newapti5

You're welcome! That Fuego CT is a good baitcaster under $100 USD. In my opinion, the 8.1 ratio maybe lack a little power for large crankbaits, chatterbaits, or other resistant baits, but very good for jigs and jerkbaits. I have one myself, mostly for jerkbaits and topwaters, and it's still going strong after 2 years. Amazon Warehouse is good place for reels and lines, especially the latter. I constantly find 30%~75% off deals of major brand fishing lines there, and some of them are brand new, except maybe the damaged packing/wraping.

Second on the Dobyns Sierra. Their fast is more like moderate-fast; a 1/4-3/4 oz lure rate Sierra could pretty much do everything except maybe pitching.

The design of Tatula and Fuego makes the task harder. There are 2 tiny screws that needed to be tightened to secure the whole kit in position, but not tightened too hard, otherwise the alignment will be askew.

It's always the BG. It easily beats Daiwa's other sub $200 spinning reels. The quality, components, smoothness, durability... all of them are way beyond the $100 price point. Unless you want some weight loss, then Fuego LT would be a good choice, or the more expensive Tatula LT. I feel that Fuego LT is a threshold in Daiwa's LT reels lineup; you starts to get some decent products above that.

The reels seem to be made by the same factory who makes Quantum reels. Look a lot like the new Smoke.

There's no much trouble to dissemble a T-wing and clean it; the difficult part I think is after all the cleaning, you must align that plastic pinion engage/disengage kit(I am not sure about those little parts' names) perfectly, and securely, with the hole on the frame, so that the spool shaft can rotate freely and the casting won't be affected. That goes for both Fuegos and Tatulas.

Although Tatula and Fuego might feel the same, but I think the craftmanship is different. The line guide insert ring fell off from one of my Fuegos, I had to superglue it back. Similar things never happens to my Tatulas, old or new models.

I got the new Falcon Expert a couple months back. I loved the weight, the action, the good sensitivity, especially the traditional full-grip. But on the fifth or sixth trip, I broke the tip while hooksetting a 1/4 oz jig that weights about 1/2 oz with a trailer. It's the "Hudson Special", 7'3, 10-20lb line, 3/8 to 3/4 oz lure weight. I was using 20lb braid with 12lb fluoro leader, and it's only a <12" smallie. I got a replacement from the merchant, because I really like this rod. But I would be careful not to hookset too hard with it now.

I have one Maestro spinning model, and one Deputy casting model. The Maestro's sensitivity is just superb for me. I don't use spinning rods much, so no Loomis or St. Croix to compare it to. But I would say it's definitely the most sensitive one among the $200+ spinning rods that I've used, such as abu's villian, 12+1 fishing's envy, fewick's world class, etc. I especially like its "medium light+" action for smallmouth finesse fishing. About the Deputy, it's a bit disappointing since I got it after the great experience with the Maestro, hoping it'll be great for football jigs. It's still a good rod, solid backbone, soft tip, etc., but not as sensitive as the Maestro. It's about the sensitivity level of my Champion XP, but definitely less so than the Legend X. And it's a little tip heavy.

I am not a avid trout fishman, so you be the judge. This is the "green pumpkin" color of Nikko Hellgrammite.

I got the email with the code yesterday, and it worked. But I was already a member way before that. I only ordered from them once before, so I just assumed that they would send out emails to all members, old or new. Maybe give them a call, see if they can honor that deal by that way.

3/32 oz VMC Finesse Weedless Jig, that's what I use for Nikko Hellgrammite, and it's been great for rocky creeks. The hook size is just small enough to be called finesse hook, and large enough to have a good hookup ratio. That being said, sometimes the smallies just want something else; a football jig would always be a good bet.

Sportsman's Warehouse is sending coupon code for this reel to their members. Just go to their website and register a free account, then you should be able to receive one.

No need for tungsten weights yet, but I do need to restock my tungsten jigheads. Is there a free shipping code for order over $50? If not, I'll just wait for their holiday sales.

Look at my avatar picture, then you'll know what I think about SV103. Like others suggest, Bantam is a great reel; the one I have is definitely as solid as SV103. But its performance with lighter lures is not as good as SV103's. I don't really think there're any reels on Daiwa's current lineup that can replace SV103. They may perform like SV103, but not with the same build quality. I mean, if you open them up, most of them are using many plastic parts inside nowadays, for weight reduction I suppose. On the other hand, SV103 and other TD-Z reels are built like tanks. For example, it rivets the metal pinion-support pillars to the frame. The one that could replace SV103, might be the new 2020 Metanium MGL. It uses the same frame as Bantam, a construct as solid as SV103, and I heard many good things about its castability. May give it a try next time I have some free money to throw around.

I have a Black Widow 734. Like others said, it's not the lightest rod out there, and I don't really care about the reel seat and way-too-slippery carbon handle. Sensitivity wise, I have a Legend X, and it seems to be on bar with that. Power wise, it's rated 3/16 - 1/2 oz with a really soft tip, but its strong backbone warrants heavier lures. Balance wise, it's balanced really well. The most balanced rods I handled are Dobyns rods, and it matches their level of balancing. Price wise, I got it on sale for $250, and the MSRP seems a little too high for that. I'd say $300~400 is a good retail price range for it. I mostly used it for river smallmouth fishing with 1/4 oz finesse jigs, which usually weigh about 1/2 oz including the trailer, and it handles it BEAUTIFULLY, very accurate for a 7'3 rod, and powerful on the hookset. I just can't ask for a better blank for that specific task.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CRRYWT4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1 Amazon has Sufix Castable InvisiLine Fluorocarbon, 6 pound, 600 yard on sale for $28. I bought the #8 yesterday for $12, but it's sold out now. https://www.ebay.com/sme/jbcoutfitters/Save-up-to-50/so.html?_seedid=351014583727&_soffType=SaleEvent&_soffid=5714218506&_trksid=p2047675.m2197&seller=jbcoutfitters&_pgn=1 Also, one of the eBay sellers has a lot of tackles and lures on 50% off, including Fishhead underspin, Strike King jigs, Rage Craws, etc.. I purchased some football jigheads from them several times; it's trustworthy.

The slickest way to order on Cabela's Bargain Cave would be buy one of those $100 Cabela's gift cards on eBay around $80~85, and then apply for a Cabela's credit card, which occasionally gives you another 10% off while using it to check out.