newapti5

Isn't the lews mach crush a graphite-frame reel? Personally, I would never pay more than a hundred dollars for a graphite reel, unless the inflation had gotten to certain point.

Coincidentally, my friend also just got himself a bday present last week, a zodias. The carbon handle is actually nicer than I thought.

Hard enough to make sure each wrap of braid sits around the leader neatly and snugly , but not hard enough to bend the leader. I was just tying a 8lb Seaguar STS leader to 10lb Seaguar Smackdown braid, so I took some pictures. Here's what it looked like with 25 wraps before I tied the first half-hitch knot: And here's what the final knot looks like: It's not perfect, but it's strong and thin enough. I didn't use any tying tools, but it did take me a little longer time.

Man I fished there many times last year. From ashore of course. I would never go near there on boats. Prayer for the unfortune family.

Having an active FB account would make selling your used tackle on Marketplace much easier. I have learnt that the hard way, and now I have to post my stuff under her account.

^This. It's harder to tie FG knot on light lines. If you still have trouble, you could try the Alberto knot - it's strong, and not significantly larger than the FG knot in this case.

Exactly what I thought. I didn't know bass like Chinese food.

Saw it on sale the other day. It seems to be a good substitute for Baby Rage Claw, with similar size, design, and action, but after trying it several times, I think the smallies can tell the difference.

Ardent reels used to be made in US, before they moved the production oversea. Also, a bunch of fly reels brands are still made in US. I think. But again, I feel like the correlation between reel quality and manufacturing location is getting weaker and weaker. Daiwa owns factories in different countries, and asks Doyo to make some reels for them. Doyo also has many factories and partners in other countries besides Korea, and they help Doyo make reels as well. Besides, all the parts insides are from all over the world. It's getting really hard to associate reel quality with locations anymore.

Not too much from Diana lately turns my screws. Diawa -> Diawia -> Diana. Come on, it's a bit out of control, whether you like them or not. It's Daiwa, 大和，the alternative name for Japan, like Columbia to US.

I have been selling my reel collection on eBay, and according to my sales record, the No.1 best selling reel brand is not Shimano or Daiwa, but Lew's. There're a lot of lookers for Shimano and Daiwa reels for sure, but the visitors of my Lew's reels listings made much quicker decisions, sometimes not even trying to bargain with me. New or used, them Lew's reels had been selling like hot cakes, and I've already cleared all my Lew's. I know this might be a controversial topic here, but I am really looking at Lew's reels differently now.

Neither, I'd use braid with a leader. If I have to choose between mono and fluoro, I would go with mono, which has less memory problems than fluoro. Fluoro on a 1000 size small diameter spool would be a disaster IMO.

Don't do it! The whole reel will explode into pieces! (Of course you can adjust it. The first thing I do with Zero adjuster is to adjust it; Daiwa just makes it harder to do.) I mostly use 20lb braid with a leader. But if you're using straight braid for bottom contact lures, 30lb would be better. I'd use a M power rod, as the SV70 is finesse oriented, but MH should be OK as well, as it's also a general purpose reel, NOT a BFS reel. To be specific, I think 1/8oz and 1oz could both be pushing its limits.

I assume you're referring to the ZOLO "Deputy" rod. I used to have one; sold it last year. During the time I had it, I felt it's a little tip heavy. The power is more like between MH-H, with a fast tip. The sensitivity is good, but not as good as the spinning model "Maestro," which amazed me with its sensitivity. It'd be a great spinnerbait rod, or a heavy jig rod, but it's just a bit too stiff for my finesse jigs.

I can proudly say, not anymore! I used to belong to that club. It's dark and bottomless. All the shame and guilt when others ask "what is your number"... Oh, the lies... Now after some online and local selling, I am no longer addicted to the rod collection. My head is clearer; I feel relaxed and confident when talking to others; my trip preparation effort improves dramatically; I spend more time with my family... With a little help from eBay/Facebook Marketplace/Forum Flea Market, you could achieve your goal, too. Act today! (Not sponsored by DVT or any other forum members)

Braid doesn't have memory, and fluoro does, which causes it to coil up during backlash, more prone to cinge into that gap. Still, 8lb fluoro should be ok for Daiwa or Shimano reels. I used to have a reel with a gap so big, 12lb mono would get in there often.

Just "pimped out" my Metanium a bit. This Gomexus drag star fits the reel perfectly, and the color matches the Jitai carbon knobs' color pretty well.

Abu Garcia Ambassadeur C3 or C4

Glad to see some posts regarding my favorite reel. TD-Z platform is built to last, regardless its heavy weight. Back then, they hadn't had Steez yet, so TD-Z was supposed to be Daiwa's best offering on low profile baitcasters, with some crazy smooth cranking.

Well, it depends on where you're looking I guess. JDM sites usually have Tatula SV for around $150, and if you don't want to buy from them, Amazon is selling a better Daiwa reel, Alphas SV, for $170: https://www.amazon.com/Daiwa-TW800S-XH-Alphas-Bass-Bait/dp/B0B2NRSPSH

I am mildly interested to see the MQ version of Tatula LT, after so many other MQs. But hey, MQ reels need love, too.

Although I agree with @Tatulatard and @PhishLI, I also agree with the others' opinion of sending it back - Send it back and get a Tatula SV; then everyone is happy.

Unfortunately, yes, which brings the total to $244

Actually, now you don't even need an Amazon Japan account to buy JDM; Amazon is selling some of the popular JDM reels on Amazon US site, under the seller name "Amazon Japan." For example, this Daiwa Zillion is only $230, free shipping from Japan. That's cheaper than Digitaka. https://www.amazon.com/Daiwa-Gillion-1000PL-Handle-Model/dp/B08NP23D9S Heck, they even have the new Daiwa digital reel - IM Z for pre-order, with the lowest price I've seen so far. And they said this is a JDM only reel: https://www.amazon.com/Daiwa-HD-C-Limit-Breaker-Bait/dp/B0BSTMHXD5