Posted my last week fishing report on Other Species page, and two friends asked me for a list of combos and lures.  

My OP on TT forum also got a gear call-out.  So I figured this forum is slow and could use a gear expose of same old rods and reels.  

I used Zillion/ Omen Green for perfect flats drifting; PE#1.2

 

MinnowZ and Supra 65

Mixed with Kurodai Baitfinesse matched with Silver Wolf, PE#0.8

Also used this for Ima K-Ta jerkbait and suspending Ima Koume on the B&R sailboat channel for sand trout, and could cast the 1/4 oz across the channel.  

I took Ryoga/ Slow Taper, PE#1.2 into mud marshes for bunny shrimp, and it worked wonderfully - just no fish to catch.  

Got in a few casts with Mini-surf/ Seabed at Little Cut tide pass on a beer-thirty stretch, but no fish.  

never took out on the boat, CV-Z/ Headhunters 1800.  

 

Target would have been Spook Jr. and TSL Grasswalker

Never took out SLPW-Z/ Daiwa Black Label ML.  
This is a good all-around combo for both flats and sloughs.  

There’s that Ryoga that’s built to the hilt.. 

 

I'm gonna look for one sometime in winter, gonna give carriers more time to catch up and get into a groove. 

@F14A-B - Thanks, it has KTF Kahen spool, ZPI drag star, and I bought the used reel with Avail handle - I swapped-in the StudioComposite Daiwa-S knobs for worn Daiwa I-rubber, and they were already in my parts bin.  Full rebuild with new MagSeal bearings, and I swapped the alloy gears with brass Hyperdrive from '21 Basura.  

 

If you notice, all my baitcasters swap Daiwa 34-mm floating spool, so back-up box in my lap hatch carried loaded 1000S-Boost-SV spool to swap into any of them (a couple more spools in my leader kit at RV).  

Ryoga is my favorite Daiwa reel - palms nicely w/ my long fingers, but it also reaches the spool best on the half-offset rod grip.  

Nice! Did you do one w stainless gears? Maybe I saw that as an option. The Magseal bearings, are those odd sizing or common bearing sizes? 
 

I love that reel. Prices wildly fluctuate on them too. That a 1016??

that's 1016 (otherwise, larger 1500 sizes go to 36-mm spool), and the Basura brass main matched a stainless pinion - I'm happy, though gear swap did cost me the drag-clicker, which I never depend on - can't hear in coast wind, and I can feel the impact of drag pay through the rod.  

The old alloy pinion is laying on the frame to compare the teeth size with the installed Hyperdrive gears.  

The reason for new magseal was the prior salt use on the reel - on every bearing, the copper shield had oxidized black - whatever is inside, I want out of my reel (though every old bearing spun perfectly).  

I began with a $200 Yahoo buy, so I went through parts lists on Plat.jp and ordered everything I would need - I had room to work with that starting price.  

10-4 on feeling drag pay thru rod. I like the drag click but I won’t limit myself on that extra feature. 
 

On the Coastal 200 I’ll be using it w live or cut bait.. it’s not as loud as the HD1000’s 

 

Go figure.  I really like what you’ve done to Ryoga. It’s a beast..

BTW, I love those handles. The one on my Bantam XG is awesome, they’re so deceiving, they look huge on the reel just looking at them, then you get it in the ready position and it’s just perfect.

 

They're impossible to get in the states also, which sucks. eBay is stupid high. 
 

Still, I’m in the market for two more. At least..

20 hours ago, F14A-B said:

,,,BTW, I love those handles. The one on my Bantam XG is awesome, they’re so deceiving, they look huge on the reel just looking at them, then you get it in the ready position and it’s just perfect.

To me, I-shaped knobs don't make sense, and to each his own.  The giant StudioComposite knobs are lighter weight than the stock Daiwa rubber I-knobs.  The big carbon-tube knobs give you both narrow-feel and palm-grab for big torque.  

