newapti5

What size reel are you looking for? A 5.2 4000 size could be as fast as a 6.2 2000 size. I'd look at the IPT instead.

Not really. Besides build quality, I am also equally interested to see innovation on reel designs and materials, and I don't see much of that on Pflueger reels, BC or spinning. As a consumer, I would be a little disappointed if Okuma and 13 were out of the BC business though.

Rod Glove is good, but there're so many alternatives nowadays. For reel cover, TW's are pretty decent. I also use Academy's; they're quite nice for the price. https://www.academy.com/p/h2o-xpress™-baitcast-reel-cover?sku=blue-matte

Plainly, material with elastic yield would return to original shape, like a metal spring; material with plastic yield won't, like a stretched plastic bag. All yield in lines includes partial elastic yield and partial plastic yield, and plastic yield won't happen much until you pull hard on the line. Plastic yield is also related to how long of time you pull the line. To make things simple, let's say we only focus on elastic yield and assume all lines are elastic material, I'd say Invizx got my vote.

There're plenty of posts in the forum discussing about DC or not DC before; a simple search would suffice. Maybe it's not a proper analogy, but recently Trader Joe finally opened a store in my area after long waiting of "a decade." Everyone who hadn't been to was so eager to go there. I heard someone even took a day off for the grand opening. But once been there, many (me included) would say, "meh, it's OK I guess..."

It's great stuff, the best that I have used.

It all depends on the fishing situation, but I believe you know that already. In my case, fishing rocky bottom river, with no much vegetation, and clear water, I used 6~9 feet leaders, no less than 8 pound on spinning, but no more than 15 pound on casting. Besides poundage, I also pay attention to diameters. For example, the Seaguar STS leader is tough and cheap, but it's thicker than blue/gold label. 12 pound STS is as thick as 15 pound of blue label.

Shimano, Daiwa, MB... these "hot" brands are all MAP stuff, meaning every retailer will have to follow the allowed discounted prices. Going lower than that, they'll risk getting fined or blacklisted by the wholesalers. Not just fishing industry, many other retail industries do that as well. It's a common business practice, to keep up the "highly-sought-after" brand image. Even if sometimes the wholesalers/suppliers do need to move some merchandise quickly, they do it quietly, or on another market. That's why we can see highly discounted stuff in stores like Sierra Trading Post, or some JDM stuff on a US store clearance. Secondly, with the popularity of Shimano, obviously retailers don't have to lower the prices much to move them, unless they have other purposes.

Pennsylvania is famous for its tick seasons. Although I haven't had any tick bites (knocking wood), some of my friends had, and it's no fun at all. The rule of thumb would be avoiding thick bushes and grass, especially the ones in the wilderness with no one visiting, and always wear long sleeves and pants when you have to. Then, when the day is done, have someone check your pants and back carefully for ticks, before entering indoor. There were a couple of times that I found ticks on my pants before going home. Secondly, deet repels ticks, remember to spray some before the fishing trip starts. But make sure your hands don't have deet leftover, as it's a perfect fish repellent as well. Last but not least, nowadays they even have those "tick repellent" fishing apparel for sale. I am not sure how much effective they are, but it's better than regular clothing for sure. These are just my suggestions, I am sure others have more to share.

Hopefully not. They are father and son, and they posted a second video explaining and warning people about kill switch safety:

Saltwater version of Curado DC? Or something else?

Never used the Tour S3 reel, but this seller is legit. I bought many Lucky Craft jerkbaits from him.

On a shareholders' meeting maybe, but not likely to the public. What for?

Not to be a *****, but just want to point out that actually "Hyper Mesh Gear" and "Hyperdrive Digigear" are two different things according to Daiwa. "Hyper Mesh Gear" is using smaller gear teeth, similar to Shimano's micromodule small gear teeth concept. So far, Daiwa only used this technology on the '18 Ryogo round reel. (quick shameless promotion: I have a new left-handed one on sale now on the flea market) "Hyperdrive Digigear" only appeared around 2020~2021. It didn't go the small teeth route, instead using regular size but "deeper" teeth design, and Daiwa claims that makes the gears more efficient. This design is used on various new reels, including the new Zillion, the new Alphas SV, the Steez limited edition, and the new Tatula 80 and 70.

