MidwestBassAttack

Could’ve just been in-person at their open house all were $299. Online-only pricing might be slightly different?

I did. Ordered from Digitaka Friday morning and they delivered to me Tuesday early afternoon. Amazingly fast delivery straight from Japan. They palm perfectly for me. I was a big fan if the 16’ Metanium and used those for years. The 23’ Met is perfection. I had a USDM 20’ Met and didn’t like how narrow the spool was. This 23’ release is wider and just perfect. I too, have been foaming over the new Steez but I just no, I’d get it, use it briefly, and go back to the Met. I’ve got a well-trained thumb so the Mets are my workhorses. I’ve tried Tatula Elites and the new Zillion and they just felt choked off even after loosening brakes. I’m pretty sure it would feel the same with the new Steez due to the braking system. The Shimano (centrifugal) braking system I prefer over magnetic systems because you can squeeze more out of them.

Ordered a 23’ Met Friday morning…delivering tomorrow (Tuesday) to Northern IL Talk about freaky fast!

Texas rigged senkos. Unweighted or weighted.

Had this happen to me on a Curado K years back. Broke it down, cleaned, relubed, reassembled three times over and was stumped. Then I took a close look at the spool itself and notice a small dent in the side of the spool rim. New spool, problem solved!

Ordered another Metanium 100 from them this morning…thinking I’ll get it Wednesday 😁

I really like the looks of the 24 Steez but just not a fan of Daiwa braking otherwise I would’ve gone that route but I’m too used to the feel and braking of Shimano reels…hence the Metaniums 😎

2023 Metanium 100’s x 5 for this guy 😎

Personally, I would go for the Met. I had three Zillions and never liked that choked off feeling. The Zillion has magnetic braking while the Met has centrifugal. All going to come down to comfort and which style of braking you prefer.

My suggestion…now keep in mind this is geared towards a bank banger. Toss out throwing any treble hooked baits. Will save you a ton of aggravation of getting snagged. Also, toss out any spinning setups. Spinning setups for me are geared toward more vertical techniques. From the bank, you are fishing more horizontal techniques. You only need two setups for the bank. A setup for braid (frogging) and a setup for Texas rigs with fluorocarbon. Neither get snagged easily because of their weedless nature. These two setups will allow you to cover topwater and shallow-mid depth waters. Gear ratio would be personal preference. I would go with the 6 speeds for both techniques due to better torque around cover and frankly, make you fish slower. Rods go 7-7’3” medium heavy to heavy (depending on cover). Need something with nice tip because your range of motion will be limited on making casts at times.

Well looks like the switch is bringing him luck….in the lead after Day 2 in the Bassmaster Open with about an 8 pound lead

Pretty neat news on the reel and rod front. Scott Martin and Hillary Martin now on the Lew’s wagon!

Alpha Angler Zilla or Zilla Vaader

I’ve used the Berkeley spooling station in the past but have since moved on. Now I keep all my spools in a Plano Leader Management box and just spool right from there. Line box goes on the ground or stays in the bed of the truck, and I spool from there. No need to remove the reel, works flawlessly and keeps my line organized.

Rod…without a doubt or second thought. I used to throw $99!Lews LFS reels on my ZBones

If you want to stay with Loomis…873CRR for a jack of all trades NRX+. Outside of an NRX but at the same elite-level of sensitivity…Alpha Angler Zilla or Kistler Helium or Zbone 734. I jumped on the Alpha bandwagon and am very, very impressed.

Do the Tatula Elite’s contain brass gears?

P-Line all the way for me…. P-Line “blue” when I want severe abrasion resistance and hand to hand combat scenarios. P-Line Tactical for any moving bait techniques. X-Braid for flipping hydrilla and frogging…going to try their new braid coming out soon as well. I’ve caught more fish on P-Line than any other brand I’ve tried (Seaguar, Sunline, Gamma, Power Pro, Suffix). It’s what works for me and has my trust.

Bantam, Bantam, and Bantam Tranx 150 or 200 as well

Love this visual! For jerkbaits, I would easily choose the bottom rod. The power and action of the Walter rod (top) looks more suited to a shallow cranking rod to me.

Here is how I look at it….extra fast is good for spinning setups when you are doing mostly vertical techniques. moderate fast to fast are better for your horizontal techniques (dragging) so long as you have good backbone.

I’ve had that happen on a Cara and a Rush rod years back. Tape off areas, and use a 5-minute JB Weld epoxy. 100% the cause of this is over tightening the reel to the seat.

https://wgntv.com/weird-news/naked-man-arrested-after-doing-cannonball-into-bass-pro-shop-tank-in-alabama-police/ Local news captured this story…I couldn’t help but laugh. Granted, I’m sure there’s much more to the story and this chap! What’s the craziest thing you’ve done for fishing gear folks??

Following this…I’ve been looking into Fitzgerald myself but haven’t seen much in the way of feedback aside from reviews on their own website. Would like to hear some unbiased/independent thoughts on them? I love the looks of them.