FishTank

I have the 872S NRX+ and I have it paired with a Daiwa Certate FC LT2500S-DH. Awesome reel. It has plenty of power and is really smooth. With that said, I also have a 2000 and a 2500 Shimano Twin Power and between the Twin Power and Certate, I would go with the Twin Power. To me it feels better than the Stella. As far as size goes, I think you can go either way with a 2500 or 3000 size reel for the 852S NRX+ but my personal preference would be a 2500 (just feels better to me and I don't see the advantage to the bigger size). To me, my 872S is way mislabeled. It seems to have a lot more power than what it is listed as. It feels more like the 803S I have in that terms. Also, a word of caution if you buy a 3000 JDM Twin Power. Pay attention to the model and spool capacity. See below.

Megabass P5 Z Crank Elseil. Works great for small cranks but excels at the Vision 110jr and it can handle a regular size 110 (this would be its max though). It has the perfect tip that is soft and recovers quick.

I've been fishing Shimano spinning reels for over 20 years. I have never had this issue or even heard of it. I also have not had this issue with any Daiwa reel I have. I always close the bail by hand and when I cast I use the line roller as my guide. I open the bail, use my pointing finger to hold the line, I then place my finger near the line roller as it is pointing up towards the rod, and use my finger to feather the cast. I then extend my finger to stop the line and my opposite hand to close the bail. I can also do this same process with two hands to get more accurate casts. Should look something like this. This guy goes a little overboard but idea is there. His seminars are supposed to be legendary.

For me their in-store prices and selection are hit and miss. The old school Cabalas and BPS are long gone. Also, when they do have a sale it's like they mark stuff up, just to mark it down and the stuff mark down really isn't that great. I will say that their branded clothing and rain gear are pretty good. My local Cabalas does have a good group of guys working there though. They are helpful and somewhat knowledgeable. The Cabalas/BPS I remember had guys working their that were on a different level when it came to bass fishing, almost pro level.

I have used both. I was not a big fan of the Daiwa Samurai clear but the camo color was good, almost like a different line. I came to like Sunline Sniper Invisible better. The clear Samurai started to get what looked dings or kinks deeper in the spool. It caused it to cast oddly and I was always concerned that I would brake off at some point so I just kept cutting line off little by little. It never made it through a whole season. The camo version was fine. Lasted all year and held up well. As far as R18 goes, I have only used the LTD version and really like it. It has lasted a year and has been issue free.

Have you tried Machinegun Cast? You would need to get it from a JDM site. I tried the old version and hated it. The newer offering has been great. It is similar but different from Deifer Armilo. It doesn't last as long and is not tough. I'm not sure how the larger sizes will handle swimbaits though. I use it for crankbaits and topwater.

Thanks... no big deal. These jigs are situational for me. I like to fish them mainly in local ponds, down the edge of shallow banks but have fished them on my kayak around shallow water docks and in coves. You're right about them being dink magnets but on BFS gear, it's just fun fishing anyway. They do catch a lot fish for me though. The Keitechs are not the best small jig but I like them better than the old school Strike King Itsy Bitsy that's been around forever. My favorites are from Bottom Up, Raid Japan, and Imakatsu. Also, the trailer to me is the key with these things. Several manufacturers, even Strike King and Yamamoto, have come out with their own trailers to fit these jigs. I'm looking forward to Yamamotos new one, the Covert Craw. Two of fish in the pics above were caught on the Raid Egu Dama Level jig. This jig has one of the better hooks out there.

I have caught everything from crappie, bluegill, catfish, largemouth, smallmouth and spots. Here a few..... not dinks caught on the bottom in about 3-4 feet of water. I use them all the time. I just need the right circumstances. I use those other techniques as well but this is flat out fun.

Always I would check a JDM site for the best deal on this bait.

OSP Buzzin Crank. Fish seem to come unglued when this bait goes past them.

I fish from a kayak most of the time. I have a Hobie PA 14 where the seat sits up fairly high. I can stand on it but my favorite lake is pretty windy and standing is just dangerous. Being able to sit up higher, I can pop a jerkbait pretty easily. I just set myself up with the bait at a slight angle off the front of the kayak (see the pic below) and reel in some slack, stop and pull, then reel in a little slack, let it sit, and repeat. Worked all day the last time I was out.....

@Darren. Here is the Devil Shaker trailer. No fish on it today though.

