thehooligan

^ Different strokes for different folks

Even though im a diehard shimano guy, and ive dabbled with plenty of daiwas, ill most likely give another alphas a shot as they are great reels. Had the ito, type f, and purple model. Would consider giving an alphas R a shot. One of the only legendary daiwas i havent tried yet is the td-z, also on my list.

Its all preference really. I started on 6:4 curados and when i made the jump to a core with the 7:0 ratio is was a nice bump in retrieve speed. Now i use aldebaran with an 8:1 ratio and would never consider going under the 7-8:0 range for topwater/plastics. Your abu gear ratios are perfect for crankbait fishing, thats the only reason most people use gear ratios that slow...

I do the same thing, lol.

Pretty much. The scorpion 1000/1001xt is a few grams lighter and they come with no ar pawl...

Smoothest would be the new conquest 101. Lightest and all around great reel would be the aldebaran bfs xg Reel that can do everything, Core 51 Give me a core 51 and bfs xg and im good to go...

I sorta agree, I have the avail spool and drag star, in certain lighting it looks ok. In other lighting it doesn't match at all...

Yea, non handle side is actually smaller then the 51. Handle side is bigger.

Yea, that's the handle setup I was thinking about...

Nice ^ lineup The new conquest 101 has arrived... Sweet and incredibly smooth. Added hedgehog air bearings and a zpi carbon fiber handle for now. Will most likely go with a different handle and knobs. Now he can keep the 51s company...

Ive been experimenting with the 8lb hybrid, not a bad line.

Id go tatula

Another vote for core or met...

Two reasons I don't use scorpions/curados. There heavier then the core, and I rarely use the 6:4 gear ratio... Great reels though, the Scorpions are cheap right now !!

Nice bass !! I'll most likely try out an 802 someday...

I've had 4 of the older 51 series and there just awesome reels. I was hesitant to get the new one but when I got my hands on it I was straight up amazed. That and the Antares are smooth as butter...

Plat is a japanese tackle shop. Best pricing on most jdm reels is this place http://japaneselure.gostorego.com/

I wouldnt worry about it, aaron martens throws cranks on the 7:4 met... But, if the reel is going to be for only cranks and spinnerbaits you might want to consider the 6:2 met.

It comes down to what you prefer, centrifugal or mag brakes... <----- This crazy over here must have tried over 40-50 highend reels in the past few years to see what worked best. Cores, aldebarans, conquests, chronarchs, curados, alphas, ss air, pixys, fuegos, Numerous finesse spools with aftermarket brake systems When its all said in done i need these two in my daily lineup... 1. aldebaran bfs 2. Core 50/51 Both smooth, light, strong drag, and palm great. You get the 8:0 and 7:0 gear ratios which cover everything but cranks. Thats what you get the new conquest for... Which leaves you the met xg 8:5 for frogs/buzzbaits/jigs. That will be my next reel. Theres only one thing i like about daiwas, the external braking adjustment, but the good thing about shimanos are you set two brakes and never really have to open the reel. And with the newer models, you now have the external braking for that little bit of extra adjustment... If your enjoying the bfs xg, the core is pretty much a slightly bigger reel, 1/2oz heavier, and 7:0 gear ratio. I wouldnt hesitate to pick one up...

I use 7:0 and faster for plastics, jerkbaits, and topwater. Only thing i throw on a slower ratio is crankbaits.

$200-300 can get you a used or new bfs xg, Core 50/51 or metanium hg/xg if you look hard enough.

Nah, If i went custom, it would have to be on a cumulus, nrx, or k2 blank. I just really havent looked into it much. I really like playing with reels, and very happy with my cumulus/1st gen cumara rods. After i picked up a 2 piece mastercraft rod its really opened my mind to other jdm rods though...

Yea, i liked the 6'6 models of the expride & adrena. Really liking the adrena spinning models as well. It was actually really bad going to the shimano booth, lol. Now i want a conquest 101, metanium xg, and 802 nrx, haha. The one thing i did like about the new crucials was the reelseat. The screw that locks down is so much better then the old style from the last gen.

I agree. I got my hands on them at the bassmaster elite this past weekend in philly. Also thought they still felt a bit tip heavy. I was considering one but will most likely go for the expride...

Thats a great rod for shakeyheads, i use 6'5-6'8 medium casting rods and they work very well for shakeyheads, dropshot, and other finesse fishing.