PhishLI

Lunker logs and Bandito Bugs work as well as any other bait for me. DSG has sales.

$63 flash sale for LH model. KastKing Kestrel Air Micro Finesse Casting Reel, Ultralight Baitcasting Fishing Reel, Easily Casts Lures Down to 0.5 Gram, Backlash Prevention Brake, 7.6:1 Gear Ratio, 2+9+1 Ball Bearings(Left Handed – 7.6:1) - KastKing Fishing Gear Sale

It hasn't been my observation that typical 28-30mm spooled BFS reels throwing finesse baits, especially plastics, are any easier to master than typical 34mm spooled reels and conventional baits. In fact, there's a learning curve with BFS. An adjustment to one's casting mechanics. If the OP is overpowering his casts while seated with his Shimanos trying to hit the distances he's capable with what he's described as his comparable spinning gear, then I seriously doubt BFS is his answer. But hey, for about $400 out the door he can find out for himself if he wishes. I prefer casting gear and I'm 8 to 1 owning casting to spinning rigs. However, I'm not under the illusion that I can automatically outcast my spinning gear with casting gear because I can't, especially BFS casting versus spinning. A 3000 sized reel spooled with PE #.08 on a 7'-7'6" ML can throw an 1/8 oz quite a ways.

Tell that to @Swamp Girl who routinely 100% mops the floor with everyone posting on the Latest Catch section while using 30 year old spinning gear.

Shimano SVS Infinity braking is the touchiest system out there unless you're throwing aerodynamic baits, IMO. You think you're dialed in, then a puff of wind happens through, and you'll need to lean into the spool where you might not need to with other braking systems. Throw in casting from a seated position where one's casting mechanics are quite altered compared to casting while standing and your game better be tight, especially with lighter or wind catching baits. I can understand the OP's frustration especially because he's not at a near-expert level. Compared to every other system I use whether mag or friction I need to concentrate and mind things more with a Shimano with SVS Infinity to keep things in check, especially with anything less than aerodynamic hard baits like a lipless, standard crank, or a poop bait that'll fly a mile. Tie on a flat side 75 crank without making adjustments and you'll need be ready for the inevitable. Just a PIA. I almost wish I didn't give my brother my Chronarch E7 with its reliable 6 pin VBS system. So much less touchy. It might not be with the way you choose to fish and especially with the gear you've chosen. Read above for my angle on that.

TW still has stock of several M.I.S. models. Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C4 6600 Casting Reels - Tackle Warehouse Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C4 5600 Casting Reels - Tackle Warehouse Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C3 6500 Casting Reels - Tackle Warehouse Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C3 5500 Casting Reels - Tackle Warehouse

Absolutely😁

In my travels I see more casuals with plastic clamshell ABUs than any other reel brand by a huge margin. Those users never have and never will hear of the reel test or fishing forums or would ever want to be like fishing forum hardcores that think about fishing reels in any depth. What they think about fishing reels if they think about them at all is budget and that their Uncle Schmoe or grand pappy had an ABU and that's good enough for them. What the same 20-30 forum addicts and navel gazers who cross-post across a few fishing forums say, myself included, means little in the real world.

I guess this comes down to the eye of the beholder and casting mechanics/styles. I have both. Mine's actually the SLX BFS which is the JDM equivalent to the Curado and, with all other elements being identical like line and rod, I find the ARK to be far more consistent and controllable with lures under 5 grams, especially soft plastics. In my hands, switching from light mono or fluoro to braid mainline definitely helped the SLX, but it also helped the ARK which only reinforced the gulf in performance. Oddly, with about 120' of line, my Alpahas 800S is just as capable as the Curado/SLX where it's at its best, IMO. I wanted to like it, but I don't use it where I was hoping to use it most. I don't throw a lot of aerodynamic trebled hard baits which is where it does quite well, but which reel in the class doesn't?

Unless I've misread the OP's responses, he's neither cleaned nor lubed the spool bearings as he misidentified them by his own admission.

Brrrrrr! Got in. Got bites. Got out. Daiwa Catalina TW, Daiwa Tatula XT 7'3" H, 20lb Big Game. Shellcracker G2 in bone.

If you're fishing these reels in the salt, and if you did in fact remove the clutch cam plate which retains the pinion bearing in order to remove it, clean it, then oil it, then you'd be well served to repeat the process but grease it instead this time. That bearing is susceptible to water, especially if you use braid, and proper grease will be better in this position for keeping water from seeping in between the shield and race. Remove the cir-clip retainer to pop off the bearing's shield to grease it. Do the same to the other frame bearings found on the crankshaft. Also, remove the clutch cam spring and grease its anchoring hole found in the frame. It's a through hole, so suspended fines and salt can migrate in through it. Over time friction between the steel spring and aluminum frame combined with grit/salt will wallow out that through hole causing the spring to no longer seat properly. This is good practice even if you don't fish the salt and will avoid a PIA fix. Before you reinstall handle-side side plate, grease its lip where it mates to the frame to create a grease gasket. Leave the weep hole(s) open though. This will keep water out of the gearbox in-use and when you rinse it.

