New Set Ups Reviewed....

So I finally got out to test out my new Daiwa Steez SV TW with a St. Croix Legend Elite 6'8'' M Fast and my Shimano Curado DC with a St. Croix Legend Glass 7'2'' M Mod......

The Daiwa Steez is amazing... smooth, accurate, and cast a mile.  It is almost impossible to backlash.  Yet, I think for the price, I was expecting something more but it's still one of the best reels I have ever fished.  The Legend is super sensitive and light.  It is equal to and if not better than my G. Loomis 783C GLX.

The big surprise for me was the Curado DC and the Legend Glass.  I was really skeptical of both when I got them.  First, I thought the DC breaking was just a gimmick but casting it was fantastic.  It does not cast as far as the Steez under normal circumstances but it casts a 3/8 oz crankbait a long way in the wind.  It took me a few tries to dial it in but once I found it's groove, it was surprisingly fun to fish.  With a light breeze, all I needed to do was set it at 1 and off it goes.  I tried casting it into the wind at 3 setting and it somehow did not backlash.  Next the Legend Glass was outstanding and the biggest surprise.  It is, so far for me, the best technique specific rod I have ever used.  I have fished several crankbait rods (Shimano Crucial, G.Loomis Crankbait, G. Loomis GLX Crankbait, Laminglass, Powell, St.Croix Mojo Glass.. just to name a few) and this rod is a G.Z. (Goldilocks Zone) rod.  It is, in my opinion, the perfect crankbait rod.  It is just sensitive enough, not too whippy (like most glass rods) and it has more than enough power for easy hook sets. 

This was the first catch of the year and it exploded and swallowed a square bill. If I had eased up a little on the hook set, it would have not been a bloody mess.