The S/C knobs on their handles use 5-mm (Ti) spindle and bearings.  Hedgehog is out of the S/C 4-mm knobs that fit Shimano-A/Daiwa-S.  

Earlier, they had an exclusive run of champagne gold knobs that match my Steez.  I bought these knobs for the champagne gold caps, and stashed the knobs - they found later use on Ryoga.  

 

Loaded Steez was also in my back-up box in lap hatch, but I'm not fond of taking the magnesium reel out on kayak - no worries when it's sealed in Pelican box.  .  

The Handles/knobs are worth the coin, albeit hard to get

These are a little longer Carbon knob, again, looks are deceiving…

Daiwa Zillion HD1000 on GLX 844c MBR..16 pound shooter FC. 

31 minutes ago, bulldog1935 said:

To me, I-shaped knobs don't make sense, and to each his own.  The giant StudioComposite knobs are lighter weight than the stock Daiwa rubber I-knobs.  The big carbon-tube knobs give you both narrow-feel and palm-grab for big torque.  

The S/C knobs on their handles use 5-mm (Ti) spindle and bearings.  Hedgehog is out of the S/C 4-mm knobs that fit Shimano-A/Daiwa-S.  

Earlier, they had an exclusive run of champagne gold knobs that match my Steez.  I bought these knobs for the champagne gold caps, and stashed the knobs - they found later use on Ryoga.  

 

Loaded Steez was also in my back-up box in lap hatch, but I'm not fond of taking the magnesium reel out on kayak - no worries when it's sealed in Pelican box.  .  

I have a case like that, it’s not Pelican but it’s close to it, I actually bought it to carry my Fuji XT2 and a lens in it. Another item that’s worth the investment. 

@F14A-B I have 3 Pelicans in my latch hatch, tethered together with salty seizing and grabbed by fixed biner inside the lap hatch.  Larger back-up box, smaller wallet, keys and back-up lighter (camera battery), and smallest cigar box.  

 

Last year, Nina dropped her lighter in the bay, and asked if I had a spare - not only do I have a spare torch, but it has neck lanyard and built-in punch.  She went home and ordered 3.  

Bow hatch has dry bags for multi-piece back-up rods, fly rod, and fly reel/box fanny pack.  

 

I like that flask I’m seeing there..🇺🇸

Not being a Kayak guy (always used a canoe or flat bottom) are those rather unsinkable? 

@F14A-B Safe buoyancy is 325 lbs total capacity (designed by a naval architect).  

I've turtled twice in 20 years of salt kayaking, and we've retreated home in 35-kt gale gusts when NWS let us down on hourly prediction.  The only things I've lost were a neck knife from a neck sheath, and a water bottle.  With drift sock deployed on trolley to stern, you can ride out anything.  If you see it coming, a gale can be fun.  

Most of our flats fishing is less than 3' deep (less than 18"), but you still cross 15' channels, and need the skill to glide over your righted hull, and maintain balance while you rotate yourself longways.  Of course all my rods are tethered, milk crate tied into sternwell and covered with netting.  My lap hatch also carries a giant sponge in net bag that collects the inside wash through the hatch seals.  If you go offshore, a hand-bilge pump is a necessity.  

 - swivel hook glides on trolley line

The most dangerous point of wind is a beam reach, so you have to set up a tack then run to get across 30-kt beam winds.  

@bulldog1935 that water ain’t no joke is it…

With a power boat, you have the luxury of running to sample 3 or 4 different spots in a morning.  

A kayak gets you into water most power boats can't run, but you're stuck with today's plan.  

The normal drill is paddle to upwind structure around tide timing, then drift-fish home.  

So successful kayak fishing means reading charts, wind, and tide, and planning around the firepit the night before - why we love the fall rodeo - get this many smart fishermen together, etc.  

What you see in our paddle trails:  

Estes on SSW shifting to prevailing SSE.  A normal morning paddle trail is about 10 mi, why we like old-school wind-slippery glide boats for inshore.  

Riding the SE wind home.