ytail

go with shimano, okuma or lews... jmo

If it is CI4 I would have all over them but it's not .

Basically you need to have an educated thumb. I would try to put your thumb on the spool at all time while casting and don't cast too hard initially. Once you manage to get good casts then gradually reduce the thumb pressure on the spool and increase the casting force. Step by step I think you will eventually get much better. Good luck. To clear the bird nest may want to bring a tooth pick or something like it.

Maybe one of them the line guides were not on the spine of the blank?

Would save more to get a quality pair of rod & reel so that one feels better all the way.

Curado 200E's are within budget. Even cheaper ones are Daiwa Advantage series of reels. But as a previous post said, Shimano guys recommend Shimano reels and Daiwa guys Daiwa reels. Most reels between $150 and $200 are good.

Trilene Big Game #10 & #12 are great lines and the price is very reasonable.

plenty for 2 200 size reels

Jerry Brown and Izor are popular on the west coast. Their quality is great if not the best.

I own a 364P with power handle and love it... no issues for me for the last 12 months. I am thinking of acquiring another one. Okuma is now a top runner on the West Coast, a lot of good products have been released in the last 3-4 years.

I use a quality drag setting scale such as a Manley Brass Scale. You want to put the reel on the rod you will be fishing with and run line through all line guides on the rod. Hook the scale to something sturdy, tie the end of the fishing line to the scale, set the drag, pull and bend your rod just like when you hook a fish but pull hard until the line just starting to peel out from the reel. Now stop and check the scale for the number. In general set your drag strength between 1/4 to 1/3 of your leader line weight. Example: the drag will be set between 7.5 pounds and 10 pounds for a 30 pound leader which you will fish with. Just my way to do it. I have leanred not to trust by feel as it can be way off.

So far I haven't risked to use a bait caster for yellowtail yet knowing that they are really mean but did have no problem landing dozens of tuna using my Toro 60.

I think people do that for their own personal pleasure, pride and joy. Like you do, I care more about performance / quality of my rods and reels but in doing so I gain a bit of personal pleasure and pride as I fish with something I love and trust. another thing I like is to follow the annual ICAST Conference closely and acquire new 'toys' if I like some pieces I see... a lot of joy by doing so for me. It is just that People are very different and do many interesting things of their choices. JMHO.

Now a days a larger low profile bait caster is very capable with advanced technology and the availability of braided line. A Revo Toro 60 can stop and haul in a 60 pound tuna no problem. Advantage of using a larger bait caster is it casts much better than a lever drag reel (which has a heavy spool) and even much better than a regular star drag reel. Most people think that a synchronized level wind system slows the casting but actually not much. Personally I choose Revo Toro over the Curado 300E and Lexa 300 / 400 series which disengage level wind while casting. JMHO.

you are right about yourself !! no need to spend an arm or a leg to get a quality reel.

I fish it right out of the box.

Curado E, Chronarch E and Revo Toro come in left handed.

I own a Komodo 364P with a power handle and used it for school tuna last year... great high quality little reel surpasses revo toro 50 in my opinion.

Saltwater fishing in SoCal for many years and the following were/are what I used/use with no issues... I clean them once a year and rinse with fresh water after every use. Curado 200E series Chronarch 200E series Revo Toro series Komodo 350 and its smaller brothers Okuma Cedros bait casters Okuma Serrano bait casters Okuma Helios bait casters Daiwa Advantage series