PhishLI

Exactly. Nobody concerned with country-of-origin sourcing has the first clue about which parts come from where which are used in your favorite brands. Time to move on with this type of thinking. It's so far out of our hands. Perhaps you're old enough to remember when buying anything from the conquered Imperial Japanese was a sin? Cars made from recycled beer cans? Now they're held in the same regard as Sweden or Germany. BTW, I "liked" your post.

Timely.

In the US market it's the Tatula 300 and its variants like the Lexa TWs, the Zillion 1000, HD, and Steez variants, but it's implemented differently in the Tat 300. JDM it's the Alphas on up through Zillion and Steez variants. The Alphas SV is your least expensive route to a FFS Daiwa.

It doesn't. It has a long spool shaft like typical Tatulas. I'm not sure why Daiwa is promoting these newer compact Tatulas as Hyper Double Support Pinions. However, if it's anything like the Tatula 80 I wouldn't worry about it. My 80 is almost Zillion G smooth. Might be the new gear teeth cut(hyperdrive) or the aluminum handle-side sideplate(Hyper-Armed Housing) or both. Whatever the reason, it's very smooth.

Berkley Powerbait Finesse Swim Jigs | Tackle Warehouse

Yup. Shimano Curado 300 K Casting Reels | Tackle Warehouse

Probably, but the rod will tell you. Understand that you cannot generate max energy from a seated position. Think of swinging a bat sitting in a chair. With your legs and hips removed from the equation you simply cannot generate even close to the energy as a standing cast. With that, the rod will more than likely be fine with that weight. If you're going to purchase a new reel, skip the Tranx 201. Get a Tatula 200 which holds quite a bit more line and is way less touchy to dial in, or a Curado 300 which is very nice, or a Tatula 300 which is top of the food chain. No reason to go with a Tranx if you're not fishing in salt, IMO.

Not from a line cap perspective. However, I wouldn't make it a thing more than sometimes with that weight. The clutch mech might not like it. That said, you probably won't be throwing many 4 oz baits with that St. Croix. Bet you don't go over 3 oz, and more like 1 1/2oz- 2 1/2oz, and there you should be OK.

Everyone? Not quite. I can think of one regular here who's Cukoo over them and shall remain unnamed, then a few of us with either one or a few. He's a straight-braid-brigade type of dude too. It's kinda rough on guides. Ya know? Perhaps this mystery man will chime in.😉

Yes, it matters. A bunch of the guys in my circle are big swimbaiters, including my brother, who all happen to fish from yaks, and I can't think of a single time I've seen one of them stand to bomb a swimbait. It's just a risky move if you care about dumping, even on a very stable yak. Swinging a big stick with heavy weight is not the same as standing and pitching or skipping. I can say confidently that I rarely see a big bait casted farther than 100' from someone seated on a yak. It's usually quite a bit less. My point is that you can use your Curado DC if you wish to see how you like it. If you do, then get a Curado 300, Tranx 300, or Tatula 300, or whatever. In the meantime, you'll be just fine with your DC. I promise.

No answers. I have an Essence 7'6" MHF, ran Sufix Tritanium+ 14lb for about 6 months and Tatsu 15lb for 8 months afterward. No issues whatsoever.

It came from Amazon Prime shipped from a US seller in 1 day. I'm not looking to throw 1 gram micro jigs and I want to use light fluoro which isn't recommended for 5 gram heavily ported spools. 1/15oz heads + Finesse TRDs at 5-ish grams total will be the minimum for me. FTB is a proven system and I'd rather have a metal frame and no possible tolerance issues allowing for line getting caught between the spool and frame if I go with light braid at some point.

Good deal at $158 for what is essentially a $210 Curado BFS.

...sliding down another rabbit hole.🤪

It's not an SV. It'll cast as far as you want, no different than any other Mag Z Daiwa.

Why not just try it first. It holds 300 feet of 12lb line. You'll never even come close to spooling it even with 17lb.

