Tywithay

It's not necessarily "needed" to throw swimbaits or punch mats, but increased longevity due to better components is not a bad thing. Also, keep in mind that these reels aren't solely used for bass fishing. A lot of times, the bigger gears are for heavy resistance musky baits, saltwater, etc. As far as your last statement, EVERYTHING companies do are to sell more reels; that's the only reason for being in business.

Puts the guides on the bottom of the blank to eliminate blank twist when fighting a fish. You can also use less guides than a conventional layout, which means less weight, better balance, and better sensitivity.

If you like the Carrots, then Duckett will be the closest. They're made by the same people.

Daiwa Tatula 7'1" mh for $99 on amazon

Even if they add some upgrades to the Citica, I think the Curado is better. It's worth the money.

Doesn't say it on the Daiwa site. I'm guessing the TW description is for the mag dial, not the tension knob. Either way, it's not supposed to click.

A month is a long time?

I don't care for the hedgehog tool at all. The pliers are far superior, in my opinion.

Yep.

Calais had a similar run. The other reels are on 3 year cycles, always have been.

They keep parts for several years after discontinuing them. They don't really change any more than any other company. They just stagger the releases, rather than changing the lineup all at once.

The Calcutta D came out about 2 years ago and the Conquest came out last year. Both completely new designs.

Just looks like a bump from the knot to me. Either way, it shouldn't affect anything.

No links or anything, just rumblings of a new reel from people that I generally trust. Shimano typically releases a reel or two at the Classic every year. I don't know why this year would be any different.

Huddleston, Edge, Big Bear, and a few others, offer spiral wrapped rods. Most of mine are spiral now, and I don't care to go back to conventional guide placement.

Believe it has been discontinued. New model should be on the way. I think we'll hear more at the Classic.

Academy has them. Some kind of ardent oil.

It's not a replacement or anything, the metanium that's out right now will still be available. The DC is more of a bonus edition.

There's already some info floating around, but it should be fully unveiled at the Osaka show the first week of February.

It's no secret that mono deteriorates. It has been proven in numerous tests. That doesn't mean it cannot still catch fish. Plus, if it's not in sunlight, it won't break down.

It's a great reel, but I'd wait until next month and get the new Metanium DC.

FFO always has killer deals on Pflueger reels too. New and reconditioned, but the reconditioned might as well be new.

Probably the drag if it was tightened down. The line can only take so much pulling before it fails. The fish has to be allowed to run, unless you're using 50lb braid or something. You won't lose fish by them pulling line, unless there's a lot of snags in the area; even then, it's good to have some give because the fish will usually run again when it sees the boat (or bank).

Did you wet the knots really well when tying? Also, how did you set your drag?

A big spool usually has less memory, in my experience. I think it's typically due to the width of the spools compared to filler spools. Fluoro doesn't need to be changed each season either. It doesn't deteriorate like mono.