chasiubao73

I donate my older gear that's not worth selling to my local state park office. They hold teaching seminars on the fundamentals of fishing to kids.

Yep.

Thanks for the info. I wish Daiwa would put that in their advertisements. All the research I did, it seemed like most preferred the 103. So that's what I put on the xmas list. Seems they'd be able to make the reel do both well at that price. I don't really want or need a dedicated pitching reel. I almost always sidearm cast all my rigs. And I did notice even in more ideal conditions that I needed to stay fluid. If I tried to muscle a cast to get a little more distance, it would fluff up sometimes and get minor nests. Wasn't really happy about that, either. None of my other reels have this problem. That's not what will always be on there. That's just what they're biting on right now, and I wanted to catch some fish with it! I was hoping it was going to be an all around reel. Seems that may not be the case. What I found was that I wouldn't muscle the cast for the 103 to get more distance. I usually loosen the tension knob a little more or dial the brakes lower one setting. You can get away with exerting more force in your cast with the 100 though. This is because due to the type R rotor, shallow spool, the overall nature of the magnetic brake system (you get more brake assistance at the end of the cast) compounded with the weight of the lure you are using (I am assuming you still used the 1/2oz. to 3/4oz. spoons here) you risk a backlash or have over runs if you "muscle" your cast and not careful with your thumb especially in the beginning of the cast. I've actually preferred the 103 than the 100 for casting due to the fact that I have to exert less force to almost get the same if not the same distance as the 100. Personally: the Steez, especially the Steez 103, would not be my first choice for an all around baitcaster.

The 103's (Magforce V with type R rotor) are supposedly more for pitching whereas the 100's (Magforce Z) are more for casting. Magforce V is also supposedly more light lures friendly than the Magforce Z which handles heavier lures better. Even though the new pixy PX68 uses Magforce Z That being said, I found the 103's to also be casting machines if one uses a side arm cast as opposed to the overhead. The 100's you can cast normally as you would. The 103's you cast using less force but you have to be more "fluid." But since you are casting 1/2 to 3/4 spoons, personally I would've opted for a Steez 100 rather than the Steez 103 but that's just me.

Not a big fan of the Steez SVF graphite rods anymore. Still great blanks but to me the quality control has gone down over the years or I've just been unlucky. The Steez SVF Compile-X, though more expensive, is what I come to expect out of the Steez line of rods even though one can argue that the difference in sensitivities between the two are at best marginal. But I concur, a steez, or any high end reel for that matter, strapped on custom rod on a NFC IM or HM blank built by a really good rod builder is pretty much almost as good as it gets for a high end tackle junkie in terms of feel. You should look into the "IS63 lariat" or "IS73 competition" being steez aficionado if you haven't already. You are correct chasiubao73 , the complieX series is the best of the steez rods. I only wish they made more choices in that model. The complieX spinning rod is one of my favorites. The 7'1 Heavy paired with Zillion Type R is currently my go-to jig set up. I just wish it was longer like between 7'4 to 7'6 but not as long as the 8' Heavy model. I'll probably replace it with the MB 667-1 NFC custom once it's completed.

Not a big fan of the Steez SVF graphite rods anymore. Still great blanks but to me the quality control has gone down over the years or I've just been unlucky. The Steez SVF Compile-X, though more expensive, is what I come to expect out of the Steez line of rods even though one can argue that the difference in sensitivities between the two are at best marginal. But I concur, a steez, or any high end reel for that matter, strapped on custom rod on a NFC IM or HM blank built by a really good rod builder is pretty much almost as good as it gets for a high end tackle junkie in terms of feel. You should look into the "IS63 lariat" or "IS73 competition" being steez aficionado if you haven't already.

Great line. I use tatsu on my spinning gear but for 12lbs and up for baitcaster, I prefer toray upgrade superhard.

I use the St Croix Legend Tournament 7' M Mod. Fast Small Cranker paired with a Daiwa Sol for my 1/4oz. to 3/8oz. shallow cranks.

