new2BC4bass

My understanding is one gives you better control at the beginning of the cast while the other gives better control at the end of the cast. A dual control braking system is suppose to give you the best of both.

Kistler has a few rods rated 1/8-1/2 oz. Lew's has a few rated 3/16-5/8 oz. From what I've read the Phenix Feather rods fish light. However, I have zero experience with all three brands so I can't give any helpful advice on them. A few days ago I received a Genesis II 7' MHF (the 703C MH all purpose model). It is rated 3/16-3/8 oz. Obviously I've not had a chance to use it yet. Quote from Outdoor Pro Shop: "It is a perfect rod for: worms, jerkbaits, poppers, senkos and flukes and traps." I questioned that rating being a MH as it fits more into the ML range for me. So I asked iRod. Quote from Matt Newman: "You can fish heavier and lighter than the rating and you will be fine. The 703C is a true MH and actually has a decent back bone." I am thinking this might be a good option for what you are looking to do. It is a very nice looking rod and pretty light.

Only have one Dobyns....704CB Glass. Like it a lot. Wouldn't mind having more Dobyns.

I like my Fenwick HMGs. Dobyns Fury line is highly rated, but I've never handled one. Just received 2 used iRod Genesis II rods yesterday and they are very nice looking rods. Light. Not used a BuCoo or Lowrider, but I have a few other Falcon lines from the Original to the OG Expert and they are all nice rods. Especially the OG Expert. Used OG Tatulas. Love mine. Not used the new ones, but they also seem to be favorites of many. Have an older Powell Endurance that is excellent, but it is my only experience with Powell. Yup. Lots of good options in the $100-$150 range. Almost forgot. Ark rods are on sale at TW. Only have one but liking it.

Never thought of that. I figured someone put the ends on something then jumped on the tube. I've received a couple like that. Depressing.

Right hand or left hand? I am a fan of the previously mentioned reels. TW is closing out the Okuma Helios SX...$230 reel for $150, but only LH in 7.3 left. I'm sure you could find a good deal on a RH somewhere else. Also look at the Pflueger Patriarch. Neither company gets much of the limelight, but I've always felt I got good value for my money with both. I admit to owning more Daiwas than any other reel. Many of my reels were purchased used. Got bitten once, but sent it out to a pro for repair and now have a fantastic specimen of a reel I had always wanted. My choice from these would be #2 and #5.

First to the forum. Read this thread yet? Check the post by DanielG. I have no experience with the SLX DC or Curdo DC. My only DC is an older Exsence DC. Was already set up when I bought it. Dang near backlash proof unless you set it less than MAX. MAX and the other 3 settings require no thumb. Got to agree with everyone else. The guy who spooled your reel is clueless. I wouldn't use 20# Hybrid to learn to cast with. Heavier line is going to cause more memory problems. I'd start with 12#-15# with 12# being my personal preference. I use a lot of 12# AN40 and Sufix Siege. Sufix Elite is another excellent choice to learn with. Don't learn with a line like CXX or Platinum. They have more memory than most lines. Some guys on here fish with 15# braid on a baitcaster, but is isn't their first time out of the gate. I bought a used reel that came with 30# braid. First 15-20 minutes was spent getting tight spots out. I've had no problem with it since then, and I've been snagged on lily pads several times with the reel. EDIT: Well...the reel didn't snag the lily pads, but I think you know what I mean.

I used, and plan on continuing to use, a Curado 201E7 for my frog rod that I keep in Florida. Got a new frog rod for home, but haven't decided yet what reel to keep on it. Rod will be used for more than frogs. Considering a 7 Zillion or 8 Exsence DC. Time will tell. I am new to frogging...this year was my first time throwing a frog...so I can't offer an experienced opinion. I chose the reel based on what others use for frogging.

Obviously you need a couple more. Natural sequence of events requires a new rod and reel immediately. Pretty lure.

I wouldn't believe the half ounce up crap. Cuz that is exactly what it is. BS. I've got 9 brands of reels in umpteen models including 3 Lew's models. Every single reel will bomb 3/8 oz. on the right rod.

Very nice. I could use one. Wouldn't be the truth, tho.

Many years ago I only used Trilene XL while my buddy stayed with Stren. I use other lines now only because I wanted to try something different. Never had a problem with XL. Strictly on spinning reels. Tried 8# P-Line CX. Broke in the spool, but that may have been because I was learning to cast and had a few (well, maybe more than a few) backlashes. It handled very well. May give it another chance now that I am familiar with baitcast reels. Tried some 10# FloroClear. Broke too easily. Changed out the reel that night (was visiting Florida and luckily had a couple extra reels with me). Maybe I got a bad spool. Sufix Elite 12# was the first Sufix line (other than braid) that I tried. Still on my Zillion 50th Anniversary reel. I like it. I use a fair amount of 8# and 12# Siege. Like the Neon Tangerine. Easy to see. Coils after sitting awhile (as does any line other than braid), but I don't have problems with it coiling on the spool. Which Big Game can do the first few casts. Once wet, they are all good as far has memory is concerned. I just take it easy the first few casts. Never used XPS.

Nope! My wife doesn't buy me anything related to fishing. You are a lucky man.

I need to set up a way to post pictures. If I remember correctly, I don't need any special software to download pics to my computer. Have an Olympus, and years ago used their software to download on my old computer. Wasn't fond of the software. I am typing on one of last year's gifts to myself....an XPS 13. Last year was a banner year for me. Can't afford to do that again.

me now. Honest. I did read the thread.

