21farms

as far as my bass gear, i have: 29 casting rods, favorite: g.loomis NRX 893C (blue) 22 casting reels, favorite: abu-garcia eliteIB rocket9 (JDM) 7 spinning rods, favorite: cabelas XMLTi 69DS 8 spinning reels, favorite: shimano sustain 3000FG

i've ordered from japan 6 or 7 times and have not had to pay import duties yet but know people that have. the surprise i got with my first JDM purchase was the "foreign transaction fee" my credit card company charged me...something like 3.25 percent.

i'm not sure what your expectations are. casting distances isn't everything...in fact, i have a $50 abu-garcia black max that will outcast any of my $200 reels distancewise. typically, as you move up in class of reels, the reel will be sturdier, be smoother and stay that way longer, be more rigid, smoother and more consistent drag...things that are perhaps not immediately apparent. you say you're disappointed because your curado costs more than the citica but a zillion costs even more. in any event, the zillion is a fine reel but so is the curado (i've had a few of each but not the curado i). in my experience, the curado handles lighter lures better and the wide spool is friendlier with braid. upgrade if you want but i hope you're not expecting the zillion to be world's better.

i was bored last night so i completely made it up. although tongue-in-cheek, i think it is somewhat true, especially for me as i moved up from regular joe to avid fisherman to the early throes of a tackle enthusiast

here's how it works: as you can see, it all depends on what kind of fisherman you are. regular joes (blue) are don't know any difference and are happy as clams with a $50 combo or a $1000 combo. interestingly, professional tournament anglers (red) know the difference but most see fishing as a job and don't enjoy the equipment; also, they're so good, they catch fish regardless of what they use. the avid fisherman (green) appreciate nicer gear and have a sweet spot around right around $350 ($180 reel and a $170 rod)...after that, they have to spend much more to gain a little bit more enjoyment. now, for the tackle enthusiast, any combo under $250 barely even registers in their brain...they have to spend at least $500 just to have a so-so time fishing; for them, enjoyment goes up linearly with price.

there are still reels that are JDM only, e.g. shimano exsence DC and abu revo elite IB. otherwise, as tinuts said, the other reels that were brought over are the same between both markets but the USDM ones are covered by factory warranties here which add to the cost. i've read variously that americans are significantly rougher on their gear and make a lot more warranty claims than japanese anglers. my favorite JDM feature are clicking drags which both my exsence and elite IB have...very cool.

gen1s are glossy black with a straight handle and no red accents. gen2s are also glossy black but have a swept handle with a red spool and some other red accents; the handle nut is covered. gen3s have more of matte black finish and a red, exposed handle nut. regardless of generation, you can take the sideplate off but there's nothing to adjust inside. whatever reel you settle on, work at it...good pitching requires a lot of practice. to answer your original question, my best pitching reel is a shimano 13metanium XG with a yumeya BFS shallow spool.

yup, which i happen to like for spinnerbaits as well as cranks...not everyone's cup of tea though.

man, i can't believe i forgot to mention the lew's BB1, available in 5.1:1 and lefty. terrific reels and on sale at TW too.

i think you're misunderstanding me. i was trying to say that not all 5:1 reels are the same and that some 6:1 reels are actually slower than some 5:1 reels. for me, my preference for slower reels is only partially about speed (i tend to crank very fast so a slower reel allows me fish at the pace i like while still maintaining the proper lure presentation). the other part is about torque...the lower geared reels are much easier for me to fish with when using resistance baits.

oe, i'm with you in that i much prefer lower-geared reels for spinnerbaits. i've had more than my share of slow reels, including multiple PQs and shimano E5s. in my experience, the PQs are okay but the E5s outperform them wind or no wind. i personally do not buy into the dual-braking/best-of-both-worlds hype; i have not found that they outperform a good implementation of either centrifugal-only or magnetic-only reels. in fact, the ONLY braking system i've found that makes much difference in the wind is shimano's digital control (DC) which is simply amazing. anyway, if what you want is a slower reel, you should not limit yourself to 5:1 reels...you should concentrate instead on the retrieve rate you want. the 5.2:1 PQ has a retrieve rate of 21 inchers per turn (IPT). daiwa sols or alphas have a 22 IPT and can be had under $200 and are fun reels to fish with. if you're patient and willing to accept a reel that's a little scratched up, you may be able to find a JDM shimano conquest 51 (20.5 IPT) under $200...i stress MAY BE but if you can get one of those, you will absolutely love it...conquests are terrific reels that can double as finesse reels as well.

sounds like either the spinnerbait special or the upcoming diablo spec-R is what you're looking for. i have four of the orochi XX rods (so far) and love 'em. the guides are bigger than true micros.

