ErieCan

Order JDM from Japan and you can get a 22 Bantam for around $230 or a 21 Scorpion DC for around $180. The JDM Metanium has less line capacity than the US version so keep that in mind if looking at those. Edit - didn't see you bought one. Congrats on the Bantam!

I'll just post what I use and why and hope that helps. 90% of my Largemouth fishing is in submerged grass in clear water. Thick isolated clumps or lines. Many require some stealth so as not to spook the fish (some long casts required). I want sensitivity on slack line, a rod and line with the power to turn the fish out/away of the grass, but with a soft tip to cast well. And a reel that can launch a light'ish bait as far as I need. So here are two I use for jigs and tex rigs (I don't use jigs very often. I'll use a skirted tex rig instead) #1 - 3/16 - 5/16oz weight with ribbon tail worms, creature baits. - St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass 7'3" Heavy/Xfast. - 2020 Shimano Metanium XG - 16lb Sunline sniper #2 - 5/16 - 1/2 oz weight. Usually leave this one unpegged. With tubes, craws, skirted tex rigs. - 7'5" Daiwa Steez AGS BC2 - 2020 Shimano Metanium XG - 16lb Sunline sniper I use baitcasters for pretty well everything but drop shot and mojo rigs now. Wacky rigs, flick shake, trick worms all on a baitcaster.

I runs texas rigs on 14 or 16lb FC Sniper line with Woo or Swagger tungsten. I've never broken off on a hook set. I use an Orvis knot.

Perfect, thanks!

Does anyone know if you can swap the spools between the 2022 Metanium shallow edition and the 2020 Metanium. Both are JDM. Thanks.

I switched to mostly fluorocarbon. I fish clear water and submerged off shore grass. I used to used braid to leader but there's two reasons I stopped. One - I got sick of tying on leaders. Two - I long cast to and drag through and along grass flats and isolated clumps. Sometimes with unpegged texas rigs. So there's going to be slack line. Fluorocarbon will transmit vibration on a slack line. You can especially feel it with a good rod like a Steez AGS. I've cought way more fish since the switch. For pitching in flipping into thick grass, I will still use braid.

Do you mean the rattle (that's normal... Loose tolerances) or are you getting gear grind noise?

A 2020 JDM Metanium cost me about $340 Canadian and I didn't pay tax on it. Most stores here are charging $550 or more, plus our ridiculous 13% sales taxes. I have two Metaniums, another Shallows Edition Metanium on the way, a 2022 Bantam, a 2021 Zillion SV and Alphas SV TW. All good deals.

They only charged me like $25 to ship a replacement to Canada..... $50 seems odd.

What kind of cover/structure will you be fishing? From boat or shore? Generally, a 7' to 7'3" MH, fast action rod will cover all of the bases. I fish submerged grass mostly, and I really like the St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass 7'3" H-XF for ribbon tail worms, weightless senkos, and various other plastics. I've throw as light as a 3/16oz weight and up to 3/8oz with them and this rod is great for running them through grass and almond grass edges. A Daiwa Zillion SV TW pairs great with it as well as a Shimano Metanium. If those are out of your price range, a Daiwa Tatula SV103 or Shimano 150 MGL would be great too. I typically use 16lb Sunline FC Sniper.

I get tired of catching pike when I'm fishing for bass. Lol.

I fish submerged grass, 7-12'. I like caffeine shads the best with an Owner Twistlock 3/32oz 5/0 weighted hook. Make sure its rigged straight. Cast, let it sink, two or three twitches/jerks, let it sink. For me, it worka best on schooled up bass. Especially September/October when the big schools of shinners start balling up.

Thier jig/chatterbait box was a must for me. I thought about the terminal box but I'd need two of them.

