Yudo1

I have found that spending thousands on reels has nothing to do with being rich, at least for me lol.

If you can't fix it yourself send it to dvt.

That reel looks awesome. I love the fact that the spool is compatible with the steez and tdz platform.

Fuego, zillion sv tw, and sv 103 too.

I have a xx jerk bait special and I use it for top water, jerk baits and cranks. I think it work well for you. It's not a noodle and has plenty of backbone yet parabolic when a fish is on.

Yes

I totally agree with j francho. You asked for advice and admitted you didn't know what you were doing. Well we're trying to help a brother out.

I'm not familiar with the reel, but the frog weighs 1/2 oz which is plenty heavy. Fluoro and a cranking rod are completely wrong equipment for frogging. I don't understand how you're setting up your reel or how you're shredding braid. All I can say is you need braid and a proper rod. You are using the opposite it proper gear.

You chose wisely my friend. Great deal on a great reel. The monkey has been whispering in my ear to snag one as well.

If you're used to mono only, you'll be surprised at the increase in sensitivity.

In the spring there is no place I'd rather be.

I always work the frog and pause it in a hole so the fish has a clear shot at engulfing it then have patience on the hook set. Feel the weight before setting. Isn't frogging the best? When the frog bite is on I'm a happy man.

Palomar for braid and improved clinch for everything else for me.

How heavy are the frogs you're using, what reel and what power rod? I never had an issue.

I've always used braid with leaders except I'll use straight braid for frogs and punching. I did switch to fluoro for weightless plastics because I wanted the bait to fall naturally and wanted the slack line sensitivity. With treble hooked baits I loosen the drag a bit and use parabolic rods because something has to give. On a presentation where there is tension on the line or a semi-slack line I feel the sensitivity of non-stretch braid is unparalleled IMO.

Exactly. You'd think they learned their lesson.

It's purely cosmetic and has absolutely no effect on performance. If you like the rod otherwise just fix it and fish on.

Agree but don't understand why because in the long run negative experiences and reviews will cost the company far more. They save themselves $3, but lose thousands of future customers. In this industry you usually only get one chance to make an impression. Its a shame because I've heard good things about the blank.

For the life of me I don't understand why they put those guides on any modern rod. I had them on a spinning rod and that I used for soft plastics and they grooved even though I didn't use it that much.

I would hope a $200 rod from one of the most reputable rod companies would hold up to braid. The only ones I've had groove were chrome inserts from cheaper rods. I use braid almost exclusively and haven't had a problem. I have rods at every price range from $50 to $600 and the only ones that grooved were chrome. I'm surprised they put aluminum oxide inserts in a $200 rod though.

Get the fuego for this price while you can.

My line up is also daiwa with a few shims thrown in (curado 51e, met xg and exsence DC).

X2 with above. Edit: not sure they come with full grip.

I use a klx 7'3" heavy and exsence DC. 30lb braid with 14 lb sniper.

Sounds expensive and fun. Along with steez and zillions I would also grab a couple of alphas sv's especially for jerk bait and top water duty. I throw x rap8 and pop r nicely. Edit:. Are you only buying new or would you add some classics like tdz? I highly recommend tdz r+, TD ito, etc. I feel like every daiwa fan needs at least one.