new2BC4bass

With the exception of an Alphas SV105 and PXL Type R, all my Daiwas are older models, so I can't comment on your choices. I will say I love the blue color used on Coastal reels. Walmart has the RH Coastal TWS for $159.99 and the Orra Inshore for $119.99. That is a $70 savings on the Daiwa. Maybe I should invest in one since I am hoping to move to Florida in the near future. Or I could buy one and set it on my desk at work so I could admire the beautiful color throughout the day.

I'd like to point out that it is possible to buy a Pixy in that price range. There is a yellow one on fleabay for $189 that looks to be in excellent condition, an Airy Red for $149 that is also in pretty good shape, a supertuned Airy Red for $332.84 that appears to have only one bad mark on it. There are also several others although they don't appear to be in as good cosmetic condition. The Pixy is the reel TT compares all other finesse reels to. I bought one on another site that turned out to be the only reel I've purchased used that was unusable upon arrival. Cost me more to get it repaired, upgraded and supertuned than my purchase price, but I now have a great finesse reel. It only has one bad spot so it didn't bother me too much to spend the extra money as the Airy Red is the Pixy I wanted, and I would have had the upgrades and supertune done anyway. EDIT: I am also a huge fan of the TD-Z 105H. My Alphas SV105 wasn't up to the standard of the ones everyone else was getting, but a supertune and upgrade took care of that. A very nice reel now. EDIT2: Also watch out for the spool being swapped if you buy an Airy Red. It comes with a Duralumin spool which is silver colored. Mine had been switched out for the GIGAS spool which is black. One difference between them is the Duralumin spool is 1 gram lighter. I have read that there is no difference in how they cast, but it still was upsetting that I didn't get the original spool.

Can I assume when you say your lake is heavily wooded, you are talking about along the shore rather than what is in the water? If that is the case then my personal opinion is stick with spinning. In that scenario the only way to cast with a baitcast reel is to flip or pitch. At least it is for me. Sure there is the occasional spot with enough room to make a cast with a baitcast outfit, but I'd be missing a lot of spots that I wouldn't have to miss if carrying a spinning rod. I'd like to see how these guys are casting when surrounded by trees and bushes. I need a lot more room when using a baitcasting setup. I have to admit that I try to avoid those places with baitcast gear. I've yet to try casting a baitcast rod like I would a spinning rod. Maybe it could be done, but I think you would need a sophisticated thumb. I also think if I were to try this with a baitcaster, I'd want to be using a rod with a tip that loads easily because my casting stroke would be very abbreviated and most likely very jerky. The soft tip would help in both cases. I think you are on the right track picking a Medium power rod if you want to pursue the baitcast route. I do not consider your question to be the typical case of "Which is better, a baitcast or spinning rod?" You have a specific set of circumstances where I think spinning is definitely the way to go. This from a guy whose baitcast gear outnumbers his spinning gear by about a 9 to 1 ratio, and who seldom uses a spinning rod even when he knows it would be the better option. Also I consider light lures on a baitcast reel to require more than the average ability. By light I mean less than 1/4 oz. Some old timers have no problem with 1/8 oz. on a MH rod using 15# line. I ain't one of them. Old, yes...just not a long time baitcast user. I have several outfits that will cast a 3/16 oz. Shad Rap, but it took me time and practice to get that low. I definitely need room to swing with these lures. A recent purchase has allowed me to get to 1/8 oz. Weight like this isn't normally the fare for a typical baitcast reel. The reel should be designed for this type lures, and normally costs quite a bit. Lucky for us a used Pixy has come way down in price the last couple of years. I would suggest one to go with that Medium rod.

I don't know anything about gar, but the other two species are often caught using worms. I would think a spinning rod with a very soft tip would be best for nightwalkers. I have an old...very old.....Fenwick 9' rod called Nightcrawler Secret (fiberglass) for use with................wait for it..................live nightcrawlers. Lots of flex, but will still land a pretty big fish. Now if you are going to be using baits that aren't easily thrown off the hook, then a rod with more power should work fine. All 3 species can get pretty big so I'd be looking for a MH rod. One thing you should always mention is how much you are willing to spend. There are guys here where $50 is all they can afford while others have no problem buying rods for $500. Or you could look at something like the St. Croix Legend Elite for $400 Or a Megabass Orochi XX for less. Or a ARMS Super Legerra starting at about $999. This is why a budget is always a good thing to mention.

My Trion is on a 6'10" HF and is a casting machine. Not light. Not pretty. But gets the job done. Mine was $50 used (an older model). You got a good deal.

I'm not fishnkamp, but a 5 something ratio is usually considered the first choice for deep diving crankbaits.

The Uni Knot for everything.

A member here that has often given me excellent advice has said that Spiderwire Ultracast Ultimate Mono is the best mono he has ever used. This was about a year after he recommended Silver Thread AN40 to me. I currently have a couple 3000 yd. spools of 8# and 12# AN40 so I won't be investing in any Ultimate Mono for awhile. It has been doing well for me. I also have some Silver Thread Excalibur on a couple reels. So far, so good. I read good things about McCoy Mean Green. I've got some Izorline XXX waiting to be used. Have read good things about this line, too. I think your line breaking is from the backlashes you are incurring by running your brakes so loose. I also think it is possible that some lines are more prone than others to break from backlashes. I had some P-Line CX do the same thing to me while learning to use a baitcast reel. Made a cast only to find the line was broken in the spool. It is another story, but I had to relearn to cast the second year into baitcast reels, and backlashed quite often, but didn't have a single break in the reel. I was using a different line that time.

