Okuma Fishing Reels & Rods

Our history with Okuma

Our relationship with Okuma goes back further than most dealers'. In 2008, when Okuma teamed up with the saltwater specialists at Tiburon Engineering, we wrote — on this very page — that Okuma was a sleeping giant: a company with serious manufacturing muscle that was finally pointing it at saltwater fishing. Fifteen-plus years later, Makaira is a fixture on long-range boats and that early bet looks pretty good.

The reels

The Makaira family is the flagship: two-speed lever drags from the SEa series (designed with long-range fishing in mind) up through the big-game sizes, plus the LBS models built for land-based shark fishing. The Tesoro is the star drag for anglers who want what a lever drag can't do — a refined, solidly built reel with proper porting, so you can actually flush and dry it after a hard day on the water instead of trapping saltwater inside. Alijos brings two-speed performance at a friendlier price, Cavalla covers jigging and slow pitch, and Komodo and Cortez handle inshore and lighter live-bait work. Spinning runs from the value end through Azores, Cedros, and Salina to the Makaira spinner.

The rods

The rod side has grown into a full program. The PCH Custom series covers inshore, casting, jigging, popping, kite, and rail work with purpose-built blanks at a price that's hard to argue with — the popping rods in particular earned their reputation on the long-range boats when the tuna were boat-shy. The Rockaway series handles surf duty, and the Voyager travel rods break down for anglers on the move.

Before it ships

Every reel here can be spooled and rigged to your specs — braid, topshot, hollow-core splices — by people who fish this gear. Not sure which size Makaira matches your trip? Call the shop or email support@charkbait.com.