Flipping and pitching are two different things. No additional line comes off the spool on flipping. Therefore any reel is good. I tried pitching off my home's rear deck a few years ago, but have never used it on the water. Nor have I tried to learn skipping...yet. Therefore I can't give an answer. My DC experience is severely limited. I used an older Exsence DC this year while visiting Florida. As long as I kept brakes at Max or any of the other 3 settings, I never had a backlash in 3 days of fishing. Which is very unusual because I have to change my casting stroke when there which requires some time to acclimate to. I've only been able to use one other reel without needing to make minor changes to the reel's setup when going to Florida and that was a Pinnacle Primmus. Even my beloved Curado 201E7 needed minor adjustments.

I am interested in the answer....just out of curiosity. When you say Tatula, do you mean the OG Tatula or the Tatula CT? EDIT: From what I've read, the DC adds to the size of the standard model.

New reel is under warranty. Daiwa should fix for free. You may have to pay for shipping...at least to them. If you want an upgrade, then Delaware Valley Tackle (DVT) is a forum sponsor. Mike does good work. A thorough cleaning and Carbontex drag (around $8) is advantageous. If I am getting a reel tuned, I go the extra mile and get new bearings. But I honestly think they are unnecessary most of the time. I just want my ability to be the limiting factor in performance. A bearing upgrade may or may not give increased casting distance. On quality reels distance stays about the same, but is easier to achieve. Not having to force a cast to reach the target is usually beneficial to accuracy. I don't work on my reels (which gets expensive). Plenty of guys know vastly more than I on the internal workings of a reel. I have to let others give suggestions on other improvements. Handle bearings improve feel, but I don't see how they are beneficial in any other way. What is important to you is what matters in many cases. What you have done is a personal preference and how much you are willing to spend. I always wanted an Airy Red. I couldn't spool line on the first one I bought. Turned out a few parts were missing in the reel. Something I would never have known. Upgrades were: Carbontex drag, 7.2:1 gearset, ZPI SiC spool bearings, PX68 worm shaft and a full tuning polish (whatever that entails). Cost of everything (including cleaning and relubing) was more than what I paid for the reel. However, it was totally worth it to me as I now have a fantastic specimen of a reel I had always wanted.

Santa doesn't realize I am still alive. So....I ordered a couple things for myself. A couple packages of drop shot hooks, a 500g weight to keep my scale honest and a couple barely used iRod Genesis II casting rods. Had to take it easy this year with all my unexpected bills. Plus I kind of went overboard on my daughter and grandsons this year. Last year I spent more than I would have normally spent on myself in 15 years. Normally I don't buy myself anything or next to nothing. Congratulations on the new buggy whip.

Nice find on the link. Are the Tatula 200 and Tatula HD 200 the same reels? I gathered from this link that they aren't. (Check the ratios.) https://www.americanlegacyfishing.com/daiwa-tatula-200-hd-casting-reels.html I tried to find a comparison, but couldn't. I did find that the Tatula HD 200 LTD was made strictly for Australia. I don't recall reading before that an SV spooled reel will out distance a regular spooled reel. Usually the opinion is the opposite. I feel I get good distance with my Tat SV, but have never compared it to my Tat Type R.

No. Any SV spool will be easier to learn on because of its braking profile. They are harder to backlash. From what I read the 200 uses Magforce, not Magforce Z...which is supposed to be a better braking system. A shame really. Don't know why Daiwa wouldn't use Magforce Z on all it reels without an SV spool. Maybe a reel designed for heavier lures doesn't need Magforce Z. You will notice that the braking system used with the 200 isn't mentioned...even on the Daiwa site. I have a Daiwa or two with just Magforce, and I have no problems casting with them, but I was already familiar with casting reels before using one with the Magforce system. I learned on one with Magforce Z. It was a steep learning curve for me (I was 61), but I don't believe the videos on correctly setting one up were out at that time. I learned using too much cast control pressure and had to relearn after setting up the reels correctly.

Love my Tat SV, but you need to make sure you will be satisfied with the amount of 17# or 20# line it will hold. Using TW's listed spec of 14/100 for the Tat SV (too lazy to head downstairs and read the box) and .016 for 14# diameter and .017 for 17# and .018 for 20#, the Tat SV will hold about 94 yards of 17# and 89 yards of 20#. Personally I can't cast that far, but (also personally) I don't like my spool to be nearly empty on a cast either. Also you shouldn't need an SV spool on that power of a rod unless you want to try skipping with it. People skipped for years before the SV spool came out. However, the SV spool should make learning to skip a lot easier. Personally I haven't tried to skip yet. Just regurgitating what I've read...because it makes perfect sense to me having used SV and non-SV spooled reels. No experience with the TCS. Do like the couple Helios rods I have. Opinions I've read agree with Mr. Franco. I've always felt Okuma gave good value for the money. BTW, TW has a listing of 14/100, 16/90 for the Tat SV. Obviously I have no idea what parameters the manufacturer used to determine line capacity. The method I used to determine the amounts of line the SV holds comes from an article I saved on my computer. I didn't find a 16# line, but given 14# is listed at .016 and 17# at .017 (for a couple different brands) I'm guessing the listed values are approximations as 16# should be closer to 95 yards than 90 yards based on the 14/100...and the formula in the article. EDIT: Ande 16# is listed at .015 diameter....less than the typical 14# mono of .016 thereby allowing more than the amount listed for 14# line (about 7 yards more) to be spooled. Like everything else in fishing, there are no set standards for line diameters.

I remember those days. Except I had one rod...a cheap spinning rod with a Mitchell 300. I am a fan of my Dobyns 704CB Glass. Unfortunately the Bait Monkey delivered a knockout punch to me many years ago. Have way too many combos.

With or without the weed guard?

Not the lightest but the BG 2000 can be found for $90. I got the 1500 and it feels like a little tank. Both are listed as weighing the same and having the same ratio, but the 2000 holds more line.