Unhappy with my Tatula- New reel for fathers day?

[brent245]

I have a Daiwa tatula and just recently got a kastking assasin. I hate to admit it but the kastking is much more enjoyable to use. I can cast MUCH MUCH farther and don't really ever have to adjust magnetic brakes or anything on the reel to prevent a backlash. Maybe it's just my Tatula but it won't cast worth a crap. It birds nests if I cast too hard, I constantly have to adjust the mag brakes to compensate for wind and lighter lures, and it won't cast far at all. I thought it was great when I first got it until I saw some kids bombing lures out about 20ft further than I could with cheapo reels. I picked up a kastking assassin and was impressed. Now I'd like to get a nicer reel to replace my Tatula. Do reels with centrifugal brakes and mag brakes cast better than those with only mag brakes? I'm thinking my budget will be under $200. 

[NHBull]

You can still find ci4's around in the 170.00 area....I have 4 and love them

[Tim Kelly]

LOL. Get another Kastking. But hang onto the Tatula you will probably appreciate it in a few years.

[lmbfisherman]

What is a long cast for you?  I mean I can bomb a lure with my Curado 70 but I don't own a Kastking reel to compare.  Maybe Bluebasser can shed some light as he owns a Curado 70 and Kastking reels.  My longest casting "sub" 200 is my Curado 70s and E series reels.  My longest casting reels are my Metaniums and Chronarch Ci4+ (I have a MGL but haven't tested it yet.) Of course I didn't do a scientific test so I don't know how far, just that I can bomb a lipless crankbait on my Chronarch E series so far that I can slightly see my mono backing just under my braid.  I usually like to spool around 70 to 90 yards.  Not to mention it depends on the reel (spool weight), rod, line and lure weight you are using.  Lure weight is important because I find like a rod, some reels just shine with certain weights.

[lmbfisherman]

3 hours ago, Tim Kelly said:

LOL. Get another Kastking. But hang onto the Tatula you will probably appreciate it in a few years.

Kind of agreeing here with Tim.  If you like the Kastking, go ahead and get another.  Unless your intention is to buy a product that is higher end with quality components that has a proven track record for longevity.  If that is the case then go with either Daiwa or Shimano.  However I can't pretend I know Daiwa as I don't own any of their newer reels anymore, in general Shimano gets the nod for longer casting.  That is just the general broad stroke difference that I read from multiple sources. 

[brent245]

Well using the google earth measurement system my max seems to be about 41 yards with the kastking assasin on a 7'6 cranking rod.

 

With my Tatula on the same rod my max seems to be 34 yards. 

 

This is trowing my 1oz whopper plopper 110. I have 17lb mono on the kastking and 40lb braid on the Daiwa.

 

I know it doesn't sound like much, but when you bank fish, 7 yards more means you get to a fish you couldn't get to with the other reel. I caught 2 last night within seconds of when my plopper hit the water about 40yds out. I wouldn't have caught those fish with the daiwa.

 

It bugs me when I spend money on something expensive and it doesn't perform well, I don't mind paying alot for something that works good though.

[brent245]

So yeah, I'd like to blow some money on something of quality that will cast into the next county.

[lmbfisherman]

5 minutes ago, brent245 said:

Well using the google earth measurement system my max seems to be about 41 yards with the kastking assasin on a 7'6 cranking rod.

 

With my Tatula on the same rod my max seems to be 34 yards. 

 

This is trowing my 1oz whopper plopper 110. I have 17lb mono on the kastking and 40lb braid on the Daiwa.

 

I know it doesn't sound like much, but when you bank fish, 7 yards more means you get to a fish you couldn't get to with the other reel. I caught 2 last night within seconds of when my plopper hit the water about 40yds out. I wouldn't have caught those fish with the daiwa.

 

It bugs me when I spend money on something expensive and it doesn't perform well, I don't mind paying alot for something that works good though.

