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How the heck did someone edit my post and turn it into a poll?

The 4" Senko and Swim Senko produced the most fish for me in '08. My favorite bait of '08 was the Sebile Magic Swimmer. It produced fewer fish, but on average the biggest fish of the year.

You don't think zombies are scary? I know they are unreliable. But kinda scary, too, don't you think?

I like it, too. Very friendly.

I use these and they're great. I also recommend them.

Ugly Stik rod. Ugly Stiks are the best cat rods. G Loomis should make a catfish rod as good as an Ugly Stik.

They both feel about the same. The Fuego is noticably lighter on the rods. I hadn't noticed it before. Side by side, the Zillion's handle looks to be about 1/2" longer than the STX. I don't have any idea if the sweep in the swept handle makes a difference. My gut tells me it doesn't, it just looks cool.

Here, I made this...

A cast-off contest. When I am standing on my back deck trying to see how far I can cast, and how hard I have to cast to get there, that's not really the same as standing in my boat and casting a short distance to some cover. I rarely am trying for as much distance as I can get when I'm fishing. While fishing, I don't think there is any practical difference between the two, performance-wise. I'm saying this purely from a cosmetic standpoint. The Revo's drag star is hardly rough and unrefined. It's quite smooth. It just isn't polished down to the same level as the Zillion's. See the picture below. Now to be fair, the Zillion's isn't as broad and the Revo's feels more comfortable to work. Just from my short exposure to the Zillion, it seems smoother (but not hugely so), and more meticulously made. To me, that's a important. It also seems to cast heavier weight a bit better, with less effort. 1/2oz baits and over are what I cast most on my bc reels. So that is an advantage. If the drag doesn't give me any problems when I finally get a chance to fish it, then I could only say it's a winner over the STX. The STX is a sweet reel. I love mine. I have 3 STXs and they aren't going anywhere. They are also $50 less than the Zillion. The Zillion is $50 more, and I got what I consider $50 more refinement in the Zillion. You get what you pay for in both reels. $200 buys a helluva good reel in the STX. $50 gets you a wee bit more refinement in the Zillion, whether or not that refinement will ever been needed or ever make itself apparent while fishing. I know that might not make a lot of sense. I would take either reel to a gunfight and feel more-than-adequately aremed.

I couldn't resist posting some thoughts, now that I've been casting the Zillion quite a bit since I got it. Revo STX Speed: 6.4:1 Line Capacity: 12/140 Weight: 8.8 oz MSRP: $199 Zillion 100HA Speed: 6.3:1 Line Capacity: 12/150 Weight: 8.6 oz MSRP: $249 Casting Distances: I tried this with 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 oz practice casting plugs. Both reels spooled with 12# Trilene XL. Both on a Fenwick HMG 7" MH rod. The Revo STX seems to cast 1/4 oz plug further, consistently. 120ft casts are pretty easy with the STX. I don't know why this is, but I would guess it has something to do with spool mass with a full load of line. The Zillion's spool seems a lot heavier - it holds more line and has that brake stuff in it. With the 3/8 oz plug, the Revo still has the advantage. With the 1/2 oz plug, the Zillion pulls even, maybe even ahead. It casts with a satisfying "whir" and will fling a 1/2 plug past the 120 ft mark I set out. It seems it did so with less effort than the STX. Brake Performance: This is hard, since I still don't know quite how the Zillion's Mag-Z brake works. But work it does. When the plug stopped, so did the spool. I set the brake on the Zillion to the "3" mark and never changed it when changing plug weights. Not even a loop on the spool when the plug came to a stop. The Revo's brake is well known to me. I requires more thumb control than the Zillion's, but still not a lot. Unless you are simply trying to get as far a cast as possible, it is easy to learn to use the brake so that thumb-use is not necessary. Still, the Zillion's seems a little more effective. But the Revo's is still very good. Smoothness: From what I've heard, the Zillion was supposed to walk away with this. It doesn't. Both reels are very smooth. The Zillion is glass-smooth. The Revo not quite so. If you are trying to "feel" the smoothness, you will feel it more in the Zillion. But under normal fishing conditions where that's not as big an issue, I'd say they are equal. The Zillion's bearingless handles feel as smooth as the Revo's handles, which have bearings. Back Play: None in either reel. Fit and Finish: The Zillion is the clear winner. This reel is put toghter like a swiss watch. Everything meshes together perfectly. There are no visible machinging marks anywhere on the exterior of the reel. The drag star and handle looks forged and all marks are meticulously polished out. The paint is perfect. The Revo STX is gorgeous. But close inspection does show a little less attention to detail. Closeup inspection of the drag star suggests it is cast. It's polished, but not to the smoothness of the Zillion's. The handle is smooth. Fit between the sideplates and frame is great, but the line where they meet is more noticeable than on the Zillion's, which forms a hairline. -- Which one is better? Hard to say. The Zillion seems more refined. I haven't fished it yet. I've just been casting it. I've fished the Revos a lot. They have performed flawlessly for me. They are fantastic reels. For me, if the Zillion's on-the-water performance is as good as the Revos, I would call it the CLEAR winner. As it stands, I can say it feels and looks more refined, with some performance advantages (brakes, and casting heavier baits). I'm wondering how the Zillion's drag will handle the occassional striper I pick up while bass fishing. The Zillion has been out for quite awhile, and I've only recently treated myself to one. Many of you have had the pleasure of owning one a lot longer than me. It's so impressive, I've ordered another.

