I bought many rods this offseason including 2 NRX but the surprise of the bunch to me so far has been the Daiwa Zillion. I bought a 7'7" medium regular action crankbait rod and I really like. For as big as it is its still light. You feel every little tick in the water. I'm kinda disappointed I didn't invest in any Tatula rods as for the most part the reviews said they were as good as the Zillion with lesser components and not as good of a warranty.

I bought a Zillion this year too, a 7' MH worm and jig rod. I paired it with a Daiwa T3 MX and 17 lb. Invizx. I've been fishing jigs with it pretty much exclusively so far.

I have mixed feelings. Something about the combo is just off to me. At first I thought the rod was too heavy. Then I wondered if it wasn't balanced correctly (it seems to be balanced fine), or the handle was too narrow and causing fatigue, or the reel flexed too much for large jig fishing. Not sure yet, but it just doesn't have the same solid, lightweight feel that my 0mn Black/Lews Tournament MB combos have.

I wondered if it was indeed the reel so I got a Tatula Type R and am going to try that out on the rod for the first time today. Hope it turns out to be the key.

1 minute ago, Evan K said:

I bought a Zillion this year too, a 7' MH worm and jig rod. I paired it with a Daiwa T3 MX and 17 lb. Invizx. I've been fishing jigs with it pretty much exclusively so far.

I have mixed feelings. Something about the combo is just off to me. At first I thought the rod was too heavy. Then I wondered if it wasn't balanced correctly (it seems to be balanced fine), or the handle was too narrow and causing fatigue, or the reel flexed too much for large jig fishing. Not sure yet, but it just doesn't have the same solid, lightweight feel that my 0mn Black/Lews Tournament MB combos have.

I wondered if it was indeed the reel so I got a Tatula Type R and am going to try that out on the rod for the first time today. Hope it turns out to be the key.

They seem to run heavier than their rating. I thought at first that the medium was going to be too light for heavier cranks but so far I think it's perfect. Maybe the medium would have been a better fit for you? I know mediums and jig fishing usually doesn't go hand in hand. I hope the new reel works out better for you. I have mine paired with a Tatula 100 and though it's a bit on the heavy side it casts a mile.

What types of cranks are you throwing on the 7'7" Zillion?  I've had my eye on the 7'7" Tatula/Zillion....

23 minutes ago, Logan S said:

What types of cranks are you throwing on the 7'7" Zillion?  I've had my eye on the 7'7" Tatula/Zillion....

This guy I caught on a TD Vibration lipless crank. Pretty heavy I'm guessing 5/8. But then last night I threw a lighter Bandit 200 and it cast it a good distance.

Glad to hear you like the Zillion rods... I plan on making the 8' H Swimbait model my next rod