new2BC4bass

I grew up as a line watcher. We fished nightwalkers, worms, grubs, small leeches and crawfish off the bottom. Occasionally minnows under a bobber. We didn't fish deep water. Seldom fished the Finger Lakes and always from shore when we did.

Any non-SV spooled Daiwa should cast a bit further. Couldn't say by how much. I could try to find out if I had any ambition. I have a bunch of Daiwa reels with and without SV spools. EDIT: None of my reels have been used enough to become buzzy so I can't comment on that possibility. Not all reels are created equally even from the same model line. I bought a 'blem' Tatula Elite that needs to be sent out for repair before I can use it. Can't even spool line on it. It's the third Daiwa (of almost 50 new & used) that I've had a problem with. First was a new SV105. Backlashed a lot. Sent out to a professional to go through and now it is a totally different reel. A used Airy Red Pixy came with parts missing and I couldn't tighten drag enough to spool on line. It's a lovely reel after being repaired.

I'm frugal like you. Want to use a spool on two reels. Doesn't have to be perfectly divided. A couple yards difference is okay. Retired to Florida, and want to use braid on the reels I haven't put line on yet. Over 20 reels. In PA I much preferred mono or co-polymers. Here I'll be fishing slop much more often. Probably will discard line on some already spooled and top off with braid. I picked up a Piscifun line spooler. Not fond of it. Would like something better. Would be great if a line counter was part of the line spooler.

You're absolutely right. Doubt a bass ever thought "Oh boy. A frog. Yummy! Vitamins A, E, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, & B12". More like "Food?"

Brake should be high enough. Just ease up on your casting stroke until you've had enough practice to eliminate backlashes at that setting. EDIT: Start at 14 as suggested above. Once backlashes are eliminated, lower brake by one, maintain easy stroke. Repeat. I'm always fishing from shore so I cast hard for distance. Depending on lure, I am usually between 6 to 8 on the brake. Occasionally up to 10, but that is normally when trying to cast a lure on the low end of the rod's rating and still aiming for the other side of the lake. People with better thumb control cut that number significantly.

Casting hard at first is a no-no. What is the brake set at?

X3 I started with a TD Fuego. Had the spool tension set way too tight the first year. Backed off to where it should have been the second year. Had to learn to cast all over again. Two hand roll cast is the best way to learn. It smooths out your casting stroke and keeps a constant load on the rod tip if done correctly. If use to spinning reels, forget all you know. (Well, maybe not all.) Baitcast reel absolutely hates jerkiness. Will be backlash city. Daiwa reels are designed for basically no spool tension. Letting a lure drop to the floor without the thumb stopping it is asking for a disaster. Don't even think about it. If backlashing at the end of your cast, you probably are 1) not using your thumb to stop the lure and/or 2) have brake set too light.

We have the occasional frog, but doubt there are enough for frog fishing. Which is why I decided to make my Tatula 7'4" HF a dedicated frog rod and shipped it to Florida.

My first attempt at frogging was with the Tatula 7'4" HF that I shipped to Florida for my visits. Got to use it for one vacation. Then a drug addict B-I-L stole all my rods I kept there.

Retired to Florida last year. Have a BB1 Pro on the way. From what I've been reading, most consider this reel to cast very far. However, I have several reels that hold plenty of line I could try. However, I kind of like the idea of a faster retrieve to pick up line quicker. In PA I didn't fish heavy cover so a MH was more than enough. Mostly I used rods where the lure weight I was using was somewhere in the middle of the rod's rating.

if my old model Zillion 7'6" HF would work as a good frog rod. Does it have a good tip for walking a frog? Hasn't seen use in years as I never saw the need for a Heavy in PA. My OG Tatula 7'4" HF was my dedicated frog rod but it got stolen. I have two 6'10" HF, the Falcon Amistad (which I'd rather use as a more all around rod) and an old (very) Cabela's XMLTiC 6'6" MHF whch carries the same lure rating as the Amistad.

casts_by_fly Like your comment about 6.2 ratio and it is why I've come to prefer 7 or more for most of my reels as much of my casting is for distance. Won't be getting rid of my 6.? ratios or 5.8 ratio reels, tho. As you can see by casts_by_fly's post, testing takes time. Especially if you want oranges to oranges. I love baitcast reels and started buying them in March 2009. I don't sell although I've give a few (very few) away. Testing applicable reels for distance on just one rod would take a long time. By applicable, I mean a Pixy wouldn't fit this category (for me) as I use mine for lighter stuff. Nor would any 70 size reel or a 1600C, etc., etc. I have in the neighborhood of 40-45 reels that could be tested for distance due to line capacity. I can't begin to guess how long such a test would take since I would like each spooled with the same line for best results. I'd also like to compare braid against mono on each reel to see if it made a difference. Then I have stock and tuned reels in the same model. Would there be a difference in casting distance? My username should be changed to reeloldgeezer. I've lost most of my ambition. Anyone here live in the Lake Helen, FL area that would like to come and give me a kick in the derriere and help run some tests? Only have one 7'6" HF for testing.

