newapti5

Asian Portal is selling 20 Metanium 6.2:1, left handed, for $270 https://fishing.asian-portal.shop/category/select/cid/352/pid/301506

BTW, what's the proper way to check a bearing if I don't have a new/spare one of the same size to compare with? I normally just roll it in my palm to feel if it's rough.

I'd pick the Abu Premier. Actually I did, and the one I got is quite smooth out-of-the-box. I won't pay $300 for it, but $150 is a good price for a flagship reel. It can't compare to the same price Shimano or Daiwa reels, or even the craftsmanship of a $179 Curado K, but since both Abu and Lew's are made by Doyo, I would say Abu Premier is a step-up from Tournament Pro. But I guess it mostly comes down to what you want to use it for. I bought it for throwing ~3/8oz jerkbaits. The whole reel is lighter than Lew's Tournament Pro, also has a VERY light-weight spool. Furthermore, it's got some bling-bling, and a carbon fiber handle. Whether or not you like these "extras", that's where some of the price difference goes. The brake system is a little finicky as the STX's, but if you're a experienced baitcaster user, it shouldn't be a problem. About the thumb bar problem that plagued the 3rd Gen Revos, they fixed it on this Gen of Revos, and specifically listed it as a promotional feature. The new thumb bars are fine, according to my 2-year-old Gen 4 Revo STX. All the above make the Premier a better choice for me. BTW, someone on the forum did complain that his Premier order got cancelled by BPS. So, I think the availability showed on their website right now is a mistake, or a strategy.

Quick side question: Is there a good place to order Daiwa parts, like the Tatula gear set, besides official website?

No way! I will never sell mine, aka "my precious." On the other hand, found tons of gems on facebook though. Some of them are in good shape and with fair price. With some main gear/pinion gear/bearing swap, they're as good as new.

Yes, to me, the benefit of ceramic spool bearings are mostly about maintenance. You don't need to put oil in them, only clean them once every season. Freespin spools may seem fun, but that doesn't bring much to performance improvement. Spool upgrade is a different story. There are a lot of JDM expensive options for Daiwa spools, but the least expensive one, also a quite effective one, is those Chinese Ray's DIY spools. I quite enjoy their $35~50 long-cast spools on my old Tatulas and Zillions (the bait finesse spools - not so much), night and day difference from the stock heavy spools.

I am surprised no one mentioned the NEW Lew's reels yet. The old Lew's reels are usually quite smooth at the beginning, but will soon develop "geary" feelings. The new Lew's reels, like the LFS or the KVD LFS, both got the dual supported pinion gear, which can be easily upgraded to dual bearing-supported pinion gear. This will bring their smoothness and longevity to a new level. The MSRP of LFS and KVD LFS are $100~130, but with all the sales going on, you can easily get them for less than $100. That being said, I haven't tried the new ones yet; my opinion is based on experiences with old Lew's and other dual supported pinion gears.

Ballistic LT is basically Tatula LT with magseal. I don't know; I don't like reels that I can't service by myself. So the choices are: 1. Tatula LT, market price ~$130; 2. Stradic FL, market price ~$150; 3. Vanford, market price ~$180. I think Tatula LT has the best value among these 3 choices, but I really want to try the new Vanford. According to Tackle Advisor on Youtube, Stradic FL is the best reel among sub $400 reels. I think that's a little overstatement; Stradic FL is much heavier than Tatula LT and Vanford. I really value light-weight when it comes to spinning tackles.

Yes, the prices on these two reels are very tempting. They're not the smoothest, but they are quite reliable, and perform very well. Now my question is: should I buy these 2 reels, or save the money to buy 1 Stradic FL? It's pretty much the same amount of dough.

https://www.sportsmans.com/fishing-gear-supplies/fishing-rods/casting-rods/okuma-scott-martin-tournament-series-casting-rod/p/p33474 This is what Scott Martin uses for tournaments, before he switched to those bling-bling Favorite rods.

In the price range, I would pick Dobyns Sierra. Very close to Champions with a much lower price tag. You can get it for around 110 with the holiday sales, and the 684 is a sweet do-it-all model.

I sort of agree. When the tag end is 1/2" longer, fewer wrap is sometimes acceptable. You have a wide "buffer" for a slippery knot. That being said, I never cut a 1/2" tag end. A tag end that long will have weeds/dirt wrapped all around it on almost every cast. 5~7 wraps and <1/8" tag end is what I usually do.

Thanks! I'll look up those models

Thanks for the advice. Yes they still made Legend Elite with a full grip. I got the split grip Legend X not by choice, but by chance. I stumbled upon an incredible deal for it and made the jump without thinking much. Anyway, I do have a medium light Edge Rod for shaky head. It's a strong rod with a beautiful arc, but to be honest, I feel the sensitivity is less than Legend X blank. Guides wise, not a big fan of the REC.

Thanks Mick! Yes, I realize that as well. For a $400 build, probably the Torzites guides are out of the windows. I do like to try out the phenix blank though. Thanks for the recommendation! I read a lot of good things here about Mike's craftsmanship. To be honest, I still haven't decide if I want to built it myself, or just have it built for me.

Jeez... this is exactly what I have in mind, down to the reel seat and guides, and I use winn wrap on all my rods as well. I just hope that for a custom rod, maybe I can have an original winn grip handle, saving me the trouble wrapping. Thanks! I'll look up the Phenix line and that model. Mind me asking how much that cost you? I mean including parts, labors... the whole thing. Also , how about MHX blanks? I heard others talking about how sensitive they are.

Understand, thanks for the advice! 7' would be my choice as well. And the reason I want a mod-fast, is because I use braid a lot; that extra arc would just help keep those feisty smallmouths pinned, I think.

Budget wise, probably under $400. I don't care much about cosmetics or blings. I would rather put my limited budget towards maximum performance and comfort.

For a rod. Sorry I didn't make it clear. I used to think about getting into rod building, but have just been too busy with work. I barely have enough time to fish now. So I think I'd probably ask some professionals to build for me.

Hi everyone！ As a newbie to custom rods, I am thinking about getting my first, and need some ideas of the blanks to start with. I have a St. Croix Legend X for bottom-contact lures. But I don't like the small split grips, I am always a full grip guy if there's a choice. So I am thinking which blank would be more sensitive, or at least equally sensitive, as the Legend X? And if the action is moderate-fast instead of fast/ex-fast, that'll be great. I will use it for casting bottom contact lures, mostly 1/4~3/8oz jigs and t-rig plastics. Thanks!

I am currently waiting for a Shimano Vanford 2500SHG, which I ordered on their 11.11 sales. Fingers crossed.

Trilene has two fluoro, the "Professional", and the "Professional XL", either one's diameter is thicker than other brands'. So the diameter of 10lb Trilene fluoro would be the close to, say, Seaguar's 12lb fluoro diameter. If you're tying FG knot, the rule of thumb is to have the braid line thinner than the fluoro/mono leader. So, you got a lot of options. I'd say any braid from 8lb to 20lb would be fine.

For one thing, if you don't like the color shredding of braid, try Vicious no-fade braid. It's legit. Personally, the color fading doesn't bother me much, except maybe on my top gears.

I see it now, and that's a LONG shaft...

VERY interesting. So it means that Ryobi reel has 2 sets of main gears and pinion gears? I wonder how much it weighs.