J Francho

My FAVORITE rod to pitch with has no give in the tip. Its an XXXH/Moderate action heavy cover rod. Contrary to Vinny and ww2farmer, I like a longer rod for docks. Its about tip velocity for me, and I like to skip my baits under them. Only proves the point....not just ONE rod fits the purpose for everyone. A pitch is cast. An easy one at that, probably one of the first casts anyone should learn with a baitcaster. Yes, some rods make pitching easier, but if you get bit, then what? Use the right tool for catching, not fishing.

12 or longer. 8 is too small. Depending on the boat, you might get away with 10.

OK, now that Youtube isn't locking and skipping, I hear it. Typical sound from a Quantum. Doesn't mean anything. Why would it matter?

LOL, a pitch is a cast. I can pitch with any rod, even a dinky little ice rod.

Only if its a noise that says something is broke.

What I heard and saw at that point was a chrome blue trap ripping, and making a trap noise at that point, but the video skipped a lot so, who knows... Anyway, it depends on what bearings and what braking system as to what "sound" your reel makes.

That isn't the reel, its the bait. :

The only time I run into issues is when there's a funky feature on a reel, or its long since discontinued. I can still get parts, and many USDM versions have the same parts too. Daiwa USA won't have anything to do with it, AFAIK. I'm sure DVT Mike would help you maintain it.

Chris, try and find a Daiwa Capricorn XTC, for around $50. Nice, tight looking little reel, the 1500:

That's pocket change, LOL. Here's the real deal: http://www.japantackle.com/Daiwa_reels/Daiwa_Exist50th.htm

Another source that I trust, but pricey: http://www.japantackle.com/Daiwa_reels/Daiwa_Presso08.htm

The '08 Presso can be found on eBay. The only knock on it is line capacity, but its basically Daiwa's top flight JDM ultra light. I've ALWAYS wanted one.

Find a nice Presso:

I never had any braid stain anything. Yes, some of the color bleeds, but stain? No. KVD Line & Lure prolongs this process greatly.

Great advice.

I use heavy fluoro. As long as you slowly sweep the rod, dragging the sinker, the bait will do all it needs to get bit.

I've seen them with asking prices as high as $100. But I'm inclined to think $50 or less is probably about right.

Short rear grip, 6' to 6'3", medium power, x-fast action. St. Croix Avid AVC62MXF fits the bill for me.

Depends on which bait you're referring to. The Shad is a TOTAL CLUNKER, and I'm not the only one. The 6" Jr. trout is a winner in both fast and slow sink.

Don't you need to catch five fish for your tourney? Try a jig.

For my two heavy cover reels, I use dry Carbontex which gives me about 10 lbs. without really cranking the drag star down. That's just enough for winching fish out without stripping the pinion. Ask me how I know this, LOL. For all the rest, I use a wet Carbontex setup. A smooth break away point into drag is much more important. Mine are set at 3-5 lbs. Plenty of resistance, even in weeds. The one exception is my CI4, which gets used in sub freezing conditions, and that is a dry Carbontex setup. I have another old TD-X that is set up dry for the same purpose as well.

Was the drag modified? I've had it suggested to me that I should upgrade the drag to carbontex. Perhaps the reel you were using had that upgrade? But anyway, yes, the Steez is acknowledged to have a weaker drag than most other reels in its class. I knew that before I put it on my Xmas list, though. Hey, could be. I've been fishing with baitcasters for over 30 years and all my other ones work well in the wind with minor adjustments. I was throwing the same lures yesterday with my core on the same rod using the same line. Very minor tweak of the tension knob was all that was required, for example. Even Steezy admits it's not a great reel for windy days. But it could just be me. Time will tell, I guess. No, drag was not modified. Both the Alphas and the 103 have the Mag V. I generally have the spool totally free, and set the brakes for 6-10. Want more distance, drop the brakes by click or two.

Anything deep than 3' or so, I'll strip line for a true free fall. However, sometimes the swing through the hole works well too, especially with action trailers or plastics.

Wimpy drag? I was caching DD brown trout in early fall with a Steez bait caster, no issues there. Threw Cleos into the wind as well as my Alphas. Maybe its in the thumb? It really seemed like a great reel to me, and this one was three years old.

Yep, you can just flick the ice off.