The new Tesoro jigging reels are a great mid sized option for local species like yellowtail, daytime bluefin and long range yellowfin. Whether you're speed jigging, deepwater slow pitch jigging or even using traditional setups for bottom fishing this reel will do an excellent job. I first saw prototypes of the 1500 and 2000 sizes in Japan over 2.5 years ago and they've come a long way to becoming one of the nicest lever drag jigging reels out there.

These reels manage a massive 46lb max drag with a durable triple anti-reverse system featuring 2 roller bearings and a physical AR pawl. Even with all of that they only weigh 21 ounces and have the lowest winding resistance of any reel on the market even comparing the highest end $1600 options from SOM, and they do it all for only $450. These reels have a drag plate and washer on each side of the spool giving you a balanced and smooth drag and feature a large stainless steel main gear for extra cranking power.

They've extended the handle to 110mm with an option for 98mm which reduces the fatigue felt from jigging with lures over 300g as well as gives you more power when fighting fish.

With all of these features they've also managed to maintain great free spool performance and I wouldn't hesitate to use mine for casting lures and live bait. Even though it's a single speed reel the combination of a lower 5.5:1 gear ratio and a longer handle makes it easy to turn fish around and get them to the boat.

An often under-appreciated feature of most Okuma conventional reels is their use of cold forged and machined spools which maintains the grain structure of the aluminum making it more durable in the final shape. This requires a big investment on their part to get expensive dies made to be used in a hydraulic press. Other manufacturers use a billet making the final machined part weaker and more prone to breaking when thinned down because it is ultimately cheaper.