What Diawa Is A 'must Have' Diawa?

[FishTank]

Another vote for the Zillion.  I will say this about it, I have had it for 7 years and I still say it is not the best reel for light weight baits.  The breaking system seems to come on most of the time but not all the time.  Big baits are not an issue (1/2 oz and up)

[Chris at Tech]

You guys really think the Zillion is a good choice for 1/4oz jigs? I agree it's one of the must have Daiwa's but it's not one of the best, or even really that good, when it comes to casting anything that light. There's far better choices.

My dedicated jig rig is a Zillion on a 7' MH/F Zillion rod, and 80% of the time I have a 1/4 oz jig tied on. I'm not going to tell you that a Zillion reel is the best choice for light baits but a 1/4 oz jig with a trailer is absolutely not a problem to throw.

[Mike2841]

I may be laughed out of this thread but I prefer the tatula over the zillion. I think both would be good for 3/8 + trailer, not sure about 1/4.

[SenkoGuru]

I'm not laughing at you, The Tatula is a hell of a Reel

[new2BC4bass]

There is a RH Sol for $125 on another forum.  Would make a good reel for 1/4 oz.

[Jeff H]

1/4 or 3/8 oz jig w/trailer is easily handled by a Zillion.  I have been using my 50th to throw my Pop-R's and it casts those very well.  I'm using my Fuego to throw T-rig worms, usually 3/16 - 1/4 oz bullet 3/0 hook and 7" Berkley Power worm.  No problems with that package, can really huck it out there if I want to. But honestly my HSTA's will do nearly as well.

 

I have yet to try my 100M spool in either one, but the way they are working I don't feel the need.

 

I have 2 Fuego I just bought this spring, bone stock and the drags are terrible on both.  They are going to get some work this winter!  They are the worst drags I've had on any reel.

[Flywatersmallie]

I may be laughed out of this thread but I prefer the tatula over the zillion. I think both would be good for 3/8 + trailer, not sure about 1/4.

 

I prefer the Tatula to the Zillion too. For what its worth, I threw 1/4 oz jigs with a light trailer (small paca chunks) all night tonight with lots of wind and no issues on a Tatula. Its a great all around reel for not a lot of money!

 

 

There is a RH Sol for $125 on another forum.  Would make a good reel for 1/4 oz.

 

 

That's a steal! I've got one NIB sitting on my shelf right now and while I would sell it, not for anywhere near that price

[Smallmouth Hunter]

I may be laughed out of this thread but I prefer the tatula over the zillion. I think both would be good for 3/8 + trailer, not sure about 1/4.

I agree.. The zillion didn't impress me once I uses the tatula.

[Gaerith]

PX r for 1/4 oz weights. Iirc its made to cast lighter lures.

[Hogsticker]

Jdm, get a gently used Tdz. This reel is considered legendary and sought after for a reason. It's just a super reel. The Alphas and Sol are nice little reels once you install the drag clicker conversion kit. I personally can't handle a reel without a clicking drag. For Usdm I still prefer the Fuego over any other Daiwa reels in that price range. The Tdz and Fuego are versatile great casters that feel nice, especially after upgrading to a longer handle. With the exception of the 1016 which I love, I haven't been impressed with many Daiwa reels. The Zillions are super solid tanks that can handle quarter to an ounce, but they make better moving bait reels to me. I prefer the Tdz and Fuego for feel applications.

[John G]

I own a few Daiwas, must have ------> TDZ103H, the only thing that baby needs is a drag pad upgrade, why from all the Daiwas I own say that reel is the must have ? You can get it for around 200 dollars

Well, I have been doing some investigating and what I have found is there are several variants of the TDZ103H. There is the regular 103H, the 2002 Type R 103H, the 2004 Type R+ 103H and the Megabass 103.

On TT, in the vote for your favorite JDM Daiwa, the 04' Type R+ is ahead of the 02' Type R by a large margin.

In the Limited Edition Reels section on Japan Tackle, Jun explains that the 02' Type R has least brake force (best casting performance) and should only be used by expert casters. The Type R+ is in the middle of the regular 103H and the Type R in regards to brake force (casting performance).

I would have thought that the 02' Type R being tuned a little more, would be more popular than the 04' Type R+. Guess not!

Do you recommend the regular 103H or one of the Type R versions?