No, the bearings I've shown in pics above are your discreet spool bearings on Tatulas, which is what both of your reels are. The Saltist is just a Tatula with a JDM name. There's no such thing as brake and spool tension bearings. Simply oiling the pinion bearing will have zero impact during casting. Try oiling your bearings as I've shown then report back.

Like this? Between the inner race and shield?

Explain how you went about oiling the bearings. Probably not.

While it wouldn't hurt to have engineering degree to take apart a bait caster and put one back together, or vast experience as a wrenching mechanic, or great at the game of Concentration, none are necessary if you can think practically. Bait casters are truly dumb-simple machines. Assembly line workers who put them together aren't master craftsmen. I refuse to work on any of my friends' reels if I have even the slightest inkling that they are themselves capable of learning how to do it. Minus one guy who has ADHD and who would glaze over and drift off after three words into a sentence, they've all taken to it. They include grade schoolteachers, road workers, arborists, spirit importers, etc. None of them have spent a millionth of the time I've spent in every system of a jumbo jet, complex electronic circuits, engines, assembly line design and fabrication, etc. I've calmly showed them how to lay out parts in order of disassembly while taking pictures along the way. 'Aint digital cameras great? How to not strip screws/bolts, etc. A few took notes. Not one has needed me to bail them out after that first session except for an occasional over-the-phone reminder. That's how simple these things are. With all of that said, a man's gotta know his limitations. If you get the shakes at the prospect of putting together IKEA furniture, then this probably isn't for you. On the other hand, if you see something and think that if someone else did this, then so can I, this is truly easy stuff. Look over your schematics while you work on your reels. Check the part #s against their description in the tables. In short order this will give life to what they are and what they do, and eventually you'll begin to understand how they function and work together. Once the mystery you've created in your head is stripped away, you'll be far less likely to short circuit and make errors.

That generation uses red brake arms that'll get zippy sounding unless you periodically oil the brass brake pipe found in the removable side plate. Use the Bantam oil that came with the reel. Follow the instructions on the sheet found in the original packing. This will probably solve your issue.

So does Daiwa. My 2018 BG2500 has made in Chyna on the foot.

Yes, I agree, because I've experienced this firsthand more than once when after a very long cast where I needed to lock the drag to move the fish through heavy veg and pads that they dove in to. In both cases the reels were Doyo built Plueger Supreme XTs, and both were noticeably geary afterward. I highlighted this in response to another poster's question on geary-ness shown below and it earned me a flippant "laugh" from a reel "expert". Not really besides a new gear set. Just the nature of the beast, depending on the particular reel, with that particular earlier DOYO geartrain architecture. I've felt them go from relatively smooth to geary after cranking in a 5 pounder through heavy veg and pads with locked down drag.

This is the kind of info that matters right off the bat and why I ask people how they're fishing when they pose questions. Many if not most Sitting-in-a-Kayak-while-Fishing-questions won't be answered accurately by people thinking about standing on a decked boat and fishing. My advice: Get the shortest practical rod for the weight you're throwing with the shortest handle you can find. Improvise your chop stroke kind of side-arm. It works with a bit of yak positioning and dexterity the same way one adjusts to skip from a low-seated position versus standing on a boat.

Don't sweat it. There are a ton of Daiwas in my immediate orbit. Besides a line roller for a 6-year-old Ballistic, I haven't needed to order a part for a recently built model.

Correctamundo. Owner Weighted Twistlock Light 3pk - Tackle Warehouse

Who "cleaned" it? It's not everyone's habit to remove the clutch mech and grease all associated friction surfaces/points of which there are many. Typically, this will solve the issue. Personally, I've never had a "sticky" thumb bar on any of my Daiwas. I serviced a Curado K with this issue several years ago and haven't heard a peep since. The clutch-cam/frame concentric mating surfaces were dry out of the factory and properly greasing them fixed it.

I prefer the 5/0. No, I don't think it messes up the action and the hookup ratio is better with its longer shank, IMO.

Not even close. You can give them a little bit of a bend to close the gap if you think you need a heavier wire hook. I've done this a lot. That aside, try the owner the Owner Twistlock Light. They work weedlessly in typical soft stick baits and all I use in flukes regardless of brand. No bending necessary. Owner Twistlock Light Hook - Tackle Warehouse