Unfortunately I don't own a whopper plopper to tell you if any of my reels can reach 41 yards.  That is interesting that you are using a larger diameter line on the Kastking and still outcast the Daiwa that much with smaller diameter. Maybe fishnkamp and/or rippin can help you with maximizing your Tatula.  That is a large difference though.

1 minute ago, brent245 said:

So yeah, I'd like to blow some money on something of quality that will cast into the next county.

If you can up your budget, Metanium or Chronarch MGL.  The Chronarch MGL gets raves about smoothness and distance but I haven't tested mine yet.  My Metanium MGL can bomb way out.  If you go to Youtube you can find a guy who tested casting distance between Metanium MGL, '13 and Metanium DC.

[brent245]

I love those metaniums and chronarch's

[12poundbass]

I'll take the Tatula off your hands if you're that unhappy with it. ?

[Angry John]

With casting something that heavy you must have something off on the daiwa.  Might just need a good service and adjustments.

[new2BC4bass]

Got to agree with John.  Your Diawa should be doing a lot better than that.  Play with the brakes and spool tension, but if you don't see much improvement I would be sending it out for a professional to look at.  My Daiwa Alphas SV105 was a very poor representative of that model giving poor distance and backlashing too easily.  Sent it out and now it is in line with how others report their experiences with the SV.  Might wind up being better than their reports once i get use to it and set up right for me.  

[brent245]

The tatula is only 3 months old. I've adjusted the spool tension so that the lure has a controlled fall to the ground, but not too fast. The brakes I have set around 6. If I go any lower on the brakes and cast really hard I get a backlash- usually they backlash occurs then the lure is about 1/2 way through the cast. It's always felt like it wasn't casting far enough, even when new, but it was my first bait casting reel and I didn't know any better. I thought thats just how baitcasters were.

[new2BC4bass]

18 minutes ago, LowRange said:

 

Loosen the spool tension and turn the brakes up.  That slow fall crap is for linear mag brake reels like Abu max reels and Kastkings.  Loosen the tension and then tighten it down just enough to eleminate side to side play and then set the mag dial to max and start casting to get a feel for the reel.  While casting begin to back off on the mag dial until you get your desired results.  I rarely go less than half way on the dial.

 

X2  I run spool tension like this, but seem to need more brakes than many use.  Often my tuned reels let me run lower brakes than on my factory reels.  Mostly run stock reels in the 6-8 area (of 10) but less for tuned reels like my TD-Z 105H and Zillion 50th Anniversary.  I've always felt that I get better distance (on any reel) with less spool tension and more brakes...if needed.

[Tim Kelly]

That spool tension thing is really daft advice. I wish it wasn't put out there as much. If you're even vaguely competent with a baitcaster you need just enough tension to stop the spool moving sideways in the frame, everything else is with the brakes and your thumb. Imagine how much tension you must have on the spool to slow the drop of a 1oz bait!

 

Daiwas require a slightly different casting stroke to centrifugal braked reels like shimanos in my experience. You need less power and a smoother stroke to get the best from the magnetic systems, where a full on haul is possible with shimanos. Both end up about the same distance, but with different levels of effort and control.

[RoLo]

 

'Casting Distance' can be a poor criterion for comparing two reels.

 

To perform a valid shootout between casting distances,

both reels must be attached to the same rod (brand, power, action, material, length),

and both reels must be spooled with the same line (brand, material, diameter).

Last but not least, the brake tension & spool tension must be set

to the same tension on both reels. If any one variable is overlooked, the comparison is a bust.

 

Roger

[MassYak85]

1 hour ago, brent245 said:

The tatula is only 3 months old. I've adjusted the spool tension so that the lure has a controlled fall to the ground, but not too fast. The brakes I have set around 6. If I go any lower on the brakes and cast really hard I get a backlash- usually they backlash occurs then the lure is about 1/2 way through the cast. It's always felt like it wasn't casting far enough, even when new, but it was my first bait casting reel and I didn't know any better. I thought thats just how baitcasters were.

