Smallmouth Hunter

I would go for the tatula because I don't like micro guides at all. I have not had enough time using the duckett to really give an opinion, but it was so ugly that I almost vomited. The tatula is a sleek rod with a nice crisp feel to it. The blank is not the most sensitive I have used, and it does run a bit heavier and faster than it is rated. The ergonomics are great though. The reel seat is very comfortable, and the balance is great. One of the guides is just slightly off to the side on my tatula rod, but it took me a few weeks to notice that since it is off by just a few degrees.

Yeeeeeaahhh but have you used a tatula rod?

I hated braid the first time I used it, but I found myself wanting it again about a month later so I went out and bought some more (different brand though). I love it now. Just keep on using it and you will learn to cope with the cons of braid.

I have a few more questions to add to my list which I will just post here so you don't have to look back through the pages: If time = money, does an ATM stand for/mean A Time Machine? If Apple one day makes cars....would they have windows? Why do they put holes in crackers? Can you give me a synonym for "thesaurus"? How much space is in space? WHY did the chicken cross the road?!? What do you call a fly that can't fly? If there is a hole that is 9 feet wide and 6 feet deep, how much dirt is in the hole? What color is a mirror? When you use a towel, does it dry or get wetter?

Triumph and premier use same blank.

Tourney pro is very finicky IMO. Try to find a shimano ch or cu 50e.

One more: If Apple one day makes cars....would they have windows?

If time = money, does an ATM stand for/mean A Time Machine?

They are probably manufactured by one of the larger hook brands.. H20 is not a manufacturer, just a house brand.

How did you spool the line on?

I am saving everything for memorial day sales.

With that mindset, you won't be getting comfortable with it very soon. Be optimistic, and practice. If you are watching a football game or something on TV, practice winding while watching. If you are in heavy traffic, have a lefty baitcast reel sitting near the dash and start winding until the traffic fades. Kidding about the last one, but seriously, keep at it and you will find that it is not so bad. I made the conversion a while ago, and it took me about 2 months of fishing to get completely comfortable. It feels completely normal to me now. I wouldn't go back to righty for any reason. To the OP, if you are right handed and using righty reels, it is you who is using wrong handed reels. We correct-handed reel users don't have to switch hands because when we finish our cast, the reel is already where it needs to be for winding. Using a righty reel isn't really wrong, but it isn't practical unless you like switching hands.

I bought a tatula a couple months ago and the spool bearings had awful tolerances.. The inner race was not staying in place while spinning. It rocked back and forth while on high speed (put it on a drill to see what was going on and saw this). The other spool bearing would hardly spin at all. I couldn't get it to freely spin at all.. I replaced both bearings, and it made a difference.

Oh the irony.

Don't forget the all aluminum D series curado.

Take off the trailer... It slows it down a lot when casting I find. Either take it off or trim the claws or whatever.

Martens

You bent the spool shaft.. Never ever, ever, use the spool to break off. Take some pliers or scissors, and wrap the line around them then pull it off with those.

That is basically my combo as well, except I am waiting on an *** rather than the tatula. I hate waiting, but I love it at the same time.

The thing about a curado is you can grind and grind day after day fishing with it and it will not fail you. That goes for any shimano. You can put hours upon hours on a single reel and no problems.

I flush my bearings once every 2 weeks or more. I can't stand it when stuff slows my reels' bearings. Look it up if you want to do it. There are hundreds of thousands of guides on the web (quite a bit on this site) on how to do this..

I will give you my honest opinion on this whole matter. 1. I would strongly recommend looking into a medium power moderate action for cranks. Moderate fast in some brands is not as slow of a taper as it should be for cranking. I would go with medium power because I assume you are fishing from shore, and who uses deep divers from shore? --Unless you are fishing in odd circumstances where it is 20 feet deep about 20-30 yards from shore. You don't need a medium heavy for the smaller square bills or jerkbaits or rattletraps. A Medium rod will load up so much nicer and launch the bait quite easily. Medium heavy on the other hand (when using lighter cranks around 3/8 oz) will not load up much, and you will have to cast much harder, which could lead to injuries. 2. For the gear ratio, go with 6.3:1. Any slower, and you will be winding like crazy. With shallow diving cranks, there is 0 need to use a lower ratio because there is not that much pressure on the user's hand. A 5:1 is only necessary with bigger cranks that dive 10+ feet because those things really pull. For jerks and cranks lighter than 1/2 or right around there, a 7' or more Medium powered moderate graphite rod and a 6.x:1 reel is perfect IMO. OK, now for the reel. I would go with one of the following (all of which can be had for under 120 if you look around): Daiwa tatula Curado G Curado E Chronarch E Citica E Daiwa ballistic (search for *** classic sale)

Very nice pictures! Can you please do me one more favor? Is the length from the edge of the spool to the line guide on the curado I greater than the distance from the edge of the spool to the line guide on the curado 200E?

Paper towel, cotton swab, tooth brush for the gear teeth if you want to do that as well. Taking it apart is quite easy although it looks pretty intimidating the first time. I am guessing the drag is over greased by a lot. All you really need for the drag washers is a thin film of it. Manufacturers tend to overgrease drag systems often. Good luck, and keep us updated.

Can you give me a sideplate height comparison picture of the curado I and a 200e (ch or cu)? Just of the non-handle sideplate sides showing next to each other. I have heard the Curado I has a smaller/shorter sideplate than the curado E which would be amazing because that was one small reel for a 200 size.