With its pale gold spool, drag lever and handle, and silver frame and sideplates, the new Shimano Talica dual speed 50 is a very attractive fishing reel. While cosmetic features are great, it’s the internals that really make this reel tick.

The oversized High Efficiency Gearing (HEG) comes in two speeds — 3.8:1 and 1.7:1. The lower ratio assists in getting stubbornly resisting fish to the surface, and also means that the Talica 50 can perform double duty when spooled with fine-for-its-breaking strain braid for deep dropping the offshore reefs.

The range of the waterproof Carbon drag is immense and it’s possible to dial up 25 kilos of fish-stopping pressure if the situation warrants it, and the cold-forged aluminium spool is impervious to buckling or distortion.

The Talica two-speed 50 can be cast quite easily, making it ideal as a pitch-bait reel in the deep blue or for live baiting for marlin and tuna off the rocks, where getting a livie away from the edge is paramount to success.

Six SA-RB (sealed, anti-rust) bearings means winding is a breeze, even when the reel is under heavy load, and this contributes to reel’s casting ability.