skeletor6

I use a NRX 893c and Curado 50e. The only downside is that some may not like this length for the purpose, but this rod absolutely bombs flukes. Next to fishing it with a 6'8'' Powell max or 803 NRX rod the extra distance I gain allows me to work the bait back a much greater distance which allows me to catch more fish. I find I can still work the bait just fine standing up on the deck of my boat. I do feel, however, that a shorter rod is certainly more comfortable for working the bait back. If I was in your position and was looking for around $100 to spend on it. I would without a doubt get a Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth in the size, action, power you decide and run with it. Great rod for its price.

Could you be more condescending? Claiming braid with a FC leader is "the best of both worlds" is absolutely wrong. What is sad is that you with your ungodly knowledge and experience that trumps anyone who has ever fished could not realize this. If braid with a FC leader was "the best of both worlds" it would have the best properties of both lines. Instead, what occurs is that you retain almost all of the properties of the main line and the invisibility and abrasion resistance of the FC leader. The "best of both worlds" would mean you would have a line that is both slack line sensitive and tight line sensitive, did not suffer from line dig or wind knots. Had the breaking strength of braid. Did not belly in the wind or in the water. Was invisible, abrasion resistant and had the knot strength of braid. You can cross of slack line sensitivity, knot strength of braid, line dig, performance in windy conditions, wind knots, bellly and the additional connection knot. When you add a FC leader to a braided mainline you gain some things and you lose some things. You gain invisibility and abrasion resistance. You lose braids knot strength and its overall strength, because the weak point is now the FC line and the joining knot. There is a trade-off, if it were the "best of both worlds" there would be no trade-off. You would simply get the best attributes of each line.

I would advise against using braid for topwater and cranking. Mono and fluoro are much better alternatives. A leader should be used on braid when abrasion resistance and invisibility is needed. Gin clear water and pressured lakes come to mind. The best of both worlds is a fallacy. Adding a leader does not give the best attributes of each line otherwise everyone would be doing it.

Cheap FC should be its own category of line. It's a disgrace to what quality FC actually is. You're better off getting mono. With that said, the hierarchy of FC lines is invizx < fc sniper < tatsu

Well said....the differences between 10# and 12# are minute.

Optimally, this is something that I would like to do. Since I moved I am now closer to a shop that Carries NRX's. I do not know when they will get the 894 and 895 in. I am very interested to hear how those fish, especially since the other 7'5'' version (893) fishes like a dream. Ultimately, the taper between the 873 vs the 894/5 and which one will meet my power recommendations will take the win. Although I will say that it will be tough to make a decision without the Zayta being out yet. With that said, it seems a lot of D7 votes are coming in. A D7 supertuned, cleaned professionally, and with an upgraded drag does not sound like too bad of an idea. What are the bearing differences between the D7 and the 100mg7? And do either have a clicking drag or spool tension knob? Is there any subtle things about either of these reels that bug anyone?

Completely forgot....my friend actually mentioned this reel in the hunt as well! How odd you brought it up So yes, the Tatula is another reel I would like to throw into the mix. After doing some reading, I think I am going to stay away from the zillion. They are great reels just not something I am interested in for this setup. I am not privy to JDM equipment, but if anyone has any wildcards I would like to hear it so I can do some searching. Thanks!

Interesting. Thank you. Seems these reels are pretty much just like my friend said. Nearly identical just the magnesium parts vs. the metal/aluminum.

Thank you, Does the 100mg7?

Good point about the Zillion. I am with you, the D7 seems like it may be getting the nod at this point. Does anyone know if this reel has a bearing on the spool. My Chronarch 50mg's do not and, thus, do not offer the same improvements with bearing upgrades as reels that did. My Curado 200e7 is a bomber and from what I have read the D7 seems to be as good if not better in these regards. Although casting distance is not a huge factor, it still doesn't hurt. Does the D7 suffer from the same coating issue as the Chronarch 50mg's do. Where it comes off fairly easy with misuse? The D7 will be bought used for obvious reasons. As a purely speculative question, is the Ci4+ put in a situation where it potentially would be in the D7's wheelhouse for what I am looking to do? The 7.6:1 version has caught my attention. Thanks

I would not get too caught up in the breaking strength of braid and worrying about the leader being the weakpoint. if you were to truly need 15lbs of breaking strength for finesse fishing, you must be in some serious cover. I have seen pros pull in 9+ pounders on spinning equipment with 6 or 8lb fluoro. Many match the diameters of the line, but it is not necessary. If you do a search on the subject you will likely find more information than you can read in a day from knowledgeable folks asking the same question.

