FishTank

For unique, I have been throwing jerkbaits on a Shimano Calcutta Conquest 31 Shallow Spool. I really like it so far but line capacity could be an issue if use something above 12lb FC. I have been using 10lb FC Seaguar R18 LTD. It's a fun reel but it's not as buttery smooth as the 101 Conquest I have. I have yet to figure out why. Still really smooth and cast well though. Plus, it fits my hands a certain way that works great for jerkbaits.

For unique, I have been throwing jerkbaits on a Shimano Calcutta Conquest 31 Shallow Spool. I really like it so far but line capacity could be an issue if you use something above 12lb FC. I have been using 10lb. It's a fun reel but it's not as buttery smooth as the 101 Conquest I have. I have yet to figure out why. Still really smooth and cast well though. Plus, it fits my hands a certain way that works great for jerkbaits.

I have one. It's an odd reel to me. It's designed according to Daiwa for #0.6 to #1.0 PE and bream fishing. I have had various issues with mine since day one, including backlashes for no reason. I found one bad spool bearing on it and replaced it. We will see how it goes. Also, a couple of side notes on this reel. First, it's not a BFS reel despite the shallow spool. I got it directly from Daiwa after a few emails ... 7g and up. Second, thin PE is it on line. I tried several alternatives including FC and mono. I also tried 1.5 PE and it too was almost unmanageable.

I just worked on several Daiwa reels, some got factory bearings and some got Spool High Speed bearings like the 16 Steez SV below. We will see how it works out. The casting distance on this reel has never been great but it didn't really need to be. With new bearings, I'm hoping it will cast a little further. I replaced a total of 3 bearings, only one really needed it.

I had to go up north near lake Freeman/Tippe/Shafer. Biggest one I have ever caught. It was on a Bassday Mononofu 60S.

Sometimes. It just depends on the reel. The stock bearings may be the best option. It also depends on what you want to get out of it. If you want short accurate casts, fast bearings may not be the answer. If you are new to casting a baitcaster, ceramic bearings aren't going to make you better. What I have seen over the years is people will not take care of their reels, they need new bearings and they then turn to ceramics because of the hype and spool spin videos. So in the end, you have to decide what's right for your application and your reel. Oddly, I have never had a ceramic bearing go bad. As long as they are clean, they get better over time. Also, I have found that the part bearings, from say Shimano and Daiwa, are better than what comes in the reel when new. Can't explain it but what I have ordered has been better. Maybe it has to do with how they are stored.

About a 5-6lb Smallmouth.

It took me a bit to narrow things down but to make things simple, below are a few things I have found that have made BFS fun for me. So, if I was starting out fresh with BFS, here is were I would start.... This should cover around 1/16 - 1/4 oz lures. Some stuff is not in the above pic. Line - X-braid Ohdragon PE #1.0 or 1.2 with a 8lb leader and 6lb Sunline Invisible. Don't like mono for BFS. Hard baits - Bassday Mononofu 50s, Megabass Karashi, Evergreen Piccolo PC-5, Shimano Tiny Macbeth. Jigs - Raid Egu Dama Level with a 2in Dolive Craw, Great Lakes Finesse - all of it Others - Xzone Swammer 2.75 in and 1/16 Keitech jig head, 6th Sense Whale 3in You will bend out hooks - Ryugi Pierce and Dagger sizes 10 and 12 For rods, I would suggest the Dobyns Sierra Ultra-Finesse 700C. You can do just about anything with it. Good rod to start with.

I have a few. The Blitz Max DR is my favorite. I kind of like them all though. I original Blitz is the only one I have not done great on. In its place I would use the Tiny Blitz MR. The Co-Buzzin is also great one. For a flat side, they have the HPF Spec 2. You can burn this bait and get some hard hits but I wish it went deeper. On a side note, I would also order them from a JDM site if you can't find them on sale. Some have gone up to $25 a piece in the US.

There are plenty more but all of these are on 5lb test Sunline Invisible FC. Granted none of them are 8lbs but big fish on light line is definitely possible.

2in and 3in Dolive Craw, 3in Dolive Beaver, Great Lakes Finesse Snack Craw, and my favorite, Valley Hill Devil Shaker. You can scratch the above baits.... I missed the part about it being a micro bladed jig trailer.

If a jerkbait isn't working, what does? If you catch 100 bass a day on a jerkbait, can you get those kind of numbers on a different bait?

It's really not that bad. It's just seems like they are making them more difficult to work on, on purpose. If you have worked on them in the past, it's worth the time to try it yourself. All of them are a puzzle to me. Sometimes the more difficult the puzzle, the greater the reward is when you've completed it. Also, I always say the Core is my favorite reel. One of the reasons is that it's perfect in it's simplicity. Easy to work on and easy to use, and yet, it performs so well.

Most if not all Shimanos are easier to work on. The Daiwas, to me, have some weird and sometimes irritating things.... odd flat head screws that are stripped from the factory, screws that have blue Loctite, getting the handles to line up when finishing a reel, the sleeve that goes over the main drive shaft is sometimes hard to get off, the plastic sleeve that is in the bearing under the cast control cap sticks or can break, the holes on the plastic gear below the drag have to line up perfectly to get it back on, the Millionaire CT has some nonremovable screws that are in the frame, over greased bearings, the mag oil, etc. I think that covers my rant on Daiwa but I still love using them. They're great reels.

