Michigander

Thanks, @MickD. It's exciting to be at the wrap stage!

Looks like the S3's got hit pretty hard at TW during the BF sale. That's always a good sign!

I met him at an expo once and he took the time to talk with me,he seemed pretty cool. I got my Triton at his family's dealership, nice folks.

Thanks, LoL. I was also looking at the Smoke S3 reels. You don't hear much about those. The reviews were generally positive but didn't see much information about how they are after the honeymoon break-in period.

I prefer the term "pragmatic", lol.

I'm in the left hand retrieve camp, but thanks for the thought! Right handed retrieve makes zero sense to me. ?

Interesting. I've been doing my current research on the Tatula tech tree, Curado was next. Looks like I have this information to look forward to.

That's a unique review, I haven't heard anyone comment on reel wetness before. Very interesting!

I've been taking my sweet time on the first rod. Just did the static deflection test and finalized my guide spacing last night. So tonight I begin the wrapping process. For the rubber winding checks, do you cover those in the epoxy that you seal the guide wraps with? Or leave them unfinished?

Ice fishing does nothing for me. I'd rather be on my couch watching Elite series reruns. Or practicing my pitching accuracy in the snow in the backyard.

That makes sense. And no, I don't have anything specific in mind other than maybe shaving an ounce or so of weight off. Fuegos have been perfectly serviceable for me so it sounds like I should probably stick with them.

That's the thing, I am not sure what I'm missing, or not. Up until 5 years ago, I thought Ugly Sticks were fine until I started getting better rods after a lot of research and now I couldn't go back, lol. I'm just trying to figure out if jumping up a level of reels would really make a difference or if I would need to go up two or more levels to really see one. Whatever that difference would be. I am new to bait casters compared to most people on here but I have fished a lot with them this year. I run a loose spool and low brakes most of the time, using my thumb to control the cast. I can skip fairly well but all my bait casters are over 7' so I pick up a shorter spinning rod (because that's what I have) to skip way up under things. Why do you say you can't personally use TWS for bottom contact? Both applications I'm in the market for are bottom contact so I'm interested in your opinion on this. That's good to know about the Curado. I'm looking at 3/8-1/2 total lure weight with trailer on both of these.

I've broken off on the cast because the lure grabbed a cleat but never snapped a rod on one. Now I'll be wary of those too! Thankfully I haven't broken a rod on a fish!

Ok, so since you have those two, what is the Curado giving you that the SLX isn't?

I've heard good things about SLX reels too, but that seems like a lateral move to me. I was looking at that next tier up, like Curado K level in Shimano.

Another rod killer is a boat hatch coming down unexpectedly. Either from wind, wave, or tournament partner. Thankfully, my only run in with this beast mangled a reel handle instead of a rod. ?

I looked at the parts diagram and a Fuego and a Tatula are basically the same reels with a few minor differences outside the TWS assembly. I can look more into that spool though.

Does smoothness do anything for you on the water? Up until last year I was all spinning, so I'm still relatively new to bait casters.

You're lucky. I haven't broken a rod in years but that's because I am ultra careful now. Car door, garage door, tailgate, and my feet have all claimed victims.

So I have three Daiwa Fuego bait casters and am satisfied but not thrilled with them. I have a MH for Trigs and a H rod for jigs that both need reels. I was looking to maybe step up in the reels but I can't bring myself to spend more than $200 on a reel. Considering that I can get a Fuego for less than $100, is there any reel out there that is $50-$100 better than a Fuego? I look at rods and see application and potential but I look at reels like spool turners. Since Fuegos are above the junk tackle crowd, what would I really get for my money? I looked on the pinned "best reel" thread but it's a little dated.

Car doors and tailgates don't discriminate. They'll snap an XH the same as an UL. Ask me how I know, lol.

Nowadays, at least you have a great chance to get a picture of/with your trophy fish. We probably don't have much/any evidence for record catches from the olden times. I remember when I was a kid, I kept one of those waterproof disposable "fun saver" cameras in my tackle box for documenting my big ones.

Wouldn't be the first time I've broken ice with my kayak.... Also, if it's just a thin skin, you're in prime ice punching time. 3oz weight and a metal marlin leader.

You'll probably just have to visit the various websites and take a look. But if a rod has a factory defect that causes a break you'll most likely know in the first trip or two.

So you're saying it's still 10% fishable then......