Jrob78

Academy H20 hard baits and the Booyah hard baits based on the old XCalibur baits are great values.

This is true. I've seen all the H20's on clearance more than once. They are pretty popular and I can't imagine they are going anywhere.

They are in stock right now too..... Green Eyes gon miss ya

I have no idea what would be causing that but I would get a q-tip and run it all over the t-wing and the guides on your rod. If the cotton catches anywhere you know you have a nick or crack that could be causing your line to break.

12-17 lb mono or copoly for the baits listed. I use 12 and 15 lb Pline CX for a lot of general purpose techniques where fluoro isn't needed, it's strong and manageable. As others have mentioned, go by the diameter and not the pound test as it can vary greatly between different manufacturers. I am not a fan of braid, especially for moving baits.

I am currently using a Kistler Helium 2 7'3" H for frogs but only because I wasn't using the rod for anything else and it is an awesome frog rod. I tend to agree with Mike, you don't need an expensive rod for frogs and when I need this rod for something else I will get a new frog rod.

Yeah I have 10 or 12 rods that might see some soft plastic duty. Like @Cbump said "soft plastics" isn't a one size fits all thing and can vary from UL to XH.

I have a 7'MH Legend Extreme and 7' H Legend Elite but I wouldn't use either of them for frogs. It's not that they wouldn't work I just feel like they are way better for t-rigs and jigs. I also like a longer frog rod. You own the rod, try it out. We can't tell you what you will like for a given technique.

I've never needed to send a reel off for warranty work but I am lucky enough to live close to an official warranty center for most major brands. They stock a TON of parts for new and old models. If I ever need anything for a reel they generally have it. When I've owned and used something for more than a few months or so I generally take responsibility if something breaks. It always blows my mind when people send off 2 year old broken rods for free replacement but that's another story and obviously different than a reel with a broken part.

You are absolutely right, I was thinking about it the wrong way. It is slower and not faster. The few times I've broken tips the rod is no longer what it was before and doesn't get used anymore.

When your rod tip breaks it makes the rod fish faster and with more power. It doesn't actually effect the rods overall power but you get to the stiffer more powerful section faster and lose part of the softer flexible tip. So on your rod you could say it goes from a ML F to a M XF but that's really a generalization. It all depends on the properties of the individual rod and how much you broke off. I would think on a ML spinning rod the rod would still be usable if you only lost 3" but it will definitely change how it fishes.

I really don't think that is something you need to worry about at all. These are Daiwa's workhorse reels and built to last a long time of hard use. But look at it another way, you're getting a $350 reel for $235ish and you can get a set of brass gears for $60. If in 4 or 5 years of hard use your gears wear out, you can buy a new set and still be $50 ahead. ?

The Champ 805cb or 806cb would be the 2 deep crank rods from the Champion line. If you throw 10XD's a lot the 806 would be the better choice. I have a 805cb with a Conquest 200 and it's awesome for 6xd size baits. I don't throw 10xd's much at all and I'm sure the 805 would handle them but the 806 was designed for the bigger baits. The 804c you have is C-rig rod. I'm sure you could throw deep cranks on it but that isn't really what it was designed to do.

Congratulations on your purchase, I think you will be happy! I also still use some reels from 10-15 years ago and I don't think this new Zillion will blow your older reels out of the water, especially since you have top of the line reels. The OG Steez and Calais still hold their own with reels of today. That said, the new Zillion at its price point is just about unbeatable.

This is what I would do too. If not this, the Tatula 150 would be a great choice as well.

I like short shanks on square bills and other shallow cranks, I use EWG's and round bends. For ewg's I usually use KVD Triple Grips and for round bends I use Gamakatsu Magic Eye short shanks. I always go up a size with short shanks, otherwise what's the point? For deeper divers and topwater I don't normally use short shanks. I like Gamakatsu EWG and Owner ST 36. I don't put EWG's on topwaters, only round bends.

Whenever you're questioning whether you should buy a reel from a JDM site, go look at that same reel on Tackle Warehouse. It really becomes a no brainer when you see how much money you save. That's what I tell myself anyway. ? Digitaka is usually a little cheaper but JLS does always throw in a nice JDM lure for free. I am happy buying from either place.

They won't charge sales tax but JLS charges shipping, it isn't much but shipping is free with Digitaka.

What I would be concerned about with that reel is line capacity. A 100 size Conquest doesn't hold much heavy line, unless you use braid (which I don't). You can put it on any rod you want, just make sure it matches up with whatever line you plan to use.

It's $349.99 if you buy it for retail in the states.

I've never been charged any kind of taxes but if you pay with Paypal you will be charged a Paypal fee or possibly a different exchange rate, not sure which. Using Paypal for JDM purchases always costs more than using a card.

No

I may be in the minority here but when I use UL or L BFS rods I have to be really careful not to go too heavy. Some of the normal "spinning" techniques are too heavy for light bfs gear. A 1/8 oz weight with a standard dropshot bait is actually pretty heavy. For me BFS is limited to tiny plugs, small weightless plastics and 1/32-1/64 oz heads with a small plastic. A lot of that other stuff can be comfortably fished on med powered casting rods with a regular Alphas type reel and lighter line. I don't really consider that BFS.

More often than I care to admit

These days I stick with Shimano and Daiwa reels, leaning more toward Daiwa. I understand how Daiwa braking systems work and they fit my casting style really well. They also palm better for me than any other reels. I've used reels from all the major brands and some of them make really good products so it isn't a knock on them, just that I know what works best for me. As someone else mentioned I know what I'm getting with the big 2 and I respect their innovation. I also like the fact that all their stuff isn't made in the same building as 10 other brands that all share parts. I realize that probably doesn't really mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things but it works for me. I have rods and baits from all over the place so not much loyalty there for me.