voxborealis

Does the Tatula 100 ship “dry” or is it greased? I have read conflicting things.

So as it happens, I just pulled the trigger on a 2023 Tatula 100 -- the "regular" Tatula, not the SV or other higher end ones. Sale was too good to pass up. It has an aluminum frame, according to the specs. Unfortunately, it won't arrive until into November, and it is getting pretty cold for fishing up here! So I will likely end up keeping it in the box until spring, when I need to figure out what to pair it with. As mentioned above, I am pretty well locked into 2-piece. Buying options here are more limited. I will probably go with a Daiwa CDN Custom two piece, either a 6'10" medium or a 7'1" MH. I actually have the MH in a spinning combo and it is not a bad rod. My older casting setup is MH, so I am tempted to get a M. But I am thinking of the new rod and reel more as a replacement than as a complement. That ratio (2:1) is super helpful. The Tatula 100 is 6.0 oz without line per the specs.

Bumping this back up. I see a sale for a Daiwa Tatula 100, for about $200 CAD, which is not bad for up here. Seems like an excellent reel, maybe more on the finesse side. Is this more properly paired with a medium or medium heavy? I use a lot of lures in the 1/2 oz range (up to 3/4 or 1 oz). I also have lighter stuff that I use with spinning. But I am trying to move more to casting especially for soft plastics. as for two piece rods, Daiwa sells a line in Canada called Canadian Custom. I have a MH spinning rod. It’s ok. Not sure about the casting rods in the series. Everything that I read says they are decent but not great.

Early last season I bought a Pflueger Monarch casting combo, my first bait casting set up (I posted about this on the forum). It's certainly a low end combo but it's served me pretty well for two seasons. This said, I can tell it is already starting to wear out (I also tend to treat my fishing gear pretty rough). Also, while I am finally getting the hang of using a casting reel, I am not as proficient as I would like with different casting techniques. So, I'd like to up my game next season and also invest in something a little nicer: i'd like to get more distance on casts, and also gain proficiency in sidearm (I'm ok) and pitching (I'm hopeless). Two questions-- 1. Naturally, I am curious about recommendations. There are tons of threads on rods and reels, which are a bit overwhelming! I am looking for some basic suggestions for the "next step up" from the really entry level, $100 combos you find at big box stores (e.g. Pleuger Monarch, Abu Maxx, etc). From what I have read, I am leaning toward Daiwa, but things get pricey fast. For rods, I really do prefer a two piece (I know, I know) for the convenience (I do a lot of bike fishing): this seems to limit options significantly. 2. How does one pair a casting reel and rod? The easiest is to get a combo, obviously. But there seems to be a lot fewer casting combos than spinning combos. I know how to match a spinning reel and rod (balance on or near the front grip) and can easily tell when a spinning combination "feels" right. I can easily mix and match equipment (e.g. I know not to put a 1000 reel onto a MH rod, and so forth). But I have a lot less experience with casting combos. What I do love about the Pflueger MH combo that I have, which is low profile, is that it is soooo light for a MH set up. I assume it is paired well since it's a combo. I don't have the faintest idea where to start! Any help will be appreciated!

Thanks for all the advice. After a massive blow up that forced me to cut off a bunch of my mono (I still don't know what happened on that one!), I decided to take the plunge. I had a spool of 30 lb power pro that I had purchased a year or two ago on sale, spooled up the casting reel. I have tightened up the spool tension and increased the mag brakes a bit (before, I was really trying to push the limits on spool tension and brakes in order to get more distance). And I am trying to be more careful with casting form, trying to avoid spinning habits. I am practicing more controlled overhand and sidearm/roll casts. The result: I have lost a good bit of distance even with the braid, though with heavier lures I can still cover water. I have yet to experience a significant backlash. The braid really does come off the spool easier. 30# does, as some cautioned, dig into itself. I spooled it tight but over time, the lines has naturally loosened from working lures, especially lighter ones. Occasionally the line digs into itself or there is a hidden loop that halts a cast mid-air. But these have been easy to pick out--certainly easier than mono. Overall: so far, so good. I just need to improve my casting technique so I can be more comfortable with some of the lures in my tackle box on the lighter side of my combos recommended lure weight range (3/8 to 1 oz). This 100% for me. I sometimes get away with it when throwing a heavier lure, then I switch lures and... I also forget about thumb contact when I try different kinds of casts (overhand v sidearm) as I am focusing more on other parts of the mechanics.

Roger!

Super helpful stuff here. Yeah, like I wrote, the build quality seems to be pretty meh, but again I cannot speak about baitcasting from knowledge. I have definitely seen a larked decrease in Pflueger spinning gear in recent years, but their last generation spinning stuff is quite good for the price. Also, I am up hear in Canada and stuff is way more expensive even accounting for exchange rate (and before the ridiculous sales tax). I got the combo on sale for like $100 CDN, which is super cheap. I can tell the rod is not great but it is serviceable. And so seems the reel. So it has been good enough for learning. But maybe time for an upgrade. Always an excuse to buy a new set up.

