Daiwa Fuego?

[Hogsticker]

I picked the spool up for 45 bucks which is not that bad at all. Not sure if the poster above has actually tried this or not, but I can tell you with the Gigas spool I can now cast a 1/8 oz. finesse jig or 3/16 oz jerk bait a very decent distance. Something I could not do stock. It really all depends on what you want out of the reel. I would much rather drop the cash on the spool upgrade than a 4 bearing carbon fiber handle. Even the TDZ handle is gonna run ya 60 bucks. Yes, ceramics tend to be a little noisy, but it doesn't bother me. For me the 95 for the reel, 45 for the spool, 20 for the bearings, and some personal polishing make this the best 160 dollar reel money can buy IMO. For persons interested in tuning/upgrades - the Fuego is one of the best, most cost effective places to start. It doesn't all have to be done at once, but for those who can't/won't drop 3 bills on a Pixy/Alphas and then dump even more cash into upgrades - again, the Fuego is the place to wet your whistle and decide if it's your cup of tea.

[.ghoti.]

Hogsticker, where did you find that spool for 45 bucks? I bought two different "tuning" spools; one for 125 and one for 160. Both gave a me a slight improvement with light weight baits, but not enough to justify the cost. At $45, a spool upgrade is worth the cost of admission.

I agree with you about the Fuegos. Add the Sol to the list too. Both are fine reels out of the box, and with a little time and cash, both can be made excellent.

[.ghoti.]

To the original poster; I think we will be seeing used Fuegos and Sols going up in price. Many are aware that both are great candidates for tuning, and that upgrade components are widely available. I have 6 Fuegos, and the most I paid was 135 for a NIB. Expect to see higher prices. Classic case of supply and demand.

[kickerfish1]

The TDZ 100m spools generally are around $70-75. The tackletrap has them in stock.

[alexandboi]

Thanks guys. I didn't get it since i did think the price was a little too high, but I am keeping a look out on ebay and other places in case one pops up for a good price. Will probably be my first daiwa reel.

[Hogsticker]

I purchased the spool from a guy on that other forum. TTrap has them for 70 bucks

[.ghoti.]

Thanks Hogsticker, but for that price I'll pass. If I used any of my Fuegos for really light baits, I would be tempted. It is a much better price that what i paid for the Japanese spools.

The lightest bait i throw with a Fuego is a Poor Boys tube, on a 3/0 hook with a 1/16oz internal weight. The reel handles this bait just fine. For really light weight baits I have four Alphas mounted on medium or med-light rods. They don't need a different spool to throw an 1/8oz bait. I even took one of them, mounted on a 6'9" ML-XF LTB, spooled with #6 YZ, on a trout trip. I threw a 1/16oz hair jig, with no trailer, fishing for browns in the rocks. I couldn't throw it 50 yards, but I could toss it far enough to hit the bank while drifting downriver. Maybe 40 feet? Good enough for me.

[Hogsticker]

Thanks Hogsticker, but for that price I'll pass. If I used any of my Fuegos for really light baits, I would be tempted. It is a much better price that what i paid for the Japanese spools.

The lightest bait i throw with a Fuego is a Poor Boys tube, on a 3/0 hook with a 1/16oz internal weight. The reel handles this bait just fine. For really light weight baits I have four Alphas mounted on medium or med-light rods. They don't need a different spool to throw an 1/8oz bait. I even took one of them, mounted on a 6'9" ML-XF LTB, spooled with #6 YZ, on a trout trip. I threw a 1/16oz hair jig, with no trailer, fishing for browns in the rocks. I couldn't throw it 50 yards, but I could toss it far enough to hit the bank while drifting downriver. Maybe 40 feet? Good enough for me.

Yes, them Alphas will spoil ya for sure. I really just did the Fuego out of winter boredom. It's kinda funny cause my TDZ U.S Trails is basically the same thing, but hey, I'm just a knucklehead like that 

[.ghoti.]

If you're a knucklehead, I must be as well.