FishTank

It's mentioned above but the 6.8 6th Sense Bodega might work. I have seen it but not fished it. Another would be a 5in or 6in single tail Yamamoto grub. One more that I am not familiar with at all... It's from Big Bite Baits. I am not sure of the name but it's a beaver style bait that comes in a 5in size. It's pretty big by most standards. Adding another, the Double Wide Beaver is 5.2in. It might work as well.

I use to but sold both combos. I always liked a Shimano Curado and a Shimano Stradic. Both would hold up well to the abuse.

Another vote for the Megabass Z-Cranks. Cast a mile. My favorites in each line..... in the Z-2 Kasumi Ito, in the Z-1 Frozen Glass, and in the Z-3 Old Z.

I like using the Varuna and the 110 Type Hi Float in summer when a normal jerkbait would sink. I only have a few that I got as a gift from JLS and one from The Hook Up Tackle in a Bento.

I like the Evergreen Flat Force. Each color I have has caught fish but like a lot of things its gone up in price. It use to be $15 but now it's $20. Good bait but ouch.

I love the Vanquish reels I have. They have held up well and are a pleasure to fish but this one leaves me scratching my head. Check out what this guys has to say about it. Dude cracks me up but he has some valid points about the reel.

My pics.... Reel: Daiwa Steez SV LTD Shallow Spool or Shimano Calcutta Conquest. Both JDM Rod: Megabass P5 Super Destroyer (I have thrown all the baits the OP mentioned on this rod but on the heavier side) or a P5 Z-Crank Elseil (jerkbaits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and topwater, all under 1/2oz).

I have the 51e. I will never sell it but I have had offers for around $300. Great reel but it has a following.

I have a stash as well. Where I work, we have a Grainger rotary bin of small parts. I can get some odd ball parts with in reason. The issue with some of the Daiwas is the thickness of the clip. Some seem to be thinner than others and I have had to order a few over the years. I can't say I have lost/replaced one in a quite a while though. If I do, I order it. I also have a few super small and thin washers that I keep on hand for the same reason. It's the ones on the worm shaft that get me.

Got it. You mentioned dorado, it is not the fish I was thinking of. I was thinking Mahi-Mahi and not the Golden Dorado (had to google it). 👍

My suggestion.... Neither the Salamandura or the Curado. Both will not hold up to the hard charging fish mentioned by the OP. The salt water corrosion on the Salamandura on the outside alone would be a no for me. The Curado M, based on owning the K, will not handle those saltwater fish well either. Based on the OP specs and fish species this is a no brainer for me, I would get a Tranx. Also, if I read the other posts correctly, the OP does not have a part supplier in his country for Daiwa. This would stop me on getting the Salamandura as well. With it being used in saltwater that means more servicing and disassembling . Loose one e-clip or screw and you're done. With the Tranx, you get a reel meant for bigger fish, multi-species and saltwater use (not "saltwater safe" like the M and the Salamandura).

@ghost Since I already have the Calcutta Conquest, outside of that one, which reel is your favorite and why?

I use 1/32oz tungsten trout bullet weights for small softplatic with a #2 or #3 Ryugi Hobbit on braid to leader. My favorite bait is the OSP HP Bug. There isn't much to it but it's a blast.

It's listed at $400 because of all the stuff that comes with it. The reel was listing for $300 but they are adding a pair of pliers and two 3700 boxes. It is an exaggeration though. The freebies aren't worth $100 but they're nice. I have several of the boxes. The pliers are ok. I need to use them more. With the coupon code I had someone send me, I got it for $225 with the free stuff. Not bad but again my money might have been better spent on a JDM Metanium. We will see how it does.

I stopped fishing it a long time ago. Too many snags and too many missed or lost fish. I went to a traditional Texas rig and in the past few years, the free rig. I still fish both and have much better success with them than a C-rig.

I have the MGL and haven't had an issue with it. I think I have had it 7 years now and I service it every year. I have it on a Loomis NRX+ 873 CCR and it's sort of a do all set up (topwater, spinnerbaits, jigs, Texas rid, etc) but I mainly use it for the free rig. I have put it through the wringer and it just keeps going. It casts well (especially after I put new Shimano bearings in it) and the retrieve is smooth as ever. The brand that has given me headaches with frame screws is Daiwa. Some have blue Loctite from the factory. It's the only reason I keep Loctite in my reel repair kit.

Maybe. This years Black Friday Bento was really good though. I was lucky enough to get one. I was able to peak at it before my wife wrapped it up for Christmas.

@BrianMDTX I bought this reel for a buddy last year and its a great reel for the money but I am pretty sure that the handle is one piece and the knob is riveted like @bulldog1935 said. I've seen this happen on reels over the years and what I've done is ordered knob sleeves from Amazon. They are cheap and easy to put on.

Both plastic. I did find a metal replacement on E-bay but the guy was from Ukraine. It would have been a challenge for it to be shipped.

So I finally got my part, sort of. I called Daiwa and went round and round about it. They told me the bearing sleeve I needed was now backordered until April of next year, maybe. So I asked, what size is the bearing it goes in? Then I asked what size is the bearing in the Steez Hyper Long Cast? Turns out, they are the same size but different part numbers. After debating and totally confusing the Daiwa rep, I took a gamble and ordered the sleeve for the HLC. It was a perfect fit and everything seems to be working. We will see how it holds up.

That's one rod I need to pick up. When I held it in store, I thought it was too heavy for a 110jr but perfect for the regular 110. The thing is I have the Levante Jerkbait Special and its nice rod but after getting the P5 Z-Crank Elseil which is pleasure to fish the 110jr on, I keep wanting to sell the Levante and get the P5. When it comes to 1/2 square bills, I have 4 different rods I use depending on my mood and what depth I'm throwing them in. All work well. St. Croix Legend Tournament 7'4" MH Mod - All around good crankbait rod. Great in shallow water for pulling fish out of cover St. Croix Legend Glass M Mod - has a deep soft bend. Great on a kayak. It can launch a bait. G.Loomis 903C IMX Pro Mod-fast - shallow water square bills 3/8 to 1/2 oz G. Loomis 866c IMX Pro Deep Flex - around 1/2oz and up. Great for deeper running crankbaits and squarebills. Probably my favorite crankbait rod but I think it has been discontinued.

I haven't used 1/2 square bills on it yet but I have thrown a 1/2oz Megabass Vision 110 on it. So I would guess it would be ok butI feel like you would want something heavier for larger sized trebles hooks, like #4s and #3s. I would need to try it.

I love this combo. As far as the weight goes, it feels about perfect to me but to each their own on this. I can sling a 1/8 or 3/16 crankbait on it. Also the rod is pretty sensitive but not too sensitive. I like slowly bouncing small BFS crankbaits on rock and over the past two years I have killed it on this combo. I like this rod and reel so well, I have two of them now.

Looks like fun. Could you imagine if some of the JDM brands did this.....Megabass, OSP, Evergreen, Lucky Craft, Deps, or Duo. Put one exclusive color in there and it would be game over for my wallet.