Ordered the LH off Amazon for $150.

I'm glad to finally find someone else having the same opinion on the SVS Infinity system. I'm with you on heavier spools. Many say you want a light spool for faster start up. That's great for light baits. Could be wrong, but imo a light spool is also going to slow down faster. I have an old aluminum framed Trion I purchased used. I wound up changing the line from 30# braid to 17# mono and mounting it on a Tour Edition 6'10" HF. I'm not going to win any distance competitions, but I get surprisingly good distance with this combo. I bet it would do real well on a 7'6" HF rod. I've already got about 24 more reels than rods, but you guys have me wanting a BB1 Pro.

When I first used braid on a casting reel, 40# was my first choice if I bought it. Have purchased a used reel with 30# already spooled on it, and it worked fine for me once I removed the tight spots that were already there. I bought 60# when I decided on using my 7'6" HF as a dedicated frog rod (because of what I'd read). Definitely hurt distance. Too frugal to throw the line away, but will definitely be going lighter when it needs replacing. May not happen in my lifetime, tho. Gen 1 STX lists 135 yards of 12# mono. I assume that is when spooled to 1/16-1/8 inch below the rim as Abu suggests in the sheet that came with the reel. I fill to the spool bevel. 7' MHF Jupiter (Daiwa rod exclusively for Walmart), 40# Sufix Performance, and 3/4 oz. spoon would cast off over half the line from sitting position in a Gheenoe. Should be able to achieve more distance standing. I'm going to try some 25# braid on my new Salamandura 70 SV TW. A 5/8 oz. lipless on a 6'10" MH-MF about empties the spool with the 12# mono I first put on it. Since I now live in Florida, I will be spooling braid most of the time.

May be out of your price range since you are looking at Piscifun reels, but try finding a used Pixy in good condition. Holds 95 yards of 6# mono. Will handle those weights with ease. Should make the 40 yards.

London.

OP, did you do a search before posting? If you do one now, you will get lead back to this thread by most of the first page because it is the latest thread on distance. I wish the search function could limit results just to the original post instead of also including everyone's reply in that thread. Maybe there's a way and I just don't know how. Here's a recent one mentioning the BB! Pro.

What weight baits? What rod are you using?

Seem to remember PhishLI and bulldog1935 mentioning the BB1 Pro as being a distance king. hopefully both will respond.

Man....I'd be crying for months. Sorry about your loss.

My condolences on your father's death. Pretty sure it was December last year, not this year. My parents died a long time ago. Still miss them occasionally. My wife passed away in March. Unfortunately she didn't leave me any fishing gear to inherit. Sorry about the sick humor. It's either that or cry.

Have you tried switching rods to see if the results were still the same? One tip is to make sure you have enough line hanging off the rod tip. Another tip is to workout several days a week. Some people have more powerful casts. You need a combination of strength and speed (and good technique). I used to fish with a younger guy that could literally make his rod (casting) whistle on a cast. Never personally witnessed anyone with such a powerful cast. Also some rods seem to be better than others at achieving longer distances. Beyond my scope of knowledge. Bulldog1935 would be a good guy to help you.

When I first read your thread title, I thought you were asking for opinions on you buying a budget reel? Why would I have an opinion on that? Then I figured out you were asking about opinions on the Sougayilang. Never have, or will, use one. However, I'm glad you gave a review on it. There was a time in my life when I couldn't afford even $50 for a rod or reel. No doubt there are a few in that situation today, so reviews of low cost, little known (or unknown) brands is a good thing for some people. Reviews on such products are hard to come by unless on Amazon. And if you believe those reviews, I have a bridge in Arizona I can sell to you.

I also own more MH rods than any other power. If severely limited to how many I could have, I'd want the low end rating to be 1/4 oz. on all of them. No 3/8 oz. low end allowed unless it could make a 3/8 oz. lure (actual weight) fly the country mile. Which means it should be able to handle a 1/4 oz. lure. The first rod I'll pick up on almost every outing is going to be a MH. My shortest is 6', the longest is 7'6". I prefer 7' or longer. This is a generalization. I have no problem using my Smallmouth 6'10" MH-MF or Tatula 6'10" MHF. Anything shorter stays at home. Just because I like those two 6'10" rods doesn't mean I'd be willing to buy more of the same length. I'd much prefer the 7'1" thru 7'4" range.