I don't have the X-bites but I do have the Daemos. This rod is a good do all Medium powered rod with a soft tip. It does not have a lot of power for deep applications but works great for shallow jigs, spinnerbaits, and swim jigs. I have not tried it for chatterbaits but would guess it would do well for the 3/8oz size. Also, I never really cared for the X-bites when I picked one up in store. For jigs I tend to like the G. Loomis 894 and 904 NRX+ rods. I do have the 873CRR and it is a good do all rod but I did not care for it for chatterbaits. The tip is softer than the JWR series but not soft enough for a chatterbait. If chatterbaits are what you are aiming to throw, the Loomis NRX+ 883BJR is awesome. Definitely overkill for this technique but I have yet to find one better. It loads perfectly, it's sensitive in just the right way, and it makes for a great spinnerbait rod as well. I keep repeating this but the hook keeper sucks. Once you get use to it you learn to avoid it. Overall, I love this rod.

Currently it's Sunline Deifer (both versions)and Machinegun Cast. Sadly, I think all are discontinued.

@EarnestDignity I have not fished the new 2024 Tatulas. I have heard both good and bad on those. My experience stems from the non SV spool Tatulas. The other thing is that I have seen the new 2025 Tatula SV 100 and it has an SV Boost spool. I was told this might be a replacement for the 2024's already but I can not confirm this. Also, I don't think the Zillion is more free than the Tatulas, actually the opposite. The Tatulas seem to loosen up after prolonged use. The JDM Alphas, I have no experience with the new ones but it is always spoken of highly on this forum.

I have a few and just bought a couple replacements. I have caught just about everything on them. I found the best jig for it is the Valley Hill Devil Shaker. It doesn't look like much but it brings in the fish. I also use the 2in Dolive Craws. The only issue I have with these are that they are totally useless at most lakes with current and wind. It takes forever to hit the bottom if it does at all.

I have the Silver Wolf and after some soul searching, I came to the conclusion that it's not a true BFS reel. I have better luck with a Steez CT with the same lures, line and rod. I contacted Daiwa Japan about the difficulties I was having casting lures around 3.5 grams. After a long wait, they told me it's true minimum was 5 grams but ideally 9 grams would be best and it's made for lures up to 20 grams. They also said it's designed for light PE to handle black bream were thin diameter line is needed. It's a good reel but it has found it's home on a Med Fast rod that I use for 1/4oz jigs, 1/4oz spinnerbaits and weightless senkos. It works great for those baits and I'm happy with it. For a true BFS reel, I would look at Shimanos offerings, especially the Aldebaran.

I have been using a lot of YGK Xbraid #0.8 to #1.2 PE. I like Ohdragon, Upgrade and if you want crazy expensive, there is Shinji. I bought a spool of #0.8 with an Amazon gift card I got from work. I have it on a 2000 Twin Power. I would never buy it outright. Fantastic line though and the best I have ever used. Ohdragon is sinking braid. This great for bottom contact baits. Upgrade is your get it done braid. Nothing fancy but good line. I use 10 or 12lb leader. I like Seaguar Gold Label and Seaguar Grand Max. I also use Daiwa Saltiga. Another line to look at is Sunline Almight. I have only used it on BFS gear but so far it casts great and holds up well.

Always tighten the tension knob and the drag a little bit when spooling a new reel, almost like it should be when you are casting it for the first time. With everything loose the line will sort of choose a side and fill more to that portion of the spool.

This is what my buddy uses for swimbaits. It's a Dewalt small parts box. I have the smaller version. I use it as a grab and go for my kayak. https://www.homedepot.com/p/DEWALT-Plastic-10-Compartment-Deep-Pro-Small-Parts-Organizer-DWST14825/203367153 After reading the description on HD website, I believe my buddy had do some work on this as well. I think some of the trays are none removable.

It almost looks like the spring that goes to the turn key that opens the side plate. Does it open and close properly? I wonder if the reel was worked on before and it somehow got dropped into the reel.

The regular Zillion uses a newer SV Boost system. I was never a complete fan of the Magforce system. This newer system works. It can cast lures a long way. Most lures seem to take off quickly, slow down, and then speed up again. It's kind of weird actually. The JDM Zillion HD has a Mag Z Boost. This works great for heavier jigs, swimbaits, etc. Here is a Daiwa promo video on the SV Boost.

Skip the Tatulas and just get the JDM Zillions. I have yet to see a Tatula that has had consistent braking. Each Tatula I have fished, with exception of the latest version, will be fine for several casts and then all of sudden backlash. Anytime I pick one up, I have my thumb at the ready. With the Zillions (various versions) I have, I don't have to worry about it.

I have used Simple Green/Simple Orange and acetone. Both work well but an ultrasonic cleaner makes them more effective. I bought a cheap one off of Amazon and so far so good. I soaked the bearings out this reel I snagged about 20 feet deep and then ran them in the ultrasonic cleaner the next day. The additional gunk that came out was staggering. This dead Black Max works exceptionally well now.