offsidewing

Expect to pay full retail on JDM pre-orders. With patience and timing, street price will likely be in the low $300s even at launch. In the past new reels have launched at street prices. That being said this is - for all intents and purpose - a Core 70. I wouldn't be surprised if street price is full retail.

Who asked for an SLX DC?

Shut 'er down folks, this guy wins the internet today.

Yep. Steez SV TW, Steez A, SV103, SV105, Alde 50, Core 50, Scorp MGL, Curado, Curado DC, Chronarch MGL, Met 13, Met DC, Met MGL, Bantam MGL, and Anatares MGL. I own or have owned them all in the last 5 years. The JDM Bantam is a tough reel to beat for black bass fishing. Another member posted that the knobs on the Steez A were less than ideal. I can confirm, indeed, that they suck. I'd choose the Steez A over the SV TW. I'd choose the Bantam MGL over both, unless you have a large investment in Daiwa 103 sized spools.

I like the Bantam MGL slightly more than the Steez A out of the box. If you're into swapping different Daiwa spools, that is something to consider too.

6'10" St Croix MLXF rod either Avid X, LTB, or Elite. Will also double as an excellent Ned Rig rod. Also work well if you're into hair jigs.

JDM Bantam MGL uber alles at that budget. Love it better than Curado MGL, Curado K, Curado DC, Curado 70, and almost as much as my Antares MGL.

People buy lightweight Mg framed reels with aluminum gears and expect them to “feel” like an 9oz aluminum reel with brass gears. I used to do the Met MGL with the Curado gear swap. Then I realized it weighed a few tenths of an ounce lighter than a Bantam MGL, I bought a JDM Bantam.

I've owned some many rods over the past 5 years. At this price point I would suggest thr St Croix Legend Tournament Bass in 6'8" MXF. Great for finesse applications with fluoro and plenty of backbone for 5/0 Gammys on braid or mono. I can't overstate how quick, painless, and polite the warranty dept is if you ever have an issue with the rod.

I've owned both. The Stradic Ci4+ feels solid, smooth, and light. The Patriarch didn't.

The Vanquish is my favorite spinning reel ever. The 19 Vanquish somehow feels even better than the 16 Vanq. It will haul in 5 and 6 lb bass with no problem. Its lightweight but under load it feels somsolid. Mine is used for Ned Rig and drop shot duty, but wouldn't hesitate to use it on more powerful rods with heavier presentations.

I occasionally will tie 50lb PowerPro to a 12lb flouro leader using a double uni knot on a St Croix Avid X. I have never had a problem with the knot casting through the micro guides. I seldom use a leader tho, typically straight braid. Reels: with a little patience, great deals on reels can be had on a popular auction site from very reputable sellers. Don't get too hung up on gear ratios and IPT. Get a reel that is suited to the purpose you need, fits your hands when seated on the rod, and fits your budget.

+1 for Roboworms and Yamamoto Shad shaped worm drop shotting for smallies.

The Antares MGL! ??? I'd like to see a Curado 70 with a dual bearing supported main shaft and MGL spool.

The trigger fire spinning reels you can close by reeling. All others close by hand.

DC units don't replace a thumb or prevent backlashes.

I use 6lb Tatsu exclusively for Ned Rig and drop shots on 2500 sized shallow spool shimano reels. Its awesome. LoL, moderator plug. Put a $50 spool of Tatsu on your $60 Kast king! I jest, I jest. Seriously, When you buy Tastu on Amazon, its hard to beat the value. To me, it really shines in the 6lb rating on spinning gear and 15 lb on casting gear. The 12 lb isnt that much better than Sunline Sniper *unless* you're into lightweight 50/100 sized spools on JDM baitcasters and unweighted plastics.

What are you planning to do with the reel? I've owned all three. Of the 3, the Steez TW SV 1012 was my favorite all round reel for bass fishing. The SV breaking is a nice feature. It has all the check marks for features. The Alebaran MGL is lightweight but will have more specific function given its spool size. Its focus is being lightweight, and while stout, it won't "feel" as solid as other reels. The Metanium DC is built on the internals of the Met 13. It doesn't have the internal refinement of the Met MGL. Personally, I would take the Curado DC over the Met DC it you want DC. If you're getting into that price range, check out the JDM Met MGL and Bantam MGL too.

Rods - Cabelas Tournament ZX. They were the belle of the ball at iCast a few years ago and go on sale regularly for $80 or less, sticker price is $99. Really tough rod to beat at that price. You have to get into the $200 + range to find something noticably more sensative. I can't say enough good things about these rods. Reels - with some patience, great deals are to be found on popular auction sites and 'Murican Leggacy Fishing (wink, wink). Casting reels: The Curado K feature set is great at the price point when found on sale. Daiwa Fuego gets a lot of recommendations from reasonable non-fanboys as well. Spinning reels: its tough to beat the Pflueger President and Supreme reels at their price points. If you're thinking of spending $150 on a spinning reel, bite the bullet and step up to a Shimano Stradic Ci4+. I use these pieces of gear along side my really expensive combos. With some patience you can get a Curado K / Tournament ZX combo for $250 or less and a Pfluger Supreme / Tournament ZX spinning combo for $160.

From experience and as @TOXIC mentioned it sounds like you might have your spool overfilled. You don't need $4 a gallon silicone spray sold as $20 a pint line conditioner to eliminate birdnests, unless you really want too.

I use fluoro primarily on baitcasters. I've never used a drop of line conditioner or see the need to ever use it. There are great you tube vids on how to get rid of a bird's nest. I change fluro line once a month and only fill spools to about 90 percent capacity. I only have an issue with fluoro when I'm not paying attention.

Shimano Vanquish 2500S.

Own Avid X, LTB, and LE all in spinning. I love the the 68MXF LTB for 4 and 5 inch Senkos, 1/4oz Tube Jigs, and beavers. I'm in the minority of liking the reel seat of the current and previous model of LTB. I've fished it side by side with the 68MXF Avid X and prefer the LTB. All my casting rods are Avid X, really great value there. Now, the LE is in another world. The 610MLXF is my favorite spinning rod ever and is perfect for Ned Rigs.

Negative, not yet.

For those who are curious, I took some pics of a 2019 Antares HG next to a Curado 70 and Curado K. The new Antares palms somewhere in between these two reels. People seem confused about the size of the new Antares as the last two iterations of this reel are big. I will say the reel is designed to feel as a smooth and solid as possible and I think thats why it has some heft. Its a 7 oz reel, but boy does it feel good doing the dummy test. (Dummy test: determining how smooth a reel is by turning the handle of the reel with no line on the spool).