Daiwa Zillion. My new favorite baitcast reel. Otherwise, Revo STX.

Is it eerier than the Zombies in the last level of Call of Duty 5? That's a freaky level.

I am the counter to Cart . I have been using Revos since they were introduced. I own 7 (10 as of yesterday). The magnetic brake is actually very refined and works as advertised. I liked it very much. I also like Pflueger's combo brake system. I owned a Johnny Morris Elite and found the brake to be excellent as well. Not better than the Revo's, but as good, and more fool proof (for those that never practiced enough with their Revo .) One thing to keep in mind is that Pflueger and Abu Garcia have a Korean manufacturer produce their reels to their own specs. I have suspected for a long time that both companies used the same manufacturer, which I understood to be Pinnacle (Silstar), to make their reels. Their similarities led me to that conclusion, which I cannot prove. Since Pflueger has been purchased by Pure Fishing (who also owns Abu Garcia) in the last couple of years, the similarities have gotten even closer. New Pfluegers are, as Cart stated, very close to Revos. Pflueger's thumb-screw is new, and exactly like the Revos. Inside, it's hard to tell them apart. Pflueger has historically been regarded as a brand that give yoeman's service at a great price. The weren't flashy, but they got the job done. In the last few years, they've kept (and even increased) their quality while at the same time coming up with some knock-out styling. If you want a President, buy one. Pflueger is a brand that you can be sure you are getting a quality reel.

Both are great baits. The X-rap is a fantastic bait. The finish on the X-Rap may not be as realistic, but it is certainly realistic enough, and will way outlast the finish on most other baits. I've got X-Raps that are all chewed up that still flash.

BPS is carrying the new Revo S, the others are carrying the older model. Abu Garcia upgraded their Revos, including the S. Now they are all made with the Xcraftic aluminum frame (same as the Inshore) and HPCR bearings. The old models have the regular aluminum frame and stainless bearings. There was a price increase, in part, as a result of the upgrades - like with just about every other company out there. And BPS has price matching. Call them and get them to match TW's price. Maybe you'll get the upgraded reel for the old price.

Perfect!

For $450 I would expect a free replacement and a back-rub.

It's BPS's policy, so it's their problem. If they don't like matching prices, they shouldn't have the policy. Great deal!

Like their 7'9" swimbait rod rated for lures 1-3oz, it will probably be too fast for baits with trebles. I want something slower for jerkbaits and hard swim/wake baits. The Crankshaft rod would be perfect. I just wish it were rated for heavier lures.

I haven't ruled that out. I put it on my 7'3" Elite Tech Crankshaft rod and it feels great and looks great, too. The rod is rated from 3/8 oz to 1oz. I wanted something rated a wee bit heavier.

And when you do fish it, please provide a review. It looks like it will be a killer striper bait.

The Lamiglass seems to fit the bill for what I'm looking for. The price is reasonable. It's glass, but that just may be what I have to get to get what I want. RW, would that rod work well with wakebaits like the Deps Buzzjet, Jackall Mikey and Dagored? These are all around the 1 oz mark with big trebles.

I want to pair my new Zillion up with a rod that will be appropriate for ripping bigger jerkbaits, and will handle bigger topwaters and wakebaits. The heaviest bait I will fish will probably be a Deps Buzzjet, which goes just over 1 oz. I'd like a rod over 7'. I want graphite. Any suggestions? I think I've perused just about all the major rod sites and found one - the Powell 765CB. Any reviews on this rod?

Thanks nothing! THANK YOU! For cleaning them out, that is. You have no idea how tempted I was to buy two more. I bought a Zillion instead for a killer sale-price of $224. Even then, I almost turned around on interstate to go back and get a couple more. Hope you guys enjoy them. Mine are super. I'm still learning to cast with the Mag-Z brake, but they are top-notch in terms of construction and finish. Greentop is always having an unadvertised sale on something. I love going there and seeing some half price tag on something I've been wanting.

Bomber Long A. Particularly the Tim Horton models if you fish clear water. Rapala Husky Jerks Rapala X-Raps.