Shimano Tekota 600 Review

When it comes to a great brand of reel, Shimano is one that we all think of. This Shimano Tekota 600 review will cover all the good, bad and amazing things about this fantastic saltwater, freshwater, and really all around reel.

If you are looking for a great bottom fishing, jig style reel that works great for larger fish such as Striped Bass, grouper, and snapper, then you should keep reading.

This isn’t one of those traditional reviews where all we talk about are the good things, there is a section of this post dedicated to the problems of this reel, that way you can be completely informed and ready to buy.

Lets get to it

Pro’s/Con’s

Key Features

Material

The Shimano Tekota is make of mostly aluminum.

When it comes to what the reel is actually made of, you want it to be strong, lightweight, and corrosion resistant.

Aluminum is all of those things.

A lot of reels that are made of stainless steel, are very strong and durable, but they are at risk of corroding, which really ruins the saltwater application of these reels.

Having a reel made of aluminum, prevents the ris of corrosion as aluminum typically doesn’t corrode.

Construction, Body Design

This reel has solid construction.

You don’t really have to worry about this too much when it comes to the Shimano brand. These reels are always durable and put together solidly.

From the end plates to the screws used to hold it together, this reel with resist corrosion and has the durability to be a solid reel for years to come.

One unique thing you will notice about this reel right at first glance is that many other reels have large round end plates, especially when it comes to the level wind models.

The Shimano Tekota 600 changed it up and went with smaller round end plates and a smaller “pointed” portion opposite the handle.

This design fits very nicely into you hand and is comfortable to hold.

Spool

A full Aluminum spool that is braid ready.

This spool can handle up to 25 lb test line and up to 240 yards of line.

This spool can hold up to the best of them, and it is because this spool is the patented super free spool. This is a design by Shimano and it is designed to eliminate friction and increase the casting distance.

In standard baitcasting reels, when the clutch bar is pressed down, the pinion gear is freed and can actually drag on the spool shaft creating friction during the cast.

With this reel the pinion gear is supported by a ball bearing when the clutch is disengaged during a cast, and this ultimately creates zero friction on the spool.

This leads to further and smoother casting.

Handle

There are two parts to the handle on the Shimano Tekota 600, and really on most reels in general.

There is the lever and the knob.

The lever is the longer metal piece that typically has some curve or angles to it.

This portion of the Shimano Tekota 600 is important, because it has some extra length to it and the curves on the lever really help to create leverage and make reeling in those monsters a lot easier.

The knob is the portion of the handle that you will actually hold onto.

Like fishing rod handles, the knobs of reels are made from a few different options. The knob on the Tekota line up is made of EVA and rubber.

This is a great combination that is 100% water proof and very comfortable.

You really cant go wrong with the combination of the lever and knob.

Gears

The stainless steel gears inside the Shimano Tekota 600 are extremely durable.

The gear ratio is something you should always consider when buying a new reel, it is essentially the times the spool turns per single handle revolution.

Having a higher gear ratio means that there is less work and ultimately easier retrieval of those large fish that this reel is great for.

Higher gear ratios also help the overall line retrieval rate.

Having stainless steel gears is also nice, because the gears and their teeth are where a lot of the stress in the reel is focused on. Having strong metal, improves the overall durability and reliability of these reels.

Drag: Cross Carbon

The nice thing about this reel is that it has a cross carbon drag system. This produces very smooth and consistent drag on the reel.

The max drag on this reel is 24 lb.

You are likely very familiar with what drag is, but to make it simple in case you aren’t. Drag is the pressure or resistance that is sent through the line to the fish when they try to pull line off of the spool.

The purpose of drag is the wear the fish out and allow you to rest.

Higher drag, means more pressure or lbs of weight is put on the fish as the try and pull the line out, which means they will get worn out faster.

One of the reasons the drag is so smooth is because Shimano places carbon discs on both sides of the master gear, which leads to smoother more even pressure and ultimately makes the drag much smoother.

