John G

I use a L powered casting rod with 7# Sniper.

Sunline Sniper FC is what you want.

Thank you!

Hogsticker, will the SV105 spool that Hedgehog sells work in a Zonda68? I think yes but want to be sure.

That reel has not been made in years and the op said that they are the originals so it's about time they were replaced. To the OP, you have been given great advice for the most part but I will add that if you don't mind noisy bearings, go ceramic. If you like quite bearings, go SS and do regular maintenance on whatever bearing that you buy.

The last 9 out of 11 rods that I have bought have been under 7'.

Never heard of them.

I have never seen a Zillion in person but I was under the impression that they are big because either you have huge hands or that reel looks very small.

That is a nice rod. Have fun!

What kind of rod are you getting? I have been doing my fishing lately with L power rods and 7# Sniper FC and having loads of fun doing it.

Have you looked at the Vanquish?

Does the Citica 200E use the same spool as the Curado 200E? I ask this because I don't see a spool for a Citica 200E on Hedgehog's website. If the Scorpion XT1500 spool works in your Citica, I don't see why it wouldn't work out for casting the weights you want to cast. Sure, I guess you could cast that weight with the stock spool like Flyfisher does but why try when you don't have to. The lighter spool is lighter but it also holds less line and that combo makes for a much more pleasant experience when casting lighter weights.

Sometimes it just a color difference, a couple more bearings or not or no difference at all and some JDM reels at least in the past, were not available here at all or have a USDM cousin. Sometimes they cost more and sometimes they don't and some models in Japan may be available in left hand retrieve while their USDM cousin may not be and some models may have different gear ratios. Like fishballer said, sometimes you just want something that not everyone has.

Hootie is right, if you buy from a reputable JDM retailer, there is no hassle. As far as price goes, it all depends on if you want a JDM reel. I would pay more to have the JDM version. The big difference is when you buy a JDM Shimano that is available in Japan and in the U.S. like the Antares, Aldebaran and Metanium. The one you get from Japan is considerably cheaper right now.

What hassle?

It's the same as the Curado I except that it has a bearing in each knob. I can't tell you what to buy but I had a Curado I and I thought that it was a great reel.

I like the Loomis ratings but I do understand what you are saying. Their MH is like others M. I am considering buying a 6'10" Shimano Expride MH and it's lure rating is basically the same as the H powered Loomis MBR844.

Yes but I have contributed greatly to it. LOL

If you're interested in the 50B, I have a Calcutta 50 for sale on eBay. Mine has JDM parts and comes with 2 spools. The deeper spool is the same spool that the 50B comes with. I am begging someone to make me a fair offer for this nice little reel. My reel, because of my liking to spend money, will be a better reel than any 50B that you buy. My wife's eBay page is Lady2505

To the OP, I personally think that you would have returned your Curado I (if you even bought one) no matter how much you liked it because let's be honest, you are as much of a Shimano Hater as I am a Shimano Fanboy and Elephants would grow wings and fly before a Shimano Hater such as yourself would get on this or any other Forum and rant and rave about how great it is.

Ditch the outboard and put a trolling motor on it.

Do some research because there have been 3 people killed so far in 2015.

I was looking on Craigslist this morning and there are some boats that can be bought for around what you quoted or a little more. I called a couple of dealers this morning and a G3 1448 with a trailer would run around $2400.00 and an Alweld 1448 V Hull with a single seat would be around $3000.00 with a trailer.

. Not to long ago a did a search on here for Alumacraft and I saw a pic of your new Alweld. I'd love to have that but finances don't permit it at the moment. I'm not going to disagree with you about gators being aggressive during mating season but we have had two deaths by gator I think in the last two months or so and they were both after mating season.

I fish alone 99.9% of the time and smaller bodies of water and would hang around the shore all the time. Pulling a boat is no problem as I have a GMC 2500HD. I have a friend that just bought a 12 footer from Bass Pro. I think it's a 36". I could be wrong about the width but I know the two of us together weigh more than its listed capacity. I got in it and even though we did not go far, I felt as though it was extremely unsafe for two people. One person on a very small body of water and it would be fine. I think that I will look at anything that is at least a 1442.