Most of mine are fairly specific. I primarily fish offshore submerged grass edges and clumps, 7'-12' deep. T-rigs and jigs - Daiwa Steez AGS BC2 w/ Shimano Metanium -- the rod is super sensitive (slack line fluorocarbon) and great for dragging baits through grass. Worms (ribbon tails, senkos) - St. Croix LTB 73HXF w/ Daiwa Zillion SV - - the XF tip on this rod is soft enough it casts amazing and crawls/hops/swims a weighted or weightless worm through grass very well. The heavy power will get the fish out of any grass in a hurry. Soft swimbaits/under spins - St. Croix LTB 73MHF w/ Shimano Bantam -- all around rod but stout enough to set heavier hooks with a T-rigged bait. Chatterbaits - Daiwa Tatula 7'6" MHF w/ Daiwa Tatula 100 -- This rod has a great bend to it. With 16lb fluorocarbon, I'm getting really good hookups with chatterbaits. Mostly 3/8 oz. Flukes and weighted wacky rigs - 6'10" Shimano Curado MF rod w/ Curado 70 MGL. 20lb yellow braid to 10lb fluorocarbon leader. -- For fluke syle baits (soft jerk baits) its been great so far. We don't get huge bass up here but I've landed a lot of bass over 4lbs on this combo with no trouble. Although the drag on the Curado reel has been a bit problematic. I'm going to strip it down and see what's up with that. Shallow squarebills - St. Croix Victory 72MHMF w/ Daiwa Alphas SV TW and 12lb Yozuri Hybrid. -- great for running over grass or along edges. Too soft for ripping through grass. Might be better with braid to leader. My frog and flipping combos collect dust so I won't list those. Same with spinning combos. They're boring anyways ?

Saw you ordered already. Digitaka is great! The other I order from is Japanlureshop.com If you ever order from there, choose "best way" for the shipping option. He usually gives you a thank you gift as well in the box. Like a megabass or jackhammer lure.

Yes the 4" ones. I just assumed he was talking the 5".

Around 0.42 oz

That's just over 1/2 oz total weight. Dang right it's gonna bomb it.

I have the JDM Zillion SV. I like some things and I dislike some things. The dislikes are mostly just personal preference issues and may differ from person to person. Likes: Drag clicker, easy to cast, easy to adjust the breaks, smooth as silk Dislikes: Doesn't palm as well for me as my 20 Metanium or 22 Bantam, not a long caster (the Shimanos will beat it every time), it scratches up easy, and it's styling is a bit boring. I've been using it for 3/8oz chatterbaits lately and I think that's where it might stay. I originally had it on my worm rod but I wasn't getting the distance I needed when using a 3/16oz weight. My Metanium will bomb it. As will any of my reels with the MGL spools. I'm still like my Daiwa reels. I have an Alphas SV, an Elite P/F, the Zillion and a couple SV103s. They all get used. The only thing that really turned me to Shimano was they feel better for me to palm. The Alphas palms great, I just wish it had more line capacity as I typically run 16lb out in the deeper grass where I fish most of the time.

I have this reel spooled with 12lb YZ-H on a St. Croix Victory 72MHMF for shallow cranks. As mentioned above, don't touch the tension knob. It's factory set. But obviously you're going to clean and lube the reel at some point (and remove the knob). So for reference, you should have it just tight enough so the spool can just barely (I mean almost not at all) move side to side. As for breaks, I'm usually chucking a 3/8oz KVD shallow squarebill and I have mine set at 10 or so depending on wind.

Punchfishing did a few good reviews on these rods. I think he has two vids on the BC2 and one on the 7'11" Flipping rod.

UPDATE I have now owned both of these (JDM) reels for a little while. The Bantam XG I have is a glorious piece of machinery. It's only issue, for me, is its weight. Although it tends to ballance out my 7'3 St. Croix LTB quite well. On a 7.5" Steez AGS BC2, it ruins the feel of the rod IMO. The Metanium feels better on that rod. If Shimano ever asked me (and they never would, lol) what I thought the perfect reel would be, I'd say take the Bantam, and make a magnesium version. A Bantam "light" so to speak. To me, the Bantam has a slight edge on the Metanium on everything except weight. The Bantam has 6 breaks instead of 4, a slightly, yet noticeably, wider spool, and casts just as well as the Met. I experimented with a 3/16 oz weight and 7" ribbon tail. 16lb fluorocarbon and it cast with no issues.

I hardly use them. I have a casting combo for wacky rigs now as well. Got sick of line twist issues. I do use one when I have to get real finenes in grass and want to throw a mojo rig.

I'm not 100% sure on that. Japanese lines are sometimes rated differently? So I don't know if 12lb US market line is the same diameter as 12lb Japanese market line. But assuming they are the same, then the USDM version holds 110yds of 12lb and the JDM holds 142yds. According to the USDM and JDM Shimano websites, the width and diameter are the same.

Why not the Steez AGS flipping rod? I have the the 7'5" Bottom Contact II and it's an awesome rod.