All,
Just got back form a 7-day aboard the Searcher, had a pair of field-test Penn Torque TRQ100's.
Myself, the crew and several passengers ended up catching over 30 yellowtail from 10 to 35 pounds and one stray 20 pound yellowfin on them.
Set them up with 30-pound topshots on 8-foot 800L's and tossed live sardines, Tady 4/0 lights and Sumo C2 heavies.
Casting was excellent, and the drag and especially the cranking power were off the chart for such a small reel.
Even the bigger-grade 30-35 pound Cedros yellows were no match.
Not sure exactly when Mark will have them available, hopefully before the end of summer.
He may have more definite date information.

steve your the man, glad you put the wood on them, good choice on the reel

How does the weight of the 100 feel? I picked up a 300 in the store and was shocked at how heavy it was.

Congrats on the Salt Water Sportsman award for the Torques.

To be sure, the Torques are a little heavier than other reels of the same line capacity.
If you are just holding them in a store, the difference is obvious, but once you put them on a properly-balanced rod, add line and a jig or bait, you can barely feel the difference.
The TRQ300 barely gets warmed up with 40-pound line, and is really best with either 50-pound mono topshots or just straight 80-pound spectra.
Other than maybe big yellows at the Farnsworth, there are few applications for it locally, but it is an awesome jig reel for big yo-yo iron or wahoo bombs for long-range anglers.
On this trip, I hooked a 30-pound yellow on the yo-yo iron at 300 feet at Alijos Bank.
Just for fun, I laid the rod on the rail with the drag set at around 25 pounds, and just ground down on the fish.
He spiraled up quickly, and actually blew it's swim bladder out like a rock cod, the deckhand said he had never seen a yellowtail blow like that.
Although the albacore eluded us this time, I did have the TRQ100's rigged up on 800XL's with 20 pound topshots while we looked for them, and they balanced perfectly on the lighter rods.

I should clarify that "blowing" the big yellowtail was accomplished with the TRQ300, not the TRQ100.
However, the TRQ100 has an awesome amount of power for such a small reel, and easily handled the big yellows in a more traditional fight.

i knew it , i knew it , those reels are really somthing, blown the socket on a 30 y.t. is somthing to sea.

Regarding weight, an interesting post appears on the website "Stripersonline.com", an east-coast surfcasting site.
The poster got the chance to borrow a TRQ100 test reel that was already mounted on a rod and rigged up.
He said the TRQ100 "felt lighter, better balanced and more solid" than his 525MAG.
The TRQ100 is definitely not lighter than the 525MAG, but when properly balanced on the rod and coupled with the excellent mechanics of it you can't feel the difference in actual use.

I was on the Searcher trip with Steve and fished the Torgue 100 at Alijos. I only caught 1 small 10# yellow on the reel, but was very impressed with how the reel casted and felt in my hand. I did see Steve make short work of the yellows at Cedros on this reel, but he's a heck of a stick so that isn't suprising.

I don't currently own any Penn reels as I fish Saltiga's and Tiburon SST's but when Mark receives the 100's later this summer I plan on buying one for a 20# albie reel. It will make a great 20/25# rig strapped to a 800Xl corked rod.

Buy the way Steve, thanks for the goodies given to everyone on the trip.

bte

The deckhand on the Prowler had a Tourque 100 and he let me take it for a spin. I loved it. It will be my next purchase. The 200 was my 30lb rig and I put the screws to some nice albacore with it. The 100 would have been more fun. The 200 casts like a dream so I can only imagine what the 100 does.

great info...

I've owned a Torque 200 for about a year now, and my first impression was how smooth the reel was. I mainly bottom fish 180-300 ft water, and it's fine to fish with 8-16 oz. sinkers, but anything over that, and the high gear ratio starts to get old at the end of the trip. But where it comes in handy is when you hook up with one of those fiesty fish that give alot of slack right off the bat, you can keep up and he won't spit the hook.

In my honest opinion, it makes one hell of a kingfish reel, or anything topwater, and lighter tuna, amberjack, and ling.

I'm gonna try out the new 113 Metal Senator; I think that's the one I need for the bottom fishing. Gear ratio should be in the sweet spot with that reel.

How about 2-speed and lever drags? Or do they have star drags?