Hogsticker

Sounds like you guys who like or are torn between the Tatula and Zillion will get the best of both worlds soon enough. The new reel sounds like it's going to have a frame similar to the Tatula with a T Wing, but should utilize better quality parts and guts. Free floating spool too rather than the long shaft. Should be a really nice reel. I still for the life of me can't figure out why Daiwa hasn't produced an aluminum version of the T3 without the hood. A metal reel with the 1016 spool and 3D braking would be killer. I'm waiting to see what the new Zillion is like, but if it shares a frame with the Tatula and retails for 300 bucks, I'm likely gonna spend the 300 on an SS SV instead. If the SS SV had 3D braking it would be close to perfect. Sorry for getting off topic.

Towards the end of a long 10 hour day on the water my father in law made a cast and lost his grip. He sent his GLX and Stradic sailing through the air. He is getting up there, was feeling fatigued, and simply lost his grip (or his mind). This was after countless casts pounding the shoreline with jerkbaits. Luckily I was able to make a good cast and hooked his line with my trebles just as the combo started to sink. We also take our dogs with us most times. I made a cast and hooked his Australian Shepherd in the thigh with a crankbait. Snapped the tip off my Cumara. Poor dog. What a fiasco that was. I remember one winter we were out when it was like 17 degrees. I was standing on the back of the boat taking a leak. He wasn't paying attention to what I was doing, rather that we were getting close to the beach. At this point he decided to gun it and sent me flying with my junk in my hand. I managed to jump backwards, back into the boat landing on three rods, two of which shattered into several pieces. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Yes, we all have done some dumb s**t.

I did mention flukes, and as much as I appreciate the enthusiasm for them, I'm looking for other options as well. It's kind of like saying the X Rap is the only hard jerkbait you will ever need. Different jerkbaits with varied retrieves excel under different conditions in my experience. I would "assume" the same could be said with soft twitch baits. I know and understand that Flukes are a staple that flat catch fish.

I use a moderate fast stick with 30 lb braid, and a fast action stick with 12 lb. fluoro. Both medium heavy

I think it's a good thing to have a few choices/options on deck. You never know what might trigger a strike. Sometimes when you don't quite have it dialed in, but you're close, a subtle change in the characteristics of a bait can make a big difference. I know it does with hard baits.Maybe I'm just anal.

Good thread!

I've fished for many years, but oddly enough have just started using flukes. Without going nuts and spending a wad of cash, I was hoping I could get some info regarding which baits - 1) Are more buoyant / better for surface and sub surface use 2) Heavier / sink quicker / better for twitching on bottom in shallow water I'm not planning on fishing these with any type of weight at this point. Anybody used a fair amount of different soft jerk baits? Which stay afloat? Which sink with a slow sink rate? Which sink like a rock? Lastly, which have you found that have the better side to side action. How about better darting action? I have a pretty good handle on different hard jerkbaits and what they do, and imagine the soft ones are all a little different as well. I'd like to get a little bit of everything and start playing with them. Which ones have you used? I'm gonna start with a pack of each of these. Can anyone break these particular baits down for me? Bass Assassin split and straight tail shads Big Bite Baits jerk minnow Lunker City Fin-S Fish Netbait super twitch These are all somewhat inexpensive, so I figured it would give me a good start. I already have the standard fair in Zoom Flukes and SK Caffeine shads. For those of you who are bait watchers and really pay close attention to what they do in the water....give me the skinny please. Have you found any that seem to excel better in cool or warm water? Any feedback would be much appreciated!!

For those who are living in the dark, it has been confirmed Daiwa is releasing a new Zillion. It was on the Dev page. As for the t wing grooving.... Aye yi yi people

100 yard spool of performance braid is 11 bucks. That's plenty of line for one reel with some mono backing. it's actually my favorite braid.

And there you have it. Meeting adjourned.

Well it use to be that d**n lockness monster telling me tree fitty. But now I try really hard to not go over 250 on a reel or stick. Not to say that I won't. Some reels are really special. For a while I bought all high end reels used, but my OCD took over and made me go new. At least it wasn't the lockness monster.

Wait if you can for another 2 weeks. They should get pumped down just before Icast opens and Daiwa releases the all new Zillion.

