bulldog1935

"Braid" is used generically to represent 4 different generations of line, all currently on the market. Basic spectra/dyneema, X8 carrier, coated braid, hard-coated high-density drawn braid (X-braid). Three generations improved braid roundness - the latest generation has twice the breaking strength for the same diameter as the older generations. I use equivalent dia. to 20-lb Sufix 832 on deep-spool Super Duty by backing with 20-25 yds, 20-25-lb mono, with 100 yds working braid on top, for casting lighter lures to greater distance. This works like it was made for it, and line dig is never an issue. For frogging, you want higher strength and improved abraision resistance, which may include bigger diameter, but doesn't have to. With shallow spools, you can fish down to 0.17-mm diameter without line dig, and BFS reels with improved LW pitch like @Tennessee Boy Silver Wolf (I have one, too) will fish down to 0.1-mm dia. without line dig. Backlash in fine braid appears so different from mono backlash, most of the braid line dig called out on the forum is probably backlash.

It's much more likely line manufacturers lie about their line diameter. E.g., I've found from filling spools, 832 is Always larger diameter than Sufix reports it. Reel makers are more likely to interpret spool capacity differently - I've always found Daiwa spools hold more line than their rating. CNC-machining a spool is one thing - drawing line is another. The error math seems simple.

@redmeansdistortion - best thing about that spool, it's made for mono. and of course it will fish braid also. Braid doesn't warp spools, which is how they can make braid-only BFS spools down to 4 g spool weight -- relaxing stretched mono warps and blows-out spools that aren't reinforced for mono/fluoro.

@redmeansdistortion and the spool is listed on ebay for $170 from Japan scalper. If you want to check current stock on Ray's Studio, go first to the Thailand ebay vendor I linked above, where Ray's Studio is made.

In my experience, the most versatile (and forgiving) spool for BFS on Daiwa is Ray's Honeycomb SV. I've fished 2 of these in 34-mm size for 4 years and never backlashed. Current stock limits you to Alphas, and I would snag one of the spools either from Thailand (last one, red) or China (tell him purple, blue or black) Japan vendors are also listing 34-mm (Steez/Zillion) and 31-mm (Pixie) at scalper prices. I always set mag brake baseline using disposable 6-lb YZH - cast the lightest thing you're ever going to throw, dial out mid-cast backlash. When you switch to braid, never go below this base mag number, and add a couple of notches for casting into the wind. Otherwise, the mag is set, and there's no reason to change it. The trick with lighter weights on these spools is improving spool bearings. Can't go wrong with Roro bearings and their bearing pin tool. Better add I've never backlashed fixed-rotor Roro-X or AMO spools, either, but by design, these spools are less forgiving and won't compensate for start-up jerk either from wrist snap or casting heavier weights. If going this route pings you, AMO 34-mm spool outdistances everything else casting the lightest weights. None of this is feely, it's all measured on casting range and proved on the water.

Legit Designs made a bass rod that's darn good, especially qualified for jerkbait. Daiwa made their rod more versatile for JDM travel, wide-range BFS, shore casting (I'm blown away by 3-g distance for the short length) - do-able multifunction bass rod - and note they even rate it for a 4-oz vertical jig.

The rod balances perfectly with a Zillion. The added weight of the joints makes the rod tip feel heavier with a lighter reel, but the spigot joints actually help make the rod more moderate. It fishes a jerkbait very well, in fact, it reminds me of my favorite 7' IM6 Crowder (Crowder calls ML, but it's really MM). I also have the 6'6"ML-5 Daiwa Black Label. Between the two, the Legit Designs is the jerkbait rod and is exactly right for an MM (not BF) bass rod. The Daiwa 5-pc is much more of a BF rod, and will cast 2 g without windage swing, which is below its rated low end - the Daiwa also loads deep at its 3-g rated low end, and is lighter in hand than L/D by 20 g - even lighter here matched with Steez. and yes, the Daiwa has a powerful butt to go with that BF tip. btw, I was happy to get both of these rods at good prices. No more stock now, but I paid $234 for the Legit Designs Wild Side WSC68M-5 from FishingShop.kiwi. The Daiwa was a recent Yahoo score for $190.

