Are you looking to start using a multiplier, or perhaps add to your growing collection of reels? Here, Gem Stapleton shares her thoughts on the Tronixpro Banzai Tournament Mono Mag multiplier.
First Impressions: Out of the Box
When this reel got delivered, I was excited to have a good look over it before heading out for a session on the beach. It’s a 6500 size multiplier, holding ample mono (259m of 0.35 mm) for clean-ground fishing: this is ideal for me, as most of my fishing is on the south coast of England over sandy or shingle beaches.
The Banzai Tournament Mono Mag comes in both left-handed and right-handed models. Even though I am left hand, I opted for the right-handed model: most reels from other manufacturers are only available right-handed, and I adapted to using the commonly available style quickly in my younger years.
Two things are particularly striking when taking the reel out of the box: the handle and the cage. The power handle has a decent sized knob that fits nicely in your hand and is easy to grip. This is perfect for when you want to crank in your rig or, if you’re lucky, land a decent sized fish. It’s not going to just slip out of your cold or wet fingers like some handles with smaller knobs might. The cage is a beautifully machined one-piece construction made from aluminium. It looks impressively solid – I wouldn’t worry at all about this distorting – it’s something you’d find on a tournament reel, for sure. In addition, the bars of the cage have been drilled to reduce the weight, which is certainly of benefit when using the reel.
I would also say that the mono mag knob on the end is a notable out-of-the-box feature, but this, of course, does not take you by surprise because of the name of the reel. So far, this reel is certainly living up to its tournament branding!
My next job was to load the Banzai Tournament Mono Mag with line. Personally, I like using 0.35 mm or thicker lines on my multipliers, as I find thinner lines damage the skin on my thumb when doing the line lay. I obviously spent too much of my working life behind a desk! I opted to use Tronixpro Blaze Line in 0.37 mm (20lb). It’s lovey and supple and, in my view, casts really well.
Importantly, once the line was loaded, my next job was to set the tension correctly on the spool. This is a simple matter of adjusting the end-float, so the spool sits centrally and moves a small amount when wiggled from side-to-side.
If you are new to multipliers, then check out Wayne Hand’s video on the Tronixpro YouTube page for more details on how to do this correctly.
Hitting the Beach for a Cast and a Fish
With it being mid-December and me living in Sussex, the fishing was not at its best. On this part of the coast, you can virtually guarantee catching whiting, which are there in their millions through the worst of the winter months. I wanted, though, to target dabs, as I love catching flatties. With this in mind, I headed to Pevensey Bay for a couple of sessions to try out the Banzai Tournament Mono Mag. I attached a plain lead to the end of my leader, with the reel mounted on to my Competition Performance rod – perfect for fishing for flatties, even in the 30mph+ wind that was racing across the beach.
Although I wouldn’t describe the sea state as challenging, the strong crosswind was difficult to cast in. So, I started off gently with a few chucks just to get used to the reel. What really impressed me was how smooth the reel was on both the cast and the retrieve. As I got more confident with the reel, and the new line bedded down, I eased off the mags a little before I cast and built up the confidence to exploit that big mono mag knob during the cast.
After just a few chucks, I was loosening the mags right off during the lead’s flight out to the sea. No birdies, no line lifting during the cast. I experienced a few small over-runs at the end of the cast as the spool was spinning quickly, and I wasn’t putting my thumb on it in time when the lead hit the sea. I expect that, after a few sessions fishing with the reel, I’ll learn how to perfect my timing when it comes to stopping the spool from spinning at the end of the cast.
Practise casting done, it was time to start fishing. I loaded up some three hook flappers with lug and sent out my baits. With dabs being my target, I only needed to cast about 50–60 yards. Whilst this did not enable me to push the reel to its (or my!) limits, I could still see how it coped with throwing out baits in a strong cross wind. The magnetic brake played its part well and, even with bait slowing down the flight of the lead out to sea, I did not get any birdies or crack-offs. What really surprised me was how well-connected I felt to the fish through the reel on the retrieve. I could feel the little flatties – and whiting – well, even though the sea was rough.
Overall, I was really impressed with the Banzai Tournament Mono Mag reel over the two sessions I have used it so far. You won’t find a better multiplier for the money, in my opinion: for £129.99 it’s a bargain. I’m looking forward to getting out on the beach again: early 2024, I’ll be out targeting plaice at distance, which will let me test out this reel’s capabilities a little more. In fact, I am already so impressed with this reel I’ve ordered a second one to go on my other Competition Performance next time I am out!
