newapti5

I recently ventured into Amazon.co.jp to order something. The experience was similar, but I only ordered from Amazon Japan itself, not third party sellers. A friend of mine who lived in Japan for several years told me, the locals aren't quite fond of online shopping, mostly still prefer brick and mortar stores, and this is not limited to tackle shops. So I guess these online shops are mostly for foreigners. I wonder what kind of deals their local tackle shops would have.

Second on the War Eagle. Might I add that their hooks are crazy sharp.

So far, BPS has got Cabela's and SW. I hope they're doing well, because none of them can survive against that GIANT Amazon alone. The amount of money Amazon made in last year amid pandemic astonished me. But again, I digress. Let's get back to fishing deals. For any of you who are looking for good deals on Lucky Craft lures, this is a website I ordered several times without problems: https://discountfishingdeals.com/shop/ols/categories/lucky-craft The color selections aren't great, but the price is very, especially for their pointer selections.

Thanks! Now I am debating with myself if I need another SV105...

How are their "displayed" models of reels if you don't mind me asking? I am a little worried about their qualities. From pretty much brand new, to definitely show signs of wears and tears, what kind of "used level" should I expect?

I only regret those unknown brands that I ventured and tried and failed, like the noodle stick from Deep South, a rod company that doesn't exist anymore I believe, and a couple of reels from Piscifun and Kastking long time ago. Other than that, not many rods or reels I regret, maybe only on the high prices I paid.

They also got some SV105s, which are very tempting. If only the price is a little better...

Sierra Trading has some Revo Premier 20 size spinning reels for sale, $119 with free shipping. Abu's spinning reels aren't the smoothest, but 100 bucks for a Premier class reel is OK to me. https://www.sierra.com/abu-garcia-revo-premier-20-spinning-reel~p~28pad They also have the Premier baitcaster for $159, but not sure left or right handed. https://www.sierra.com/abu-garcia-revo4-premier-low-profile-bait-casting-reel~p~28pag

Regardless of all the marketing terms and gimmicks, man don't they look sexy...

Geez, that AGS is really up in your face, eh? I like it!

Yes, I was thinking the same thing. I was like, "is this a trick question? I'm not falling for that!"

That's true in many cases. Perhaps I should elaborate what I mean by saying "Made in China" and "Brands from China" are two different things. I didn't mean they are coming from different Chinese factories. It's quite possible a high-end product and a so-so product are coming from the same China factory, but that doesn't make the high-end product less high-end less durable less tolerance... I believe it all comes down what the QC standard is for a certain line of product. I used to work for a China manufactory in a different line of business. As OEM, that factory makes some very high-end products for certain US companies, the quality is just top marks on every aspects. But behind every piece of QC-passed high-end product, there is at least one or two pieces that didn't pass the QC and had to be fixed or simply disposed of. That increase the unit cost greatly, and the factory owner will have to assign more skillful workers to that product line to meet the delivery deadline, or simply just spend more time to make them. But hey, as long as the client is paying for all the extra cost and time, he'll gladly do all that. The client is the one who is taking the later marketing risks - explaining and justifying the high retail prices to end customers, not him. That's the story of high-end products that are Made in China. Now that same factory also has its own brand of products, trying to establish its own brand and reputation in US. Actually tons of China factories in different businesses have been trying to do that. I don't blame them - why let the US companies make the big money while I am the one who is actually manufacturing that product? But when it comes to US marketing, many of them simply have no idea where or how to start. So they would try to minimize the risk but lowering the production cost, which would lead to less quality material, inferior craftsmanship, less design budgets, faster manufacturing pace... and at last, lower QC standard. The cost is low enough that even if they don't make a name for their own brand, they're not losing much. The risk is much lower. And then they're not really aiming for high-end market, only the low-end one with cheap prices for competition. Sadly, that's the story for many "Brands from China." I don't know about fishing business, but I assume it's similar. Are they wrong? IMO from a business standpoint, not really, Kastking is doing quite well in low-end market, and now trying to take more risks by going into higher-end markets. But from a consumer standpoint, stay away from those newly unknown Chinese brands, and enjoy those high-end "Made in China" products. They're just two different things.

