Daiwa zillion are going for a good price. Check it out.

Will do. Its either going to be a Daiwa Zillion or Tatula 100 Type R. I definitely want something sturdy that can handle all the strain from flipping/pitching heavy cover.

I'm leaning toward the Tatula because I heard the TWS helps with super smooth pitching.

Garret, if you want something that is sturdy and handle heavy abuse from pitching/flipping I highly suggest you check out the Lews Superduty.

Instead of replacing the reel, you can try adjusting the balance of your setup by:

 

Here’s a cheap and easy way to balance without damaging or drilling holes in the butt end of the rod.
Materials:

 1.  Shoe Goo
 2.  A dime (to fill  butt ends  with cavity like Cumara)
 3.  Quarters as counterweight.
 4.  Felt tip/pads ( the one that you use for the chairs ) size of a quarter.

Here’s some pix.

You can always removed the weights by  making a loop with a braid line on the dried glue between the butt end and the quarter and pull the braid slowly until it cuts off the glue.

 

 

If it needed more than 3 quarters,  it would be best to buy those butt caps and put the quarters in and plug the thing to the butt end.

Instead of replacing the reel, you can try adjusting the balance of your setup by:

 

Here’s a cheap and easy way to balance without damaging or drilling holes in the butt end of the rod.

Materials:

 1.  Shoe Goo

 2.  A dime (to fill  butt ends  with cavity like Cumara)

 3.  Quarters as counterweight.

 4.  Felt tip/pads ( the one that you use for the chairs ) size of a quarter.

Here’s some pix.

You can always removed the weights by  making a loop with a braid line on the dried glue between the butt end and the quarter and pull the braid slowly until it cuts off the glue.

 

 

If it needed more than 3 quarters,  it would be best to buy those butt caps and put the quarters in and plug the thing to the butt end.

Definitely a possibility. Although now, upon further tinkering with the STX, its not just a matter of balance. I'm not exactly impressed with the smoothness of the STX I purchased, especially after receiving my Chronarch CI4+. It is a plausible solution though!

On a rod that long you are going to have to add weight at the very end of the butt. The reel isn't going to have 'much' affect on the balance point. About a finger width really. Beware that when adding any weight to a rod you are decreasing sensitivity. The rubber chair cap with quarters or washers will be the easiest method. Just know that it may take 2-4oz to balance out the rod so it's not tip heavy. It's heavier overall but feels lighter in your hand while fishing.

On a rod that long you are going to have to add weight at the very end of the butt. The reel isn't going to have 'much' affect on the balance point. About a finger width really. Beware that when adding any weight to a rod you are decreasing sensitivity. The rubber chair cap with quarters or washers will be the easiest method. Just know that it may take 2-4oz to balance out the rod so it's not tip heavy. It's heavier overall but feels lighter in your hand while fishing.

I will definitely consider this when finalizing this setup. Although after this thread, its turned from a balancing problem to a reel smoothness problem. But now I may not be so concerned about finding a heavier reel, just a smoother reel.

The rubber chair cap with quarters or washers will be the easiest method. It's heavier overall but feels lighter in your hand while fishing.

X2 i have done this for a few rods and nice change.