freelancer27

Great attention detail! I have a couple of combos (two I mentioned) that I would be using for my salt water fishing. The reel that I am planning to buy is purely for freshwater fishing. I will use it for fishing in the California Delta, so some brackish water might be the case.

For this the bonus (and my ego) are not big enough.

Not yet! That is part of (my) enjoyment of fishing. Researching and discussing gear!

I am demoing the Metanium and the older Daiwa Steez at the end of the week. I used TW demo program. The Daiwa should be representative of the Zillion SV TW. I am hearing a lot of good things about the Metanium, so I would like to give it a try and see. I still might get the Rod that Gary was suggesting though! This seems to be a unfortunate pattern. I go out set a budget (which is already high) and still come home with having exceeded that budget. Why does that always happen when I buy fishing gear...

Hi all, Gary was so nice to give me his thoughts on the subject as well. He is suggesting to go with either the Zillion SV TW or the SV103H and add the remaining money into a new rod (Megabass XX Spinner Bait Special, or perhaps even a Diablo Spec R). I just did a quick search on youtube and I found a guy reviewing the Zillion SV TW, saying that the distance out of the reel was just not that great. What do you guys think? Thanks. Best, Seb.

Thanks for your reply! Since I am looking to throw Spinnerbaits, Cranbaits and swimbaits up to 3/4 of an ounce I am not sure if the Aldebaran is not too fragile (its soo light) and has enough line on it. In this case distance is important. I a m a bit sceptical towards shimano rods, because of their 1 year warranty only...

Yes, this is where my head is heading towards now. I want to replace my Bass Pro Shops reel. It is a good all purpose reel but I am just not getting the distance out of it, it is heavy and bulky. I would put the BPS reel on my 2 piece rod and have it in my car for 'just in case there is a lake around' scenarios. Though the questions is, which rod to combine it with... would be a bit of a 'waste' if I put the reel on my Bass Pro Shops Extreme Casting. I actually like the rod what it does for the money. Hmm, maybe I need approach this from a different angle... here are my combos and how I use them: Casting Combo 1: * Rod: G. Loomis E6X Casting Rod 6'8" Med Hvy 803C JWR * Reel: Lews Team Lew's Custom Pro Speed Spool (7.1:1) * Line: 12 pound Fluro *Applications: Worm/ light jigs and Jerkbaits Casting Combo 2: * Rod: St. Croix Avid X Series Cast Rod 7' Med Hvy * Reel: Shimano Curado 200 I * Line: 12 pound Fluro (thinking of putting 20 pound braid on it) * Applications: Big bottom bouncing lures (Weighted creature baits, Jigs) Casting Combo 3: * Rod: Bass Pro Shops Extreme Casting, Medium heavy, fast tapper * Reel: Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier 6.4:1 * Line: 14 pound Mono * Applications: Spinner baits, (lip less) crankbaits, small swimbaits Casting combo 4: * Rod: Okuma Scott Martin TCS Casting Rod 7'11" Heavy * Reel: Daiwa Coastal * Line: 50 pound Praid * Applications: Top water and heavy punching Casting Combo 5: * Rod: M1 Inshore SMX-79H7'9" * Reel: Lew's Inshore 2 * Line: 25 # Fluro * Applications: Heavy swimbaits I also have a spinning combo but that is just a back up and I barely use it. Since I have the attention of such a experienced group, I would like to get your feedback on my set up. Clearly Combo 3 is where I am thinking of upgrading. Would a Daiwa Steez/ Shimano Metanium be a good reel for those applications? Thanks a ton guys for all your thoughts, opinions and suggestions!!!

I would like to use it for crankbaits, spinnerbaits and smaller swimbaits. So power is important, far casting is very important and also it should be robust (I dont like reels that scratch easy and need to get pampered).

Holy shoot! That that is almost a little car that you have lying around there! so you replaced all your low profile baitcasters with round ones? May I ask why?

Thanks for the link. Seems like a decent reel, though just 'ok'. But I am looking for 'ridiculously' good! So might need to look at the Steez, Antares or Calcutta.

I love that sound of the DC reels for some reason... I wouldnt want to shell out 600 bucks for the Antares but the Metanium DC might be worth considering. On the other hand the new Daiwa Steez seems to be a better all-rounder. Thoughts?

Good one! I was more trying to find out where to find such reel? I am a bit ignorant sometimes and just rely on TW as my source of truth.

I thought just the Antares has the digital chip and that sweet sound! Could you please point me to the Metonium with DC? Thanks!

I think you are referring to the Shimano Antares?!

I think I will need to use the demo program from TW to get clarity on this overall question: "How much better is a 400 USD reel than a 250 USD one?"