on the rods themselves, it is correctly spelled as 'villain'. i'm not sure how i feel about them. i have the 6'9" ML/MF which i like but i had the 7'1" MH/F which i did not. no direct experience with either the okumas and the lew's tournament SLs. i played with the C3s at the store and didn't notice anything special about them. i have owned three of the team lew's speed sticks and was quite pleasantly surprised by the component quality, workmanship, weight and handling...whether that carries over to the tournament SLs, i dunno. have you considered the kistler pro series (*** exclusive)?

ceramics CAN be run dry...they spin faster and easier dry but noisier too. you can quell the racket somewhat with a drop of high-speed oil in each bearing if you want.

i used to have multiples of the powell max rods but, for some reason, i get away from powells...i don't know why as they're fine rods and i certainly did like the ones i had. anyway, i currently own an M1 72H like the one you're thinking about. what i like about it: weight - it is only 4.1 ounces, reel seat - the offset angle of the grip is really comfortable, action - the tip is actually fairly soft but gets down to the meaty portion of the blank plenty fast, and cosmetics - nice looking rod looks even better with my revo rocket. what i don't like: hook keeper - the placement behind the handle just KILLS me. hope this helps somewhat. good luck.

yes! makes the met XG look absolutely perfect on a megabass orochi XX or a tatula rod

i have the metanium XG (8.5:1) and i cannot think of any drawback. in fact, after using the 96mm handle on the met XG, the 84mm handles on the met HG (7.4:1) and the plain met (6.2:1) seem downright dinky.

i just low-gear ratio reels for ALL of my moving bait techniques. i like to fish fast and a low-gear ratio allows me to "fish fast" and still not overwork the lure.

i have owned three quantum reels and one smoke rod. every quantum reel in the last 5 years has a hump around the brake dial that makes palming for me very uncomfortable. worse, they repeat that same characteristic hump in every "new" reel they come out with and is a deal-breaker for me. i'm actually very turned off by KVD and the plethora of other pros on TV pushing them...i think it's over the top and actually makes me leery of the brand. the other thing that pops into my head is that (and maybe this is just perception) it seems like they're more concerned about the bling and marketing instead of the substance.

there term "speed spool" harkens back to the original lew's reels from the 70s...it's just used now for name recognition and branding. now, anything with a "laser" designation means it uses a graphite frame...avoid! a solid, one-piece aluminum frame is the first building block of a quality reel that will last. anything with an "MG" means that the braking system is magnetic only. the BB1 reels are centrifugal only. the rest of the lineup are dual-braking, incorporating a simple magnetic brake system along with a simple centrifugal brake system. the BB1 series have their own frame that is different from the non-BB1 lew's and feature a width reminiscent of the shimano E and G series. the main difference between the BB1 and the BB1 pro is the sophistication of the centrifugal brake system. between all the others, the differences are in finishes, materials, a gear and spool configurations.

good to know...thanks for the heads up!

i have not measured the shims themselves but i have/have had shimano citicas, curados, chronarchs, conquests, antares, exsences, calais, metaniums, aldebarans and scorpions and they all use 4x7x2.5 bearings under the knobs. because of that, i would assume all the shims are the same too.

i recommend not tying a knot in your line. when you want to change depths, you may be forced to retie. on fluorocarbon, a knot like that will substantially weaken your connection to your hook. instead, use eagle claw bobber stops...they're cheap, easily adjust up or down, and work great.

look for kyosho shim sets at your local hobby store or online. for shimanos and daiwas, you will want 5x7 shims and for lews/abu/pflueger/BPS/quantum, you will want 6x8.

thanks. luckily, my 2014 summer angler catalog was still in my recycle bin i ran out and retrieved it. it's interesting BPS would make those claims yet not change the model number or the SKU. for example, the 7.1:1 model was JCL10SHA in older catalogs and that has not changed in the 2014 summer catalog; usually, they would change the letter designation—in the case, should've been redesignated JCL10SHB—otherwise, how can they (or, anyone else for that matter) tell the 2014's apart from the pre-2014s?? even the SKUs are the same and the BPS website makes no mention of the "new and improved" duralumin gears. if i sound jaded, it's because i am. i ordered one when they first came out...at that time, it was the lightest reel available under $400. the one i got had to be the grindiest reel i've ever handled—it felt like working one of those old manual eggbeaters—and all the time, not just once a rotation. anyway, long story short, in the last couple of years, i have sampled dozens of them in all three speeds and, while some were better than others, not one of them is what i would call 'smooth'. there was even a rumor the year before last that they "fixed" the issue...well, as late as 2013, i went in and sampled the "fixed" ones: no change. so, when i read all those reviews on the BPS website from people claiming how smooth they are, i'm absolutely shocked. for me, i'll believe they have "new and improved, smoother" gears when i feel it, not when roland martin says so..