Is gear material really so important in our small fishing reels that suffer limited punishment? I mean, aluminium is used in many circumstances where toughness seems to be more important, e.g. From bicycles / crankset to spacecrafts. I ask because I have never had an issue with aluminium gears...no...

I figure it is the nature of a semi-BFS spool (Zillion TWS), but I have blown that thing up a few random times since using braid. Also had a few random blow ups on the stock Zillion TWS spool too. Just takes practice using braid, have to be careful for loops, digging into the spool, etc. I really li...

jwfflipper14 wrote:I will now use my Steez A 5.3 as one of 4 cranking reels

I'd like to know how the aluminum gears hold up to a high pressure situation like cranking, especially deep cranking. So far my XH feels great and I would consider lower gear ratios if I knew they'd hold tough.

5bites wrote:I wish that thing didn’t have such a big line capacity. That surprised me.

Do you know if it switches spools with the Tatula CT and CT-R??? If so I figure the Aliexpress spools would be great in it. Just still hoping the have a Zillion version where I don't buy another Steez A...

This is a characteristic of carbon drag washers. They will slip at light settings. This is why we use the felt washers in the reels intended for use in freshwater. The true inshore reels have cross carbon because they tend to fish with more drag pressure. The carbon washers have more durability, bu...

I'm bothered by the fact that my +7' ML dropshot rod will be hard to replace. It is an Abu Villain 2.0, great feel, pretty sensitive, but non quality guides (still great so far though), good Fuji reel seat. If the guides go, I will try another brand. Probably have a time finding something to match i...

Only thing that bothers me, not sure your preference, is the length. Anymore I wish ALL of my spinning rods were +7', except for the 6'Light I creek fish with. A 6'6" isn't terrible, but pretty short, always like longer casts and taking up more line on a hookset...

Trigger X swimming grubs. I'm on my last pack. :( Local pawn shop had tons of trigger x plastics. Don't remember seeing grubs though. Think I bought a few craw/trailer style plastics. Does that brand still exist? Oh dang, looks like Rapala is discontinuing the whole brand. That's no good. I killed ...

Yes the 610M is what I would consider a true Medium powered rod. Be good for plastics, finesse jigs, small swimbaits, shaky heads, etc.? It's hard to try taper/action of a rod where I live, no vendors around carry much of anything. The Curado rods I got to handle were pretty strong though, at least...

FamKench wrote:Trigger X swimming grubs. I'm on my last pack.

Local pawn shop had tons of trigger x plastics. Don't remember seeing grubs though. Think I bought a few craw/trailer style plastics. Does that brand still exist?

Is the 6'10" Medium the next step up from the semi-BFS style rod? I am really hunting a "true" medium style rod, maybe even a slightly stronger medium and cannot find one. Seems most manufacturers that have a lighter rod then skip up to a fairly stout MH, leaving a void for a decent M...

SK rage baby menace grub with body trimmed up according to the shank of your jig hook. Zoom tiny chunks, little critter craw. These are some of the best. I like leaving them long though, even though it doesn't quite look right it works well. I have also used the 3.5" Biffle Bug with decent suc...

Hey all, I have two Ugly Stik's that I started out with a few years ago that have no reels at the moment. When I started taking fishing more seriously I initially spent more on my reels than my rods, and subsequently moved those reels to better rods. But I'd like to put a decent spinning reel on ea...

Thanks. I wasn't sure if the SS SV was the same as the SS SV 103. No the SS/SV and SS/SV 103 ARE the same reel. The USDM SV103 is an old Zillion body with an SV spool in it, 1016 size with a moderate braking profile. The SS/SV is a cheaper old body style Steez (Zaion/Magnesium hybrid reel) with an ...

I am a little confused, they make 4 carrier braids, 6 carrier braids, and obviously 8 carrier braids. Now they have 5 and 9 carriers. I think I have even seen a JDM Daiwa braid that is a 12 carrier...