FrnkNsteen

Might be worth pulling the handle off and see if the two offset drag washers are installed properly. They should be like ( ), not (( or )). That helps give you some range to the drag. Otherwise, if they aren't opposed and are spooning like newlyweds, they quickly go to lockdown when you tighten the drag. I fully see the thought of just bringing it back if it is new. Why have to mess with a new reel, but it's a pretty easy thing to check if you've messed with reels at all.

I've got a handful. I have a couple Abu Garcia Revo winch and an Orra Winch that I believe are 5.4:1. I also have a couple Shimano Calcutta 101's that I believe are 5.8 Also included are various versions of older Daiwas,... Mainly TDZ and some Sol reels that I believe were 5.7:1 Their "High Speed" reels in those days were 6.3:1.

As @brophog suggested,... I wouldn't overthink it too much. Here's my take... I would put the smoothest reels on your moving baits rods. Smoothness isn't that critical on bottom contact rods where you are moving the bait with the rod and just picking up slack with the reel. Only you know which of you reels are the smoothest. Where I want my smoothest reels is on the cast and reel techniques like your crankbaits, square bills and such. I would think the Zillion, the Curado DC and maybe the Elite Long Cast would do well there. I'd lean towards putting the Tatulas and the pitch and flip on jig and worm duties. Bottom line for me is.... Light and smoothest reels go on moving bait setups like cranks, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, and maybe bladed jigs where the reel is moving the bait. Heavier or not as smooth go on techniques where you are moving the bait with the rod

I lose track of all the different versions of Tatula rods so hard for me to say how they compare. I've got a Tatula cranking rod that's black and a skipping jig rod that's silver. Is the XT the silver ones and the regular Tatula the black ones? Anyways... I do have a few different Sierras and I like them. Obviously a significant step up from the Fury! I also like them better than the Kadens. I had a couple Kadens and traded both of them off. I still have a Sierra 682c that I like for small topwater poppers. I've got a 734c that I believe has a buzzbait on it now, and I think I still have a 733c set up for paddletail swimmers. I like them!! Better than the black and the silver Tatulas I have

I've been there!! I was working on a reel one time and got it all cleaned up. Set the brake to zero to check free spin before spooling it up. Got it all spooled up and threaded on a rod to go make a couple casts.... First cast... Oh Oh!! I had forgotten to set the brake. I do the same and typically start with about half brake and zero spool tension. You know it's bad when you hear the backlash go "Pffffffttt!!! And feel it under your thumb. I immediately realized what I had done. Don't remember if I was able to pick it out or had to result to scissors and starting over, but remember it being one of the worst I had experienced! 😜

Ok... Let me clarify... You rarely see them here is the U.S. I agree you see them from Japan sellers, but have always been leary buying from individual seller in Japan

LOL!! No worries on my end. I was just wanting to tease the OP that he could feel free to take your advice and send it on over my way! 😁 I've been wanting to pick up a left handed Pixy for a while now, but you don't see the lefties very often!

I agree with some mentioned above. Daiwa TDZ 103ML, Alphas 105, and MGL70A are at the top of my list (In that order)

So feel free to send that Pixy to my home address. Especially if is a left handed model!! 😁😁

I don't have either, but I have seen LOTS of feedback of people praising the 744 more than a 735. I saw a video with Gary Dobyns saying he developed that XP 744 specifically for fishing jigs. I move things around fairly often to try different setups, so I occasionally lose track of my current setups. I think right now my jig setups are a St Croix Legend Extreme I picked up off the seconds rack at the factory in Wisconsin when I went there one time, an older Kistler Helium, a Dobyns Champion Extreme 745 and an older NFC blanked Kistler Zbone MHMF I use for moving jigs. Bought all of them either heavily discounted or second hand. The hunt is part of the fun for me! :) Kind of like looking for old vinyl records or CDs! 🙂

I like a little slower rod for bladed jigs as I want to give them a second to have time to clamp down on moving baits before setting the hook. I saw a video that explained that theory well to me. They said there are times when using a moving bait that the bump you feel is just them inhaling the bait as it is moving by. Too fast of an action could allow a fast set to pull the bait away before they close down on it. Personally I believe I have a better hook up ratio with slower rods than with faster ones. I have a Champion XP 734 running buzzbaits and like it for that. I haven't tried it on bladed jigs, but feel it would probably do well. For regular jigs, a faster rod might be more ideal, but I think it would still work. Would be good for swim jigs too! There's bad reason the Dobyns XP 744c "Jig Special" rod is a faster rod than the 734. I believe there is some overlap between them and you would be fine though!

I've done that! I felt it mimicked a sunfish or other small fish they feed on. I had best luck with the color Blue Craw as it's green with hints of blue. I felt it resembled a bluegill.

I admit I haven't been buying as many rods lately, or really even paying attention to them, other than to question this... Haven't pretty much all the options gone up in price about equally? I know what used to be a $139 St Croix Mojo is now a $180 St. Croix Mojo. What used to be a $119 Falcon Lowrider is now $149 at most places. That would tell me that it is all pretty relative and the value comparison between the options is about the same as it was. Don't get me wrong... I've had Fury rods before and liked them, but have gotten rid of most as I have moved on to other options. I think I have three left,... 2 705cb and a 703c. Pricewise though... I'm of the opinion that everything has gone up in price lately, so things are still pretty comparable. You can't really say you might as well step up to the Sierra or Kaden because those are now $190 -$200. Same approximate $40-$50 price jump from Fury to them as it was when they were cheaper.

I have no experience with any of the Steez reels, so I can't help you there. I'm also someone who has never been overly concerned with maximizing casting distance, but if I were..... I wouldn't be reaching for a Tatula SV. Don't get me wrong, I like those reels. I have two of the '17 CT framed Tat SV reels and at least 3 of the '20 Tat SV reels. One currently has a Ray's BFS spool in it on a Dobyns Sierra SUF740. What I believe people appreciate the Tat SV reels for is that they are a bit overbraked and have been proven to excel at skipping and casting in and around cover with reduced backlashes. They have never been one I would reach for if I need distance. The '21 Zillion seems to be more open version of the SV system with the SV boost and I like how mine has performed. I think @bulldog1935 nailed it describing best uses for the different Daiwa brake options.

For me, I honestly think that the point of diminishing returns has been getting lower and lower, until recent price jumps that is. With companies like Shimano trickling down features of higher end models to their lines like the SLX MGL and Tatula 80 and newer 100, the difference between them and the higher end products has shrunk significantly. I appreciate my higher end reels, but HAVE to say that the differences between them and the $150-$200 reels isn't as much of a difference as it once was. For rods... I think it's around the $150-$200 mark. You can get pretty nice rods in that price range. Yes, stepping up bumps the performance, but I don't think the performance increase necessarily matches the cost increase.