Tywithay

If you like the high speed, but want the refinement of the 1016, look at an MX. It can be had for about $220, which is a little higher. A lot of folks think it feels better than the 1016.

If you own a Shimano that has a lifetime warranty, it will be honored for the lifetime of the rod. The replacement rod will only carry a one year warranty.

Team Lite or Tournament Lite? BB2 doesn't really fit with the other two, unless you feel like you need 200 yards of line for whatever reason.

Fluorocarbon does not deteriorate in the elements, the way mono does. It does not break down in UV rays. There's no need to replace it seasonally, unless you like wasting money. I replace my mono line each winter, sometimes multiple times if I feel the need, but never with fluoro. I'm not reducing any chances, because the line maintains its integrity, as long as it hasn't been compromised by a backlash. I only replace my fluoro when I have retied enough times to have my spool underfilled by a good margin. That might take one season, it might take 5; either way, the line remains just as strong and still could go longer.

I wouldn't say it's a great deal better, but it's lighter and comes with better bearings, both of which improve pitching. I have used both a lot and prefer the R, even for the extra money. I know some people don't feel it's worth it, but it has performed better in my hands.

People see that you can buy them for $130 and they seem to forget that it's still a $199 reel, regardless of what you pay. It still performs at, or above, that $199 price point; whether you pay full price or 50% off.

A rods overall weight has very little to do with balance. The *** rods have fairly small split grips and just short handles overall. The best pitching Daiwa for right at $200 would be the T3-1016. I still think the Zillion TWS is the best and it can be found for around $230 on the auction site if you wait for a deal. I paid $229 for mine NIB.

Shooter Defier has been out for a while. It's known as one of the most limp and manageable lines on the market, but it has a fair bit of stretch. Armilo came out at ICast this past year, or maybe the year before. It is a slightly stiffer version of Defier, with better abrasion resistance and less stretch. It's marketed as their solution to topwater baits specifically, though it works quite well for any application that you'd use a mono/copoly. The best way to describe it is like Defier is to Armilo what Trilene XL is to XT/Big Game, or YZ Hybrid is to Ultra Soft. Compared to all the other lines I've used that tout similar capabilities (low stretch, high abrasion resistance, etc.) Armilo is a step above. It's like Big Game, if Big Game had zero memory.

The Tatula is a fantastic pitching reel. The Zillion TWS or the T3-1016 are even better. The T-Wing allows line to flow much more freely than a conventional levelwind, and it makes pitching light weights much easier than most other reels. You can upgrade the bearings and make them even faster, though it's not necessary. I've used a lot of reels, from $100 up to $600+ and the TWS reels are easily among the best casting and pitching reels I have used. The added heft of the Tatula will be necessary to balance a heavy rod of that length. A little 6oz reel isn't going to do it.

Fluorocarbon: Tatsu Shooter Sniper Copolymer: Defier Armilo Defier Armilo Defier Armilo

Tatula isn't really black either. More of a charcoal. The Type R is black though.

The latest quantums have the same braking system as the 13s, same exact dial and everything. I personally don't like them because the the line guides pinches my thumb because it sticks out further than the front of the reel. I've also had good luck with the 13 reels, but I prefer Shimano and Daiwa as well.

Essentially lifetime. If your rod breaks after 15 years, that's probably on you.

15 years

Those HMG and HMX rods are last years models, not the newer ones. Don't know if that matters, but the newer ones feel a lot better.

Top speed doesn't really matter at all really. Most braking systems can't handle higher than 20,000-30,000 rpm anyway. The reason for using better rated bearings is for easier start up. The Abec7 bocas do start up more easily than the Abec5, in my experience; they're also much quieter. They allowed me to cast the same baits more easily. Tried it last summer with a couple Tatulas, with several different baits.

The *** feels a lot more sensitive in my hands.

If the tension knob is tightened down too much, it presses the shims too hard against the spool shaft, making it tougher to reel.

If you use cheap mono for backing, you can get two fills out of a spool easily. Not likely you're going to cast a jerkbait 80 yards any time soon.

My Tatulas have held up over a year. I've called Daiwa a few times to order random parts and they've never been anything but helpful. Never heard anything about them having poor service.

The Apex reels are the Chinese reels. The old ugly Edge series were the last of the USA made Ardents.

"Mystery" breakoffs are a myth. It's widely known that links from backlashes will hurt the integrity of your line, no mystery. It's less prevalent in quality lines. Breakoffs due to knots are user error. I know numerous tournament fishermen that don't change their line that often. I, myself, have a few reels going on 4-5 years without changing line and it's just as strong today.

Even with the guides on top, the line shouldn't touch the blank. If there's enough guides and they're spaced properly, the line should only touch the bottom and side of the guide rings. When the line tries to roll over to the side of the ring, that's what creates the torque, which can be alleviated with the spiral wrap.

Bassmaster Classic. Believe it starts February 20.

A lot of folks see small improvements in distance and accuracy, others don't see much improvement. It certainly won't hurt distance at all.