LCG

I went into BPS with the intent of picking up a Daiwa Tatula 100 they had on sale. While at the reel counter, I saw a Johnny Morris Carbonlite casting reel. It immediately grabbed my attention because it looked very similar to my Lew's Speed Spool LFS. This model is the all black model and has a few upgrades from my lew's reels. Namely handle, side plates, and drag washers are all carbon fiber. Aluminum frame. Also has a clicking spool tension cap. It has dual braking, centrifical six pin inside and magnetic adjustment on the outside. Came in at 6.3oz and was on sale for $140, Daiwa was on sale for $200, regular price for Lew's is $140 (Canadian Dollars). It felt smoother than the Daiwa surprisingly and I could really feel the difference in smoothness when adding some force to the spool to simulate under load feel. So ended up walking out with the Johnny Morris Carbonlite reel in a 6.8:1 gear ratio. It's a gamble in that getting parts might be an issue down the road, or maybe not,, not sure as it is clearly a Doyo build. But the reel seemed to have a lot of nice upgrades. Only down fall is that it doesn't have a dual supported pinion gear. Paired it up with a new Daiwa Tatula XT MH-R casting rod. Looks and feels great. Can't wait for the spring.

The stradic FL I had was smooth, but tighten up fast when adjusting the knob. Super solid and smooth reel. The Tatula LT is smooth and has a much slower adjustment knob which I like for finesse fishing. Super smooth and lightweight.

I just picked up the 7' Tatula XT spinning rod in medium power for mainly plastics. It's a nice rod, lots of backbone with a fast action, very comfortable to hold, good sensitivity.

The struggle is real

I recently bought a Daiwa Tatula XT spinning rod from Bass Pro. I have the two piece, 7' M-F model. Now I have only fished with it once and did not catch any fish, so take this with a grain of salt. However, I did cast a few different plastics and lures to get a feel for her. The rod is rated 1/8-3/4oz. I threw weightless trick worms, Ned rigs, senkos, light spinnerbaits, and regular chatterbaits. In my opinion, the rating should be 3/16-5/8oz, with a sweet spot of 1/4-1/2oz. The action of the rod is fast, but bends a decent amount at full load. The power in the rod is stout for a medium, she's got some backbone. She threw everything well expect for the chatterbait which was right at 3/4oz, it felt over loaded at this weight to me. The reason for my purchase of this rod was to compliment my MH casting rods. I usually use a ML-F spinning rod, but wanted something to fish around moderate vegetation in the summer. My intent is to use this as both a primary senko and texas rigged Ned rig and drop shot rod, but also as a do almost everything rod when I only take one rod with me. I need more time with it and some fish catches but so far I am happy with this rod, very comfortable to hold, with good sensitivity (Braid to leader). I feel this rod would compliment a MH casting rod well in the right situation, ie summer with weed growth. My ML-F also compliments MH casting rod as it covers the whole range of lures. However, ML is a bit light in the summer time here in Ontario, Canada. Looking forward to using this medium powered rod more once the snow melts.

I have broken only one rod. 100% my fault. Fell down a rock cliff, landed on the rod, and then eventually into the river. Not my finest moment Recently had the tip top guide replaced due to a crack in the guide. Unfortunately, they butchered the replacement guide at a local repair shop. Never had a manufacturer related issue. I take care of my gear during storage and transport, but when I am fishing it's a tool that gets used and abused.

Senkos are incredibly versatile baits. I remember seeing YouTube videos of 15 ways to rig them, some were very creative. If I recall correctly, it was originally meant to be fished as a soft jerkbait.

Braid to leader always on spinning. 10lb 832 hi-viz with Alberto knot to 6lb Yo Zuri Hybrid. Last wind knot was about 3 years ago and it was random. Always stop the line with my finger and close the bail by hand. In the wind, I try to cast low to the water as well.

I store my bulk plastics in their original bags, stored at home in a closet inside cheap dollar store plastic bins with lids. While fishing I store my plastics in plano boxes. I play between the sealed boxes and thin boxes in 3600 size, and using a double sided 3500 box. Zman plastics will warp the boxes. They will melt other plastics if stored in the same section ie Touching. I generally store zman in their original package, but sometimes in their own section in a plano box.

I like an 8 speed reel when fishing vegetation in the summer, allows me to keep the lure on top of the weeds a bit easier. Also like it for jigs and plastics. But day in, day out I like a 6 or 7 speed reel.

