newapti5

So, a TD Zillion in vomit green. Sorry but hard pass. I guess not ALL TD Zillions are my favorite.

It's extremely difficult to find new ones, but occasionally used ones in mint condition pop up on jdm sites: https://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/p1115431246

I love all TD Zillions and TD-Zs. Any Daiwa Z variants would do as well. BTW, there's a thread called "show off your stuff" pinned to the top, which shows all the "precious."

You can find similar deals on jp.mercari.com, or Yahoo auction in Japan, but Japanese are not really into online shopping. The good/better deals are still from real shops.

If it's a spinning setup, a swivel could alleviate the line twist problem in theory, so Mr. Parker has a point there. But in reality, I have never tried it, because I figure one less knot is always better/safer, unless it's a FG knot.

Do you feel the carbon handle is a bit too slippery? Edge rods have similar designs and I always find them too slippery to have a firm grip during hookset.

Amazon has Seaguar Smackdown Braid, 20 lbs, 300 yards, Grey color, for $21. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLZWPL7P Amazon is known to automatically match other online merchants' price, and I think it is matching this site's price. Is this site Campsaver.com legit? Has anyone used it? https://www.campsaver.com/seaguar-brand.html

Does that frame nose remind you of something... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philtrum I am sorry, I just can't get over that image in my mind.

Ha! I have been following his Chinese channel for a while. Didn't know he also has an English channel. IMO, brother needs to work on his Chinese accent a bit. (I can say that as I am a Chinese, too) As an amateur angler, He is knowledgeable about bass fishing, also has some interesting insights and perspectives regarding reels and rods, as he holds a Ph.D in chemistry. He is a super fan of Shimano and Megabass mostly, not many other brands, but like you said, he is a true fan.

NRX's MSRP is $600+, so "$200 less" sounds about right. I got some of the last gen of World Class rods when they were on sale. Pretty decent rods with the proprietary 3M Powerlux 500 Resin, light, strong, and sensitive (though not NRX sensitive), but $400+ seems a bit too much. Two things I like the most - one is the slightly slower action, which applies to most of Fenwick rods; the other is the lifetime warranty. One of my fishing buddies broke his during a hookset, and Fenwick sent him one of the new gen rods, free of charge.

I would check the bearings first. Oftentimes the "geary" feeling is not from gears. If it's a gear problem, plat from Japan is a great source for parts.

The original spool from K is already an excellent spool for heavy lures, so I don't expect much improvement with the MGL spool, but for lighter lures, the casting difference is noticable in my experience.

I LOVE glx mbr series, but unless they chang the reel seat, I won't be getting the new ones. While y'all were fussing about the glx sales, I quietly grabbed a Legend Elite for $267 to-my-door.

I've done it to my K. For 1/2 oz and up lures, I didn't notice much difference, but for light lures like 3/8 jerkbaits, I did find it casts more easily and further. I use braided line as backing for both spools. Not all MGL spools are same. IMO this one excels mostly in lighter lures.

...that the fish found the bearings at the bottom of the lake, and swallowed not one, but two of them right before the guy caught them. He asked for it. https://ftw.usatoday.com/2024/02/angler-learns-why-his-record-fish-was-rescinded-its-not-good

As others has pointed out, factory genuine bearings from Shimano are great quality, but they usually cost about $8 a piece. The alternative is to get some good quality bearings for about $1-2 a piece. You could get great quality bearings for key places, like the two spool bearings (3x10x4 and 5x11x4), the pinion bearings (8x12x3.5 and 5x9x3 I think), and the main shaft bearings (8x12x3.5 and 5x9x3 again I think). You might want to measure their sizes for certain, but these 6 bearings are the ones you should consider changing to quality stainless steel, NOT ceramic hybrid, bearings if you want the winding feel to be as smooth as possible. The four handle knob bearings and the one in the level wind are 4x7x2.5, and they won't affect the smoothness much as long as they are not rustic. I think ABEC-3 level would suffice. And if winding smoothness is your goal, pack them bearings with light grease instead of oil, except the two spool bearings, which should be lubricated with light oil only.

I would say it's around $20 to change ALL the bearings inside, except the AR bearing. If you have a budget of $50, you could change the bearings AND the gears. The gear set from Shimano official site or Plat is about $35 TYD.

I don't know what he was thinking and he wouldn't say, but I know he cried when she left, and now he has visited her so many times since last year that she "forbids" him to come visiting again. So yeah, I think you are right - he might be blaming the fishing now.

My fishing buddy, or ex-fishing buddy, is having the same problem. He hasn't touched his rods in half a year. He didn't know why, but just lost the interest suddenly. I suspect it has something to do with his daughter leaving for college last year. Since then he has purchased some top of the line rods and reels, and never even unwrapped them. Let's see how it goes this season.

LOL, but seriously, this is a classic case of Chinese manufacturers have little ideas of Western culture or market.

BTW how's the Silver Wolf treating you? Still running strong? I have been eyeballing one on JDM sites.

What a nice collection! What you're missing is one of these bad boys: https://jp.mercari.com/item/m39222096897 Or this: https://jp.mercari.com/item/m47389571421

Not a master on jigs (who can say that), but I use both braid + leader and straight fluoro. Each has its pros and cons. Besides sensitivity, casting distance, abrasion resistance, and other factors, stretch is also one of the causes. In short, different situation calls for different setup. But I have to say that since I MASTERED the FG knot, leader knot failure has never been one of the factors again.

See I don't know if you're just kidding or that's real. That's the problem with these "fancy" marketing terms Shimano and Daiwa came up with.