dk2429

Had it backwards. Thanks!

I’m pretty the JDM Zillion that comes straight from Japan has brass. The American retail Zillion is aluminum. That’s my understanding

1- After you’re comfortable using a baitcaster with mono. It’s cheaper to have to cut mono out from a nasty backlash than braid 2- Can’t be explained that well, you’ll just have to make that investment and give it a try to see for yourself. They’re smoother casting, smoother drag, lighter, better construction, etc… With that said, most $99 price point baitcasters now are fantastic reels. My opinion if you’re gonna spend money and make an investment on a baitcaster setup…. Spend your money on the rod, spend less on the reel. For example, if you want to spend $300…. Get a $200 rod and a $100 reel. Like I said, $100 reels are perfectly fine. When it comes to a rod, you really get an increase in performance once you start spending more. Modern day baitcasters are so good that you really don’t NEED to spend crazy money to get a good one. But the higher end ones are definitely nice if you WANT to spend the extra money. Rods are different story; A $100 rod is not going to perform like a $200 rod, simple as that.

Take a look at the Falcon Altrax rods. I haven't used one on the water, but have handled them in store. Probably the nicest $49.99 rod I've felt. That's the first rod I'd go after in your situation. They are new series that just came out earlier this year I believe. They feel pretty similar to their $99.99 Bucoo rods

I'd be selling every piece of gear I own if I lost that many baits on one trip. I do appreciate the fact that this doesn't stop you because the fish are biting in that area... lol

I use 30# braid. I've bent several hooks on KVD 1.5 squarebills, and it honestly ticks me off.

Yep, whatever junk mono I have lying around.

This is because you aren't using Daiwa

Falcon Expert or Cara

Exactly. I've heard some good about Kistler customer service, but I've also heard some bad. You don't hear about bad with Falcon (at least I haven't.) My experience with them has always been 10/10.

Falcon Rods I like my one Dobyns and would buy more if I catch them on a good sale. I don’t think they’re worth retail price though. I’d like to try a Kistler Helium, especially given that they are located about an hour from me here in Houston. They just close too early for me to make it up there after work to check out what they have, and I’ve heard very mixed experiences with their customer service. I’m not buying a $250+ rod unless I know for a fact that the manufacturer is going to back it up. Falcon does just that.

I didn’t even think about line capacity. I like 16# Sniper for my Texas rigs right now. Looks like the Zillion is rated between 43-87yds yards of 16# test??? Why do all of the JDM reels have such small line capacity? I was going to get a JDM Stradic recently but opted out because of how little line it held. I guess 87yds is enough, that just seems like very little line. I believe my Elite holds 125yds Any idea why it’s rated for 43-87yds of 16#? Under what circumstance would it only hold 43, but hold 87 in another situation? I don’t get that

Thank y’all for your input. I’ve never used an SV or any reel that has a cast control feature (like a Shimano DC). That’s kind of why I wanted this Zillion, to give the new technology a try. What I might do given what y’all are saying, is put my Elite on this new rod (which will MAINLY be a c rig/jig rod) and put the Zillion on my already dedicated Texas rig rod. Sounds like I could actually benefit with the SV technology to skip Texas rigs under docks and what not (usually throwing 1/4oz tungsten with a rage craw). That rod is a Cara Heavy Cover Jig. The new one is going to be Cara Amistad most likely

I really appreciate this reply. That’s my whole thing too.. even the $120-$150 reels now are incredibly smooth and built nicely, how can that get any better? I scored one the new Tatula 100’s for $85 like new in the box and it’s as good as my Elite. I’ve never owned a reel that is $360 (if we’re talking American retail, although I’d be buying it from Digitaka) so I’m just trying to understand what the deal is with it

I’m about to order a new Falcon Cara and need a reel for it. I’m a recent Daiwa fan, my “highest end” being the Tatula Elite (have purchased nothing but Daiwa reels since then.) Thinking about a JDM Zillion for this rod. I see a lot of hype about them but I’m just curious about makes them special. The one thing I’m not sure how to feel about is the clicking drag.. That just seems weird on a baitcaster. JDM Zillion or maybe one of the nice Shimano’s, like a Metanium? Will mainly use for Texas rigs, jigs, c-rig, etc.. Bottom contact stuff.

