Product Review: 25 TD Sol MQ

By Mark Gercovich

I was always a Sol man since the original series released 20 odd years ago. I used to run a team of them when I was tournament fishing because I’d rather four reels the same rather than two super expensive ones. From a photography point of view, I always loved how the of orange of the Sol would add a nice splash of contrast colour to any photo. I did own a couple of the newer models, but when I fell in love with my new red Revelry, I thought my days as a Sol man may be numbered.

I needed a 3000 sized reel to complete my arsenal for a three-month trip north and was sold on that being a new Revelry. However, when I laid eyes on the cosmetics of the new 25 TD Sol MQ I just had to have one. Now after three months of putting it through all sorts of grief on an extended trip through north Queensland, it’s not just the aesthetics that are impressive but the performance as well. 

Now 3000 size reels aren’t a size I use much back home, most of my fishing is either light (2000/2500) or heavy (8000 and up.) However, it was the perfect size as my “light” outfit on the trip. I was hoping to match it to one of the new Black Labels, but seeing they weren’t available before we left, I grabbed a 23 TD Hyper 701MLXS off the rack in the shed and it became a perfect partnership. Of course, as you would expect fishing in North Queensland the “light outfit” ended up attached to some pretty solid fish, all that were handled with as much confidence as you could hope for with a fairly light outfit.

Flicking 3” Bait Junkie Prawns around flats and mangroves was its main job, and it was a style of fishing I did a lot of. You could end up catching all sorts of things doing this and whether it was a silky-smooth drag subduing flats speedsters like golden trevally and giant herring or a more locked up scenario extracting reef species out of bombies, or jacks and grunter from tight in the mangroves, the ATD drag performed perfectly. The combination of the drag and solid MQ body always gives some feeling of control, even when under gunned. Trying to go light to get the bite on some tricky shallow water impoundment barra also resulted in some moments of feeling under gunned, but once again the 25 TD Sol 3000 came through with flying colours.

Back home it should be perfect for the pinky snapper and salmon around the inshore reefs. However, if a rat king or larger snapper somehow get involved, I’ll be confident in the 25 TD Sol MQ giving me a fighting chance.