I have the 6'8"M, and it's a quality rod. Good blank, spigot ferrules except for the butt ferrule - spigot ferrules eliminate dead spots in the joints and allows the rod to load deeper - no stepped increases in bulk modulus (i.e. tip-in-butt sleeve joint), but a tiny bulk modulus decrease through the spigot. Comes in a sock + padded case + Meiho box. It will cast both below rated low end and above rated high end. 125-g weight compares to many 1-pc rods. In every way, this is a bass rod.

In my river kayak niche, I fish so close, can't use longer than 6' frogger rod. However, I can see from a boat that you almost can't get too long, depending on how much rod you're willing to hold up. Simply, a longer rod moves more line quicker when you move the rod tip. The added leverage also lifts better. Fishing the flats from boat in the '90s and naughties, I went to long steelhead rods, 8'2" to 9'. Aside from long casts getting away from hull slap, the longer rod let me react to keep weighted baits in the zone above the grass.

Here's my post this morning on bike-fish Multi-piece and telescoping rods are Major in Japan, because most everyone travels by train to fish. Carrying a long rod in a crowd would be losing face. I would, and do, look into JDM for quality travel rods (Mobile rods in JDM). Daiwa, Alpha Tackle (Tailwalk), Major Craft, all offer decent entry-level rods. (Shimano, Daiwa, Megabass offer high-$ versions). You've also described the need for baitcast reel with a centrifugal brake (or Daiwa MagForce non-linear mag brake). I vote with the look separately for a rod and reel that meet you specs and budget.

The way you look at this hookset, from fishing with the rod low and pointing down the line. First off, you're moving the line very quickly when you lift the long rod. The hookset is in the powerful rod butt and reel drag set. Once you get the rod tip tall, the soft tip protects UL leader. When you need power for turning fish, you lower the rod again - in 1881, Doc Henshall called this "Give Him the Butt"

The next choice from glass is IM6 moderate graphite - here's a Crowder rod that might meet your spec, E-series Lite - Crowder makes E-glass offshore rods, and note, they think this IM6 rod is close enough to still call it E-series. I have the 7' version for inshore, and I keep coming back to its moderate action because of jerk-bait fish count. Crowder blanks are handmade (and rods finished) in US. Crowder also makes 6'6" in a lower finish grade, even-lower-modulus Graphite I. A rod worth watching ebay is Falcon Glass (you can set up a search with e-mail alert). I have the 5'10' version - the taper is a little more para, rated 1/4 to 1/2 oz and it's classic bass-glass. I'll add the rod seems to cry uncle casting 1/2 oz, but it fishes 1/4 and 3/8 very well.

@Team9nine most people who come from fly rods would use XF bass rods for tomato stakes. Hookset - fish the rod low, pointed down the line, and simply lift the rod.

@throttleplate even better, this is a fabled snook hole - a dam across Cayo Atascosa in Laguna Atascosa NWR. There's really no water that matters above the dam, and below the dam is a tidal basin limit. It takes at least 3 hours to padle a kayak from the only launch, at the county park on the Arroyo navigation channel. It's tricky to find the channel from the expansive mud flat at the mouth of the Cayo, which keeps the motor skiffs out, except for guides who have found it by braille. The bike ride from the visitor's center at the south end of the NWR is an hour. No motor vehicles are allowed on the roads because the NWR has 35 native ocelots - the roads belong to bikes, and most bikes don't venture this far north, they stay on the trail loops at the south end of the 98,000 acres. The max collapsed length for a rod to fit the bike half-frame bag is 51 cm. And of course, most of the good travel rods are 52 to 58 cm collapsed length. I have a couple of 5-pc mid-grade Japanese rods under 7' that fit, and went to A/E to find longer 6- and 7-pc shore-casting rods. Bike-fish also has its place in the TX hill country. Several counties don't allow parking on county roads near river crossings. But you can park your vehicle on state roads, pedal to the county road crossings, roll a bike into the flood-plain sendero, cafe-lock to a tree, and you're into State navigation rights - can hike and wade anywhere below the high-water mark. I have a few rod choices, and the bag will hold 3 of these rods, so I can outfit a couple of friends, as well. In the first photo, the big front bag on my bike will carry wading boots and a fishing bag, or if you prefer, a 15-l Ice Mule and a 6'er.

