PhishLI

Yeesh. Any time I hear actual men defending themselves by claiming not to be a fanboy...Defending yourself with a slur? Just don't. That word is so weak. I'm not offended by Milliken in the least. Not enough to throw out the baby with the bathwater. He wasn't calling out PE. He was addressing the current trend on some YT channels spreading negativity about the fishing industry. Gerald Swindle has addressed this trend too. He was also explaining something specific to the Jacob Fs of the industry, and that is that individual companies aren't sitting on a pile of cash and are unwilling to part with it to sponsor anglers. Instead, it's ownership entities who now control these staple brands who suck out surplus dollars and distribute them as they see fit. This situation leaves guys like Foutz out of the $ equation who was unaware that being a Bassmaster Elite isn't enough these days. Googan Owner Rob Terkla called Foutz on the Zaldaingerous podcast and promised him Bass Mafia would consider him for sponsorship if he would ramp up is YT output greatly. In other words, get a strong social media presence and you'll get paid. Chris Zaldain recently mentioned that a honcho from Megabass claimed Randy was moving tons of product for them once he began uploading YT content, and that started 3 years ago. Obviously, this is measurable where ROI from logos on a jersey is nebulous at best. Here there aren't affiliate links to prove something or nothing.

I'm in the same boat and was considering both of these rods too. The 701MFS felt stout to me, for a MF that is. The MLFS will probably be fine as it's also somewhat crisp for a ML. I made my mind up to go with the 7'3" M XT instead. Had nothing to do with price. Daiwa TATULAXT731MFS Tatula XT Spinning Rod - TackleDirect TATULAXT731MFS Spinning Rods M F 7'3" 1 6-14 1/8-3/8 8 Fuji® Aluminum Oxide $99.99

With your particular HF I'd definitely start with quality mono, especially because you've mentioned treble baits. You'll want the stretch. Straight braid is tricky using heavy baits. They catch wind, and if you throw up a loop of braid on the spool it'll instantly lock it up and kiss your bait goodbye. Even 65lb braid can snap at the knot with a few ounces tied on. I have yet to see this happen with mono, copoly, or flouro. Where the braid will lock up on a simple overrun, plastic lines tend to fluff and recover, and if you happen to nest the elasticity of the line saves you from losing the bait. Keep it simple to start off and spool up with 20lb Berkeley Big Game. It's stronger than you can imagine and it's super affordable. After you get a feel for bigger baits, then begin trying copoly or fluoro if you think you'd like to or need to.

The reason I recommended the K 300 is that it uses the older set-and-forget VBS brakes, just like the good old days, and just like the Tranx 300 and 400. Very predictable. Very nice. The Tranx 200 uses SVS Infinity brakes which can be touchy, IMO, especially with heavier plastic main line. We sent ours packing. Stick with the K 300 if you lean towards Shimano. Ours aren't going packing. The Tat 200 is an easy recommendation especially if you're going with heavy mono or fluoro mainline, which is a good idea, IMO. We have several. Heavy plastic lines flow nicely through the T-wing, and Magforce braking is a breeze and well suited for heavy baits. You'll be good with whichever you choose between the two.

My point is that you have no idea whether Daiwa or Shimano use specific parts for their reels sourced from China. I'd bet anything that they do, and this isn't disclosed either. I know this is the norm because I've consulted for brands operating in the ultra high end markets. Strangely, these choices aren't always price driven. Some things aren't produced domestically because the talent no longer exists in the home country to do so, and that includes Germany. If not for NDAs, the stories I could tell.

Exactly. Nobody concerned with country-of-origin sourcing has the first clue about which parts come from where which are used in your favorite brands. Time to move on with this type of thinking. It's so far out of our hands. Perhaps you're old enough to remember when buying anything from the conquered Imperial Japanese was a sin? Cars made from recycled beer cans? Now they're held in the same regard as Sweden or Germany. BTW, I "liked" your post.

Timely.

In the US market it's the Tatula 300 and its variants like the Lexa TWs, the Zillion 1000, HD, and Steez variants, but it's implemented differently in the Tat 300. JDM it's the Alphas on up through Zillion and Steez variants. The Alphas SV is your least expensive route to a FFS Daiwa.

