Hammer 4

I agree somewhat with Shimano_1, I have the Fuego, the 100, 150 and 200. The Fuego is a great reel for the $$, you can find them at a discount on e bay. That's not to say the other Diawa's aren't great, I happen to like the T Wing..

For braid, I'd use a stick or some object other than my bare hand.

Anywhere from 8lb to 12 lb, depending on conditions, i.e. cover, clear, or stained water, ect.

For me, same as it is year around, to catch a DD bass..But here's the catch, it will come out of a public park lake/pond.. I've come close, hopefully this is the year it happens.

Umm, some of us do. I made a practice to check my spool when I first started using fluro..Still do it to this day, no matter what type of line I'm using..

I think you will be fine with your selection..I had the same rod years ago when I first began swimbaiting, only the lower handle was different. The rod worked great, just couldn't deal with the shape of the old grip, which was curved. IIRC it was great at casting baits a good distance. I kinda miss the IM 8 blanks..

Generally most rods, not all are Over rated for the weight they can throw easily..Unless that rod is the exception, I would get a higher weighted rod, better to be slightly over gunned than under..in my experience.

After much debate with myself..haha..I went with the Irod Genesis II 783sb rod. It has a split grip which I prefer, super light, and the action is great. Throws a 6" hud really well, I have a Tatula 200 reel on it, pretty happy so far.

Someone did a stat on what baits caught the most bass some time ago, and IIRC 52% of the bass were caught on worms..I can say for sure that the majority of my bass have been caught on worms..

What weight swimbaits are you going to be throwing..? As an aside..That rod will not toss anything over 3.5 to 4 oz, 3.5 being the sweet spot. I wanted a rod to throw 6" hud's and the like, I chose the Irod 783 sb. I have owned Dobyn's Champion swimbait rods in the past, and they like some rods are overrated on the amount of weight they can handle, so just be aware of that..

I did the very same thing to my Fuego baitcaster, great little reel. Mine came buttery smooth from the factory.

I also found out that trying to "whip" a lure way out there is not a good thing..I was use to Shimano reels for years, took me a while to figure out the magnetic brakes, but once you do, I think they work just fine. I have 4 diawa, and 1 shimano. Have pay attention when I grab a rod with the tatula reel on it..haha.

Never, ever pull a snag from the rod. At the very least, wrap the line around your hand a couple of times, after you have reeled in a much line as possible, then pull..

I agree with Tank to a degree re: the Tatula's..In the past I owned all Shimano reels, from a Chronarch to the 301E. I used very little braking on them, and had the spool tension set to a minimum for distance. When I got back into fishing again about 6 months ago, I looked at the Shimano reels, cuz I was familiar with them, at least when they were made in Japan. I wasn't all that thrilled with the new ones, but kept an open mind. I then looked at the Diawa reels at a local shop, right off the bat it felt way smoother than the other reels, so I bought a Fuego CT..I found a Shimano Citica new for a great price and bought a 201b..Not nearly as smooth as the lesser costing Fuego reel. Anyway, I cleaned and lubed the 201 and it's much better. I own the 100, and 200 tatula's. IMHO, they are different,in the way they set up, I don't rely on the brakes all that much, my thumb does most of the braking. If you rely on braking, you may prefer the Shimano type brakes. Both are good reels in their own right. As for gearing, I'd go with a 7:3..being that you already have 6:2's. If possible, try the 100.

I would just say this...In the over 50 years I've been fishing, I've never seen anyone wearing a team jersey, and I've been on the same lake when Pro's were fishing. IMHO, if you wore it, I would hazard a guess that most people would label you as "that guy". For that reason I wouldn't wear it, but that's just me..Your free to do what you like.

My Brain hurts.....

15 lb fluro, or 17 lb mono..

TRy flipping or pitching while seated in a Float Tube..Tricky, but doable..

Depends I'd guess..My Son and I fished lake Hodges some years ago on a Sat. while there was a tournament, WON I think it was..anyway. We gave way to the guys/gals in the tourney, and still when all the weights came in, we could have placed 3rd. We had No electronics, just went off my experience. Some of you may know who won that tournament, I won't give his name. Anyways, just goes to show that with I believe there were 76 entries, plus us weekend warriors out there. Needless to say, we had a Great day even with all the traffic.

Nice one Wizz...

I have the same reel, mounted on a Tatula XT 7' mh. These rods are light, have good action and look good too. I have not tried the St. Croix, or the fury. I did buy a colt, but after 1 1/2 hrs of fishing 8" of the tip broke off. I did look at the fury line, but decided on the XT.

This happens in many sports, fishing is no different.

I should have said..anti reverse Switch/lever..

Just bought a new Sahara, No anti reverse on the new model. I've had these reels 10 years ago, and they had the anti reverse then, for that reason I wouldn't buy another one. I'll stck with my Diawa Fuego spinning reel..

Yup, looks a tad low to me also. One thing you can do is, depending on line capacity is to strip off 100 yards or so, then tie whatever new line you have to it. This will save you some $$ in the long run. A double uni knot will get the job done.