison on Shimano's website I couldn't find much difference. I'll put it through the paces and let you know what I think!

Here's my 2 cents. I think 6'3 is too short when you need to move your line around the bow or stern to follow fish or compensate for the drift.  My personal preference is a 7 foot rod. 

I have not owned the TFC-63MH but once owned TVC70L and got rid off it.  I was on the party boat Tiger Fish out of Half Moon Bay and had both the TVC70L and a Seeker Blue Steel Inshore BCSW 706-T with me.  The lings were biting good that day.  I noticed the Shimano rod did not have enough back bone to pull lings out of the rocks and was putting the strain on me.  On the other hand the Seeker rod did the most of the work for me and had a lot more pulling and lifting power.

I recently saw Larry Dhalberg's Hunt for Big Fish TV show was shot in Guyana.  He's uses all Shimano tackle.  On that particular show he was losing big fish left and right and getting pulled inside rocks using Shimano Trevala jigging rods.  I am big Shimano fan except for their Trevala rods.

I hear that they don't have a ton of back bone and aren't the choice for big tuna and you are saying you weren't happy with it on a party boat for ling.
My thinking is that for kayak fishing you can only put so much pressure against a big fish. You can't put a belt on and horse a fish up, just not enough stability.
My light bottom fishing rod is a 7'6" rod and and I can easily clear my bow, P-13 and I am 6'3".
For me the appeal is to have a light weight rod that I can jig 4-10 oz with and not kill myself.

After years of experimenting different rods, my go to rod for 4 to 10oz jigs is the Calstar GFGR700XL-H.  Cost a bit more but well worth it.

How are they weight wise? Are you speaking about all fishing across the board or Kayak fishing specifically?

How are they weight wise? Are you speaking about all fishing across the board or Kayak fishing specifically?

Weight is not an issue and feels comfy all day, I am 5'10 and 185 lbs.  I use it for both yak and boat fishing.  If I dropped it overboard on my yak, I'd go diving after it.  This rod has some serious muscle

I love my Trevalas.   

Sure they have a lot of give, but that taper also helps compensate for the lack of stretch in my power pro line.
Not for everyone, especially if you like to horse fish around... but I personally like them.
Ultra sensitive, very light weight, & fun to fight fish with. 

(I have three of the old generic Trevalas, no fancy F series ones...  )

After years of experimenting different rods, my go to rod for 4 to 10oz jigs is the Calstar GFGR700XL-H.  Cost a bit more but well worth it.

I have a GFGR700L and a GFGR700M for tuna fishing.  I find this series of rods to be too heavy for every day, all day kayak fishing.

Here's a rod I've been toying with lately ... Tsunami Airwave TSU-TSAWBC-661H

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/1/1/12807-rods-tsunami-airwave-boat-rods-conventional.html

You can sometimes find them on Ebay for ~$90.

-Allen

Interesting ....
I would rather fish a light rod all day than a meat stick for an hour. I am really excited to try out my new Revo Toro as my light duty bottom fish reel.
I have only had one lingcod hole me and she caught me completely off guard with medium salmon spinning gear and drag set light.

I have a revo toro60 coupled with a TVC66M. Its a fine rod and reel combo for kayakfishing for ling, rockies and halibut. I dont think that lings and rockfish really run that much. Do you? More of a vertical fight. 6'6" is fine and I dont see 3"'s less being a problem on the kayak at all. I love the feel , the lightness and sensitivity found in the trevalas. I can bounce 4oz jigs all day with no wear on my forearms. Good score IMO.