I like the idea! I am using the Lew's Inshore 2 for my big baits right now and I am feeling that it is a bit underpowered and has just enough line capacity for 25pound Fluro. Since I am planning to use the reel for inshore saltwater fishing as well, that might be a candidate and the Inshore 2 I would use on my cranking stick. I would be looking at the 400-modell. 580 USD on TW... Wow! Interesting!

Hi all, I got a little bonus from work that I want to use for something 'ridiculous'. What I mean with this is an amazing baitcast reel. My arsenal of reels contains at this point: * Lews Inshore 2 * Lews Team Lew's Custom Pro Speed Spool * Daiwa Coastal * Shimano Curado 200 I Casting Reel * Bass Pro Extreme Baitcast reel I am looking for something in the Daiwa Steez, Shimano Metanium kind of region. Those reels would ususally be totally out of my price range. But I am thinking, why not do something 'ridiculous' ?! So a couple of questions for people who have experience with that kind of reel. 1. Is it a difference to the kind of reels that I have in terms of castability? 2. How is the long term quality of those reels? My Inshore for example already starts to wiggle a bit. I would like to keep that reel for 10 years at least. 3. Is it worth to spend that kind of money? 4. Would you buy it again? 5. What reels fall into that category that you would recommend? 6. Where to buy the reel? I was planning to buy via TW, but if there is a place where it is cheaper and still safe, I would be interested! Hope my questions make sense. Thank you for your help!

Hi, I am wondering if anyone has experience with that line? Looks really sweet, but I am wondering how it would hold up against some top braid like 'Berkley Trilene Professional Grade Braid'. I would use 50pound for top water and 20 pound for my Jig rod. Thanks for any info!

EXACTLY! In regards to the rods: I am keeping the G.Loomis. It is light and I can throw very light baits with it. Also it is made in US and has a good warranty. In regards to the other rod that I want to keep for bigger Jigs, swimbaits and spinner baits: Daiwa: + Looks pretty cool + Seems a bit more sturdy + a little bit thinner diameter + more sturdy real seat - 19 USD more - Made in China - The surface material of the rod feel like sandpaper (might be a dirt catcher) St. Croix: + Better warranty + Made in US + Micro Guides (for more precise casts) - Feels less sturdy than the Daiwa for some reasons - Optically just average Anyone experience with one or both of theese rods? What would you choose and why? Daiwa Zillion Worm/Jig Rod 7' Med Hvy 1 $229.99 $229.99 St. Croix Avid X Series Cast Rod 7' Med Hvy 1 $210.00 $210.00

Any recommendations?

So, a little update: I received the rods today and tested them a bit in my living room. In order to evaluate their sensitivity (feeling a slight bite on a Jig/Worm) I put my cellphone on the ground, put it on vibration and tapped with a jig on it. Result: Honestly I did not feel big of a difference between the 410 USD St.Croix Legend Extreme and the other rods. Which is good and bad, since that does not really tell me if it is me (my cave hands are not sensitive enough), the test procedure, etc. Also as it is once you have the rods in your hands, I am playing now with the idea to keep 2 of them (not the Legend Extrem, that one is going back (had also lots of scratches on it). Here are the rods I have ordered: Daiwa Zillion Worm/Jig Rod 7' Med Hvy 1 $229.99 $229.99 G. Loomis E6X Casting Rod 6'8" Med Hvy 803C JWR 1 $189.99 $189.99 St. Croix Avid X Series Cast Rod 7' Med Hvy 1 $210.00 $210.00 St. Croix Legend Xtreme Casting Rod 7'1" Med Hvy X Fa So, I am thinking of using the G.Loomis as my finesse rod (Light Jigs and weightless worms) and keep one of the other two for larger Jigs, Spinnerbaits and smaller swimbaits. So, which one would you think is better fitted for this (St. Croix Avid X or the Daiwa). Thanks for your opinions!

I kinda hope that I am not falling in love with a 400 USD rod. I would feel really bad to 1) spend that crazy kind of money on a single rod 2) would be super afraid to use the rod for my fishing (since I am for 99% a bankfisherman walking around and going through the woods)

Hi all, once again I would like to use the brilliant brains of this community for advice. I am planning to purchase some reel oil and greece from TW. Since I have 4 reel brands I am not sure if there are products that fit all. * Lews (Pro spool, Inshore2) * Daiwa Coastal * Shimano Curado i * Pflueger President. Would be great if you could recommend some products. Thanks again fellas!

I will find out when I get them from TW (by Thursday I assume).

I chose to use the St. Croix Legend Xtreme Casting Rod 7' Med Hvy as my reference.