Last year, I decided finally to learn how to use a baitcasting reel. After some good feedback on the forum (https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/260897-first-time-baitcast-setup-advice-pfleuger-monarch-combo/) I decided to purchase a Pfueger Monarch baitcast combo. I know the quality is meh, but it was dirt cheap and I did not want to spend a lot on a "training" combo. I spooled it up with 15# mono, used the combo a fair amount last year, and slowly got better at casting. Though, I am not as accurate as I would like to be, and also I find that I get terrible distance unless using a right at the top of the weight range for the rod (1 oz). So a couple of questions from more experienced folks. 1. When should I try the switch to braid? I have been using mono following the general advice to start with mono over braid. I still get backlashes, not all the time but frequently enough to worry me that I am not ready to jump into braid. It is hard to dial in the reel, so maybe the issue is more build quality than technique. When I switch to braid, I am assuming that I should use 20# or 30# minimum. 2. More generally, what the advantages of a higher quality baitcast reel? I know this seems like a dumb question. I suppose my thinking is: I understand that better quality will mean better components, so smoother drag, smoother retrieve, maybe higher retrieve ratio, more durability. But does quality also affect things like the controlling backlashes or casting distance? In short, is better quality more about durability or performance, and if it impacts performance, how? I have used spinning reels all my life, and have pretty good sense of what features on a spinning reel will impact performance and durability. I know what to look for and to look out for with spinning reels. But baitcasting is a whole 'nuther world!

Thanks! In truth. I am not sure if I have ever had more than one or two bite offs ever. Even when a pike grabs a lure when I am using my smaller spinning set up and light line, most of the time the fish grabs the back of the lure and front where it connects to the line is out of its mouth. Especially since I am fishing from the back, where the biggest pike are usually at most 26" or 28" inches, and most are smaller. You're right that I am probably worrying to much about losing the lure and should tie direct. Also thanks! I sometimes use a very light wire leader (like 12#) and it seems not to interfere with action too much. I have tried cutting off the small swivel and just tying directly to the loop on the wire. I have read about tie-able wire before but never used. This is another good option. Thanks!

I mostly bank fish, and where I'm located there are a LOT of northern pike. If I throw any topwater or horizontal presentation (inline spinner, spinner bait, chatter bait, etc) and depending on the time of year, I am as likely to catch a toothy critter as a bass. In the past I used wire leaders to protect against bite offs, but I find even the smaller gauge leaders can foul up the lure action--especially prop baits--since the wire leaders virtually all have a swivel (to connect to main line) and a snap (to connect to the lure). I got a spool of 50# fluorocarbon leader on sale and have been using that instead of wire. I like that I can tie direct, which is great for spinner baits and prop baits. However, the fluoro is very thick and stiff, which makes tying knots a bit challenging. I am also not sure the best knot to use to connect the leader to my main line, which is usually 15# or 20# mono or 20# braid, depending on my combo. (I am using more mono these days than braid for some reason.) The difference in diameter between even 20# mono and 50# fluoro is significant. I've experimented with using a swivel to connect main to leader, which is ok, but I would prefer to use a line-to-line knot. I usually use an alberto knot to connect braid (main) to lighter fluoro (leader). I am not sure this would work with mono (main) and much thicker leader. Also, I don't know if an albert knot is recommended at all for use with a mono main line. Any suggestions for knot to connect lines of very different size, when the lines are mono and fluoro? I suppose with 50# leader, no matter what knot I use it's going to be big and clunk around the line guides, so I'll need to keep the leader short.

An update FWIW: So I decided to ignore the advice of seasoned veterans (@MN Fisher) and got the Pflueger Monarch combo (7" MH two piece). I got it on sale and the price was just too good, especially given how expensive things are in Canada. So far it's...not bad, as far as I can tell anyway as I am no expert. The reel components do feel somewhat cheap. That is just my impression. We'll see how long before it wears out. The spool tension is not very sensitive. The magnetic brakes seem ok and work as advertised. The rod is not super sensitive and "feels" a little more M than MH to me. The reel is slow (6.1:1). I tend to use a lot of moving lures like inline spinners and choppo/ploppers for pike. So that means really having to crank to get the right action, but I have caught a few fish on it. The learning curve has been steep: really humbling to a longtime angler. I spooled it with 15# Trilene Big Game that I had laying around, probably a bit heavy but I am still in the learning phase. I am getting better at casting but still get a fair number of overruns, though only rarely catastrophic birds nests. I still am not getting much distance or accuracy, but I have been able to dial in specific lures in the 1/2 to 3/4 oz range. My goal is to largely eliminate overruns by the end of the summer. So overall, seems like a decent combo for a newbie to learn on. We'll see how long it lasts before breaking or wearing out. In a couple of years, I'll upgrade.

Thanks for the advice. I had a couple hours today to test run the set-up, landed a couple of blue gills and (surprisingly) a 2lb smallmouth on a trout magnet. So the combo is certainly working!

I probably overfilled a bit, but I don't think that is the whole story. And yeah, on this tiny reel there is not much to be done, I suspect. I'll play around with it some on the water and see how it performs. With UL, it is not like I will bombing casts! Here is a photo. I thought that line lay bias at the bottom = remove washers, not add. Yes, I should have put backing--TBH, given the small capacity, I was lazy and just spooled up the 4# that I bought.

Here is a schematic of the exact reel that I found online and here is also a picture. The only washer is a fairly thick (white) plastic one, number 9 on the schematic (hard to read, I know). Everything from 1 to 8 is part of the drag system.

I read through a number of threads on the forum regarding line lay on spinning reels, but did not see my exact question. I just bought a Pflueger ultralight combo (President 20 spinning reel + 4'8" two piece rod rated 2-6#), mainly for fun. I want to play around with some really light baits, maybe even flies, for pan fish. I spooled it up with some 4# copolymer and it filled up really heavy to the bottom of the spool. I know the general advice in this case is to remove one of the line lay washers so the spool will go down farther, however...when I opened the reel, there is only one plastic washer. Looking at a schematic online, it is called the "click gear washer" and sits on top of the "click gear." So, here is my probably dumb question. Is it OK to remove this washer? I am thinking no: this washer presumably has a function besides spacing. I ordered the combo online and so I did not receive a reel box or further instructions or spare parts.