The whole adjustment where the lure falls slowly to the ground is a good starting point, but if you are looking to maximize casting distance you won't do it that way. You'll have to back off the spool tension a lot more than where it's at now. Honestly it just sounds like your thumb and the reel need some alone time on the water to sort things out. 

[evilcatfish]

3 hours ago, 12poundbass said:

I'll take the Tatula off your hands if you're that unhappy with it. ?

d**n, beat me to it!

[david in va]

I have a stealth and an assassin that are new that I will trade you

[fishnkamp]

The Tatula is a special reel. It is a hybrid containing both centrifugal and magnetic brakes,  but the centrifugal portion is non adjustable   Take a few minutes to watch this video that explains 3 types of Daiwa drag systems. Your Tatula has the third design called MagForce Z.

 

I fish  8 Daiwa Tatula and Tatula CTs. You could not ask for a better reel, at least for me.

No other reel has the automatic centrifugal system (or if they do I have not seen it yet) along with the magnetics system. The whole spool tension knob adjustment that you use on other reels is bogus for this reel. It does not work like other reels.

So do this. Zero your magnetic brakes.  Tighten the spool tension knob down till the spool has no side play within the frame of the reel.  Loosen it up enough that the spool is not moving more than say 1/16 of an inch, not a lot but there is some side play of the spool.  This is a good starting point.

 

I have no idea what the lure rating of your rod is but I recommend picking say a cheap jig from Dicks that weighs close to the middle of the rods rating.  Lets say the rod goes 1/4 to 1 1/4, then I would practice using a $3 jig from Dicks that weighed around 3/4 ounce and a grub for a trailer. Do not practice with a 1 ounce expensive top water lure.

 

Set both the drag star so you have some tension but it the spool is not locked down.  Next wet the mag brakes up high but you do not need to go full on.  Find a nice open field and go practice, as you get mo time with the reel loosen up the brakes.  When you get used to the reel like this you can fiddle with loosening up the spool just a little more. I run my spools much looser than I could ever run my Curados, Chronarchs or BPS extreme reels. I usually run my mag breaks down around 1/2 of the max ( 10 of 200 and have almost no backlashes.  Make sure you have some good backing under the braid. I run 14 pound Stren mono and always take extra care to tighten the arbor knot down all the way so the line can not slip on the spool. If you did not do this then that may be giving you some issues.  Spool up some mono, tighten your knot extra good and after tha,t fill the spool the rest of the way with braid.  

 

I have Tatulas running P Line 12 pound Floroclear, 30 pound Suffix 832, Power Pro Spectra in both 30 and 65 pound braid, 14 pound mono for topwaters, and Abrazx fluorocarbon.  None of these lines give me any trouble except periodically I need to pull out the fluorocarbon and run a rag down it under pressure. This helps to remove memory in the line so it casts better.

Try this I am confident this will help.  

I have read many others that have complained about these reels until they learned how these reels play. Most guys that actually fish these reels love them. 

One last thing is once I get my spool tension set, I have rarely needed to adjust it when I change lures. The most I might do is bump my mag breaks up a click or two.  Good Luck 

 

 

 

 

[Further North]

If that Tatula is really bugging you and you feel the need to move it down the road...I'll order a new Kastking and have it shipped right to you if you send me the the Tatula...

[SFL BassHunter]

If the Kastking works for you stick to Kastking. When you find something that works, why fix it?

 

Personally I found something that works great. Tatula. I have a Tatula Tactical for punching, Tatula Type R, Tatula CT and Tatula SV.

Every single one of those reels has out performed all other baitcasters I have owned.

I threw a whooper plopper a couple times on the Tatula Type R and pretty much unspooled the reel to the backing. As a bank fisherman myself, I was extremely impressed. The 130 is a huge lure and if you're having issues casting that then your Tatula is not set right, OR there is something wrong with it.

I cast lures as light as 1/16oz on my CT and  1/32oz on the SV a very good distance and effortless. Very rarely backlash or overrun.

