newapti5

Where I live, September seems to be a month of catching quantity and quality in creeks/small rivers. It's like they're suddenly woken up from the summer pattern and start eating everything thrown at them. Then the next phase would be schooling up and swimming around to chase baits. And then by October, the bites dial down quite a bit, and I don't see them wolf packs cruising as often. My theory is that in September, every smallie realizes the winter is coming and start eating. They're still mostly located at where they were during summer. Then, some of the fish forms groups and start hunting around, but some of the fish decides to stay at the same spot, hanging on to the summer locations. Then in October, those wolf packs, which consist of the majority of creek smallies, have moved on to the big river, while there're still some fish who decide to stay in the creek for the whole winter. In summary, not all fish behaves the same, and you could still find some fish "in summer pattern" even in October.

Nothing special happened to my Alphas; I just used it normally. And I actually deep cleaned and re-greased it in mid-season. I think my buddy did the same to his reel as well. Like I said, it MAY get geary, depending on many factors, but I do believe the mixed gears is one of them.

I've been eyeballing the combo, and it makes me wonder, what kind of hardware and benefits of these parts would justify the high prices? I am just genuinely curious. Take the Livre handle for example, sure titanium knobs are good, but $100+ seems a bit much for a marginal increase in performance.

Although the Alphas has a dual supported pinion gear and floating spool, it's a brass/aluminum mixed gears combo, which MAY result in early "geary" feel. Both mine and my buddy's developed similar feels within one season, while the all aluminum gears of Zillion are still as smooth as new.

For $60 to-my-door, this TD-Z is in better shape than I thought. It'll be my winter project - change the plastic front piece, order a gear set from Tackle Trap, maybe change the drag star and handle, etc. I can't help but wonder, how did @evo2s197 repaint its main frame?

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My fishing buddy had a JDM two pieces Zodiac rod. The joint is at the middle, which makes it a little tip-heavy. But this is a one piece rod.

You are asking that question at the wrong place, my friend. It's like an alcoholic went to a supposed AA meeting, but realized it's a wine tasting party in disguise. I have "downgraded" my reel collection from over 50 to about 17, 18, and the next step for me is to do the same with my rod collection.

If it's the same noise when you cast, it's likely the spool bearings. When a reel's cast is normal, the only moving parts are the spool and the spool bearings. Daiwa reels use magnetic brakes, so no friction noise there, which leads to the spool bearings. Once bearings are damaged, they may still rotate well, but oil or cleaning is not gonna quiet them down. Try changing the spool bearings for a change if that noise bothers you. They're 3x8x4mm and 3x10x4mm. Of course there's still that small possibility of damaged spool, but that usually cause some noticeable wobble of the spool during cast.

I have to add jp.mercari.com (paired with Buyee) to the list. It's the biggest Japan flea market site I've seen, and lately I've been a bit addicted to it. It's like the Japan equivalent of eBay, only more items and much better pricing. With the discount (~15% off) the proxy company Buyee has been giving out lately, it's pretty much tax free and shipping free. Mint/great condition Metanium for ~$150, Conquest for ~$260, Zillion SV for ~$180... I just purchased a mint condition Abu Revo LTX for $80 to-my-door. BFS isn't actually my cup of tea, but a magnesium BFS reel for $80 is just too tempting.

Finally got a chance to give this used Aldebaran 51 a deep clean. For $118 to-my-door, it's in really great shape. But the cleaning process was such a pain in the butt, not because it's dirty but because there're some many extra and small parts that need attention, way more than other Shimano reels. Some of the designs I like and some I don't, but I can definitely tell how Shimano is trying everything to shed a gram or two, while keeping the reel as sturdy and smooth as possible.

GLX MBR has better action and wider applications, and NRX JWR has better sensitivity and a more universal reel seat. It's a pickel, but I'll take the upgrade for sure. If you don't like it, you can always sell it and get a GLX MBR. You'll still have some leftover for lures.

It looks awfully similar to the one I sold on eBay, down to the knobs. I had to pull out my photo for comparison to make sure it's not the same one.

Speaking of drag, I believe BG is the only reel around $100 that has a bearing-supported drag. If you don't mind the weight, best value reel in its class. Daiwa don't make much money on this one.

I think we had similar discussions in the forum before? My drag is set about 3~4lb most of the time, even lower with treble hooks. If I need extra drag force during hookset, I just thumb my spool a little. If the drag is locked down, all the drag force, and the shock force during hookset, will be applied to the gear set. All that 10+lb force on those tiny teeth, it will shorten the "smoothness period" of those gears if not damage them. I don't fish grass, so there's no need for me drag the fish to the boat ASAP. Besides, heavy hookset will likely tear a big gap in fish's mouth unless it's hooked on the upper lip.

I couldn't help it but ordered the 7'2 M Regular (final price $70), and a bunch of other stuff. It's rated 1/4 - 3/4oz, and knowing Tatula rods, I believe the Regular action is similar to others' Moderate Fast, perfect for me. The MH Fast is actually a little stiffer than others. G.Loomis NRX+ MBR 783c, GLX MBR 782c, 783c, they're all on sale as well. With discounts, the final price would be 35% off. Not much discount compared to Tatula rods', but a LOT for Loomis rods.

I stored them inside a closet, and I just put a spool of fluoro from 5, 6 years ago on a new reel. Everything is fine. One of my fishing buddies who has a PhD in Material Science told me that among those three line materials, mono is most prone to deterioration with sunline and humidity. That is the most scientific proof I have.

Well, I can't afford the best on everything, so I prioritize what I want and learn to enjoy cheaper things.

These wood knobs from the Chinese brand KAWA are decent. I mean sure there's some inconsistence in size and the surface could use another coating, but for the price ($30 a pair), I am not complaining about the craftsmanship.

I love shallow spools for finesse fishing, no matter spinning or baitcasting reels. Sure one could put all 300 yard of braid line on a deeper spool to save the trouble of respooling, but when the spool is only half full, the casting performance would definitely suffer, spinning or baitcasting. Like others said, if a spinning reel's casting distance and easiness matter to you, using shallow spools or backing on deep spools will keep the spool as full as possible. If not, a deep spool would be more versatile.

Although I've only oiled my AR bearings, I think the choice of grease or oil might depend on the size of the AR bearing. For a large size AR bearing in an Abu 6000 reel, light grease should be fine, but for the small ones in most low profile BCs, I'd stick with what works for me.

I have tried Midway's "openbox" item before. It's basically brand-new. So $200 for a US version Zillion is a rare opportunity. You'll get the brass gears of US version, but on the other hand, the JDM version is made in Japan if that matters to you.

Thanks for the detailed explanation! I use a bearing checking tool like this to check bearings' conditions, and you're right, sometimes although the bearing feel ok when rotated by my finger, it's already damaged on some level and shows when under load.