Obligatory winter picture. After i clean all the reels up and strip them down I like to take a group pic before the season kicks off just for memory and insurance purposes. This set is missing two rods (one at my dad’s, one backordered) but the gist of it is 11 falcon casting (3 expert, 8 Cara) and 4 shimano spinning (3 Poison adrena, 1 Zodias) rods. Reels are 3 Zillions, 3 Metanium, 2 Bantams, 2 Chronarchs (one new model, one 200e), and an aldebaran on the casting rods. A set of Stradics on the spinning rods.

One-piece frame on one of my 2500CIARs, this frame is so good I ordered one for my other reel. It's way better than the Avail frame.

New 4500AL, well a clone of one but with the Ultracast architecture and some Avail and Haneda Craft goodness.

New old stock Morrum SX3600C Mag; Avail 90mm, rosewood knobs, AMO thumb bar and line guide, and a no name 8g shallow spool.

Have my new spinning rod/reel setup, I'll see how I end up liking the rod.

Megabass Destroyer F4-65X JDM model

Paired it with a Shimano Metanium MGL 150 B (6.2:1).

Once I decide on the 10 or 12 lb. Tatsu.

I will officially be giddy.

A-Jay

You watch a couple of YouTube videos, you get a handful of bladed jigs, a few trailers... Next thing you know you have a dedicated rod and reel combo on the way, too.

[distant ooh ooh ahh ahh noises]

Silver Wolf wearing new ZPI pentagram star drag and Studio Ocean Mark CBlack AH30-105C offset carbon handle. 105 mm is my favorite handle length on 8.5 gears, and 30-mm is my favorite knob dia.

hmm,

I think they wanted it to look like Hot Wheels.

I got a 2015-2016 daiwa zillion HLC paired up on a megabass destroyer 7 foot medium heavy,to keep it short and simple it feels so nice like if the way a custom rod feels compared to a normal one but with a reel,its insanely good

On 3/24/2026 at 12:18 AM, AlisterH said:

I got a 2015-2016 daiwa zillion HLC paired up on a megabass destroyer 7 foot medium heavy,to keep it short and simple it feels so nice like if the way a custom rod feels compared to a normal one but with a reel,its insanely good

Let's see that B!

Went to the flea market yesterday and found a kistler Helium 7'10 Xtra Heavy for 40 bucks(New price is 299.00)!!!! It is in like new shape and I am thinking this would make a great glide bait rod. I'm pretty much good on heavy rods but I couldn't pass it up due to the price. Anybody got any better Ideas for it?

@IYAOYAS depending on the action, swimbaits or a punch rod.

45 minutes ago, Peacedivision said:

@IYAOYAS depending on the action, swimbaits or a punch rod.

Its a moderate action.

@IYAOYAS sounds like big glides is the ticket

After playing with a new tat 100 at the classic expo last year, I knew I wanted to turn a couple into finesse reels. Aliexpress had 3 different spools for the tat ct/100 platform, and I wanted to try them all. So picked up 2 each AMO, KKR, and Rays Studio.

KKR is shallowest, with Rays (middle) and AMO (right) being a nice depth like a ZPI PG. They range from 6.2-6.7g

Finally got the Tats so I can start testing.

I'm a sucker for these bulletproof micro lite spinners from the 70s and 80s. This Daiwa Mini Mite will be right at home on a Graywolf 544, great bushwhacking combo. This one cleaned up very nice and is super smooth. All it needed was a bail spring. I'm going to back fill it with 10lb Mason nylon and top it off with some YGK 0.8, going to be a hoot since trout season opened up today.

I have a lighter spool and handle en route from Japan for this Langley 330 and a Langley 310. I've accumulated enough parts that I'm going to drill out the line guides to shave a little from them. The guides weigh 5g. If I can reduce that by a gram or two, I'll be happy.

My latest pickup, Avail parts incoming and a NS Craft handle. Couldn't say no for what I paid for it.

I'm looking, but I don't see NS Craft handle.

I love NS Craft handles.

Just waiting on the handle. The NS Craft was cancelled on me as they no longer manufacture the one I wanted, the 45Air. I found a small shop in Japan on Instagram that makes a lot of Cardinal parts, so I ordered a handle from them. They are built to order so I probably won't have it for another month or so. Here is the handle I have coming, but with gold hardware in 45mm.

Here is where we are now.

Avail CDC33R spool

Avail champagne gold bail screws and drag screw

IOS Factory line roller. This one has a pair of delrin bushings that make it turn much better than OEM, which had a single hard rubber bushing.

It's going on a Major Craft Finetail Glass 63L+ 2-14g 2-8lb. Target species will be larger migratory trout and river smallmouth. I'm going to spool up 100m of YGK 1.0 and run with a 6-8lb leader, or 10lb if warranted by the amount of fallen trees and rocks in the river. The guides are larger on this rod so I can exceed the rating of the rod a little if I have to. This rod has a lot of backbone, with the blank measuring 12.4mm at the butt and 2mm at the tip. Many ML and M bass rods have similar dimensions in those areas, but are mostly para taper and not progressive taper.

Picked up a mint td-z 103h recently. Pairing it with Heartland Hayate 72 Type East for fast moving baits and etc.