jtesch

Tatula is in your price range. It's light and you should be able to handle it in a store to see if you like it

Really? I

15 years ago the Daiwa tournament ss was a top of the line spinning reel and if you use it now it's like holding a mixer. Still a tank of a reel but that spool oscillation thing will drive you nuts

I have come to agree with the bearing change issue. Unless I'm going to use a reel only for pitching I'll sinply flush the stock bearings and use a little Oust or Alchemy. But using the wrong lube can really hurt performance (ARDENT)

Cabelas has them at $149 online right now. When I first got mine several years ago I wasn't impressed with its casting so I put good bearings in it (ZPI's I believe) and still wasn't happy so I benched the reel for the rest of that year. Over the winter I got a lot better at working on reels and flushed the bearings and lubed with a high quality bearing oil. I had used Ardent on the Chronarch originally and that was the problem. Cleaned and relubed the Chronarch became one off my best casters. Lesson learned was Ardent reel oil is garbage and the Chronarchs are pretty nice

Sunline super mono or seagaur Senshi are both really manageable monos at a good price. Hit them with KVD. Line and lure conditioner and your golden

With the Chronarch E6 200 being sold at the $150 price point is this one of the best reels available at this HIGHLY competitive price range? I have one and have to say its a pretty nice reel and with a bearing change it became a great casting reel. Handle is pretty cheesy though

Totally agree, I think the T3 Balistic and T3 1016 were meant to fill that void but failed

The Tatula is without a doubt a great reel for the money. I just look back at a 20 year run that started with the Z , a true legendary reel that branched off to the Zillion and Fuego in the 100 size and the Steez in the 103/105 size and have to wonder what Daiwa was thinking

. Oh, so would I and there seems to be a big supply of Z's from Japan on the Bay lately in the 100 range. Considering the spool runs $80 how can you lose

I think another casualty of the new Zillion is the 100 Z Gigas spool. Tackle trap say they are no longer being made. A real blow too guys like me who tune Zillions and Fuegos

Ok, I'm still not done on this. Right now the Daiwa US market go's from the Zillion TWS to the next level up being the Steez???? Unless I'm missing something. Chronarch--you win

I think my problem with what they have done to the new Zillion is that Diawa has taken a true icon of a reel and turned it into an upgraded version of a lesser reel. I'm not saying the new Zillion is a bad reel or that the Tatula is a bad starting point. In my eyes the Zillion was the perfect top of the line '"every mans" reel. Expensive, but not crazy. Direct bloodlines to the Z. Sort of a jumping off point to the next level of enthusiast reels. I own reels from several other company's including the big S but Daiwa has always been my favorite. This feels so much like Shimanos blunder with their reels a few years ago. I may indeed have to go JDM Daiwa, Alphas SV or SS SV would be fun. I'm probably just getting older and more resistant to change but I think the Zillion deserves to be its "own" reel and not a " version" of another

As a Daiwa reel "diehard" I was really disappointed after reading the Tackle tour breakdown of the new Zillion. It's a Tatula with a different spool and some body work. Come on Daiwa your better than that. Might have to venture into Shimano land. Any thoughts out there???

I can tell you they will lower prices when they get down to only a few items in stock. I have got some killer deals on work boots, close to 50% off

Took a quick look at the Amazon sale this morning. Revo MGX-$235. Rocket-$239. Shimano Curado( new version) $149. Good deals!

should be able to get a Tatula and a Tatula rod with a little hunting for $250. pretty nice set up for that price

Have it, love it, go get it . Still a $200 rod in my eyes

Good idea, haven't been there in a few years

I agree with all the statements and will add that I'm sure the "house" brands that they all carry are the true money makers. I fought I would by a high end rod at one of the stores but it really sucks not being able to go feel a rod before making an order. There is almost nowhere in the Chicago area that carries a selection of "the good stuff". That fact has stopped me from ordering Powell, Dobyns and Kistler rods unless they are on clearance at TW. I just can't bring myself to lay out $250-$300 for a rod I have not held. I did it once with a Legend Tourny and regretted it. Not that it was a bad rod, It just wasn't what I thought it would be and I had 2 very similar rods. Even my local tackle shop no longer stocks many decent rods and he always did. Now it's "happy to order it for you".

I'm sure your right guys, I literally just walked out of Dicks and what do I find. A selection of keitech and Jackall plastics and freaking MegaBass lures. WHAAAAT? I just had to buy a Megabass popper for $20. They had Jackall and Megabass plastics that I've only seen at Tackle Warehouse. I'm sure some manager just wanted to see some of the Japenese stuff.

I've noticed in the past few years the the BPS by me ( Chicago SW suburbs) there are two actually, no longer stock or only have a couple higher end rods. On a recent visit they had 10 St Croix Legend Tournys ( and that was a new shipment) nothing above that. A dozen Loomis, mostly GL2's and a couple of mossbacks and bronze backs that have been there for years. Shimano was a dozen Crucials at most and no Cumaras. Daiwa was 7-8 Tatulas and no Zillions or Steez. It's disapointing not to be able to play with the higher end stuff. I've seen the same thing with the local Dicks and a definite scale back on the entire fishing section. Same with Gander mountain, they don't even carry Crucials anymore. What Gives???

I was in heaven last year when my wife was out of town for 4 days a week almost all summer. I had my Tackle Warehouse delivery schedule down to the hour

I use it to throw texas rigged 8" lizards and magnum super flukes through heavy weed growth and it works like a dream. it can muscle a bass out of thick stuff. That being said, I wouldn't be real comfortable fishing heavy wood with any thing less then a H or XH rod. The 7'1" is a great all purpose rod that will handle everything but the real heavy stuff. I have 20 rods that are in the $150-$250 range and other than my Cumaras, the Tatulas are my favorite rods.