Retrieve

This is the amount or length of line that comes back with each crank or revolution of the handle.

Higher gear ratios typically mean a higher inches per crank rate.

This reel retrieves 38 inches of line for every revolution of the handle.

The 38 inches of line per retrieval is a good middle of the road amount when it comes to line retrieval rate.

Another important part of the retrieve, is that this reel has the option to do both left and right hand retrive. You just need to specify when you order it.

Casting

This reel, as mentioned and discussed below may have been more designed to be a trolling reel. It is interesting though, that the casting of this rod is so incredibly smooth and efficient.

The no friction on the spool allows you to easily cast that lure out there.

The spool and gearing is incredibly smooth, and even though it is touted as a great trolling reel it is still absolutely a bait caster.

Super Stopper Anti Reverse

One of the most annoying things that can heppenn when you are landing a big fish is to have the handle and knob start free spinning if you let go or slip off of it.

The super stopper anti reverse feature prevents the handle from free spinning like that, and is a Shimano special feature.

Coreprotect Water Resistance

This is another feature that is unique to the Shimano brand.

This is important especially when it comes to saltwater fishing. Coreprotect keeps the internal components protected from salt water which leads to corrosion and damage fairly quickly.

We all like buying new reels, but not because we have to, and coreprotect will keep your reel functioning for a long time.

Anti Fogging Lens

The anti fogging lense is super easy to replace, but you really shouldn’t ever have to deal with that because the manufactuerer guarantees that you won’t.

If you for some reason do have to replace the anti fog lense, then it won’t cause too much grief as it is incredible easy to replace.

The Cons Explained

Line counter issues

There have been a few reports of issues with the line counter on these. Essentially, what a lot of research and reading other peoples comments suggests is that the line counter can be defective.

Typically you can ship it back to Shimano and they replace it without much hassle. This is a real thing to remember when buying this reel tbough, because as a bottom jigging reel the line counter is important.

Not all the reels have this issue, but it can be a problem, so if you notice that your line counter is innacurate then you aren’t the only one, just get it packaged back up and get in touch with Shimano.

No Harness Lugs

Normally when it comes to attaching a deep sea harness to a rod and reel there are attachments on the reel and then you can buy attachments for the rod.

Most of the stress is put onto the rod when you are attaching the harness anyways, so not a huge deal, just something you should be aware of before you buy this great reel.

Shimano Tekota 600 Review: What others have to say

• “Typical great Shimano Quality”
• “The model 600 is a great reel, buy the 600”
• “Smooth and reliable, I already own 3, so I bought a 4^th!”
• “Very strong bottom fishing reel!”
• “Love the line counter”
• “Excellent drag and capacity for fishing deeper waters”

The Final Verdict

If you are looking for a great baitcasting reel that has some awesome features, then this is a fantastic one.

So many people agree that this is a wonderful reel and most people are pleasantly surprised by the smooth and efficient casting of this reel.

Whether you have decided to buy this reel or not because of this article, hopefully it has been helpful to you and hopefully you find the reel you want.

If this Shimano Tekota 600 Review has been enough that you have decided you want to buy it, then click this link and get one for yourself.

How does the Tekota 600 Cast?

Based on a lot of reviews and some in depth research, this reel casts very nicely.

That has been one area of surprise, since this is a trolling reel that is really designed to be a bottom jigging reel.

With all of that considered, this reel is a great baitcaster that casts incredibly smooth and with the zero friction spool, you can disengage the clutch and allow the spool to spin freely and that makes it so this reel casts so nicely.

Is the Shimano Tekota 600 a trolling reel?

This reel was originally designed to be a trolling reel. It has great ability to be a baitcaster though.

The majority of people thart purchase this reel are involved in deep water fishing (not necesariyl deep sea), and they do a lot of trolling.

This doesn’t mean though that this cant pair nicely with a surf rod and be a great combo for surf fishing.