TackleTour

So I have a Lexa 300 Type WN that I am not in love with. I'm looking at the Tatula 200 from the Tackle Trap to possibly fill the role of a lighter duty swimbait reel. Does anyone have both a Lexa and a Tat 200 that could give me an idea of how they compare in size and ergonomics?

I know the Tatula is smaller, though I don't know how much. It will have plenty of line capacity for all but the biggest baits. I do know that Lexa would make a killer catfish reel. I almost got one of those, but decided I wanted to try a swedish made Ambassadeur instead. It's an awesome reel, but I think I would've like the Lexa better.

Tatula palms waayyy better

No contest, the Tat 200 wins every time if you're not tossing anything over 4 oz. The Tatula palms much better and weighs 1.5 oz less, also, which will make a huge difference when tossing big baits for an extended period of time.

Dont get me wrong the Lexa is a very good reel, but I think it's better suited for musky, pike and inshore work. If you're catfishing with live or cut bait, the clicker version would be hard to beat.

Thanks guys. I appreciate the feedback. Looks like the Lexa is headed to the classifieds and I'm making a TTT order.

The 200 does not have Magforce Z. Personally that is a no-go for me. What about the Tatula 153?

LowRange wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 29, 2019 9:58 am

The 200 does not have Magforce Z. Personally that is a no-go for me. What about the Tatula 153?

For long casting swimbaits the fixed inductor may actually be better because it won't interfere with the speed of the spool as much during the middle of the cast. I think mag Z is more tuned for control with lighter weights and for pitching, skipping, and accuracy.

I will use my original Tatula Type-R and OG Zillions with up to two ounce baits. The two Lexa 300H reels that I have are on my Hudd rod and my large rat rod (3-6 ounce baits). The drag on the Tatula only has one fiber washer. The process of catching one aggressive 15 pound catfish destroyed the drag and gears on my Tatula. My OG Zillions have caught many fish that size and bigger without any signs of wear. My multi-fiber drag washer equipped Lexas have caught large freshwater fish, and saltwater fish up to 20 pounds, without any signs of wear.
This is very subjective, but I don't like the Winn handle knobs. I use two bearings per knob on my large I-shaped knobs on my Lexa's, as well as an added CCC bearing to replace the bushing. The Lexa's palm much better than 300 size round reels, but nothing like the 200 size and under low-profile reels.

Also look at the last edition of the Daiwa Coastal, it has a 200 size spool and there may be some bargains out there with the new Daiwa Coastal SV out now.

Warhawk wrote: ↑

Thu Aug 29, 2019 6:08 pm

Also look at the last edition of the Daiwa Coastal, it has a 200 size spool and there may be some bargains out there with the new Daiwa Coastal SV out now.

That would be my choice, save the money and buy a set of decent handle knobs from the tackle trap and be done with it. There were a couple of them on ebay for $136. Plus there's a guy that sells a tuning kit for it that bumps the drag up pretty high.

Go up in price range a bit and get the Zillion HD2020, same capacity as a Z2020 or Ryoga 2020 but in a lighter frame. Alloy palming side plate and set plate instead of a zaion side plate like the Tatula. And can get it in a 5.5:1 ratio for swimbaits. its a standard magforce (fixed inductor) and works well for big lures.