Ya, any reel I work on, I usually test it out but it was 10 degrees last night. Forget it. For Daiwa and Shimano, I have used Bocas, Spool Speed, Hedgehogs once, and of course stock but I have just replaced a Magsealed bearing with a Abec 7 equivalent and not sure how this experiment is going to work but it was cheaper than the so called replacement from Daiwa. I'm still confused but it looked like Plat wanted $50-$60 for it. On Daiwa's site, it said ship for repair. On the OP original question, I have the Tatula 300 and have been kind of underwhelmed by its casting. Im going to wait until spring with this one. I am Daiwa'd out after working on these reels. They were harder to work on and took longer. I think I am going to clean the bearings and then re-oil before buying new ceramics.

I have had mixed results with bearing upgrades. I did put a pair of Boca Abec 7 bearings in a Chronarch 51e and it was not great at first. It took probably 20 hours (6 months to a year) with light oil on that reel for the noise to finally go away but casting was vastly improved. It's a total blast to fish. I have them in several other reels as well. I also purchased two used Cores, 51 and 101. The previous owner replaced all the bearings and had orange seal Abec 7s put in them. Seemed like a waste but they are amazing. On the other side things, there is the two 2012 Antares I have. Both casted well before replacing the bearings but I had one spool bearing that needed replaced so picked up four new ones. I really didn't see much improvement but they are smooth after all these years of fishing. It seems to me that the 3x10x4 part bearing in their upper end reels is better or equal to the Abec 7 ceramics. Then there is Daiwa. It took me till this year to realize there are some issues with their stock bearings. They're not bad. They just need to be cleaned of all the grease or oil that's in them. I just worked on 8 Tatulas variants, 4 Steez's, 2 Zillions and a Millionaire CT. Except for the Steez's, each one had a bearing that felt off. Between the 15 reels, I replaced 7 bearings. The rest got cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner and oiled. They feel totally different. Really smooth.

My take on crankbaits.... if you buy a decent one, you don't need to tune it, or replace the hardware. That doesn't always mean that it has to be expensive. Check out the Bill Lewis ATV. It's pretty solid out of the box and under $10. On the other side of things, I have several 6XDs and 10XDs that are great fish catchers after being worked on but they can be 💩 out of the box. I might get one in five that run correctly and the hooks are terrible. After you spend the time and money, its better to invest in a better bait. One other thought, pay close attention to what some people call a "Custom Crankbait". Often times, these are the same cheap blanks from ebay or Ali Express, just custom painted. They will then sell them for high prices. If you go that route, look for hand made baits. Here in in Indiana there is guy does not advertise online but makes custom balsa baits that are amazing. Down side he only makes a limited amount, they sell out at local shops immediately and they start at $35. I don't have any but see guys killing it on them in the prespawn every year.

I have the 842S and the 872S. So definitely those two as they are totally different rods. I think the 852S is going to be closer to the 872S so that leaves the Steez AGS, which I have not used. It's supposed to be pretty versatile.

I do not. It was on my radar but I have not purchased one. This will actually be my first Daiwa rod.

This what I have, sort of, on my Bantam and it's great. The one I have came Gomexus AU on Ebay and was more of a dark silver/gray and has cork knobs but was shipped from China. I like the big knobs on it. They feel amazing and are effortless to turn. I think I paid $50 shipped but it was regularly $60 at that time. Took two weeks to get.

I have the 894 and it will do just fine with a 3/4oz jig and trailer. I also have the 895 and it's a beast. I have yet to find a fish in Indiana that can over power it. Both rods are sensitive and can handle some cover. If the OP is talking about the 802, its not the right rod for any of the mentioned weights or situations. Its closer to a BFS rod. The 803 is good in the 3/8oz plus a trailer range. It might be able to handle a 1/2oz but no more.

Some of my favorites and this might change from time to time... Megabass Evoluzion 30th Anniversary Edition Super Diablo II Tenru Rayz Integral RZI484B-L Megabass P5 Kasumi Six Eleven G. Loomis NRX+ 883 BJR G loomis NRX+ 894 Megabass P5 Whippet and honorable mention G Loomis 872S And still untested but will probably make the list. Daiwa Steez Real Control 611 MH Fast Another would be the Kistler Hunt BFS 3X Ultralight. My favorite BFS rod.

I just ordered two. I hope it's better than the 5in Magslow. It was a dud for me.

I think these are the old OSP spinnerbaits, maybe the original version. Also, the item is listed as used. I believe they are rare but the listing is a cash grab.

Going in order of what you have above Zillion HD - Good pick but for 4oz baits, if you use 20lb line or heavier, the Tranx 200 or Scorpion MD would be my pick. Zillion HD - perfect for 1-3 oz baits Steez AII - you're going to need something with more power and line capacity Metanium 100 JDM - skip the DC reel. This will cast a mile Calcutta Conquest 100 - it will last a lifetime. Casts well, super smooth and BFS sized. Pricey but worth it. Antares or Metanium 100 JDM - I have the BB1 and these two will out cast it by a mile.