PhishLI

I've had nothing but good luck with my 2pc Tat XTs. Lots of very solid fish plus a few jumbos in the mix.

Agreed. It isn't really a 200 sized spool either with its MagZ Boost. More like a current standard-brands150. The Tat 150 ( MagZ) is actually a 200 sized spool, and the Tat 200 (Magforce) is more like a 235-240 sized spool if you can imagine that. Both are housed in the same frame with metal gearbox side plates. In order for Mag Z to work, its mechanical requirements dictate a minimum sized arbor which is the limiting factor. Any smaller and you only get Magforce which is perfectly fine for heavier baits. That's true, but there are weight penalties with typical 42-43mm tall and deep 300 sized spools. Love the Tat 300, but in my experience, it gets tricky controlling fluff and over runs with baits less than 3ozs, especially on bomb casts. In this case, the Tat 200 is nearly ideal, especially if 20-25 fluoro mainline is a possibility. This is where the T-wing shines above standard LP reels with their much smaller line guide apertures. Heavy plastic lines simply flow through the T wing. My brother bought 2 Tranx 300s impulsively. He didn't hate them, but he didn't love them either. After spending time with my Tat 200, he quickly sold each Tranx and got 2 Tat 200s which he loves. Trouble free, and not twitchy at all with his lighter glides and wakes and just fine with baits up to 4 ozs. If you're considering heavy braid to a 25lb leader, be sure your upper guide train is large enough (not even semi-micro). Even slim knots are bulky with that test. If you're sensitive to a connection knot banging through your guides, you might not like that.

Nope. But none of my fishing pals are ice holes, so that helps. Besides that, nobody in passing has ever commented on my gear cost/quality whether lower budget or at the higher end. However, I did have one mouth breathing dufus try to impress his even dumber sidekick by commenting about the number of rods I had slung over my shoulder while walking to my spot. I think there were 8 that day. He asked with some snark in his tone if I was going Tuna fishing. I just stared at him blankly. He then commented as if I wasn't even there that he didn't understand why I needed so many rods to go fishing. I simply asked; Does that make you angry? I could see that I'd short circuited his 85 IQ mind as he said nothing and chuffed as he ambled away.

Do yourself a favor and just pick up the ARK BFS reel. You'd need to spend hard on either a higher end Shimano or Daiwa purpose-built BFS reel to equal it. You'd need to jump up to an Alde BFS to surpass its performance. It spanks the Curado BFS, which is something I wish I'd known before grabbing the SLX BFS which is essentially the same reel for the JDM market. Ark Fishing Gravity BFS Casting Reels | Tackle Warehouse

December 12, 2024 B.A.S.S. announces Elite Angler Advisory Board, modifications to payouts, enhanced Angler Services BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — In an effort to facilitate better communication and collaboration with Elite Series anglers, the Bassmaster Elite Angler Board of Professionals (ABP) has been created, B.A.S.S. announced today. The Advisory Board consists of six Elite anglers who were voted on by their peers and who will speak on behalf of the entire field in communicating with B.A.S.S. in order to provide a more direct and efficient way of discussing any current challenges and future opportunities.

Some get light oil and some get grease. Re-read my first reply to you for reference. The bearings circled on the '17 Tatula SV TWS schematic shown below are better served by being greased as they all operate at low RPMs during use and are under radial load forces during the retrieve. Generally, the reel will feel smoother with these greased, but like @Bigbox99 wrote, lower priced Daiwa models with plastic handle-side sideplates don't feel as smooth as their metal side plate models no matter what. If Hyperdrive gearing becomes standard, perhaps they'll be close enough. That said, I have 7 year old 8spd Fuego CTs that have seen nothing but heavy-duty fishing using straight braid and stout rods, and while not glass smooth, they're not annoyingly geary either. The key is servicing them when you feel things change a skosh, or if you've been beating on them in heavy cover.

It isn't. All aluminum including side plates.

