kschultz76

Lots of threads on this forum discussing this reel if you do a search to get good general info on it. A better quality reel with a better braking system will always be easier to learn on in my opinion, so it should help there. That said it’s an expensive reel to just jump right in with, and there are less expensive places to start with similar braking systems like the Citica I, Curado 70, Curado K. Personally I found my older Chronarch CI4s easier to dial in the the Chronarch MGL. After using and experiencing a lot of baitcasters for a good place to start and learn I’d recommend a Tatula SV over the Chronarch MGL, it provides better control and will be easier to dial in to get started learning. Another recommendation - start with 40 or 50 pound braid for your line, and walk about 1.5-2 good casts worth of line off the reel tied to a fence post, put some good electrical tape across the line on the spool, then spool that line back on. This contains the blast radius of professional overruns.

Totally agree, I’m not turned off to Seaguar by this at all.

Thanks FishTank and A-Jay for updating this thread with what you heard from Seaguar.

Congrats and best of luck with it. Make sure to come back and let us know what you think of after you give it a good work out. ALX is on my list to try.

No experience with the ALX rods, but hear good things about them here so by no means do I want to discourage you from that route. Im very happy with all my Kistler rods, and the Helium 3 really punches above its class when you get them on sale. Ask them and see what they recommend, but my experience with the 7’1” MH XF is that a 1/2 jig plus trailer may start to feel a tad overloaded but I think it can handle it. The taper on that rod to me is on the slow side of XF and I’m very happy with it.

Materials used in the blank construction is the biggest difference, the H3 blanks use a higher modulus graphite which makes for lighter more sensitive blanks, crisper actions, and also leads to their faster actions. The KLX rods are all a “softer” graphite, so less sensitive, less crisp, and slower actions. As noted better guides on the H3 as well. The cost difference is well justified and marginal. The H3 is the right choice between the two for a jig rod no question. The KLX rods I have are moving bait rods - cranks, topwater, etc. For my money I’m happy to have my H3 Rods on deck alongside my Megabass, GLX, and Legend Elite Rods.

Kistler Helium 3, on sale they run $220.

I have a 7’1” MH XF Helium 3 and a 7’0” Light MH Fast as well. For 1/4 oz jigs I’d pick up either depending on cover, for 3/8oz jigs the MH. For 1/2 oz jigs the MH is likely going to feel underpowered especially in cover. I’m thinking if you use mostly 3/8-1/2 oz jigs you likely want the 7’0 or 7’3” Heavy especially in any cover. You can always call Kistler or email them for their feedback. Kistler rods in my my experience are lightweight and nicely balanced, my 7’1” is just a tiny bit tip heavy but not noticeable. They benefit from you most with a lightweight compact reel. I’d be looking at a Curado 70, or a Tatula SV in your price range. If you found a deal a Chronarch MGL would be nice as well as would a Zillion SV TW. But personally I’d stick with a reel at 7 oz or under. Woukd blow your budget but i but I love my 13 Met mounted in my Kistlers.

For your price range go with the Dobyns Fury 705CB, it’s a ModFast designed for the types of cranks you’re looking to throw, should have enough give for some forgiveness with trebles, but enough power for ripping lipless out of grass and pulling square bills around wood. For those lures I do not like a really moderate crankbait rod.

For your needs a 704c or 734c Dobyns Sierra should cover though swim jigs well, and be versatile enough to do a lot more too. Based on the Lews rods you’re looking at should be well within your budget with the TackleWarehouse sale on the, right now. I generally use one of two different rods for swimjigs - Megabass Orochi XX gen 1 Diablo Spec R or a Kistler Helium 3 Light/MedHeavy Fast 7’0”. Both are great rods for swimjigs.

What’s the lowest total weight your looking to use and what’s the highest? Some rods will throw a 3/8 oz plastic or shakeyheads very well, but not be ideal with 1/4 oz jerkbaits. For me I mostly throw 1/4 oz and lighter jerkbaits with spinning tackle. I’d suggest the following based on personal experience, but these all will be better a bit above 1/4 oz. St Croix: 6’8” M/XF or 6’6”/7’0” M/F in whatever series fits your budget and grip/guide preferences. Kistler Helium 3 6’8” or 7’0” Light-MedHeavy/Fast, this is a great blank and a great combination of power/taper. Wait for a sale and you can get it close to $200. For lighter weights might want to look at the Medium power. Megabass Orochi XX Jerbait Special - I have the gen 1rod that was a regular taper, the gen 2 is now a fast taper but is likely more like a Med Fast. I’d be comfortable throwing all of that on my gen 1 and would expect the gen 2 to be better with the shakeyheads. However it’s lowest weight rating is 3/8 so may not be ideal with 1/4 oz total weight. No personal experience with them but on paper the Dobyns Sierra 682c or 683c look like good options at a bargain price right now. I’ve owned a Champ 703c and it would have been good with all but the 1/4 jerkbaits.

These guys all got it right. Learn and practice pitching with every rod n reel you’ve got, some rods make it easier then others. I can pitch with any reel I own, but I do feel the centrifugal brakes on my Shimanos overall work best for pitching. I do find it’s more comfortable with a well balanced rod and with a more compact reel like a Curado/Chronarch 50 or Curado 70, or even a Chronarch MGL or 13 Metanium/Metanium MGL. Another tip - to get the beat pitching possible you want the best startup performance possible from your spool. At a minimum that means having your spool bearings properly and completely flushed then properly lightly oiled, a full super tuning on your reel helps.