Midway isn't weird, and they ship fast and pack rods in tubes not boxes. Solid outfit. Falcon Lowrider Swim Jig 7'2 Casting Rod Med Hvy (midwayusa.com)

Way too long. Could be months. Ship it to them in Cali and they'll ship it to Alabama, N.Carolina, or wherever. Minimal to no communication with the tech who's working on it. Then it just shows up one day. No thanks. Hard pass.

AFAIK, the Arbogast Hawaiian Wiggler came before the Snagless Sally, and I believe Arbogast helped Hildebrandt with designing the Sally. I read something to that effect anyway somewhere along the way. The HW was my #1 bass catcher when I was a kid. Couldn't put it down. Just like you I found the feedback addictive. Once I figured out that I could run it through Lily pad fields without losing it, I went on a crazy bass catching run. I barely lost any either using only 6lb Stren. I was crestfallen when my local tackle shop said they'd no longer stock them due to state lead regulations in early 1980, so I bought what they had left in stock which wasn't much. They still work great these days.

Reels like the Tat 300, which is fantastic, is a bit much for what you've outlined as well as any other 300 sized reel. Something different to consider that's right on the money regarding line cap and is built like an absolute tank. Daiwa Zillion TW HD Casting Reel | Tackle Warehouse I have a JDM Catalina TW which is a variant of this platform. Same frame, gears, and 100 mm handle. No problem chucking a 3/8oz jig with trailer on 20lb mono/fluoro, then just tying on and slinging a 2 oz swimbait without adjusting a thing. Easily one of my best purchases.

Yes, the MP replaced the MB. It got upgraded to a fully supported pinion. It's not. The handle, I reckon. Marketing jargon. Hardened aluminum gear in the MP. The KVD has a brass main gear.

I have an older pal who isn't internet savvy whatsoever, but recently discovered the wonderment of the auction site. He sure he's dying himself because he's lost friends recently as one does as we get older, so occasionally when he comes across an old something or other in his attic or junk pile, he thinks he should sell it off to pay for his funeral. He knows just enough to check the auction site for a valuation and can't wait to tell me what his junk is worth because of the nutball listing prices some sellers post to boost either theirs or their friend's other auctions. Checking the completed auctions tab is too much for my buddy to navigate, so I'm occasionally stuck with listening to his elation over finding out that his old dirty underwear is worth millions. I no longer ask if he's checked the completed listings and let him be happy. He'd never sell anything anyway because it's worth a king's ransom of course and only going higher.🤣 I know you know this, @dave

I'll address some of the different opinions posted so far. My suggestion of the 150 had zero to do with throwing heavy lures, although it's fine for that, IMO. That's why I pointed to its versatility. I've argued for its appropriateness for this specific use with baits up to 1 1/2ozs in the past here. However, right now mine is primarily used for throwing 3/8oz-3/4oz cranks. With the correct rod it's a crank launcher, but not everyone is well calibrated to Daiwa's braking system when its set up for max distance. I know this is true because I've read over and over again here that some see Daiwas mostly for close quarters work as if that's a specific limitation of Daiwa's braking system. It's not. This is more about the comfort zone of the user, IMO. Set a Shimano for mindless, safe casting like setting 10 on a Daiwa and the max distance on a cast will drop to within a few percentage points of a comparable Daiwa. Set either on the hairy edge for distance and both will be touchy somewhere during the casting cycle. Daiwa in the beginning and Shimano at any point after that. However, due to the nature of its braking system, Mag Z will always be safer at and after the apex of the cast. This isn't to say which is better, because both are manageable. That's in the eye of the beholder. And, whether a reel is comfortable or not is often simply a matter of hand or palm size. Stating that one reel is more comfortable than another as fact isn't necessarily a fact for everyone. I remain surprised by how the 150 is a great all-around reel even if it's a dated design. More than that I find it to be special compared to the other Tatulas I've used. It handles light baits better than it should and copes with bigger baits without issue. Both mine and my brothers have remained smooth and glitch-free. At sale prices they're a true bargain if the ergos work for you.

Nooooo! Ya think?😇