Wife got me a new Steez 103HA for Xmas (a Stella, too!). I got the Steez on the water for the first time today. Spooled it with Sequar Invisx 12lb, same as I have on most of my level winders. I put it on one of my BCR803 GLX rods. I have my Core 50 on the other. Figured it'd be a good way to compare them.

It was very windy at times today and I realized pretty quickly the Steez was easily upset when throwing against the wind, more so than any of my other reels (curado, premiers, calais DC, JM Gold, etc). I was mostly casting 1/2 and 3/4 oz jigging spoons with it, which should cast like a bullet, even into the wind. I ended up having add a lot of spool tension (lure would not fall on it's own) and run the magnets at 8-9. All of that drastically cut into the casting distance, of course. If I was not casting against the wind, I could loosen up and it would cast quite well, but it was just an easy reel to upset. So a bit fussy. On my other reels, a little adjustment would take care of it. But the Steez takes a lot of adjustment. Does this sound normal for this reel?

It is small and light. Feels a lot like my core 50, except the thumb bar is really close to the spool. And the knobs are a harder rubber which feels more like hard plastic. I am not a fan of their feel at this point, and I'm generally not too picky about handle knobs. Makes the reel feel cheap.

The weakish drag showed up on my first fish, a 2.5lb spotted bass. I thought I had the drag cranked down pretty good but reeling didn't bring any line in for a few turns. So I had to really crank it down. And then it did fine for a 3lb smally I caught a little later. Not sure it'd have handled the 19lb big striper like my Premier did last winter, though. I kind of doubt it.

Am I using this reel for the wrong thing? Is it just light bait, fair weather type reel? So far, I'm not very impressed. What am I missing? Maybe it'll grow on me over time.

jeb2, I don't know what to tell you.  I will agree on the wind issue, the Steez reels do not like casting into the wind, of course most baitcaster don't handle into the wind casts very well (thats another reason I have some steez spinning reel combos).  Ive use Shimano Core and BPS Johnny Morris reels  and they are just as bad if you don't adjust them for the conditions. 

IMHO, the Steez baitcaster casts a little different than other baitcasters and it takes a bit of casting to get it setup for your style of casting.  When I forst started using the Steez I switched from a BPS Johnny Morris and had some pretty bad birds nests on the Steez until I get it setup properly.  I either had it setup to loose and it with create a mess or so tight it wouldn't cast 20 yards.   Now I keep the brakes set to 2 or 3 most of the time and it casts like a dream.  It also use a bit more spool tension on the steez than other reels.  My daiwa Pluton is the sweetest casting reel in all conditions that I have ever found.  It takes a complete idiot or someone without a thumb to get a nest on that reel.

The Steez baitcaster takes a bit more effort to setup but its worth it.

The drag is the reels weakest point, I dont know why daiwa can't design that reel with at least 10-12 lbs of drag instead of that wimpy 8 lbs.  I set my drag pretty snug when Im fishing and always try to remember to loosen it a the end of the day.

If you tighten the drag down it will hold.  The biggest bass I have caught is 6 lbs so I just cross my fingers that when I hook that double digit bass it can crank it in.

Don't give up and keep working with the Steez reel until you get it dialed in for you.

I hope you eventually enjoy it !

For me (Not the steez but other mag-z reels) it was a bit of a learning curve to get used to the braking adjustments, etc. But once you get it dialed in, I promise you'll love the braking 

Wimpy drag?  I was caching DD brown trout in early fall with a Steez bait caster, no issues there.  Threw Cleos into the wind as well as my Alphas.  Maybe its in the thumb?  It really seemed like a great reel to me, and this one was three years old.

I dont think it's the reel.  Once you adjust it for the lure weight, it's all up to this...

For me (Not the steez but other mag-z reels) it was a bit of a learning curve to get used to the braking adjustments, etc. But once you get it dialed in, I promise you'll love the braking

Steez uses Magforce V, not Magforce Z.

For me (Not the steez but other mag-z reels) it was a bit of a learning curve to get used to the braking adjustments, etc. But once you get it dialed in, I promise you'll love the braking

Steez uses Magforce V, not Magforce Z.

The Steez reels use both Mag V and Mag Z depending on the model.

jeb2, I don't know what to tell you. I will agree on the wind issue, the Steez reels do not like casting into the wind, of course most baitcaster don't handle into the wind casts very well (thats another reason I have some steez spinning reel combos). Ive use Shimano Core and BPS Johnny Morris reels and they are just as bad if you don't adjust them for the conditions.

Thanks for the input. From your input and input of others, it seems this reel is just not a good one for windy days. My other un-modded baitcasters listed above all will throw great into the wind with minor adjustments. So this reel is for sure a notch below them in overall usability/performance.

