PBBrandon

Zillion just came in and I’m speechless. The thing is beautiful, smooth, and super light. Smoothness on par with my Chronarch MGLs but with an even higher end feel. I think having an aluminum frame vs a composite one accounts for that. I’d say overall it’s a touch nicer than my Chronarchs, but for a bit cheaper ordering from Japan. Can’t wait to use it

Guess we will see in a few days. I remember when I ordered a Veritas from scheels and I got freaked out when I saw the cardboard triangle it was shipped in. Rod was in good shape luckily. I hope they at least use a tube here. $104 for a Tatula 100 and 65 bucks for a Fuego CT looks pretty nice too. Reels can take a beating better than rods during shipping. Wallet is just too light now for those

The House outdoors has Tatula XT rods for 50-60 bucks. They had the 7’3” MXF spinning Tatula Elite rod on sale for 107 but I guess I got the last one…oops…

I have one on the way. Was gonna put it on my 7’2” MH Expride but because all they had were 6.3:1 and that’s my jig rod, I’m putting it on my Champ XP 734c for moving baits. Dobyns rods are well balanced so a light reel should be great on one

Thanks to the bait monkey reminding me about the TW July 4th sale, I picked up a 7’3”H Daiwa Rebellion for mainly heavier jigs and flippin. What do y’all think of the Rebellions? Are they better than the Tat Elites?

Just ordered it ? thanks for your help

Yeah I currently have a Chronarch MGL on the rod and love it. was looking to try one of those 2 reels because of how “cheap” they are from Japan. Still, 230 bucks is a lot of dough and I’m rethinking it now that you say the Met isn’t too much better. Might still get the Zillion though. It’s always intrigued me and looks really cool lol

Could get either one from Digitaka for around 230. Gonna be paired with a 7’2” MHF Expride B for mainly t-rigs and jigs but will see all round use as well. What do y’all think of these 2 reels? And would the aluminum gears in the Zillion hold up as well as the brass gears in the Met? Thank you

I’ve always used Trilene XL and like it, never had any issues. Only other monos I’ve used are XT and Big Game though. Starting to switch mostly to Fluoro now that there’s Seaguar Basix. A really good Fluoro for not much more than decent mono

Expride all the way, phenomenal rods. Any Shimano reel from the Curado on up will be sweet as well. With your budget you really can’t go wrong no matter what you get. Choose any of the suggested combos and you’ll be happy

Well I’m currently content with my current setups. There are a couple of different directions I could go but I’m fine where I’m at now. Still, when a sale hits and I have the opportunity to upgrade I wanna be ready to pull the trigger and want to know what I’m missing out on and fill any holes I might have. So where would y’all go from here? current setups: Frog/big jig meat stick: 7’ HXF Abu Garcia Veracity w/ 8.5:1 Curado 200k & 65lb Power Pro braid Moving baits 1/2oz+: Dobyns Champion XP 734c w/ 7.4:1 Curado 200k & 15lb Seaguar Basix FC Jig/T-rig/bottom contact: 7’2” MHF Shimano Expride B w/ 7.1:1 Shimano Chronarch MGL & 15lb Seaguar Basix FC Jig/T-Rig/Spinnerbait: 6’10” MHF Shimano Zodias w/ 7.1:1 Daiwa Tatula Elite & 15lb Seaguar Basix FC Moving baits 1/4-1/2oz: 7’ MHF BPS JM Patriot w/ 7.5:1 Lew’s Custom SLP & 12lb Seaguar Basix FC Crankbait/Jerkbait/popper: Dobyns Fury 705cb w/ 6.3:1 Shimano SLX XT & 10lb Trilene XL mono Weightless senko/Shakeyhead: 7’1” MF BPS JM Platinum Signature w/ 7.3:1 Daiwa Tatula SV & 12lb Seaguar Basix FC Spinning: Dobyns Kaden 712sf w/ 2500 Daiwa Fuego LT & 8lb Seaguar Invizx FC I’m thinking either get a dedicated flipping stick, upgrade my cranking setup to a Champion XP, or upgrade my spinning reel to a Tatula LT or Vanford. What do y’all think?