One important tip if you get the Hedgehog spool pin tool, put some electrical tape on the edge of the spool before positioning the tool and tightening the cross wrench, on some spools the shaft of the wrench can mar the edge of the spool.

I have an original Orochi XX Flatside Special and like it quite a bit. No experience with the Levante though. As I recall the general consensus has been the Levante series wasn’t a smash hit like the Orochi XX. Unless the sale price is that attractive to you like @BaitFinesse I’d hold off for the new series to be released.

Shimanos SVS infinity centrifugal brake provides more brake force at the beginning of the the cast when spool speed is higher. Towards the end of the cast it's the spool tension knob that helps keep the spool in check. Based on my personal experience I’d start with setting your spool tension tighter based on lure weight and back it off slowly till you find the sweet spot based on how educated your thumb is and how smooth your casting is. I can run my Shimanos with spool tension that allows the bait to fall relatively quickly, but not as loose as I can set my Daiwa SV reels.

^ This 100%! You can get it online from The Tackle Trap too. I also have the Hedgehog trust wrench for handle nuts and their bearing check tool, and their knob cap tool. Also handy to have is a cheap set of dental picks from Amazon.

+1 for Wera I got a 7 piece set on Amazon. There’s a specialty SLP driver for those Daiwa screws but out of stock in Japan Tackle forever. Ive also learned for some of those hard stuck Daiwa screws, especially handle knob screws, getting your precision driver setup in place on the screw then giving it a couple sharp whacks on the back with a regular screwdriver handle helps.

Dude there’s no bad choice here, you’re looking at two top tier sticks. This choice is really down to your personal preferences on the cosmetics and components. Think on it this way, a couple weeks after you get the rod which one are you going to look back and wish you had gotten? I recall all you posting before liking your Loomis rods and having a preference for them. I’d follow your gut and experience of what you like.

Ok so here’s what’s you need to do, call up the guys at The Tackle Trap and ask them about your Tat SV, then send it down to them to have them look it over it, service it, and tune it. They’re authorized to do Daiwa warranty work so if there’s something wrong and it’s under warranty they should be able to help. And if it’s not under warranty they’ll still be able to it resolved for you. A Tat SV should be an easy effortless caster.

Before you drop that coin what don’t you like about the Tat SV that you expect will be different with the Zillion? Just my perspective but I think you’re downplaying the most important and biggest difference here. The free floating means that it has a double bearing supported pinion making for a smoother retrieve especially under load. But even more importantly the spool is a lighter weight G1 duraluminum spool and a size that makes the reel compatible with a whole inventory of Daiwa spools. Also the Zillion spool has a smaller brake inductor. Don’t like the SV air brake and line capacity? Swap in an RCS 1016 for more capacity and less braking. Lots of options with the Zillion.

Sorry it didn’t work out for you, hopefully you did or will find the right reel for your needs.

Remember my comment was in comparison to the Tatula SV TW, which has a more restrictive brake profile then the Zillion SV TW. Compared to other reels that standard Magforce Z or compared to Shimano SVS infinity reels the Zillion SV TW is going to seem to have stronger brakes. For me my Zillions will be set to between 6-4 on the brake dial depending on lure and conditions. How was your spool tension set? To get the most out of these reels properly set spool tension is important, and it’s set differently then most other reels, as in looser. Most of my bass fishing doesn’t require or rely on maximum distance casting. I value control and accuracy, and that’s what I get with these reels. Have you flushed and deep cleaned the bearings then properly lubed them? I did forget to mention that both my Tat SV and Zillion SV have properly cleaneed/lubed aftermarket bearings. But I’d expect similar performance comparison between the two with properly cleaned and lubed stock bearings, and I’ve heard from others this has been their experience. Perhaps I’m in a minority in my experience with the Zillions, but theyve performed as I had expected, and I prefer them over the Tat SV. Don’t get me wrong the Tat SV is no slouch and well worth it for the price. Everyone’s experience and opinion may vary.

I have both, the Zillion feels smoother and a bit more refined even though the frame/platform is shared. Zillion definitely has a less restrictive braking profile, but still easily controlled and well mannered. Also has the advantage of many other Daiwa spools and aftermarket spools being compatible so you can swap in spools for more specialized purposes or more line capacity. Only you can decide if the cost is worth it for you. I have one Tat SV but now have 4 Zillions, including a JDM sourced 5.5:1 ratio.

I have no personal experience with either the Fury or the Sierra, my experience with Dobyns has been with Champ and Champ EXtremes. However I’ve heard from many experienced users here that the Sierra is a real step up from the Fury. And given you can get a Sierra cheaper then a Fury on TW right now it’s a no brained. I picked up a Sierra as a gift for a family member because it was just too good a deal, and Dobyns offers a 4 power in the Sierra spinning rods and this individual is not skilled with a baitcaster and is always under gunned with their lighter spinning rods.

If you’re looking to purchase now I’d suggest the same as another poster that you head to TW and check out the Dobyns Sierra rods on clearance. I’m a big fan of St Croix and you can’t go wrong with either, and generally I’ve preferred build quality on my St Croixs. But the deal on the Sierra is too good too pass up and gets you up a tier from the rods you’re looking at but for less money. Hint, buy a TW electronic gift card first 10% off, then use that to buy the (rods) you want.