Bigbox99

Zero. I don't break rods high sticking or hoisting fish into the boat larping as a pro bass angler. If I did break rods I would opt for a brand that offers a replacement program. These replacement programs are baked into the price of the rod so you end up paying megabass money for something that looks like an ugly stick but are free to make mistake or even abuse the rod and get a reasonably priced or even "free" replacement.

I use bass.co.jp and Tackleberry. There is also some Japanese auction sites that guys in the enthusiast circles use with 3rd party service like Buyee as a buyer and shipper. Bass.co.jp has been my go to over the years but they don't have much selection. Over the years I've picked rashed up last gen Zillion, a mint SS SV105, a mint Tatula HD 153 and a mint T3 MX. A T3 MX with a bunch of Daiwa purple SLP color parts and Hedge hog color matching purple parts for $53 shipped. A Tatula HD 153 Custom I took a bunch of parts off for my Tatula HD 150 build including the 36mm Magforce Z spool. I forget the price A mint condition SS SV105 for $120. These were 8:1 exclusive SS SVs with a shallower better performing spool and a stronger drag stack than the SS SV103s. Pictured is T3 MX with the Zillion TW spool and spool tension knob and all the purple parts removed (they're on the SS SV105 and Tatula HD Custom 150). The Tatula has the Zillion short crank shaft with bolt and locking plate and Tatula 153 HD Custom spool tension cap.

I see a lightly used $100 Alphas SV TW and minty fresh $290 24 Met DC right now. You have to buy the used JDM reel from Japan on their used market sites. Buying off eBay or whatever is a sure fire way to get ripped off.

Used JDM markets is the big brain play. I've been doing this for years and getting cheap reels in excellent condition often with bonus upgrade or color parts.

The Boost spools use two springs to create a dual stage over the previous single stage springs. The difference between Magforce Z and SV is that Magforce Z uses centrifugal weights to extend the inductor towards the magnets and SV uses two plastic ramps to extend the spool when the inductor is twisted. On SV spools the twisting occurs from the difference in inertia between the SV spool inductor sitting in the magnet ring and the spool rotating. The braking effect on the inductor wants to rotate the inductor slower than the spools rotation so turns slower than the spool for a 1/4 turn and extends from the two ramps interacting and locks out until the spring force can overcome the two ramps and slide down into the seated position. Magforce Z doesn't care about the magnets and can have short inductors quite far away from the spool when retacted because they use centrifugal force to extend the inductor into the magnet rings. SV is just a cheaper and lighter way of emulating the behavior of Magforce Z. Sometime this means that the SV spool is super light and more controlled and sometimes it does not. It depends on the braking profile of the spool. There are many Daiwa spools with many different braking profiles with just modern Magforce Z Boost ranging from super fast long casters like the HLC to more control orientated spools like the JDM Zillion HD. As a general rule for stock spools in stock reels (you can swap and mod Daiwa spools) the SV are more control orientated for skipping and pitching into cover and the Magforce Z spools are better for distance at the loss of some low speed control.

We already have the IM Z.

Those exta fast extra soft tips can be difficult to get hooksets with jigs. If it's anything like the old Tatula 1/8 to 1 oz M powered XF solid tip rod then it would work well with drop shots and ned rigs. Light wire kind of stuff.

The manufacture or Bates reels already has a DC module reel. https://www.loongzefishing.com/dbc-a100.html

Looks like a standard Tatula handle. Have you considered something like this? It's a cheap 95mm handle with power knobs similar to the Zillion HD and Tatula Flip and Pitch. Here is mine on a Taula 80 compared to a Zillion HD. https://a.aliexpress.com/_msvywha

Yes. Okuma doesn't make reels. With the exception of a few brands all are rebrands of some other manufacturer. You can get the same platform in many different names in diffrent frame materials. I have the same reel as that Okuma branded thing with a dual brake I bought like 4 years ago and an aluminum frame and handle side plate one I swapped the dual brake into that I will give you for free if you PM me your shipping address. The Kastking Royal Legend, Dobyns Maverick and random here today and gone tomorrow brands on Amazon all use this same platform. They range from $20 on the low end plastic ones to $100 with the aluminum frame Maverick. Okuma sold a low end plastic one to you for $80 which is practically a crime. You deserve better.

Fuego CT, Fuego CT SV, Lews LFS, Shimano SLX ect. All are great. Make sure you learn the correct way and don't use "spool tension" and instead rely on the brakes, your eyes to track the bait as it flies towards the water and your thumb to apply pressure to slow and stop the bait as it hits the water. You don't need to compress the ends of the spool with a knob to get a slow drop to cast a baitcast reel as long as it has at least a semi competent brake system and you know how to cast. The SLX being a centrifugal only reel can behave poorly with stiff plastic lines with no spool tension but this is easily avoided by not doing that and using the correct tool for the job. IE: DON'T spool the fast and free casting centrifugal reel with line that has the handing characteristics of slinky. That's what the SV and other reels with more aggressive braking profiles are for.

How much did you pay for that rebranded turd? I have the same reel but in an aluminum frame and handle side plate from the actual chinease company that makes them. I paid $50 for it over 2 years ago. PM your shipping address and I'll send it to you. I hate Tackle Warehouse so much its unreal.