[Mr_Scrogg]

Ill toss my opinion. For the $$, if you can get your hands on a TD-Advantage HSTA, they are tanks. I picked up my 4th the other day for $80 shipped.

[Grantman83]

I have a 2002 type r and it is smooth beyond measure especially at casting.

[John G]

I have a 2002 type r and it is smooth beyond measure especially at casting.

Is that the one with the cork knobs, carbon handle and gold spool?

[Grantman83]

Nope...grey with black gigas spool

[skeletor6]

Steez!

[Jeff H]

I prefer the Tatula to the Zillion too. For what its worth, I threw 1/4 oz jigs with a light trailer (small paca chunks) all night tonight with lots of wind and no issues on a Tatula. Its a great all around reel for not a lot of money!

 

 

 

 

 

I suspect that this is where you, myself and some others may have missed the boat.  I get the idea it's not about being a minimalist here, rather quite the opposite.  LOTS of reels can handle the requirements stated, but they don't carry the image required to match the intemperance or debauchery of the elite tackle enthusiast.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  I myself covet the Alphas 103 R and some others, but reality often gets the better of me for now.  I'm feeling my ability to resist weaken by the day.  While it will carry that cool factor I rue the very day I'll spend more than $200 on a reel....again.

[John G]

I suspect that this is where you, myself and some others may have missed the boat.  I get the idea it's not about being a minimalist here, rather quite the opposite.  LOTS of reels can handle the requirements stated, but they don't carry the image required to match the intemperance or debauchery of the elite tackle enthusiast.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  I myself covet the Alphas 103 R and some others, but reality often gets the better of me for now but I'm feeling my ability to resist weaken by the day.  While it will carry that cool factor I rue the very day I'll spend more than $200 on a reel....again.

 

 

I know what you mean! I have some Scorpion 1500XT's and they are a $200.00 reel that will definitely get the job done but they don't even come close to the WOW FACTOR of an Antares or Conquest! I tell ya, if I had the $400 + on me right now, that NIB Alphas 103 R Edition on ebay would be on it's way to my door even though I know that it doesn't take that much cash to do what I want to do.

[Flywatersmallie]

Agreed. It's nice to have the top shelf toys. They're fun to use and fun to look at. That said though, the law of diminishing returns really comes into play here. Is the Tatula/Curado and others really twice the reel as say the Caenan or Abu max series? The answer is a resounding yes almost all of the time. The same can not be said going up from that $150-200 price point. Might be a couple extra bearings or a better finish but does any of that warrant the added price? For me it does not. I buy my reels to fish with. For $150 I get performance and quality I am happy with but at the same time I'm not afraid to actually use the reel

[1099gl]

tatula all the way awesome reel for the money.

[Jeff H]

Well, I finally got stupid and stepped over to the dark side.  Bought a near mint Alphas Type F.  Nothing to get excited about, just the JDM version of the Sol and was bought for well under $200.  Figured I'd give finesse casting a chance and have to say I'm blown away at the distance I get from this thing with light lures.  My finesse fishing has definitely taken on a new adventure.now.  This is going to give "fun fishing" another level of fun.  Somebody stop me!  I used to rail against this very thing, I still think it's dumb but heck....it's really kind of fun!

[aavery2]

Congrats on the new reel. I agree it is a lot of fun throwing lighter baits on BFS gear, now that you have selected your reel, it will only be a matter of time before you start fine tuning it to meet your needs, it is kind of addicting.

[Hogsticker]

If it's fun it can't be dumb!

[thehooligan]

Sold all my Swimbait gear to buy more finesse gear.... Its very addicting !!

[Jeff H]

Congrats on the new reel. I agree it is a lot of fun throwing lighter baits on BFS gear, now that you have selected your reel, it will only be a matter of time before you start fine tuning it to meet your needs, it is kind of addicting.

It got torn apart, cleaned and lubed right away.  Also added Carbontex drag kit.  For now, that's all it needed.  

 

Right after I bought that, I stumbled on a couple TD-Z's for really cheap that needed a few parts, that i happened to have on hand, so I bought those too.  One of which is the 103P and destined to become my finesse cranker now. I want a larger capacity spool for it (it has the low capacity 105H spool in it now) and was recommended the RCS 1016.  So, that's going to happen in the next few weeks.  It got the 100M  90mm handle already and the requiste Carbontex drag kit was already in it!  So, I'm about done with this whole finesse caster thing already.  Just need a couple rods now.