PatrickKnight

I was thinking about a 2500 FI.

I had an FK 3000 that I sold because it devopled handle play that I could not get rid of. Really liking the Daiwa Back Bay 3000 but I have a Luvias 2500 that has a tick when reeling in under preasure. That's why I am trying to find a reel with aluminum body and side plate (Stradic has a graphite side plate) and worm gear ocsilation.

I was speaking just to the oscillation mechanism.

Worm drive, with an aluminum frame AND side plate, and a quality gear set?

That is a heck of a catch!!!

Daiwa BG hands down imo.

I fish both those techniques as well as tubes and small paddle tails with a medium power mod fast action rod. I base my rod power on the depth of water and the hook being used. For example I would go to a MH if I was fishing deep or using a heavier wire hook. I almost always will fish slower action rods as I personally can not stand to fish XF actions. As Mr. DVT stated above a lot of rod choice is personal because according to most rod manufactures I am not doing it right using a mod fast action. I also think you need to take the line you are using into consideration as well because if you are using braid to leader or straight braid you don't need as powerful or as fast of a rod to accomplish the same thing. All things considered that Avid you are using will do a good job on both techniques you asked about if fishing fluro imo.

The Tatula costs more than the Fuego because it uses Zaion and not just generic plastic. Also the Fuego is a plastic frame not aluminum, none of the freshwater LT reels have aluminum bodies or side plates.

The 2000 will have similar line capacity to a 3000 Shimano. I would go with a 2000 over the 2500 when talking about the LT platform of reels.

I have switched over to Daiwa after being a long time Shimano fanboy. For $150 you cant do any better than the Tatula LT (ebay price) but for $100 I have been completely blown away by my BG 2500 (msrp price). For me it would come down to do you want a metal body or a plastic body. I have really started to like metal body spinners and will likely not purchase any more plastic ones. I really wish my Luvias was a full metal body instead of just a metal side plate. That being said I am very hard on my gear so your choice will need to be based on how, where, and what you fish for.

I have switched almost all my spinners from Shimano to Daiwa. If Daiwa was not around I would still be a Shimano fanboy I just prefer the current Daiwa offerings. Shimano never treated me poorly but I feel I get more reel for my money from Daiwa.

I don't know if it has lighter start up but it does seem to have a bit better balance when turning the handle if that makes any sense at all. My higher end Daiwas don't want to get wiggly (is that even a word?) when spun fast and my Stradic FK seemed to where as my Ci4 didn't. I really think people put to much into how much somethings weighs but that's just me.

If I was forced to go with a Shimano I would likely choose the Ci4 not for weight but due to the MGL rotor.

Distance is more often a factor of the length of the rod more so than anything else. Other than that the Avid will be better in every way than the Shimano you are currently using. I have owned the 7 foot ML Avid and find it to be an extremely good general purpose spinning rod. St Croix tend to run a bit heavier per power rating than most other rods so a ML Avid will fish closer to a medium power Shimano.

I can pitch and skip into just about anything with my spinners and don't have any issues using a Daiwa Luvias 2500 on a MH power INSHORE spinning rod. I would look more at the inshore salt water rods for this purpose. You do not need a casting rod to pull bass out of cover (it might be more comfortable to pitch all day on a casting rod for most people though). If I can pull redfish and snook out of mangroves on a spinning rod than I sure as heck can move a bass. Or as Crypt said you can have a custom done up on a blank suited very well to the purpose at hand.

I own a 703 spinning rod in the Sierra line and while I think its a good rod for its price point it is very tip heavy. I love the more moderate actions of the Sierra line, the guide train is very good for its price point, and the handle is comfortable. I have my eye on that 7'5" heavy in the Curado line though!

Most of my spinning reels see double duty and I have never had an issue.

I fish the same rivers you do given your profile info and my Daiwa reels have gone under water more times than I can to admit and have not seen a bearing failure yet (they do get serviced). I have also never had bearings rust in my Shimanos either. I am curious what shop told you that though?

My main concern is how well does it hold up to rocks. That's why I use Yo-zuri Hybrid and Maxima Ultragreen so much is because those lines hold up really well around rocks and even zebra muscles when I take a trip up to northern Ohio. Seems people are making a big deal about how thick it is but according to tackle warehouse its the same at most lb tests as Hybrid and Stren Original, with being just slightly thicker than Ultragreen. As far as cost goes it seem to be about the same as the Ultragreen.

The only time I use a fluro leader is when I am trying to get a bait down to the bottom quicker. Other than that mono offers a lot more advantages imo as a leader material.

I run all braid main lines but 75% of time if I am using a leader its mono. I will be giving it shot to see how it works.

I find most ML power rods to not be good for much other than extremely light wire open hook type presentations. My go to for just about everything spinning related is a 7'3" medium power with a moderate fast action. This has the power to set the hook on just about all spinning rod techniques (I do go to a MH for some) and with the mod fast tip will allow me to work just about any bait I need to.

Cajun Custom Rods Delta medium power full grip with a Daiwa Luvias 2500.

Completely agree. My fastest action rods are fast but I greatly prefer moderate fast actions or the slower side of fast like Dobyns and Megabass.

I fish 10 lb 832 and pull all kinds of stuff out of the river I fish without breaking off, so I would go with 10 lb. I don't fish any rods shorter than 7 foot in length and prefer them to be longer if possible. As far as power goes I think it would depend on the brand for example, St. Croix I would go medium but some others I would go medium heavy if a Texas rigged Senko is gonna be used often. When it comes to action I can not stand to fish any extra fast actions no matter the company and would prefer the slower side of fast or moderate fast if its an option.