Tywithay

The size of the teeth don't necessarily relate to the gear ratio. Bigger teeth doesn't necessarily mean more torque either.

It's a little pricey, but Sunline Defier Armilo is the lowest stretch mono I've used, pound for pound. Toray Bawo Superhard Polyamide Plus (mouthful of a name) is a very close second, though it's pricey as well. After that, I'd probably look at something like XT or Big Game. I usually pick a couple lb's lower when I use those kinds of lines because the diameters are really thick compared to the actual weight rating. They under rate them to make it seem like they have the strongest lines on the market.

I couldn't notice any real difference in performance. The CT was more comfortable to palm, but I never really though the OG was that cumbersome.

16lb is probably a little on the heavy side for crankbaits, but it'll work. They just won't dive as deep as they would with 10-12lb line. Supernatural is a really good line though. I have it on several rods.

The tip has fiberglass blended in, so it will always be a little softer and slower in that section. They seem to fish a little heavier than rated throughout the mid and butt of the blank.

I use an 8.1:1 for wiper fishing and have caught numerous fish over 10lbs. They fight atleast twice as hard as a bass and I haven't noticed any additional wear. As long as you're using a reel made with quality components, the ratio isn't going to make a huge difference on longevity.

A 3000 size is not really much of a finesse reel. A lot of guys use that size for light inshore duty. A 2000 size is more than plenty for most bass applications.

The Tatula CT casts further than the SV. The SV is not meant to be a long distance caster. It's made for control. The t-wing is especially useful when flipping and pitching. You can really feel the line flowing more freely. It's not a gimmick, but it's not going to turn any reel into some unbelievable machine either.

If your baitcaster was just sitting all winter, I would recommend flushing and re-oiling the bearings. A lot of dust settles on stuff and the oil is probably not as viscous as it originally was. That can throw off the mechanics of the spool.

The Luvias has an aluminum body cover, to make it a little more rigid. It has 5 crbb (only 1 in the Ballistic) and 2 more bearings total. A duralumin gear with digigear II, compared to the aluminum digigear in the ballistic. Tight silent oscillation. It also has the new automatic tournament drag (ATD) feature that was on the 2015 Exist. I bought my 2000H for $165 on ebay and see that and the 2500 go for around that price often. It's no longer a JDM reel either. It's offered by US retailers now, though there is a JDM version that has the ABS air shallow spools.

I went through the same debate, but ended up going with a Luvias instead, and couldn't be happier. Price on ebay is similar, so it almost became a no-brainer.

I've had no issues with distance with either of mine, especially with frogs. I have a couple reels that cast further and several that don't cast as far, but the SV spool makes the Tatula one of the most consistent and easy to cast, regardless of conditions. I use 50lb braid on my frogging setup. I think the slightly thinner diameter (compared to 65lb) helps it cut through vegetation more easily. The Tatula SV will hold roughly 115 yards of 50lb sufix 832, based on my spooling station counter thing. Comparing diameters, I'd say it'd be around 90 yards of 65lb. Either should be plenty. I know I can't throw a frog that far, nor do I want to, as I'm usually aiming at a spot, not a distance.

The 8.1:1 does indeed have the purple.

If you look around on the auction site, you can get the Tatula SV for $130ish most of the time.

Any time you can go custom, I think it's a better choice. You get the rod the way you want it, instead of trying to find something on a shelf that might fit your needs. As far as reel, I will forever recommend the 8.1 Tatula SV for frogging. I don't know if there's a better reel for that purpose, at any price.

I prefer fluoro for jigs, because I pause them a lot on the retrieve, and braid offers no feedback when it's slacked.

I use a 1000 if I'm using 4lb or less, and a 2500 for 6lb and up. I use fluoro, so the larger diameter spool cuts down on line jumping off the spool as my line size goes up.

Depends on the technique. I don't need a $300 rod to throw crankbaits, but a $300 rod makes bottom-contact fishing much more fun. Reels, I don't think it matters much. As long as it's durable, I find that weight and refinement are the only things you really get more for your money.

I use 12lb Sniper cranking around rocks or stumps, 10lb mono in open water.

They share a main gear. The higher priced ones have a coated pinion and pawl, better clutch, better spools, and better braking systems.

I own more Daiwa than anything, especially in that price range, but still feel the Casitas is the better reel. An aluminum frame means nothing if the parts inside aren't as well made.

I spoke with a Shimano engineer about this once and he stated that they left out the clicker because they want you to have infinite adjustability, not just the little clicks. Without the clicker, you can dial it in and it'll never be between two clicks.

Haven't tried the tdz spool, but if you want a real boost in performance, the rcs1016 spool is outstanding in the T3 MX.

Another fun trick to make fluoro more controllable is to use about 30-40 yards of braid as a backing. It sounds funky because you would typically put backing behind braid, but in this instance the braid as a backing makes the spool quite a bit lighter. Even a gram or two makes quite a difference when casting lighter lures.

This is important to remember. Fluorocarbon is very dense, so a full spool will be heavier than a comparable amount of mono. Braid is even lighter than mono. You have to add a couple, or subtract a couple, clicks depending on the line. I have a couple Tat SV's with different line, but most recently I was throwing a 1/4oz jighead with a 3" grub using 15lb fluoro. I keep the tension set to where there's just a tiny bit of side-to-side movement and my brakes are set to 6.