IMHO, the Steez baitcaster casts a little different than other baitcasters and it takes a bit of casting to get it setup for your style of casting. When I forst started using the Steez I switched from a BPS Johnny Morris and had some pretty bad birds nests on the Steez until I get it setup properly. I either had it setup to loose and it with create a mess or so tight it wouldn't cast 20 yards. Now I keep the brakes set to 2 or 3 most of the time and it casts like a dream. It also use a bit more spool tension on the steez than other reels.

I took to it really quickly when the winds were light yesterday. I've owned magnet only baitcasters before. Still own them. Older Shimano's, bantams and the like. With light winds, I was throwing lures really well with it under ideal conditions. No issues with thumb control with very little magnet and "correct" spool tension settings. But when the winds came up, it got a lot more dicey. Seems this is just going to be a fair weather reel, unfortunately.

The Steez baitcaster takes a bit more effort to setup but its worth it.

Is it? No offense to anyone, and I'm sure the haters will jump on me for it, but why is it worth it? It's $100 more than my Core 50, is no lighter, has a weaker drag, cheap feeling knobs, does not cast into the wind nearly as well. What makes this reel worth the effort? I didn't think I was going to be blown away by it, but holy cow, kind of a big let down. I figured it would at least be a tie with my core, you know?

Don't give up and keep working with the Steez reel until you get it dialed in for you.

I hope you eventually enjoy it !

Yeah, me too. And I have not given up on it yet. I'm going to work hard at making it one of my everyday reels, and not a rod locker queen.

Thanks for the honest input on it. I appreciate it.

PM sent.

Wimpy drag? I was caching DD brown trout in early fall with a Steez bait caster, no issues there.

Was the drag modified? I've had it suggested to me that I should upgrade the drag to carbontex. Perhaps the reel you were using had that upgrade? But anyway, yes, the Steez is acknowledged to have a weaker drag than most other reels in its class. I knew that before I put it on my Xmas list, though.

Threw Cleos into the wind as well as my Alphas. Maybe its in the thumb?

Hey, could be. I've been fishing with baitcasters for over 30 years and all my other ones work well in the wind with minor adjustments. I was throwing the same lures yesterday with my core on the same rod using the same line. Very minor tweak of the tension knob was all that was required, for example. Even Steezy admits it's not a great reel for windy days. But it could just be me. Time will tell, I guess.

The 103's (Magforce V with type R rotor) are supposedly more for pitching whereas the 100's (Magforce Z) are more for casting. Magforce V is also supposedly more light lures friendly than the Magforce Z which handles heavier lures better. Even though the new pixy PX68 uses Magforce Z

That being said, I found the 103's to also be casting machines if one uses a side arm cast as opposed to the overhead. The 100's you can cast normally as you would. The 103's you cast using less force but you have to be more "fluid."

But since you are casting 1/2 to 3/4 spoons, personally I would've opted for a Steez 100 rather than the Steez 103 but that's just me.

the steez 103/bcr 803 combo excels at pitching...the most accurate and productive at that app. i've ever used...it has accounted for several double-digits and an unworthy amount of 9's and 8's...the reels are stock and i've yet to feel underpowered as far as drag...of course, rod and thumb have something to do with this, as well.

have several core 50's and i think where the steez earns its money over the 50 comes when retrieving the heavier cranks and spinners...as good as the 50 is, i start to feel gearing when burning 1/2 oz. blades or running the deeper cranks...granted, neither the core or the steez are the best suited for these apps....but it is a testament to the steez that it can do these apps. without any gear mesh or binding feel...something i've only been able to do with the calais series of reels.

as others have suggested, i would offer to keep plugging at it and keep fine-tuning that dial with each bait...it will be worth it.

and, fwiw, as much fun as i have with the core 50, i would still pick the steez over it as an everyday all-around reel.

The 103's (Magforce V with type R rotor) are supposedly more for pitching whereas the 100's (Magforce Z) are more for casting. Magforce V is also supposedly more light lures friendly than the Magforce Z which handles heavier lures better. Even though the new pixy PX68 uses Magforce Z

That being said, I found the 103's to also be casting machines if one uses a side arm cast as opposed to the overhead. The 100's you can cast normally as you would. The 103's you cast using less force but you have to be more "fluid."

But since you are casting 1/2 to 3/4 spoons, personally I would've opted for a Steez 100 rather than the Steez 103 but that's just me.

+1

I own a few Magforce V reels including three Alphas Itos which like the Steez have Type R+ tuning. I've found that these types of reels cast much better underhand and sidearm than overhead.

If you like how your Core casts, you may want to consider trading your 103 for a 100 for Magforce Z since I've found Z series to cast much more like a Shimano 6-pin than the V series.

