Last updated on March 7th, 2023 at 11:11 pm
Monster muskie anglers are always on the prowl for a fishing reel with three primary characteristics: slow, big, and strength. You want a slow gear ratio, a big line capacity for 80 pound test fishing line, and strength when it comes to a rigid frame, drag, and power. Like so many things in life, it’s often easy to find 2 out 3 desired traits, but to find something that excels at all 3 is quite rare. As you’ll see in our Abu Garcia Revo Toro Review, such rarities do exist.
We should start off by mentioning that there are some solid competitors in this reel category, such as the Daiwa Lexa 300 and the Okuma Komodo SS, so before making a final decision on which musky reel to get, it’s important to read the reviews and compare each of them.
Table Of Contents
Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast Review: The Perfect Low Profile Musky Reel?
The Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast low profile baitcaster was first introduced in 2015 at ICAST 2015. There are two sizes available, 50 and 60, and both come in either right or left handed varieties.
Craftsmanship: As we already mentioned, the Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast comes in two sizes, 50 and 60. Each of the sizes are offered in two different gear ratios, 4.9:1 and 6.2:1. This muskie reel comes with an all black finish: the frame is matte black while the sideplates are a very nice glossy black. Several areas of the reel, such as the handle base, control cap, and a few other areas have an anodized blue highlight. The handle is rather long, measuring 110mm in length.
Added Features: The Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast comes from the factory with 2 extra power handles. With nearly every other muskie reel, these would need to be purchased from an aftermarket source, if they were available at all. With only a single knob, the power handles are great for those hunting the biggest of muskies. What’s more, the Revo Toro Beast features a levelwind that is non-disengaging, which means that when the drag is engaged the fishing line guide moves back and forth when the line is extracted from the reel.
Extra Power Handles Included
Performance: In our testing with some 80 pound braided fishing line and mounted to a St. Croix musky rod, we were extremely impressed with the overall performance of this reel.
Reel Power: This beast of a reel has ample power to spare. Thanks to it’s large fishing line capacity, slower gear ratio, and longer handle, this musky reel is able to pull musky lures like large Bull Dawgs nearly effortlessly. Because of this, most muskie fishermen will find this to be a wonderful musky reel to throw their biggest, heaviest baits with ease!
Bait Retrieve: Your baits will have a somewhat slow pace to them upon retrieve. This is due to the reel’s 4.9:1 gear ratio on the size 50 variant of the Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast. The reel’s main gear is made of brass, which aids in the the smoothness of the retrieve. This system is known as Duragear Heavy Duty. The aluminum alloy sideplate and frame provides sturdiness with no flex.
| MODEL | GEAR RATIO | Reel Handle Position | RETRIEVE RATE | PRICE & AVAILABILITY |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| REVO T2 BST50 | 4.9:1 | Right | 24" | 61cm |  |
| REVO T2 BST51 | 4.9:1 | Left | 24" | 61cm | |
| REVO T2 BST50-HS | 6.2:1 | Right | 31" | 79cm | |
| REVO T2 BST51-HS | 6.2:1 | Left | 31" | 79cm | |
| REVO T2 BST60 | 4.9:1 | Right | 24" | 61cm | |
| REVO T2 BST61 | 4.9:1 | Left | 24" | 61cm | |
| REVO T2 BST60-HS | 6.2:1 | Right | 31" | 79cm | |
| REVO T2 BST61-HS | 6.2:1 | Left | 31" | 79cm | |
Reel Brakes: Abu Garcia decided to utilize a dual braking system in this reel known as InfiniMax Braking System. The new system features a mag dial that is adjustable via a dial on the sideplate, combined with adjustable centrifugal brakes which are located on the spool’s rotor. The system works by controlling spin via moving a set of magnets either into or back away from the reel’s spool rotor.
We’re still a bit uncertain about the necessity of the dual braking system, and many big bait fishermen would argue that a centrifugal system is preferred when casting heavy baits long distances. Some feel that magnetic brake systems sometimes cut long casts short. The verdict is still out on this one.
Drag System: The Revo Toro utilizes Abu Garcia’s Carbon Matrix Drag System and is rated to a max pressure of 25lbs by the manufacturer. In our experience with the reel, the drag performance was both smooth and consistent. While we didn’t land any monsters during our testing, we have the utmost confidence in the Toro Beast’s drag system.
Reel Design & Ergonomics: Truth be told, the 50 and 60 are both fairly large musky reels. What really stood out to us, and what we really liked, was the how the extra long handle went well with the size of the frame. We also really loved the extra sport handles included at no extra cost. The knobs of the Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast also are very proportional with the rest of the reel. The overall size is on par with other 300-sized reels in this class.
When it comes to maintenance of the Toro Beast, disassembly and reassembly may require a little extra patience. In particular, the reassembly. We won’t bore you with all of the gory details here, but you can consult the owner’s manual for complete instructions. We can say that it’s design is fairly common with most other low profile baitcaster reels. So, if you have worked on another similar reel before, you should have no problems with this one.
Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast Review: Conclusion
When it comes to musky fishing, the Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast 50/60 is a rock solid choice for large, heavy lures. Due to it’s slower 4.9:1 gear ratio, the reel enables you to slowly maneuver your larger lures through the main strike zone more effectively. As long as you can get comfortable with it’s larger size, this reel is also a great option for deeper diving crank baits. If you are looking for a reel to do finesse presentations, only then would this reel not be an ideal choice.
With it’s aluminum alloy body, 7 stainless steel HPCR bearings, and included extra sport handles, the Abu Garcia Revo Toro Beast also makes a solid choice for saltwater fishermen. Any angler who needs a large line capacity and extra power would find this reel to be a fine choice.
Lastly, if you are one of the minority who either favors a slow retrieve, high power reel, especially if you are left handed, then this is very well the best musky reel for you. There are very few other options on the market that offer this type of setup in a left handed model.
But you don’t have to take our word for it. You can read more reviews here.
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