FishTank

Nope. I tried braid for 110s years ago and it just didn't work the bait as it should and it never reached the right depth. Megabass designed it to be fished on 8-12lb fluorocarbon line so the bait, when jerked, could stop and then suspend (depending on the water temp).

Love round reels. As of late, the Shimano Calcutta Conquest 100 size body has become my favorite. It might be the perfect reel. Its a lot of bullet proof power in a small package. Its easy to palm, they cast well, and are so smooth, you can't even feel the handle turn. I have one more of the BFS version not pictured below. So top to bottom.... BFS, 100, and the Shallow Spool Edition. I also have a Daiwa Millionaire CT, Shimano Calcutta TE GT 101, and two Calcutta 251s. The 251s don't see a lot of action anymore but they still work fine.

I don’t do AE. I learned my lesson watching my buddy fish some knock off hooks and baits. It was something to behold and quite entertaining. I decided to find a good deal on what's reliable. My favorite place for hooks before tariffs hit was JLS. I ordered 20+ packs of various hooks before it all ended. My favorite cheaper replacements for Beast Hooks are the Hyper Tornados from Hayabusa. They are under $4 a pack but like the Beast Hooks, no size 2/0s. They are bone crushing sharp and slightly lighter than the Beast hooks. They also have a good slick coating.

To be honest, I had bought one pack to try out earlier this year. I fished them a few times and caught a couple of fish on some various swimbaits but nothing special. When I stuck that catfish yesterday right through the hard part of its upper lip, I was sold on them. Not sure if it will replace my favorite Owner Beast hooks though but the 2/0 is a perfect match for the Citizen Micro.

Depending on size of lure, I like either 6lb or 8lb fluorocarbon. It helps get the lure down to the proper depth and to me, they are more of finesse bait that's somewhere between a crankbait and jerkbait.

Not exactly a thin box but I like the ones from Kastking that resemble the Plano Edge boxes. The latch works great and so far mine have held up well.

Amazon 15% off $7.49. Not a huge discount but I needed the 2/0s and they had them in stock. They work great for the Citizen Micro Swimbait. Crushed two big ones today on it. Got a 7lb catfish and a 6lb largemouth.

The most expensive thing I have lost is probably an A-rig. I have also lost two Megabass Vision 110s in the course of 20+ years of fishing them. They are currently $25 but I remember when they were originally $30. That pales in comparison to the multitudes of crankbaits I have snagged on something. And that doesn't even come close in dollars to all the jigs I have deposited in various lakes in 30+ years of fishing. Personal opinion, jig fishing has become more expensive than fishing swimbaits, crankbaits and jerkbaits.

Ya, it's not been a good year for me and Daiwa but in general, I think they are good reels and that my situation is an isolated one. Like I said my other Daiwa reels have been great.

I have cleaned it myself. Also, I have had a few other Daiwas do this. Most recently, the Steez A II in question, Millionaire CT and a Silver Wolf, also a Tatula (not sure which rendition but older) and the OG Zillion all had the same issues. None of my other 6 Daiwas do this. Only the Millionaire CT works correctly now. I pretty much replaced all the bearings (except the AR) as a last resort. Now it works fine but I don't think the bearing replacement had anything to do with it. Not really sure what it was. My guess is that it had something to do with how the side plate loosens up occasionally based on how I hold the reel. The Silver Wolf is the biggest let down. I really haven't figured it out other than it won't backlash with baits above 3/8oz. Below that, it's a nightmare. The Tatula and OG Zillion I gave up on and sold a long time ago. Also, this occurred over time with the exception of the Silver Wolf that did it right out the box. I also have a Tatula 300 that will get squirrely. I am hoping it won't be like the others. It will cast fine all day, backlash out of nowhere like it has no brakes at all and then go back to being fine a few cast later.

I have one. It worked great for a while but the buttons on it stick making useless if are trying to use one hand. I have been using nippers from Dr. Slick. They are pricey for what they are but work great. I also have the Cuda scissors mentioned above. They too work great and are pretty cheap.