I don't own one, but I'd say the DC734. That's all you hear about for an "all around rod" from Dobyns On the other hand, for a little less, you can get Falcon's top of the line Cara series (which will make the Champ XP feel like an Ugly Stik). I think the Heavy Cover Jig could be a good all around option. That model is pretty comparable to the 734 I believe. Plus, when you need to call customer service, an American in Oklahoma will answer the phone and get you squared away, rather than a call center in Bangladesh.

None of the above. Falcon rods; either the Bucoo or the Lowrider for your price range. I used to own a lot of 13 Fishing products and will never buy anymore, ESPECIALLY with the Rapala buyout. Their customer service is a joke Get you a Falcon. Better quality rod, and their customer service is the best there is in the rod market. The Lowrider All Around and Cranker II are great cranking rods. My dedicated square bill rod is the Bucoo 7' M/M. Caught my PB 10.5 on that rod.

This^ You won’t find better than a Cara for $250.

I’m 50/50 on it. I started using it a few months ago and it’s been more of a headache than an advantage in my experience. My first time using it, I spooled up with brand new Seaguar Invizix. The first trip out, my jig broke off in mid air and blew my reel up. Retrieved my jig from the bank, line was still tied to it. Just recently I lost a big fish with that same Invizix spool using about a 1-2ft leader for senkos. All y’all say you gotta re tie every so often and this and that… I don’t see that as an advantage when you gotta worry about your line breaking every few hours if you don’t retie. I’ve been using Sunline Sniper since and haven’t a problem. With that said though, I thought flurocarbon was supposed to sink. If I just let my line sit slack on the water, it floats. 🤔

I LOVE the Tatula Elite. It’s the reel I bought for my Falcon Cara and is the one that made me a Daiwa man. Every reel since then has been Daiwa, including the Tat 100 you mentioned (which is also nice). I’d recommend the Elite. You can get the for like $180 from Amazon

I just got it a few weeks ago, but so far I’m loving my Daiwa Kage 2500. It feels really well built and is super smooth. Nice and light too

Whatever you do, don’t use that junk ass Invizix for a leader. I lost a big one the other day because of that, and that wasn’t the first time it’s broken on me. Sunline Sniper for leader or mainline, no problems at all

Falcon Cara Heavy Cover Jig or Amistad

Just to give y’all an update; I’ve been using my setup the past few days pretty consistently. I’ve caught a decent amount of fish on it, and I broke off on a giant that I’m still crying about ( junk ass Seaguar Invizix. NEVER AGAIN) So far I’m loving it!!! The reel is nice. It’s smooth and all but at the end of the day, it’s just line management. I don’t feel like it matters as much as far as a spinning rig goes. I do like the cork knob. The star of the show is that Falcon Expert. That thing, even with a weightless senko, is unbelievably sensitive. It is a very crisp feeling rod and lightweight. I grew to really like the handle being above the reel seat. The one problem I’ve noticed; If I hook into a fish and try to fight it while holding the rod solely by the cork grip up top, the reel started beating my knuckles. Non issue when im not hooked up…. when I’m hooked up though, I have to reposition my grip to avoid the reel beating my knuckles up. I broke off on a giant earlier that I’m still sick over. I was using a white spinner bait on a different rod and missed him. Threw that senko over there on my new rod, and BAM, GOT him. I didn’t even have a chance…. Set the hook, he took off running, broke off before I could even react to what was going on. I had a problem with that Invizix I was using as my leader before this incident, and this one just sealed the deal for me. NO MORE of that garbage. Haven’t broke off with Sunline Sniper yet

Do the fish care? Absolutely not. Do I care? Yep. 6:1 is for deep crankbaits, spinner baits, chatterbaits… 7:1 for square bills, rattle traps, and shallow/medium running moving bait 8:1 for anything bottom contact and topwater. Texas rig, Carolina rig, jigs, frogs, etc… I don’t know, just my preference and what works for me. The reality of it is is you can use a 6:1 for everything and be totally fine. Fishing gear catches FISHERMAN more than FISH and that’s just the d**n truth. I just like having nice gear