FishTank

I have been using a G. Loomis 783GLX for several years. It has been great for jerkbaits. The length is perfect, it has a soft tip, plenty of backbone, casts light lures well, and is super sensitive. I have tried other but this one just has the special feel for that particular bait.

Thanks. That was a good deal.

I wonder how the Steez A with a SV spool compares to the Steez SV TW. Other than the frame material, it looks like it might very similar. I also tried out a Lew's HyperMag and did not care for it. I do have a Lew's Carbon Fire and it's not bad actually. But when it comes to the Lew's reels I have worked on, in general, this pic from Tackle Tour review of the Pro Ti says a lot (despite them naming it an Editor's Choice). Too much grease out of the box on all the reels I have taken apart. I think if this was properly done from the get go, the reel would perform better. I guess I could say something similar about the Steez I have. It was pretty much bone dry. Once I added a few drops oil and dab of grease in the right spots, it went from awesome to beyond comparison.

Great reel but when I tried it, it didn't blow me away for what I wanted to use it for (soft plastic). Not really sure how to compare it to the Bantam though, I think it too is a different reel. I don't think he could go wrong with either one though.... And the bait monkey says hello..... https://japantackle.com/casting-reels/daiwa/low-profile-casting-reels/reg0000218.html

Me too. I have 15 of my own and double that I work on for friends. I have started to use a light box and a magnifying glass sleeve. I can see better, it keeps the reel parts in check and I can control what goes where easier.

I have the Steez SV TW and the Bantam. They are, in my opinion, two different reels, for different purposes. The Steez is my go to for soft plastic and anything finesse. It's light weight, super smooth, and pretty much is the best reel I have ever fished. The only down side is that it is one the more difficult reels to work on. It's not horrible but with its tight tolerances, I needed more patience to get it back together. With that said, I would not recommend it for the application you are looking at. The Bantam would be the clear choice. It can handle the line you want, it too is smooth, casts just as well as any reel I have used and is built like a tank (think like a round reel). The frame of the reel is, some how, sensitive. I use mine for flipping, swim jigs, small swimbaits, and bigger jerkbaits. The only thing I don't like about this reel is taking the side plate off to get to the spool. It's just kind of annoying how it's built. It is easy to work on and service otherwise.

I have bent a few in my time cleaning reels, especially on Curado 200g and the Chronarch 50e. I don't know what it is but if it moves out of place when putting the reel back together, I end up bending it. I have left them off before until a new one came in and really didn't notice much of anything until I hooked into a decent fish. Here is another old thread from TT about this sort of thing...... http://www.tackletour.net/viewtopic.php?t=44933

I have have the Revo Winch and fished the Smoke HD as a loner for about a month or two. I like both reels but head to head, I like the Winch better (not by much though). I like the breaking system better on the Winch (seemed more consistant) and for deeper cranks it's just superior in both power and smoothness. The HD on the other hand cast a little further but was not great when it came to lighter baits, into the wind situations, and it sort of felt torquey when a fish was on. I actually like the regular Smoke better, which I own. I am considering buying the HD in the future but I think, for me, it would be better for topwater and frogs. I know you said you did not want other suggestions but the Shimano Curado DC is my favorite for deep cranks. It's just more fun to fish.

Looks like a winner> if they can keep it under $200.

Sealskins....

I ordered some Huddleston Swimbaits before Christmas and Tackle Warehouse still says they are on back order. I am, of course, in no hurry but would like to see the order get shipped since it was placed 2 months ago. This will be my first go at using the bigger swimbaits and I am just overly excited. I just wish they would get here. Anyone else dealing with this issue?

I looks like the guide is cracked at the end of the insert and not a repair to me. I would contact the seller and ask them about returning it. If that doesn't have a happy conclusion, you can contact G. Loomis. With the serial number and the pictures, they can give you a better idea about the guide and it's condition.

That's how I do it. I often buy way more soft plastic than I need. I hang them on my peg board until its time to refill something. One half of the board is tools and the other is fishing gear stuff. I have seen guys with tons more but for what I have, it works.

5in Black and Blue Senko. I have caught more fish on this than anything else.

Same here. I have been using the 4in version pretty much every spring and it kills at both bass and crappie. I like the Chartreuse, Smoke and Green Pumpkin. They use to have a fire tiger tail color years ago that was the best but the only thing like it I have found is from Berkley. It too is pretty good.

I saw that they have the Revo Toro Beast for $200 instead of $400. This makes for a monster of a Swimbait reel. For as big as it is, it's really smooth and is probably overkill for bass fishing but it sure is fun.

Not to get dragged into another discussion about this but I have 4 GLX rods, 1 IMX, and 1 crankbait rod (844C x2, 803C, 783C, CBR785) . All are 12 years old or older. I have used braid (either power pro or suffix) on all at one point in time. The 844C IMX has had braid used on it for 14 years. With exception of the original 803C with recoil guides, which I broke and Loomis sent me the newer version (the new one was a let down by the way), all the guides are like new. The the second to the top recoil guide did grove after 5 years of use. As far as under rated reels and rods...... Fenwick, Okuma and some of Abu Garcia's... Reels.... In the bass fishing world....Okuma and Penn Over rated reels.... I think there are two ways to look at this. One, the reel under performs and is over hyped. Two, the reel costs way more than what you can actually get in return. Both of these are open to the user's interpretation. So under perform and over hyped, KastKing maybe (or whoever is over marketed this year). Expensive and little return, Shimano Stella. Love the different ones I have tried but I don't see myself dropping $700+ on a spinning reel. Also, maybe the Revo MGX line but when on sale, different story. Over rated rods.... This is a tough one. If the rod communicates to you and it does its job, then how is it over rated....so I guess any rod that snaps like a twig, the company doesn't back it up, and it costs a small fortune. In this day and age, rods and the company warranties have come a long way, both the expensive and cheap.

Glad you had a good a experience. I love their reels but my dealings with their in house customer service and repair was less than stellar. I always thought they were a good bunch of guys but they always seemed understaffed and overwhelmed with work.

My routine usually consists of fishing a new reel a few hours to see how it is feels, then break it down, clean it and lube. Pretty much every reel I have ever bought need some attention right out of the box. It either was way over lubed or it had no lube at all. I am often surprised how much better reels perform with just a small amount of lube. I also like to check the drag washers to make sure they are put in correctly and have a small amount of drag grease (unless they are supposed to be dry).

I would say the same. A T-rig rod for me lives in a different world from crankbaits. I have a Mod-Fast crankbait rod and it's ok for cranks but prefer a Mod. action. For T-Rigged plastic, I like either a fast or x-fast depending on what soft plastic it is.

That is where I got mine. I called and ordered the 7'10" MH Mod. and a 7'4'' H X-fast. Both arrived in the same PVC tube and have been great. Simmons has been one of my best kept secrets....

I have the 7'10'' MH and so far it has been a fun rod to fish. No complaints at all. I wish I would have bought a couple more rods from this line up.

I use a G. Loomis 844C IMX for frogs and it will pitch a 1/2oz jig just fine.

I don't own it but was able to fish the SV TWS over the summer for several hours and thought it was one the best reels for the money Daiwa has ever made. The one I used did everything I could ask and more. It was pretty much flawless.

Just fine. I set it to 3 or sometimes 4 for the wind. One thing on this reel, I didn't care for braid on it. It has been amazing with FC.