I get the most satisfaction from having a custom rod built exactly the way I want it. Its kinda cool hooking up with fish on your special stick. You can choose your thread colors and how you want them laid out and presented. You can get the exact guides and guide train you want. Pick your blank, handle and reel seat. Now that's satisfying and exciting, and a tool that you can't pick up off the shelf. Secondly, I'm a goober. I get satisfaction from pimping my reels. I just like to make it look different than when it comes out of the box. I figure I'm already spending 250 bucks on a reel, so why not dress it up and give it a nickname?? No, but the satisfaction of it is fishing it. Hedgehog seems to be doing pretty well, so I know I'm not the only crazy B@5t&rd

I don't even pay attention to the scores on the TT reviews. I just read it and take it for what its worth. None the less, the reviews done there are some of the best on the web IMO. I also think part of it is that this particular reviewer does not enjoy reviewing these lesser expensive rods and reels. He did a review on a Denali rod and it pretty much sounded the same. But when he reviewed the Megabass XX he was all sorts of pumped, which again leads to my original question - Why are they doing these reviews? I can think of so many other reels that have not been reviewed that would fit the TT niche a lot better. Maybe Wolbugger needs justification for his position? I have to be honest though, I wasn't the least bit excited when I saw they reviewed the PQ. I didn't even read it till I saw this.

A Tatula at 105 bucks on that auction site is a no brained Imo.

The 1st two generations of the mag and helium built on Shikari and Batson blanks were pretty good, but they did use cheap ceramic guides and bulky by today's standards. The latest rods utilize better fuji parts, but I wasn't impressed with the unknown blanks. Kistler really stepped up with klx rods and nfc blanks. Best affordable production rods being built right now Imo.

Anyone who read the review thoroughly would conclude that the drag comment was directed toward using the reel while the drag pressure was at the top of being maxed out. I feel any reel that can provide 20 plus pounds of drag pressure is going to shutter at top ends. I really don't think he was stating that the drag was like this at all settings.

If you're pulling in that much grass it may be to thick to fish through from the bank without being directly on top of it. I would resort to top water. Frogs and worms on the surface. Also try a swim jig clean through the salad. If there is any space between the top of the grass and the surface, try fishing a light 3/16 Oz lipless crank just below the surface. Make sure your rod and line are equipped to get the bass out once you hook up.

Be careful when choosing a medium power moderate action rod if you're not familiar with the rod. They can be soft and whippy. You might be safer with a med heavy, especially if your going to be banging those square bills into cover.

Which generation? The originals were rumored to be built on Shikari blanks. The latest version made for really good moving bait rods as the tapers were pretty slow for a fast action rod. The handle length is kinda short too. I would stick to the Crucial for bottom contact myself

I like a med. heavy, mod fast. Any reel that picks up somewhere between 23 and 27 inches per turn on a full spool. I use both 30 lb. braid, and 15 lb. Sunline Defier mono. The Defier is the bees knees for cranking. I've never used any other line like it. It's so nice to work with I can't even put it into words.

I don't know. Seemed like a pretty fair review to me. Comments stated - The reel is constructed well Tolerances are all fine Feels nice and solid Has a short handle Heavy Not impressed or disappointed with casting capabilities Not sure what else people are wanting/expecting from an 80 dollar reel. It got a score of 7, and while the actual review wasn't stellar, it's what I would expect from this reel...average. When the reviewer comments if you are so brave to utilize the lumpy drag system, he is referring to using it at or near the maximum output. Perhaps he could have worded it better, such as explaining how a jumpy drag "can" loose you fish for the more sensitive type. I wouldn't let this review steer you away from this reel if you're shopping on a budget. But come on guys, were you expecting a 10? TT is an enthusiast site, and I'm not sure why they have chosen to review some of the reels/rods they have lately. It seems to be all Wolbuggers reviews.

I wanna see the new Fuji palm trigger seat (pts) on these bad boys. Anyone else? Its a crowded field so let's hope they do something that warrants some separation. Kick the price up to 170-180 and put some Fuji K series titanium alconites on it. Smaller ones too. 5.5 or 6 stripper, 4.5 or 5 runners. Full Eva handle will somewhat offset the cost of the guides and again, create separation. And there you have it!

Sweet, more filler.

Just go with 100 lb and a 10/0 hook, that way when you get hung you can just drag whatever it is up to the surface for a looksie