So like I said, there might be something wrong with yours, or not set properly.

 

Try this:

Set your brakes to 0.

Loosen your tension knob with your thumb on the spool until you can move the spool side to side.

Tighten the tension knob slowly until the spool no longer has side to side play.

Bump up your brakes to 20 and start casting.

Reduce your brakes until you feel comfortable with your casts that you don't backlash, or over run and still get good distance.

 

I personally have found that the sweet spot for my Tatula Type R and CT is brakes at 4-6. Against heavy wind 7-10

 

Hopefully this helps.

[brent245]

I'll fiddle with it a bit more and loosen that spool up. I've used it quite a bit so its not my lack of knowledge with baitcasters. I've got maybe 15 hours a week fishing with it for the past 10-12 weeks. Its got a 17lb mono backing and 40lb suffix braid. I've got a fenwick elite tech 7'6" MH fast coming today. Its rated for up to 7/8 oz lures. Its going to be my chatter bait/ buzz bait/ plastics rod. Maybe frogs. I'm going to put the tatula on it and see how it does. I'd get another assasin but I want a faster gear ratio for this rod. 7x:1 or 8x:1. 

[Dangerfield]

On 01/06/2017 at 11:32 AM, SFL BassHunter said:

If the Kastking works for you stick to Kastking. When you find something that works, why fix it?

 

Personally I found something that works great. Tatula. I have a Tatula Tactical for punching, Tatula Type R, Tatula CT and Tatula SV.

Every single one of those reels has out performed all other baitcasters I have owned.

I threw a whooper plopper a couple times on the Tatula Type R and pretty much unspooled the reel to the backing. As a bank fisherman myself, I was extremely impressed. The 130 is a huge lure and if you're having issues casting that then your Tatula is not set right, OR there is something wrong with it.

I cast lures as light as 1/16oz on my CT and  1/32oz on the SV a very good distance and effortless. Very rarely backlash or overrun.

So like I said, there might be something wrong with yours, or not set properly.

 

Try this:

Set your brakes to 0.

Loosen your tension knob with your thumb on the spool until you can move the spool side to side.

Tighten the tension knob slowly until the spool no longer has side to side play.

Bump up your brakes to 20 and start casting.

Reduce your brakes until you feel comfortable with your casts that you don't backlash, or over run and still get good distance.

 

I personally have found that the sweet spot for my Tatula Type R and CT is brakes at 4-6. Against heavy wind 7-10

 

Hopefully this helps.

I'm extremely interested in the Tatula series reels but I was concerned that the lure weight of a 130 whopper plopper or gantarel Jr might be too heavy for the application. There's everything from 2lb SMB/LMB to 45" pike and musky where I fish. I looked at the tatula tws sv, tatula HD, the ryoga Shrapnel and the Lunas... But don't know what would be right selection. I'm aiming to get two set ups: 1-4oz swimbait set up doing double duty for frogging and a lighter set up for everything else. 

 

I would prefer the lower profile reel over round, but I'm not opposed to the round reel. Ultimately, wanted to get your opinion because you use most of the reels I'm looking at save for the ryoga. TIA. 

[RPreeb]

So.... I wonder what the OP did about his problem?  After a lot of research, I bought a Tatula CT 100 for my first baitcaster.  I have nothing but spinning gear to compare with for distance, but I found it easy to learn with, and it casts an adequate distance for me.  I change baits with little or no brake adjustment.  Since I am just learning, I use a roll cast most of the time and it seems to make little difference what size lure I'm using as long it loads the rod as I make that loop before releasing the spool.  

 

Since at the moment I'm still a shore fisherman, I haven't had any real need for pitching or flipping.  I can throw a crank, or a frog, or a worm with good success.  I have had just one backlash in the month or so that I've had the reel.  A couple of times I've gotten a bit of overrun that loosened the line so I had to strip a few yards before I could crank it back tight, but not enough to knot it up.  That probably says more about me and my 2 left thumbs than it does about the reel.