Trust me as a Chinese angler: Don't do it! "Made in China" and "Brands from China" are two different things. A lot of high-end products I own are made in China, no complaints at all. But regarding Chinese brands of fishing reels, I haven't found any worth mentioning so far. It is a sad yet real fact.

IMO it depends on your fishing environment. Does your fishery have a lot of vegetations, brushes, laydowns, or mostly just open water and hard bottoms? To me, mostly hard bottoms, rarely some vegetations and laydowns, so I always use a fluoro leader for abrasion resistance. But on the braid itself, I only use 20~30lbs. Another benefit of 20lb braid, is that you can also use it on spinning reels. It may not be ideal, but will do.

Gee, that thing is JUGH, but I am sure it serves its purpose. I lost a rod once when I was bank-fising. While casting, I didn't pay attention to what's behind me, and the hook caught on one of the other rods I carried. I cast a whole spinning setup in the reservoir, which goes deep from the bank real quickly. Fortunately, on the next day morning, I "fished" it back from the same spot, using a big treble hook after dozens of tries.

I like them all. Sufix 832, Original PowerPro and Slick 8, Smackdown, Tuftline, Spiderwire, YGK, some pricy JDM Monai line... and even some Chinese Seaknight S9, as long as you choose the right diameter and poundage for the job. My current favorite is the Vicious No-fade Braid. It's a little pricy, but I believe it deserves more praise and popularity.

I have a GLX MBR 843c for 3/8 jigs. I didn't get the NRX or GLX JWR because I would rather sacrifice a little sensitivity for the right taper, that flexible MBR action. The only thing I don't like about GLX MBR is the ACS-style reel seat. It's really uncomfortable with most Daiwa reels (except the new Shimano-style Alphas SV TW), but OK with Shimano reels.

Yeah I just watched that as well. I value TA's and other's opinions, especially about how well Daiwa handles Aluminum gears from his personal experience, but somehow I just couldn't bring myself to love the new zillion enough to spend 300 bucks on it. I don't know why, maybe it's the looks of it, maybe it's not as much a revolution redesign as the Bantam and the new Metanium but more of an evolution. I'd probably still get it just out of curiosity and being a Daiwa fan, but not eagerly.

I respectfully disagree about only AR taking the brunt of force. I think every part of the chain of force takes in the same amount of force. The chain of force goes from fishing line, to spool, to pinion gear, to main gear, to drag washers, to shaft, to AR. Let's say we set the drag too high, and a fish is pulling the line with a 10lb force when the drag is not giving at all. That 10lb of force should go through the chain of force all to way to AR, and every part in that chain is under 10lb of pressure. Now if I start pressing down my thumb on the spool, my thumb is taking part of the 10lb force. Then starting from the spool, the rest parts of the chain of force, such as the pinion, main gear, ... are taking less than 10lb of force. Hope I explain my thoughts clearly enough. These are just my 2 cents.

For 1/8 ~ 1/2 oz weight, I think Stradic FL would be a better choice. Abu's spinning reels are kind of overpriced IMO, I would only consider them at half price sales. Tatula LT is stronger than how it feels, and if you didn't mind the weight, BG would be a better bargain. These are just my 2 cents.

When I bought it last night, there were still 3 rods in stock. This morning they were gone. MidwayUSA usually puts the last few pieces of merchandises on clearance.

It just seems like MidwayUSA puts out new clearance items on daily basis. I don't know how they do it. I just grabbed a "blemished" Steez AGS spinning rod from them, half off. Not sure how blemished it is, but their return/exchange service is pretty good.

Geez, I knew it's bad, but didn't realize it was that bad. Time to move on to JDM I guess

I just double-checked my rod order. It did come in the next day, but it's actually a dropship directly from the manufacturer. Sorry!

Haven't try the SX yet, but the Air is definitely a sweet reel. Its frame and both sideplates are made of Magnesium, which gives a very solid feel in hand. Smooth, light, and the craftmanship is great given its previous flagship reel status. It's oriented for light lures, but I used it to fish 3/8 ~ 1/2 oz jigs with easy, and landed many big smallies. It's a shame they don't make it anymore, but you can still find it on sale for ~$100 on some sites occasionally. I got mine for $109. For that price, I believe it's a better choice than the SX.