It doesn't. It has a long spool shaft like typical Tatulas. I'm not sure why Daiwa is promoting these newer compact Tatulas as Hyper Double Support Pinions. However, if it's anything like the Tatula 80 I wouldn't worry about it. My 80 is almost Zillion G smooth. Might be the new gear teeth cut(hyperdrive) or the aluminum handle-side sideplate(Hyper-Armed Housing) or both. Whatever the reason, it's very smooth.

Berkley Powerbait Finesse Swim Jigs | Tackle Warehouse

Yup. Shimano Curado 300 K Casting Reels | Tackle Warehouse

Probably, but the rod will tell you. Understand that you cannot generate max energy from a seated position. Think of swinging a bat sitting in a chair. With your legs and hips removed from the equation you simply cannot generate even close to the energy as a standing cast. With that, the rod will more than likely be fine with that weight. If you're going to purchase a new reel, skip the Tranx 201. Get a Tatula 200 which holds quite a bit more line and is way less touchy to dial in, or a Curado 300 which is very nice, or a Tatula 300 which is top of the food chain. No reason to go with a Tranx if you're not fishing in salt, IMO.

Not from a line cap perspective. However, I wouldn't make it a thing more than sometimes with that weight. The clutch mech might not like it. That said, you probably won't be throwing many 4 oz baits with that St. Croix. Bet you don't go over 3 oz, and more like 1 1/2oz- 2 1/2oz, and there you should be OK.

Everyone? Not quite. I can think of one regular here who's Cukoo over them and shall remain unnamed, then a few of us with either one or a few. He's a straight-braid-brigade type of dude too. It's kinda rough on guides. Ya know? Perhaps this mystery man will chime in.😉

Yes, it matters. A bunch of the guys in my circle are big swimbaiters, including my brother, who all happen to fish from yaks, and I can't think of a single time I've seen one of them stand to bomb a swimbait. It's just a risky move if you care about dumping, even on a very stable yak. Swinging a big stick with heavy weight is not the same as standing and pitching or skipping. I can say confidently that I rarely see a big bait casted farther than 100' from someone seated on a yak. It's usually quite a bit less. My point is that you can use your Curado DC if you wish to see how you like it. If you do, then get a Curado 300, Tranx 300, or Tatula 300, or whatever. In the meantime, you'll be just fine with your DC. I promise.

No answers. I have an Essence 7'6" MHF, ran Sufix Tritanium+ 14lb for about 6 months and Tatsu 15lb for 8 months afterward. No issues whatsoever.

It came from Amazon Prime shipped from a US seller in 1 day. I'm not looking to throw 1 gram micro jigs and I want to use light fluoro which isn't recommended for 5 gram heavily ported spools. 1/15oz heads + Finesse TRDs at 5-ish grams total will be the minimum for me. FTB is a proven system and I'd rather have a metal frame and no possible tolerance issues allowing for line getting caught between the spool and frame if I go with light braid at some point.

Good deal at $158 for what is essentially a $210 Curado BFS.

...sliding down another rabbit hole.🤪

It's not an SV. It'll cast as far as you want, no different than any other Mag Z Daiwa.

Why not just try it first. It holds 300 feet of 12lb line. You'll never even come close to spooling it even with 17lb.

Midway isn't weird, and they ship fast and pack rods in tubes not boxes. Solid outfit. Falcon Lowrider Swim Jig 7'2 Casting Rod Med Hvy (midwayusa.com)

Way too long. Could be months. Ship it to them in Cali and they'll ship it to Alabama, N.Carolina, or wherever. Minimal to no communication with the tech who's working on it. Then it just shows up one day. No thanks. Hard pass.

AFAIK, the Arbogast Hawaiian Wiggler came before the Snagless Sally, and I believe Arbogast helped Hildebrandt with designing the Sally. I read something to that effect anyway somewhere along the way. The HW was my #1 bass catcher when I was a kid. Couldn't put it down. Just like you I found the feedback addictive. Once I figured out that I could run it through Lily pad fields without losing it, I went on a crazy bass catching run. I barely lost any either using only 6lb Stren. I was crestfallen when my local tackle shop said they'd no longer stock them due to state lead regulations in early 1980, so I bought what they had left in stock which wasn't much. They still work great these days.