The 103's (Magforce V with type R rotor) are supposedly more for pitching whereas the 100's (Magforce Z) are more for casting. Magforce V is also supposedly more light lures friendly than the Magforce Z which handles heavier lures better.

Thanks for the info. I wish Daiwa would put that in their advertisements. All the research I did, it seemed like most preferred the 103. So that's what I put on the xmas list. Seems they'd be able to make the reel do both well at that price. I don't really want or need a dedicated pitching reel.

That being said, I found the 103's to also be casting machines if one uses a side arm cast as opposed to the overhead. The 100's you can cast normally as you would. The 103's you cast using less force but you have to be more "fluid."

I almost always sidearm cast all my rigs. And I did notice even in more ideal conditions that I needed to stay fluid. If I tried to muscle a cast to get a little more distance, it would fluff up sometimes and get minor nests. Wasn't really happy about that, either. None of my other reels have this problem.

But since you are casting 1/2 to 3/4 spoons, personally I would've opted for a Steez 100 rather than the Steez 103 but that's just me.

That's not what will always be on there. That's just what they're biting on right now, and I wanted to catch some fish with it!    I was hoping it was going to be an all around reel. Seems that may not be the case.

I just looked on the Daiwa website, and it says all the Steez 100 and 103 reels have the Magforce V. Is their website wrong?

The 103's (Magforce V with type R rotor) are supposedly more for pitching whereas the 100's (Magforce Z) are more for casting. Magforce V is also supposedly more light lures friendly than the Magforce Z which handles heavier lures better.

Thanks for the info. I wish Daiwa would put that in their advertisements. All the research I did, it seemed like most preferred the 103. So that's what I put on the xmas list. Seems they'd be able to make the reel do both well at that price. I don't really want or need a dedicated pitching reel.

That being said, I found the 103's to also be casting machines if one uses a side arm cast as opposed to the overhead. The 100's you can cast normally as you would. The 103's you cast using less force but you have to be more "fluid."

I almost always sidearm cast all my rigs. And I did notice even in more ideal conditions that I needed to stay fluid. If I tried to muscle a cast to get a little more distance, it would fluff up sometimes and get minor nests. Wasn't really happy about that, either. None of my other reels have this problem.

But since you are casting 1/2 to 3/4 spoons, personally I would've opted for a Steez 100 rather than the Steez 103 but that's just me.

That's not what will always be on there. That's just what they're biting on right now, and I wanted to catch some fish with it! I was hoping it was going to be an all around reel. Seems that may not be the case.

What I found was that I wouldn't muscle the cast for the 103 to get more distance. I usually loosen the tension knob a little more or dial the brakes lower one setting. You can get away with exerting more force in your cast with the 100 though.

This is because due to the type R rotor, shallow spool, the overall nature of the magnetic brake system (you get more brake assistance at the end of the cast) compounded with the weight of the lure you are using (I am assuming you still used the 1/2oz. to 3/4oz. spoons here) you risk a backlash or have over runs if you "muscle" your cast and not careful with your thumb especially in the beginning of the cast.

I've actually preferred the 103 than the 100 for casting due to the fact that I have to exert less force to almost get the same if not the same distance as the 100.

Personally: the Steez, especially the Steez 103, would not be my first choice for an all around baitcaster.

I just looked on the Daiwa website, and it says all the Steez 100 and 103 reels have the Magforce V. Is their website wrong?

Yep.

Wimpy drag? I was caching DD brown trout in early fall with a Steez bait caster, no issues there.

Was the drag modified? I've had it suggested to me that I should upgrade the drag to carbontex. Perhaps the reel you were using had that upgrade? But anyway, yes, the Steez is acknowledged to have a weaker drag than most other reels in its class. I knew that before I put it on my Xmas list, though.

Threw Cleos into the wind as well as my Alphas. Maybe its in the thumb?

Hey, could be. I've been fishing with baitcasters for over 30 years and all my other ones work well in the wind with minor adjustments. I was throwing the same lures yesterday with my core on the same rod using the same line. Very minor tweak of the tension knob was all that was required, for example. Even Steezy admits it's not a great reel for windy days. But it could just be me. Time will tell, I guess.

No, drag was not modified.  Both the Alphas and the 103 have the Mag V.  I generally have the spool totally free, and set the brakes for 6-10.  Want more distance, drop the brakes by  click or two.

Personally: the Steez, especially the Steez 103, would not be my first choice for an all around baitcaster.

Yeah, I think this is the reality of it. Hard to believe a $500 reel is so limited in it's ability, but it is what it is. I'll have to fish with it for a while and see if it has a place in my boat.

Thanks for all the input.