I have two jig rods that do well up to 1/2oz. And another that will fish 3/4oz in moderate cover, these are all on the rods' upper end. The jig rod in question will be mostly throwing 1/2oz - 1oz baits with the heavier side punching lillypads and what not. In heavier cover a 3/8oz may even come into play. With that said, I don't know if I want to make the jump up to a B series or Calais as I have yet to struggle fishing heavier baits on even a 50 sized Shimano to be honest. With that said, the reel will at the very least be professionally serviced, tuned and have the drags upgraded which I have done on all my reels. Thank you all for your help thus far. Seems the D7 vs 100mg7 is still very alive as they both are probably nice reels within their own right and are similar in structure besides material. I have been able to locate both of these reels and on average the 100mg7 is about $30 higher. So its a wash in my eyes. As I said, price does not matter and I cannot think of many competitors for such application at the moment. Regards

Hey All, Talked with a friend of mine who got me interested in a couple reels I have yet had experience with. I am Looking for this reel to go on a heavy jig rod. Prefer a gear ratio of 7.X:1 or faster and a total weight of less than 8 ounces. Not interested in a Curado/Chronarch 200e7, or any 50 size Shimano as I already own these. Not interested in a Lews TP or Revo STX of any generation as I have already explored that route. I would like comments concerning the reels mentioned above and, also, reels with similar size and performance. It could be from any manufacturer, just not the specific reels mentioned. If anyone owns both and could give a head by head comparison that would be great. I am open to the idea of getting a Ci4+, but there is not enough data on these reels to make an educated decision or for first-hand feedback to relate to. Price of the reel is not a concern, it will be paired with an undecided rod. In the running is the Zayta or NRX 894 or 895 which are yet to be released. 12# or 15# tatsu will be used with YZH backing. I would like to here the communities' thoughts on this decision. All information appreciated. Regards, `Skel

Someday...

The best without a doubt is Seaguar Tatsu. An affordable option is Seaguar invizx which handles extremely well on spinning gear.

8...and could use many more

How neat and well you tie your knot is just as important as the knot you choose. If you get careless and kink the line while tying, or get sloppy and pull the tag end through the knot and use that, you can easily run into problems. The san diego jam should work fine if tied well. I use the pitzen knot. With that said, I do not have experience with P-Line. I cannot comment on the knot strength of that line. For around the same price, Seaguar Invizx does an excellent job and has superb strength in its knots. Or even better, jump on the sale on Seaguar Tatsu at the Warehouse right now. I get far better knot strength and performance out of the premium lines. Even a mid-grade fluoro will outperform mono in knot strength and many other factors. Having used fluoro extensively, I do not even think about tying my knots or have issues with them breaking. Oh yeah, do NOT tie a palomar knot. It weakens the line as it crosses over. There are many excellent choices find one you feel confident in and are efficient at tying. Practice and eventually it won't be an issue.

^^^ Agreed. Results will vary as well. Some reels tune better than others. Also, some reel techs do better work than others.

Quality fluorocarbon is more sensitive, has higher abrasion resistance, higher density (sinks & slack line sensitivity) and also has lower visibility. Mono is cheaper......I choose fluorocarbon for the techniques mentioned as I care more about performance than price.

First off, Great review RW. All of my tatsu line has been bought in the $35 range. Its ridiculously easy to get 3 spoolings out of a 200 yard spool. So thats less than $12 a spool. I've been using my tatsu on a number of rods and I am noticing the same features as RW. The longevity of this line is superb. Other fluorocarbons get worse over time and need to be changed on a regular basis. On the other hand, Tatsu will last for a long time which cuts out the price of having to buy more line. From a philosophical standpoint. Many of us drop a lot of money on our rods, reels and baits.......why cheap out on your line? The line one uses on their rod is a very important tool. Personally, I get the best I can get on every rod

You realize that you are describing action not feel right? There is no debate that an XF rod is stiffer in the tip than a Moderate action rod. To say that a rods action is directly correlated to its feel is flat out wrong. How much feel a rod has is dictated by a number of variables and can be interpreted differently depending on the user.

If you read my post I said "in my experience". So yes, it is my preference to not use a "true" Extra Fast action rod for spinnerbait usage. On retrieval techniques, I prefer there to be some give so I am not completely manipulating the bait with the very top section of my rod. On a seperate note, all manufacturers assign rod ratings at their own will. There is no industry standard for what fast, extra fast, and mod fast truly are. A graph of degrees of deflection under varying loads will give a much better representation of a rods behavior.

Try Daiwa Samurai or 832

A true XF action is unnecessary. And stiffness in the tip doesn't add extra feel in my experience.

Im not sure which loomis rod you are referring to, but thr mbr 843 and 844 are great sponnerbait rods