Texas Tested - Texas Fish & Game - October 2012
 Texas Tested - October 2012 By Texas Fish and Game Staff
Daiwa Lexa 300
It can be tough to find an inshore casting reel which is light and comfortable to cast all day, but has the power to take on larger gamefish. This is where the new Lexa comes in. With a muscle-flexing maximum drag of 22 pounds and a line capacity of 240 yards of 40-pound braid, this reel has the oomph to take on the most bullish reds and the choicest cobia. You like casting even heavier line? No problem. Spool up with up to 180 yards of 55 pound braid.
The Lexa series also has 100-size models (which can put out 11 pounds of drag) for more average sized fish, but when you’re on the hunt for the big boys, the 300 is the way to go. This is an all-new design, with over-sized counter-balanced handles that are cut out to reduce weight; an aluminum frame, spool, and sideplate; seven bearings; "Magforce" cast control (with magnetic breaking, to reduce backlash); infinite anti-reverse; and a super light, super strong spool.
Daiwa Lexa 300 Pathfinder 2400 TRS Photos: Daiwa; Pathfinder Boats
Power is good, but speed is also a must-have---and the Lexa has it. Gear ratios of 6.3:1 (which brings in 28.8" of line per crank) and 7.1:1 (which brings in 32.4") are available, in both right-hand and left-hand versions. The low-profile design fits the hand well, and has a comfortable low thumb rest. More on comfort: weighing between 10 and 12 ounces, these reels won’t wear your wrist out during a long day of casting and retrieving. You’ll also feel comfortable with the price of a Lexa 300, which is under $200---that makes it about 25-percent less expensive than some competing reels of similar size and ability. Find out more about the Lexa, at www.daiwa.com.
---Lenny Rudow
Pathfinder 2400
You like light tackle shallow water fishing and want a boat that’s designed to do it right, but you also want access to bigger waters? Then a boat like Pathfinder’s 2400 TRS is what you should be casting for. The 2400 TRS is Pathfinder’s largest offering, and in addition to all that LOA, it boasts a deeper cockpit, wider gunwales, and higher sides than most shallow water oriented fishing boats. In fact, this model has three inches more freeboard than previous models of the same size.
With a 15-degree transom deadrise and weighing in at a hair under 3,000 pounds with a Yamaha F225 on the transom, the 2400 TRS has plenty of V and plenty of beef to take on waves. And if you want to maximize performance, you can opt for up to 300 horses. With that sort of juice, you’ll hit speeds close to 60-mph. And if fuel efficiency is the an important attribute to you, just dial back the cruising speed to the mid 30’s---still plenty fast, for most folks---and you’ll get around four miles to the gallon.
Pathfinder 2400 TRS Photos: Daiwa; Pathfinder Boats
Like all Pathfinders, this boat is designed to fish and fish hard. A 48-qt. cooler seat, raw water washdown, locking rod stowage, two gunwale rodholders, rodracks for eight rigs, an integrated fishbox, 40 gallon aft and 15 gallon bow livewells, and a leaning post with five rodholders all come standard. Trolling motor batteries (up to four of them) stow beneath the deck, so the console is left open for stowing gear, plus there’s an onboard tackle stowage system. And getting through the shoals to reach your favorite hotspots will be a breeze, considering the boat’s one-foot hull draft, standard blinker-style hydraulic jackplate, and trim tabs.
Although I’m a utility-minded guy, one of the things I can’t help but notice about the 2400 TRS is its red-hot looks. Or, maybe we should say cool blue---blue LEDs light up the boat’s interior, and the switch panel is back-lighted in blue. You can option-up to powder-coating and two-tone cushions to really set off the boat’s look, and can even get the hull in a wide range of colors including ice blue, sapphire, and pastel green. You want a two-tone hull? Again, that’s no problem. And as for the finishing touches, this boat comes through in spades: fit and finish is excellent, hatches are supported by gas-assist struts, and grab rings and hinges sit flush. Want to put an eyeball on just how cool the 2400 TRS is? Check it out, at www.pathfinderboats.com.
---LR
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