How do you find the medium rod for casting lighter weight Ned's? How would you describe the power and action / general handling characteristics? Thanks in advance, thinking of getting the 702 MF.

Yeah, it's odd. Everywhere I shop, cabelas, bass pro, sail, local shops, etc none of them have stock. Not sure why, just assumed with the Tatula lineup, maybe Daiwa was.phasing out the aird x. I sure hope not, but I've been looking at grabbing a backup rod just in case as I do like them and it's hard to find good two piece rods.

I have two of the aird x 7' MH-F Casting rods and a Daiwa Rebellion 6'10 MH Regular action (moderate fast) casting rod. Side by side test shows the action is very similar. Power wise, compared to some others I have used, I would called it a light MH. Now all that being said, I absolutely love the Aird-X rods. They fit my hand very well and I really like the extended trigger. Mine are also two piece rods, and I find them to be plenty sensitive. Both are paired with Lew's Speed Spool LFS reels, one in 6.8 and the other in 8.3 gear ratios. The slower reel has 12lb YZH on it and the faster reel has Suffix 832 in 50lb. Makes for a great combination and covers everything I throw and everywhere I fish. Unfortunately, I think they are discontinued. I can't find them anywhere here in Ontario, Canada. Think the Tatula Xt may be its replacement, which looks nice as well.

War eagle 5/16oz finesse spinnerbait and their 1/2-3/4oz models. No trailer. Fished in cover, near grass and weeds, over top rocks. Varying retrieve speeds throughout the cast, bumping into cover if I can, otherwise fast pops with the reel speed to flair the skirt. Spinnerbaits and senkos are my confidence lures.

Wondering if anyone has experience with the new Daiwa Tatula 100? Please feel free to share your thoughts on the reel.

Glad to hear that you figured it out on your own. Out of curiosity, were the gears or bearing dry out of the box? What's your impression of the reel so far?

Regardless of line choice, I would recommend a wire leader. I fish for Pike regularly and they will bite through almost any line.

I am thinking of picking up a new reel when the Lew's Speed Spool LFS 3rd generation is released in November. I noticed they have a 5.6:1 or 23" IPT. I am wondering what people's opinions are of using this gear ratio / IPT for moving baits ie spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, weedless spoons, and swim jigs mainly. I have been using a 6.8:1 / 28" IPT this year which is working well enough, but I do tend to reel fast and notice my spinnerbaits tend to ride a bit high in the water and my weedless spoons tend to rotate causing line twist. I try slowing down but my cadence reverts back. On the other hand, when fighting a fish, will the slower gear ratio become an issue? Please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences. Thanks.

I have a Daiwa Tatula LT 2000 on a 6'8 ML-F spinning rod. Been using it for the last year, no issues, smooth drag and light. No wind knots with braid to leader.

Johnson silver minnow weedless spoon Mepps aguila Spinnerbait Gold and/or silver for each of the above.

I had a few medium casting rods for awhile, but I found that I preferred a MH power rod with a regular or moderate fast action. Rated 1/4-1oz offers a ton of versatility and enough power to fish in grass/weeds. I have three of these rods in action now each with different gear ratio reels and different line. ML spinning for finesse. There isn't a right or wrong choice really, it boils down to personal preference and even that changes over time I have found.

Don't know if this will help, but I took line directly off my Shimano Stradic FL 2500 and put it on my Daiwa Tatula LT 2000 and it held the exact same amount of line. The Daiwa being much lighter overall.

I have combos that cost $500 and other combos that cost $150, but they all have the "right feel" for what I am using them for. Truth be told, if I can only bring one combo...it's my current cheapest and most used combo. 7' MH Daiwa Aird-X in a 2 piece model paired with a Lew's Speed Spool LFS in 6.8:1 with 10lb Yo Zuri Hybrid, it checks all the boxes for me. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind trying out an NRX+ MBR with a Zillion or Metanium, but I just can't justify it.

I fish from a sit inside kayak and the bank and use 6'8" - 7' rods. I think it's more of a preference thing.

I use three versatile set ups. ML-F spinning set up covers finness, MH-F (moderate fast in reality) with copolymer for moving baits and another MH moderate fast with braid for bottom contact. I only ever take two rods out at a time. Which rods depends on the time of year and conditions. But I can cover a lot of techniques with a ML spinning combo and a MH casting combo, but sometimes it's both MH casting combos. YMMV