I’ve heard nothing but good things about the B so far, and the one I have feels nicer than my Zodias. I’m sure it’s a safe bet but up to you lol

They are out now, but hard to find. I lucked into one yesterday at Scheels. They are available to order in the 7’ light at TW but says they won’t be in stock until 6/14

Any Daiwa LT reel is very very good for the price. I have a Fuego, Exceler, and Regal and they are all really great reels. The BG is definitely the most refined reel for that price, only downside is the weight. You won’t beat a BG for 100 bucks

Stopped by Scheels today for some lures and decided to at least look at the rods. It appears they just got a shipment in because they were stacked on expride A’s and Zodias rods. Was looking at the exprides when all of a sudden I pulled one out and saw the monocoque handle. A 7’2” MHF Expride B. I got super excited and got the nod of approval from my girlfriend (somehow lol) and brought it home. It’s super light, even lighter than my 6’10” Zodias, and well balanced. So just a heads up to anyone in the DFW area, there are about 10 Expride A rods and a bunch of Zodias rods as well at Scheels in the Colony. Anyone have the B models? How do y’all like them?

I love my Fury 705cb. Never used the Mojo in that action but you won’t be disappointed in the Fury

A Fury/Tatula would make a pretty nice all round combo. Although one thing I’ve learned is the bait monkey is gonna get to you and you are gonna end up wanting higher and higher end stuff. Better to save money in the long run and just get higher end stuff now lol. For the price of that combo you could get yourself a Champion XP or a Shimano Expride and have a tournament grade stick that will make a great all round rod. I’d recommend a 7’2” MH Expride or a Champion XP 734 and just put the SLX on it. That would make a great all around combo

Shimano Chronarch MGL HG. Absolute perfection in a reel

Both rods would work well for poppers. I personally love throwing them on my 705cb but used to throw them on a 6’10” MXF SLX rod. Both are great popper rods, really just personal preference there

I went back and swapped it out for the 7’1” H Tatula elite. Did a tip test with the 7’4” Tatula against my 7’ HXF Veracity and they had pretty much the same taper. I can do heavy slop work with the Veracity and lighter frogging/heavy jigging with the Tatula Elite. Thanks for the help and I’m ready for frog season ?

I don’t typically throw in too nasty of slop but it’d be good to have a rod that can. The rod will also double duty as a jig rod for anything over 1/2oz + trailer

I stopped at Scheels today and picked up the 7’4” HF Tatula cork frog rod. While I like how light it is, it is a bit tip heavy and very stiff. They also had the 7’1” HF Tatula Elite jig skipping rod and I’m starting to wish I would’ve got that rod instead lol. Is the 7’1” elite a good rod for frogging? If so I might go down and exchange it. Thank you

Never used their rods, never cared to with so many good options out there. I’m sure they are nice rods though. Their reels on the other hand I love. The 99 dollar LFS is a bargain and the 179 dollar Custom SLP is a very very good reel. Aren’t quite up there with Daiwa/Shimano but they are firmly in 3rd and the gap isn’t that large.

+1 on the Zodias/Curado combo. Willing to bet it’s the best 400 dollar combo you can get

I currently have a hole in my rod arsenal in that I don’t have a heavy power rod that is comfortable to fish with. I have a Fury 735c that weighs too much for my taste, and a 7ft HXF Veracity that is too stiff to throw frogs very far. I’m looking for a good frog rod that can handle occasional heavy grass T-rigging and jigging. I’d like to keep it under 200 but I can push to 250 if necessary. I’m considering: Dobyns Sierra 735c Daiwa Tatula/Elite 7’3” HF St. Croix Victory 7’4” HF Any input is appreciated, the rod will be paired with a Curado K XG with 65lb braid. Thank you ?