Powell 683CEF and either Shimano Citica 200/201E or Daiwa Fuego. Good luck.

I remember the zebco episode of Bill Dance when he was fishing with one of the heads of zebco and he said: "let us switch and fish these bass with our zebcos for the rest of the show." It was a hoot to watch. As for Ike, this is a clear example of his mantra: "Never Give Up."

I use mono specifically Sufix Elite 10 or 12lbs. And for deep cranks, Sufix Deep Crankin 10 or 12lbs

I've started to tinker around with casting rods that can throw lighter weights. I picked up the Kistler Helium LTA medium light (1/16-1/2 oz) that is on sale for $149 at Cabelas. So far it's been pretty good. Been switching out various reels on it to get it "right." I do have to say I do prefer spinning reels for the lower end of the 1/16-1/2 oz weight range though but my opinion might be a little bit premature since I am somewhat new to the baitcaster.

The differences are pretty subtle compared to the Curado in my opinion. It basically comes down to whether or not, you think it is worth it. There are other options in terms of JDM reels where the differences will be more noticeable to you.

Well I can't leave a fan with that crappy pic... Lol. nicely done. I am always curious to see what other fellow anglers have on their Lamiglas Excel rods since I've picked a few up during the Black Friday sales. Currently I have a 704C with last seasons Revo STX. The current influx of the new valued rods are a welcomed sight. It's fun to pair them up with reels in your collection. I enjoy fishing my Cyclone Evoluzion/Aldebaran combo just as much as my Lamiglas Excel/Revo STX combo.

Really nice stuff all around. The ones that have caught my eye so far is rooster's bps extreme combos and mozy's lamiglas excel/daiwa black widow 2 combo.

I'm not sure about posting gear pics, I got beat to death just listing gear in a signature line. What do you mean beat up? You mean got hated on? If so, why do you care? Just remember, every hero has haters! Just tell em to put a tampon in it or get the sand out of their manginas! Anyway, good thread. I enjoy looking at the gear pr0n.

Throw it off your boat and scream: "Fug U Whale!" Fug U Dorrrrrrrphin!"

If you think you can get away with a ML 6'6. This is a sweet deal: http://cgi.ebay.com/Daiwa-Tierra-Spin-Rod-TDTR661MLFS-66-1-pc-Med-Light_W0QQitemZ250508218899QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3a53741213 Their online store: http://www.fishfreakonline.com/tedatisprod.html The Tierra rods are pretty decent.

I use the maintenance port. If that proves futile, donate reel, let some impoverish kid fish in a re-worked CI4 resulting in a warm and fuzzy feeling, write it off come April, and buy new gear.

Looking for a rod to put in the trunk of my car. Been looking at the 5'6 two piece. But, trying to figure out whether or not to pay the extra $10 for the convergence in 5'6 two piece.

Yo Zuri Hybrid Soft #8 Set up is: Stradic C14 2500 6'9 St Croix Legend Extreme

Here's another one to think about for ya bud: TD Sol 2000 and 2500 are on clearance at BPS for $169.94. With the $20 off orders over $100 that BPS sends to your e-mail every now and then, it basically ships for free and like an additional $5 off for $165.

I brought the 6' spinning rod off 30 bucks. It kind of intrigued me for some odd reason. Seems like a good deal IM7, Fuji etc etc.

New Stradic 2500 FI for $90

I've picked up the Tierra as a my first Daiwa spinning reel. The reviews I've read have been overall pretty good with a few negative ones thrown in. Like you said, it's on sale at Cabelas and I have $20 off so I jumped at it for under $90 with shipping. My first reel when I picked up fishing last year was a Shimano Sahara which is still going strong. My buddy started off with a Shimano Symetre. Sahara and Symetre are two solid bang for the buck reels. However, one of the first lessons I learned was that not having a spare spool was a pain. Just going by what is on paper, the Daiwa Tierra seems like the best pick for you 1)on sale at Cabelas 2)spare spool 3)waterproof drag.