Upon further inspection it looks like the spool might be a 36mm deep spool where the capacity is increased by taking the abor down to the spool shaft. You typically only see this on salt water reels to increase line capacity for species of fish that can run and pull drag. Some bass reels like the Tatula 200 and 300 use this to increase line capacity with large diameter lines. You are never casting down to these tiny arbors because the very small diameter arbors need to have the spool spinning at insane speeds to dispense line on that is a <10mm spool by the time you get that deep into the spool on the cast. There are also "jigging reels" like the Seasir Megacuda which feature a light weight 36mm deep spool, 33 lbs of drag and, 110 power hande and aluminum frame for $30. I have 2 that I use as normal bass reels. There is also the Daiwa Coastal 80 which has a deep 33mm spool and a tiny frame. They're out there but it's not a common configuration on bass reels so if you are limited to buying on TW then they do not exist for you.

1st, reels like what you want exist but I don't think you even know what you have. The S3 holds less line than a Tatula 200 and appears to be a normal 34mm or possible 36mm spool which puts it line capacity roughtly equal a Daiwa 100 reel. Just compare the wide and deep 36mm spool on this Tatula 200. I don't care what the line cap stats say for either reel on TW because they are made up nonsense from the manufacture. 2nd, I wouldn't consider a standard bass 100 sized reel with a aluminum frame and plastic handle side plate to be a heavy duty reel. I'd want to see an aluminum handle side plate and set plate (non handle side plate part that cam locks into the frame) and a larger capacity spool. 3rd, those 20+ pound drag numbers are made up. If you lock down a "13" pound drag Daiwa and yank on it with a scale you can get in excess of 20 pounds of drag. The manufactures knows this and use a more realistic smooth max drag rating but some disingenuous companies use the nonsense locked down drag number to post a higher number on paper to fool low information anglers. It's similar to when some pack a high number of garbage bearings into a reel. It's to fool people into thinking more number mean more gooder and into buying their product. Also I have no idea where this idea that you need to have a large drag number to set the hook on a heavy fish. Heavy fish are the easiest things to get a hook into since their weight aids in setting the hook. It's those smaller ones that just get yanked towards me that always have the worst hook penetrarions. If the drag is slipping on the hookset then that is YOU pulling the drag and not the fish. Once the fight it on and fish start to run then that's when the drag system gets tested. For the barramundi guys I have been talking to over the years they seem to like the Daiwa Ryoga with its 13 pounds rated drag. Their concerns are not the drag on a reel but it staying smooth after many hard fights and the strength of the clutch mechanism. Reels they favor on the enthusiast side are the 1st gen Ryoga 100 and 2nd gen Morethan PE special with the bronze main gear. Anyways, what you have sounds like a pretty standard 100 size bass reel and I'm glad you like it. I started with Quantums many years ago from watching Bill Dance on the TV and they served me well.

Do you know how to cast? Not everyone does and I see people really softly lobbing baits all the time because they don't understand how to cast for distance. I've seen people cast with the rod parallel to their arms the whole swing with no wrist snap or no understanding of casting over their shoulder and just swing from right to left or even upswing like their are golfing or something. The less energy put into the cast means less energy sent to the bait and less distance.

Inspect the pinion bearings too. It's possible the outer bearing is shot from water intrusion and this has accelerated gear wear. To replace the pinion get a main gear and pinon set from Daiwa Japan for an aluminum set or The Tackle Trap for a brass Zillion G set. https://tackletrap.com/collections/gear-sets

I bet your bearings are dry if you have been fishing it bunch. The outside pinon bearing might even be shot if you used oil on it and it cut the grease accelerating wear. I'd send it in for a cleaning and repair to dvt or somebody if you aren't cable of tearing the reel down and troubleshooting and inspecting parts.

You can get USDM curados and tatulas for as steep a discount as the JDM reels by buying them on Aliexpress. Curado 150s for $140, Tatula Elites for $165, Tatula 150 for $100 ect.

The Bates reels are rebranded chinease reels which is fine. Unlike all the chinease reels I have seen these are really interesting with machined frame and body. Loognze reels. I wonder if Bates will release the DC version here or if there is some ip issue with Shimano. https://www.loongzefishing.com/

An interesting read on the subject http://www.tackletour.net/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=85519

You can use any of the many 34mm 103 sized spools you see being used in the old Steez TD-Z 103 ect but you will need the plastic T shaped shaft under the spool tension knob swapped out with a slightly shorter one from an Alphas or similar reel.

You can either: a) Stop doing this b) Replace the dented shims and keep smashing the spool ends together Both are equally acceptable options.

They wiggle and tail wag on the fall while gliding forward. Flukes are erratic and spiral. I like flukes for a fast action and the caffeine shad for and slower presentation. I'll often use a caffeine shad as a senko substitute since they are so similar but I cover more water with the caffine shad. The monster java stink they have is just to cover the platisol scent and to give the angler something can easily identify and associate with the bait.

I always remove the handle side plate and oil from the inside often removing the bearing and inspecting it. Daiwas have always arrangement even before they called the spool tension knob a zero adjuster.

Fish it that way. None of my Shimanos have any spool tension and are zero adjusters. Also long as you didn't spool on a slinky you should be fine.