The Trireme Series is being closed out on their website. A $54.99 reel for $16.00 if you are looking to spend as little as possible. I was interested in their baitcast reels at one time. Reading through the comments on their website left me feeling like everyone posting there either worked for the company or was a relative or good friend of someone working for them. I believe there was a thread about them on another forum. Pretty sure the comments didn’t match those on the company’s website or I would have purchased one. I do love that blue color, tho. You might want to consider a Pflueger Trion. I’ve not used that particular model, but have read some favorable comments on the reel. Comments made on fishing forums….not the Pflueger website. $40 at TW, but I imagine you could find them for less on fleabay. EDIT: In case you are wondering why the asterisks have replaced the company name, some companies...and links to them....are not allowed here because those companies were caught spamming these forums.

Just remember.....I bought mine because of the high praise you had for the rod after getting yours. Probably the best $75 I ever spent. I also get pretty decent distance. Right now I have a tuned and upgraded TD-Z 105H on mine, but probably will put the PXL Type R on it now that I have an Airy Red that can go on my Expert Light.

Yup. Shorter rods can sure come in handy on occasion fishing from shore. Once I got into baitcast reels, I came to prefer 7 foot or longer rods. However, a 6'6" MLM Aetos has quickly become a favorite. I really don't see what your height has to do with the length of the rod for most techniques.

I personally have never been able to justify the expensive reels ($300 up). Too frugal....and poor. If I could afford them I'd have a few simply because of the pleasure I would get from using them. Not because they were so much better than what I already have....or would catch any more fish. I've not used the Patriarch, but have 2 of the Patriarch XTs and a 3rd on the way. These are the older blue ones. Nice looking with a tough finish. Pretty light. Cast quite well. One I have set up with 40# braid and mostly use it for throwing unweighted 10" ribbontail worms back into the weeds and lily pads. It is set up with fewer brakes than any of my other reels, and I have no problems with backlashes. Pfluegers are mention in a thread currently on the first page entitled "Top 3 Choices of baitcasters?" An Online buddy who has given me lots of good advise (smalljaw67) has a couple of the Supreme XTs and likes them a lot. He use to tournament fish and has used quite a few different brands of reels...including some expensive ones. What reels are you using now?

I've not seen one that low, but then again I don't look very often. Too tempting. My last TD-Z 105H came from Japan and is a good candidate for a paint job. And it definitely cost more than $100 yet I still didn't feel cheated.

I have 3 and moderator .ghoti. just mentioned in a thread that he has 6. I also have 2 Sols, but prefer the Fuegos. Maybe it is the color of the Sol that puts me off as I love my Alphas reels.

A $230 reel that was overlooked due to all the hoopla over the Sol. Highly under-rated reel by most.

Told you I was slow. I figured the Quantum Smoke, but had no idea of the other two. What you suggest makes sense. I thought he was talking about cottage cheese and the latest news on Hillary.

I am in the same boat. I have a couple of the older Patriarch XTs.....purchased used of course. Actually I have a 3rd blue one coming this week. Fine reels. My brakes are set lower on the one that gets used (no rod for other) than on any of my other reels, and I have no problems with backlashing. An inexpensive Trion (older model also purchased used) is on a 6'10" HF rod, and it is a casting machine. Hasn't backlashed once since being moved to this rod. Not light. Not pretty. But a good reel nonetheless. Dan (smalljaw67) has become a fan of the Supreme XTs. I've not used one yet. I know Dan has a lot of experience with reels of most every brand so we aren't alone in our opinion.

I am a bit slow. Maybe it is just that I don't understand the new lingo used on forums. Please explain what this means. Thanks. There are plenty of threads asking this question. No harm in asking again, tho. Gets to be an easy answer after awhile. It is very hard to beat the original Tatula at about $95. At a bit under $110 (fleabay) the Lew's Tournament MB is also another excellent buy. Some of the other Lew's at about $100 get suggested, but I've never used one of them. The PQ is a perennial favorite...especially since it goes on sale a couple times a year. Otherwise look to the used market. Some nice deals come up on occasion.

Really?

I'm not sure about the Pfluegars, but the Pfluegers are under-rated by many.

The reels listed are out of my league. I feel sure that what everyone else has said is true. Pick the reel that feels the best to you. Do you prefer one type of braking over another? Does one pique your interest more than the others? I'd buy the one that interested me the most. As for alternatives, I can suggest a couple if you decide to save a bit of money.....since I don't have reels in that price range. Two reels that have impressed me are the Primmus and Helios Air. Both are excellent casting reels. I find the Primmus to be a more set-and-forget reel than even my Shimanos. Both are quite light if that is important to you....as it is to many these days.

The problem with that is it wouldn't be long before the OP would tire of switching reels. Then he would have to decide on which two rods to buy next. Another dilemma.

First of all I'd select the reel based mostly on lure weight. I assume the brands listed are YOUR choices. Mine are Daiwa - my choices for that weight range: Fuego, Alphas, Tatula Type R or T3 variant Primmus Helios Air with Lew's Tournament MB and Pro Z, Patriarch XT and Curado 201E7 hot on their tails. I'd add another reel, but we can't mention them here.

I like my Tatulas and Zillions. My Light & Tough and S arrived broken so no comment on them.

In that case braid isn't going to work very well. Not that I've tested it out, but there is a youtube video showing how little it takes for braid to break when dragged across a rock.