Ultra Lite Baitcaster

[bigreddog]

As much as I hate it, being a Daiwa guy, it's true. Just because the literature says it's for this or that, doesn't mean it can stand up to it.

Certainly I could point out that "the review from the other website" that first started this whole Pixy craze was done as a bass reel in its stock form.

But more importantly, I own a couple of Pixy reels myself (both LH '04 Yellow models), so this is more than just theory or conjecture on my part. These reels been used only for finesse techniques for bass and walleye on light line, and they haven't given me any reliability or performance issues when used for these purposes. Maybe you're using them beyond their original intended purpose?

For trout, the drag would need to be smoother that what the stock Pixy offers -- but that's what the Presso was for. For the record, I did upgrade the drag on my reels -- but this was more for smoothness than to up the overall power. After all, I'm using it with nothing more than 6lb line (or 10lb braid with a max 6lb leader).

I don't have any experience with the Steez reels, so I can't speak to whether or not they're any good as a bass reel. I do find it a little surprising that a flagship reel would be unsuitable -- if that's the case, I'm surprised that Daiwa is so revered among the tackle enthusiasts.

I guess I should be glad that the rest of my stable consists of entirely of round Shimano DC reels (although I do have a T3 on the way). Don't you love the irony?

[skunked_again]

One thing I should have brought up is the Daiwa Fuego. The reel is IMO the most under rated Daiwa reel out there. One serviced by any of the forum techs will handle like a dream.

[Primus]

First of all great topic and if I could I would use a casting reel for almost everything but jerkbaits where I prefer a spinning rod. I throw some fairly small baits such as a Smallie Beaver on a 1/16 oz mushroomhead with a 101D Curado on a BCR852 Mossyback (7'1" length, EX. Fast, 10-14 lb line rating, 1/8 to 3/8 oz lure rating). I use 8lb Floro which is a little under Loomis spec but I have not had any issues with this rod being too much for this line. I also through the 6" Fat Straight tail Robo worm regularly with this rod and my casting distance is comparable to any spinning rig that I've tried to date because the line slap from Floro seems to impact spinning rods more. I have not tried some of the reels already reccomended in this discussion but have no doubt that they probably perform as good or better than my current choice. I remember reading in a Bassmaster a few months back about specially rigged Japanese casting reels that they use to throw small baits and very light line and would welcome anything that could push the envelope in this regard. I'm intriqued by the Daiwa PX Type R reel that was recently introduced. The hard part for me is its a reel not made by Shimano (I'm a very loyal Shimano guy) and the $ 499.95 price tag.