So the particular bearings I referenced were oiled instead of greased? Perhaps, but like I said, other issues can mimic gear noise/meshing. Is it possible that you broke them down as a group and mixed non-matched/worn-in pinions and main gears where the gear ratios were the same? Otherwise, a picture with the handle-side side plate removed might show something off during reassembly.

The pinion bearing found under the yoke plate comes greased from the factory. If you cleaned it out and oiled it with typical, light, spool bearing oil instead of grease, you will lose the smoothness it had before you serviced it which can feel like gear meshing. That bearing has shields held in place with circlips which are removeable. A little bit of a pain, but doable. The main crank shaft bearings should also be greased, but heavy oil will also work. Personally, I avoid using it in the outer bearing that sits on top of the roller clutch as it can be expelled over time and run into the ARB over time. Both typically have removeable shields too.

I know that you're a meat fisherman, bro. I was referring to high and mighty C&R anglers like me.

I take pride in my attitude regarding after-the-catch fish care. Killing a bass will simply ruin my outing. In the moment, I just can't slough it off. But everyone here knows what happens before landing a fish. We drive razor sharp cold steel through their faces without a second thought. Maybe blow out an eye in the process, nick a gill creating a bloody mess, or a nasty tongue hooking. How about dragging them by the face through 100' of lily pad stalks, or through tree branches or over dock cables. The cold fact is that my reverence for the fish after-the-catch is the definition of cognitive dissonance. With that understanding and ultimately my acceptance of the truth about how I get my thrills, I'm in no position to judge anyone else. Until this light-line phase came into being with the advent FFS, I'd watched tons of B.A.S.S. derbs going back decades where fish were routinely boat flipped using heavier gear where they're left to flop around on a boat deck. It's not something I'd do, yet it's still widely accepted as business as usual. I don't have to like it, but with what I've illustrated above I'm in no position to pat myself on the back or moralize to others. I prefer not being a hypocrite, even to myself. With that, I find it a bit odd how passionate some seem to feel about a fishing U-toober. Personally, I reserve feelings of love or hate for my immediate and extended family members, or anyone who'd harm a child. Oh, and let's not leave out those sickos who'd be cruel to or terrorize innocent animals whether they be domestic or wild. Uh, oopsie.

Did he steal your girl, kick your dog, or something worse? Do tell.

It might be. My recollection is that Zaldain seemed shocked by the amount of revenue generated from use of RB's TW links before purchase which is measurable. He made it seem like it was a wakeup call to get in gear himself promoting his sponsors. I haven't watched Randolph in a while, but I recall him promoting everything and anything made by MB. If they made sandwiches he'd be recommending them too.

Some time ago, Zaldain claimed that according to Megabass, Randy B is responsible for a big boost to their bottom line through his affiliate links to TW on YT. Milliken has a much larger social media footprint. Combine that with his affiliate links I imagine he's huge driver of sales for 6th Sense. Also, they're currently hosting his "Free Ben" Hats, hoodies, and Ts merch on their site. They don't seem to be all that mad about it.

Once you've depressed the thumb bar the gears are out of the equation leaving only the spool bearings as the culprit. No need to do a deep dive. Tatulas don't have an easily accessible spool bearing found mounted on the spool's shaft. One's contained inside the handle-side side plate. The other in the palm side plate. Rotate the handle and drag star to allow clearance to rotate off the spool tension cap which will expose the inner spool bearing. Depress the thumbar. With a finger, rotate the spool to see if the inner race is turning along with the spool's axle shaft. If it's hard to tell, pull the spool. Cut the tip off a Q-tip then insert that end into the inner race of the bearing. Rotate it to check if it turns freely. Should be fine but I've seen two of these frozen in '17 Tat SVs over the years. If it is, replace it. If it rotates, then add a drop or two of oil in between the outside of the bearing's inner race and its shield then rotate it. Take your time aligning the threads on the spool tension cap when you reinstall it. A tad tricky but doable with the handle installed. Oil the bearing found in the palming-side sideplate. This will wet the balls and should quiet things down nicely assuming the bearings are OK. Normally they are. The first pic is an oversized bearing shown for illustration purposes to show where to drop the oil into.