This is my favorite. It has everything I need for small screws, especially the odd ball ones. https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/screwdriver-sets/all-1-precision-screwdriver-set-case

They didn't say it was a known issue. They just acknowledged that I needed the part and the guy on the phone sounded like he had heard of it but no real confirmation. It's easy to fix but each time I have searched for the part, I've only gotten that it is unavailable to order. All you have to do is remove the zero adjuster knob, take out the pinion shaft, remove the bearing and replace the collar. I was able to force the pieces together and get it to work temporarily but is not a permanent fix. My other Steez A II doesn't have this issue but the brakes work inconsistently. Its fine one minute and backlashing the next. Both these reels were awesome for months. I hope I can get them sorted out.

Like others have said, I would cut the current leader off and a few feet of the old braid. Put a new leader on and fish it. I usually make mine about 6 to 8 feet. Also, if you new to braid to leader and want to fish crankbaits, I would either pull all the line off and put mono or fluorocarbon on or fish some cheaper soft plastic until you are comfortable with the leader knots you are tying.

Here is one thing that is worse...... When I called them in June I understood that they won't warranty or work on JDM reels. I just wanted to order what would be the US part for my JDM reel. I know they don't always match but I was able to verify that it did through Plat. I knew the part number but they said it wouldn't be in stock until November. I understand this is a new reel and parts usually come a little later. So I asked what are they doing for US Steez AII's that are coming in for warranty. Daiwa told me that the techs have parts but the call centers don't even have the schematics for it let alone part numbers. Crazy stuff.

JDM. Daiwa USA won't work on it.

I have not had it on my Tatula 300 yet but I have experienced it on a Steez AII, Coastal, and Tatula BF70. Daiwa fixed the Coastal and the Tatula BF70 so not 100% sure if its the same issue but on Steez AII there is small sleeve that fits inside the bearing below what would be the cast control knob. If it is out of position or broken like mine is, when you press the thumb bar the pinion gear gets stuck and doesn't allow the clutch to disengage. I have been in contact with Daiwa, they acknowledged the issue and will not have parts for the Steez AII until November. Also, I could see this happening if the spool tension knob is backed out completely.

I've got a couple. Sunline Invisible FC 5lb and 6lb. I have hawled in several 5lb+ fish and even a blue catfish that was around 8lbs and a 6lb smallmouth with this line. I still can't believe it held up to the task. Great line. Bassday Mononofu 50s. I've caught countless fish on this small trout lure. The Abu Garcia Black Max that I found on the bottom of a lake and cleaned up. I have shared this pic before but it works fine and casts great. Omega jigs. I got two in one of those bass lure boxes that I got as a gift. I thought they were weird but they are well made and bring in the fish. The hook really sticks fish well. I have bought a handful more and plan to keep them in my regular rotation of stuff. 6th Sense Whale and Congo Craw. I wasn't a big fan of their softplastic at first but these two baits proved me wrong. They have worked better than similar more expensive baits.

I think its Smoke Purple in the Spider Series, 3/8oz Arkie. The ones pictured above were purchased last year so hopefully I got it right. I just received a new shipment and they look great.

The original Gator Tail is no longer in production. Zoom makes the G-tail which is similar. Not sure about the XFactor spinnerbaits but there are plenty of good ones out there.

Another company to look at, Picasso. I can't speak for their swimjigs but I have several of thier football and casting jigs and they definitely have fine cut skirts. They have worked great. No real complaints, except that I tend to get hung up more with them. Its probably just me though.

The one from Ryugi is the way to go. The knock-offs I have seen aren't worth it.

That's a good deal. I just ordered some of the Titan Divers for swimbaits and saw the discount but missed the variety box. I might order some but I have a ton of hooks right now. I ordered about 20 packs of various EWGs and worm hooks from Japan just before the tariffs set in. Check out a hook from them called the Nemesis. Its crazy sharp and strong. Works great with heavier/thicker soft plastics.

I have one but should probably get another. Mine is jammed full. Its really handy to have in my pocket. It beats having to dig through my tackle box to find what I need.

BPS but hooks are a "You get what you pay for" kind of thing. I would look for sales and then find the one that works for you. Personally, I like the Ryugi Infini. I was ordering them from Japan for around $2.50 a pack. The exchange rate made it a no brainer but with the tariffs in place, there's no way I am ordering just hooks. Another to look at is BKK. They run $6 a pack at regular price but they can be readily found on sale. To me, they run a little smaller in size but are great hooks.