newapti5

Nope, but you could gain some street rep for doing that. It's like putting a Daiwa reel on a Shimano rod. Wild......

Have you tried to put that Tatula SV on similar rods for a try? Besides rods, reels could cause that casting issue as well. When you're used to a reel with a certain spool, a different heavier spool could cause the cast to go left, and a lighter spool could cause it to go right. Actually I wouldn't call it an "issue," as you could fix it by matching the lure weight to each setup - if it goes left, try using a heavier lure; if it goes right, try using a lighter lure.

I'll add another vote for Zillion HD. Magseal bearings are hard to clean.

Amazon Japan, but it is only for 100 size, left-handed, sold by a third party seller.

Chronarch is lighter than Bantam, yet larger, and much longer. It's longer because the line guide is far away from the spool, contributing to its great casting performance. The new 22 Bantam is smaller and shorter, so to improve its casting performance, Shimano goes the other direction - making the spool narrower, instead of the long distance between line guide and spool. The new Metanium uses the same design, which attracts some critiques from people with big thumbs. Price wise, Chronarch can be had for ~$170 from Japan sites, being a 6 years old reel. The new Bantam is running around $210.

No, JPangler charges shipping additionally, which is about $10 I think. Yeah, Amazon Japan has ~$10 shipping charge for reels, even though it says $15. Also, Amazon Japan itself doesn't sell ANY Shimano reels to US buyers anymore. All the reels available to US buyers are being sold by third party sellers, so you'll have to take your chance with that. Some of them might be selling used reels as new ones. You still have many choices besides Amazon Japan and Digitaka: JPangler, Japan lure shop, plat, asian portal...... They all ship pretty fast and secure. Some charge shipping and some don't. Japan lure shop would even give you a Megabass lure as free gift.

Like you said, search around and you'll find better deals. For example, jpangler.com has 6.2 right-handed Bantam for $206. Also, JDM sites don't charge tax.

Low profile reel? IMO not likely. Even though there's a couple of options available, they won't last long for what you described. You'll need this:

Yes it has. It also has the mysterious "infinity drive" to boost the winding power. IMO, BB1 Pro for $170 is NOT cheap.

Late to the party, but if OP has $200 budget for a 150 size sturdy reel, why not try to the new JDM 22 Bantam? It's probably the strongest and most powerful low profile baitcaster Shimano has ever made, it's small in form yet holds more line than the Metanium, it casts as well as the Metanium, and its aluminum frame is suitable for salt water. Forget the "lousy" 20% discount on BB1 Pro, the JDM Bantam is about 40% off right now. I am a Daiwa fan, and I couldn't think of a more suitable reel on the market right now for the tasks OP describes. Maybe a TD-Z or a SV103, aka "my precious." As for a clicking drag, IMO it's a nice thing to have, but it's more like a novelty as DC brakes - I forgot about it after awhile.

Tackletrap has this reel foot protector for sale. It usually comes with high end reels. https://tackletrap.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=17967

Yes, Shimano reels have design like that. Just do as what mentioned above. Also, if you take a close look at part 42, you will see a couple of tiny grooves. Those are where the two tiny plastic pins are supposed to rest after installation, so part 42 would be fixed to the main shaft.

Because of the "silent tune," the new Metanium (and the new Bantam) won't have much side-to-side play, even if you completely loosen the tension knob. But you still need to tighten up the tension knob to make the reel work properly. I normally tight up the tension knob slowly and closely, until the side-to-side play is diminished to almost gone. Also because of the "silent tune," if you have pulled out the spool, you need to make sure to push the spool all the way back in, then close up the side plate and check if the spool tension is normal. Otherwise, you may cause some large amount of spool tension, which would cause the lure drops slowly, and choke off the cast.

Like fixing a car, a vague description of "noice" usually won't help much locating the culprit. You'll need to be more specific, or just send it to professionals like DVT here to save time.

I use 5 gear ratio for everything. If there's company who is focusing on 4 or 5 low ratio reels, I will not care about material, weight, brakes, or anything else, not even prices; I'll buy them without any hesitation.

All GLX rods were on big sale the other day. Even though my GLX 843C MBR isn't broken (knock on wood), I was thinking about getting another one.

Also wade fishing. It's quite fun in the summer.

Same here, I am also seriously thinking about accidentally ordering a poison glorious from Japan. I just need to accidentally compare the prices on different JDM sites, and accidentally wait for the model I want back in stock while the exchange rate accidentally getting even lower. Fingers accidentally crossed!

So the line would break right at the reel in the middle of cast? I wonder if it's because of the reel or backlash? If a bad backlash happens in the middle of a hard cast, the brute force could break 12lb line sometimes. Also, when that happens, the spool is still rolling, or thumb bar is popped up and the spool has stopped? The latter could cause line breakage, too.

Yes no problem. The bearing size is 5x8x2.5mm in case you want to upgrade.

I saw this brief introduction as well, but I think this is to explain the Infinity Drive mechanism with spinning reels. For baitcasters, it seem to a case-by-case situation. I agree that it's not something revolutionary, but just curious how it works.

Maybe you could elaborate on how to do it later, as I've tried many different ways (feed the line from certain angle; tweaking with the tension knob) to get it work with 10# Seaguar Smackdown, but to no avail.

Found this the other day. It may shed some light on new Bantam's Infinity Drive. It's more than a new design of pinion gear and spool shaft; there're other things as well. I am not sure what "two special greased bearings" he's referring to, the two supporting the pinion gear, or the two supporting the spool. Hopefully not the latter, as I've already flushed mine. (P.S. turn on the CC if possible. Gee, I thought my accent was thick...)

I have the same one, and it works most of the time. But it does require some line tension, and it doesn't work well for light braids under 20lbs.