Halibut Point Rd Sitka, Alaska 99835218-732-4744info@anglingunlimited.com
MailInstagramTwitterFacebook
Angling UnlimitedAngling Unlimited
Angling Unlimited
Sitka, Alaska Charter Fishing Lodge
  • Book Your Trip
    • Season Rates
    • Forms
      • Reservations Form
      • Guest Information Form
    • Specials
      • Hook It & Cook It
  • Itinerary
  • Your Catch
    • Fish Processing
    • Photo Gallery
    • Recipes
    • How to Properly Smoke Fish
  • About Us
    • Why Choose Us?
    • Testimonials
    • The Crew
    • Our Boats & Tackle
    • Lodging
    • Videos
    • eNews
  • Fishing
    • Alaska Fishing Seasons and Regulations
    • Fishing Reports
    • Fishing Charter
    • Fish Species
    • Mooching: How We Fish
    • Safe & Responsible Catch & Release Fishing
  • Sitka
    • Why Visit Sitka, Alaska?
    • Sitka Activities
    • Sitka Wildlife
    • Sitka Scenery
    • Sitka Restaurants
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
 
  • Book Your Trip
    • Season Rates
    • Forms
      • Reservations Form
      • Guest Information Form
    • Specials
      • Hook It & Cook It
  • Itinerary
  • Your Catch
    • Fish Processing
    • Photo Gallery
    • Recipes
    • How to Properly Smoke Fish
  • About Us
    • Why Choose Us?
    • Testimonials
    • The Crew
    • Our Boats & Tackle
    • Lodging
    • Videos
    • eNews
  • Fishing
    • Alaska Fishing Seasons and Regulations
    • Fishing Reports
    • Fishing Charter
    • Fish Species
    • Mooching: How We Fish
    • Safe & Responsible Catch & Release Fishing
  • Sitka
    • Why Visit Sitka, Alaska?
    • Sitka Activities
    • Sitka Wildlife
    • Sitka Scenery
    • Sitka Restaurants
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Gear Review – Shimano Tekota 500 LC

August 19, 20134 CommentsThe Captain's BlogBy Captain Tom Ohaus

Shimano Tekota 500 LC

Sitka is a great place to fish – lots of hook ups, lots of big salmon, lots of blistering runs – all great stuff for the fisherman and all very hard on reels. Add saltwater, exposure to the elements, and less experienced anglers who work the reels and themselves much harder than necessary, and you have the perfect testing ground for a reel. We’ve tried almost every reel on the market for salmon and haven’t found anything that beats the Shimano Tekota 500 LC for our application. Here are five reasons why:

  1. Smooth – Turn a few revolutions of the nicely designed ergonomic handle and you’ll feel the gears are very precisely cut, the bearings like silk, the tolerances in production are tight.
  2. Durable – Reels on our boats get 10 times more use in a season than many reels get in a lifetime. Day in day out fishing, lots of hookups with big powerful kings, wild silvers, rockfish, lingcod, and halibut. The Tekotas hold up extremely well with the drag staying smooth for long stretches before needing to be rebuilt. The only minor complaint is the release lever does hang up on some reels, but Shimano has been very diligent if repairing this and it doesn’t happen that often.
  3. Line Capacity – The 500 LC holds about 220 to 240 yards of 20 pound mono – more than enough for our application, but not too much or too bulky.
  4. Line Counter – When the captain shouts “kings at 70 feet” it’s a matter of reading the meter to get there. This makes an enormous difference versus not knowing and guessing.
  5. Reasonably Priced – Not the cheapest reel, but in this world of increasingly expensive boutique tackle, these are affordable. And, we have reels in service that we bought 10 years ago. Each offseason they go back to Shimano for an overhaul, each summer they do the job.

Many of you have fished with us for 5, 10, even 20 years. We’ve tested reels along the way through many, many trials and we feel like we’ve found the perfect fit for our business. Leave your comments below reviewing our reels of the past or the present. We’d love to hear your feedback.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
geargear reviewshimano
About the author

Captain Tom Ohaus

Related posts
Happy Holidays & Higher Hopes for 2021
December 18, 2020
2020 End of Season Review & 2021 Outlook
October 28, 2020
Great Deals on Flights to Sitka in 2020
January 24, 2020
New Decade
December 13, 2019
The New Boat – Season One Review
November 5, 2019
7 Reasons to Fish Early Season in 2020
November 4, 2019
4 Comments
  1. Reply
    August 19, 2013 at 6:04 pm
    Ca

    The reels are great, love them and the line counter is soooo much better than guessing……now for an underwater camera so we can SEE the fish!!!!!

  2. Reply
    August 21, 2013 at 9:42 am
    Jim

    I won a Shimano 500 LC from angling unlimited about 10 years ago. I love it as each time I use the reel I remember all of the memories I have fishing with Capt Chris. One day soon I want to return to angling unlimited for one more trip.

  3. Reply
    August 21, 2013 at 1:39 pm
    Dick Glassburn

    Now if Shimano only made a lefty with a counter! That would be something!

    Glass

    • Reply
      August 25, 2013 at 2:56 pm
      Andrew

      No kidding, Glass!

Leave Comment

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

clear formSubmit

  • Address
    Angling Unlimited
    Halibut Point Rd
    Sitka, Alaska 99835
  • Phone
    218-732-4744
  • Email
    info@AnglingUnlimited.com

Find us on:

FacebookTwitterYouTubePinterestInstagramWebsiteTripAdvisor
  • TripAdvisor
Trip Inquiry
  • MM slash DD slash YYYY

Categories
  • Captain Tom's Fishing Report (205)
  • Client Stories (18)
  • eBook (1)
  • Fish of the Month (1)
  • News (67)
  • Photo of the Day (87)
  • Recipes (103)
  • Sitka (12)
  • The Captain's Blog (331)
  • Trivia Tuesday (50)
  • Uncategorized (15)
  • Videos (7)
  • Don’t Miss the Mid-March Miracle of Herring
    February 14, 2023
  • Holiday Wishes from Angling Unlimited
    December 22, 2022
  • Thanksgiving Wishes from Angling Unlimited
    November 22, 2022
  • 2022 End of Season Review
    October 7, 2022

eBook

Fishing Reports, Regulations, Delicious Recipes and Secrets to Fishing from Our Captains.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

© 2013-2020 Angling Unlimited

Site by Odd Dog