If you used left handed baitcasting reels, I have some in the price range you mentioned for sale on the flea market forum here. I'll also try to list my spinning reels for sale in another post tonight.

Yeah, that shouldn't happen for a new reel out of the box, probably a lemon then. On the other hand, my new reels usually were in the best shape after at least one trip on the water as "break-in" period. Sometimes even several trips.

A little back play on AR bearing is fine, maybe it needs a little lubrication. But "buttery smooth" would depend on what you define as "buttery smooth." Also, new reels usually need a little "break-in" period. My Tournament Pro is smooth as it should be for its price level.

Daiwa reels have discounts and deals all the time, especially if you go the JDM route. Shimano reels, on the other hand, would be a bargain if you can find 20% off. Also, the newest Tatula SV may be pricy as the new Curado MGL 150, but the older versions would be cheaper with same performance. You can even purchase a regular Tatula CT or 100 with much cheaper price, and get a Ray's custom SV spool for ~$35.

I'll actually go with the Tatula SV reel. Don't get me wrong, Curado MGL 150 is a mighty reel for the jerkbait task, it is just with the price of it, you could get a Tatula SV and some custom light spool. This way, no matter the size and weight of jerkbaits, you're coverd. Here's some shameless promotion: If you're left handed, I actually have some reels for sale at the flea market right now, including a Tatula SV, as well as others.

That's a good question. Half-pressed thumb bar could cause the spool pin to slip out of pinion gear. OK, I'm going to bed. Let us know how it turns out.

Unless the side to side play is so abnormally large that it causes main gear to disengage with pinion gear, I don't think this is the problem. Oh boy, there're many parts and issues that could cause this problem, that's why I suggested a total deep clean and re-grease. If that's not possible, I would suggest focusing on the red-circled parts as below (this is the schematics of my left-handed Tournament MB, so bear with me). These are the parts mainly associated with pinion gear engagement mechanism. Check them for misshapes and wears, make sure they're clean, and then re-grease them properly.

I thought it's the AR bearing at first, but not so sure anymore. If it's the AR bearing's problem, that means the chain of force is still intact, all the way from spool to handle. Those "twitching" would cause the spool to turn backward, and then the pinion gear turns backward; then the main gear; then main shaft (assuming the drag is locked down); then the handle (since the AR bearing is not working now). That means handle should move backward with the spool as well, when the problem occurs. I think the only scenario that the spool can move freely while the handle doesn't, is when the drag is slipping, or as I explained, when the spool pin isn't connected with pinion gear anymore - the chain of force is broken there. This is only my little deduction, open for discussion.

When we press down the thumb bar, the pinion gear moves inwards a little so the spool pin isn't locked into the pinion gear anymore; thus the spool can turn freely. When we turn the handle, the pinion gear pushes back out and locks in the spool pin, so the spool can't move freely anymore. When a reel inside is dirty, under-greased, or over-greased, sometimes the pinion gear won't push all the way back when the handle is turned; thus the spool pin is only half-locked into the pinion gear. When that happens, you will notice the clicking sound isn't normal. Since the spool pin is only half-locked in, when you give the spool some torque with those "twitching," the pin will slip out of the pinion gear and "go freely" sometimes. This is my only guess according to your description. If that's the case, you should give the reel a deep cleaning, and re-greasing. I mean down-to-the-bone cleaning.

On the reel, no; but on the box, yes. Here's the IPT:

Reel Butter works just fine. Some might suggest Cal's drag grease, but there's no need to buy a new grease just for a couple of reels. The more grease on the drag stacks, the smoother it would become, but also the lower maximum drag would be. Usually, you should re-apply drag grease once a season.