I have only one rod that I can feel the difference of reel weight, and since it's in my lightest-touch salt finesse niche (big fish on tiny winter bait), this makes me happy. It's an 8' rod that weighs 73 g.

That's ok, I have a $30 rod I'm planning to break on snook.

@KP Duty They named it right Megabass Asylum

I fish 40-lb Seaguar Gold Label leader on meat rod, One reason to use heavier leader than braid is the shock of casting big weight (especially at the end of a 14' rod). Another is constant abraision in the sand. I use 12' leader above, 6' leaders below. I want my leader knot off the spool before I cast. 30-lb Seaguar Gold on lure rod - shock and abrasion from fish is the consideration. 19-lb VGK V12 on micro-jig rod - diameter is closer to 15-lb Gold Label

I'm definitely not in the market, even for a nice Pagani, which would be my Ito choice (Monoblock might be nice, too). What you gain with Megabass, Mr. Ito's choice of styling, trim components, and his bench tuning. @ATA gave us the OP "Too Pretty to Fish" - Megabass could fit that niche, and even be an investment remaining NIB - there will always be a Japan collector's market for these. Certainly with Pagani, compared to Isuzu-bench sister 520X Chimera, the difference is all styling. Does Zillion get better performance or simply see-through side plates - rhetorical question. Have to hope drive, clutch and spool are also improved.

@Catt this one gives any new tackle a run for its money I built it with full-ceramic bearings, zirconia micros throughout the LW, and full-silicon nitride spool bearings. The new Smith SPX graphite rod and magnesium offset grip are also a step up from the old days - the rod blade is so light, the balance is completely in the offset grip. Dock fishing Arroyo navigation channel in March, the 6-1/2' rod was 2-hand casting 3-g micro-jigs to surface slashes 150' out

@Hulkster I will always say DC is a band-aid until MagForce patents expire and Shimano copies them - no accident their complex variable mag brake is named SVS - get the trademark secure. @Catt while it's expensive, aftermarket parts will get the weight of a small-frame Ambassadeur down to 6.0 oz.

@MAN you can count on finding Ambassadeur parts and upgrades as long as you want to fish, and yes, your reels will be heirlooms that will fish for generations. Easy to replace with a 90-mm handle, but 5.3 gears may be too slow to use that long handle. My. 6.3-geared Express has a 90-mm Haneda Craft "power" handle My 5.3 geared Ambassadeurs, these are both '77 4500C, get 70-mm H/C handles. Only C3 and C4 (Ultracast) offered 6.3 gears, and are easy to swap on U/C models. Avail and Valleyhill offer 6.1 and 7.1 gearsets for small-frame Ambassadeur (2500C), but no one offers gear upgrades for older mid-frame Ambassadeur.

Thanks for the clarification, I haven't pursued Miravel and was repeating what I heard before on this forum. I always look at Stradic as the baseline spinning reel. Sounds like Miravel is a CI4+ (composite body) Ultegra, which is Shimano's top locomotive drive reel - cold-forged anodized gears vs. die-cast in lower grades. My buddy has 6 years' very good service from his Ultegra.

If it's a reliable shop closing it out, in preparation for the '24, I would definitely snag that. In addition to lighter, same drive as Stradic w/ more BB, titanium bail and magnesium body and rotor, the reel is finished on a Japan bench instead of Malaysia assy line.

If you need a reel and want a recommendation, add $45 to the ante and buy new JDM Stradic. My '19 Stradics are still fishing hard, and my friends' '23's are doing the same. If you want the dressed-up and magnesium-body Excense, it will be a different-color Stella body with downgraded drive. Value for a used reel is set when what someone is willing to pay overlaps with what the owner is willing to let it go. If his reel is coming from the salt, you may not want it.