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After reading the thread about the best reels for $200 I thought I would start this thread to learn what some of the advantages are to owning these reels. I saw where someone said they will cast better and have less line twist. Also some of them hold less line so that changing line require less line to be needed. I've mostly used mostly 2000 series Daiwa from US suppliers. Looking for recommendations for brands and Japaneese tackle dealers.
I would guess smoother drag system, higher bearing count should mean smoother operation.
In the bream and panfish board there is a sticky thread on JDM reels.
A member here, Alphahawk, has a YouTube channel where he has discussed several Daiwa JDM higher end reels.
I have a higher end Daiwa reel that is so smooth it is unbelievable, and incredibly light weight.
Seriously, I currently have no rod that is worthy of this reel. But Christmas is coming soon...
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You would be better served to post this over at the Panfish forum. There is already a lot of JDM info over there and if you want I have several videos on YouTube...TroutMagnetMan.....that has reviews and discussion of JDM reels. I will tell you this....if you purchase a JDM reel that is made in Japan....not all JDM gear is actually made in Japan.....there will be no turning back to US domestic market reels....they are that good. To crank the handle on one is pure joy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bert
Regards
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Hopefully the moderator will move this thread for me. If not I'll repost in the panfish section.
As noted above, check out the JDM reel sticky thread above for more info.
Both are correct. I’ve been a member since 2006 and have read about 1,000 “line twist” posts. People always assume the line is causing the problem. IMO, the reel has far more to do with it than the line. Cheap reels = lotsa line twist.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bert
High end reels made in Japan have much higher machined tolerances on the gears.....better bearings.....more bearings. They save weight where they can. Many of the reels will have 2 bearings in the roller guide and are machined to really cut down on line twists. Believe me they work very well. I don’t get line twist and I keep a very loose drag due to the fact I use true 2.1# test polyester line which has no stretch and will snap in a heart beat fighting in Smallies and KY bass. The drags on these reels are superb. They also do a better job of laying line on the spool. The UL reels all have shallow spools which will hold approximately 100 meters of 2# test line with the diameter of .125mm and the shallow spool makes for better casting distance. They hold up extremely well and if given just a yearly service they will last for a lot of years. The smoothness of these reels is just something one can’t describe....you just have to feel it. I have reels from the 230 dollar mark up to the 400 dollar mark. Yes the higher you go the better they are. My go to reel is the Daiwa Luvias. It is simply superb. I also have a Shimano Twin Power that is probably a little smoother than the Luvias...it costs a little more and it also has bearings in the handle knob. I have added 3 bearings to each of my Luvias reels to make them as smooth as possible. That includes 2 bearings in the handle knob and one bearing on the spool support that replaced a metal bushing. The highest end reel I currently own is the Daiwa Presso Limited 1025. Normally selling for around 400 dollars but several of us on here got it on sale for around 230 bucks. Turning the handle on it is like turning air...it is unbelievably smooth. I wish I had bought a couple of more as they are no longer on sale. The Presso reel was made for Japanese trout tournament anglers where smoothness is paramount. The handle on the reel is 5mm shorter than other Daiwa UL reels to help with smoothness and feel. I wish all my reels were the Presso Limited...or higher. I am always pursuing new gear out of Japan...it truly is a curse to get into JDM gear....you just don’t want to put it down. My goal within the next year is to purchase a Daiwa Exist.....which is as high as it goes in the Daiwa line up. At 68 I don’t have enough years...or money....LOL......to try out all I want to but I’m going to do my best. I like to tell folks you certainly don’t need these reels to catch fish. But I think if one is a finesse fisherman, using jigs that are as small as a half gram I think a reel like the Luvias...and for sure the Presso Limited....gives one an advantage of feeling the jig head. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have and there are quite a few others on here who have experience with these reels also.
Regards
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Thanks to the moderator for moving this thread! Also thanks for the replies so far. What are JDM reels, are they just reels from Japan? I'm wanting to stay in the $200 range starting off. I will be using 4lb line casting for crappie. A UL reel is fine, but I would rather have the spool size to be from a 2000 size reel. I have ordered from PLAT before so I'm good ordering from Japan. Please offer suggestions. Again thanks for taking time to help.
,
Daiwa 2004H Luvias would be a fine reel in your price range
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What 4# test line do you use....the diameter? I ask because JDM reels line capacity is based on true pound test breaking strength yet most US market lines break way above their rating. I would order my reels from Digitaka. Unless Plat...or some other web store has a sale no one can beat Digitakas price on reels. If you are using true 4# test I highly suggest you spend 37 more bucks and purchase the 2015 Luvias 2004H...they have a 2004 low ratio also. It is a fantastic reel and will last your life time and be able to be handed down to someone else. I have I think it is 4 of the 2015 Luvias, and a 2012 Luvias that I have fished now for over 6 years, 2-4 days a week, without doing any service at all. This was by design to see how it would hold up. As smooth today as it was when I took it out of the box. It has now been relegated as my guest reel. The Luvias is Daiwas entry “Made in Japan “ reel. There are several other reels I could recommend if you don’t want to spend the extra 37 bucks. But the reels that are actually made in Japan just simply stand out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bert
Regards
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Most of the time I use 4lb AN-40, not sure of the diameter. You are correct that most lines are much stronger than their listed weight. I'll look for the Luvias 2004H to see if I can find it on sale. I'll also sign up with Digitaka to see what they have. Thanks!
Not much I can add that Randy hasn’t already said. I jumped on the Luvias band wagon and haven’t looked back. I have a 2004 and 2004 H and both are great! To get the full potential from these rods and reels, use the right line.i started using the Varivas Ester and various brands of braid and they really make this JDM gear shine. If you are planning on mainly using your gear for finesse fishing, I would consider the 2004. I started off with the 2004 H but quickly found out that the line retrieve is a little too quick that I liked for finesse fishing. It is not on a Smallmouth rod that I use. Which ever JDM Luvias reel you choose, you will not regret. Good luck!
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Shimano Sahara reels are fine, smooth as silk and cast great= $80/85.
Just checked and found out the AN- 40 line I use is .007 dia.
That pretty close to 4# breaking....it is 4.5# test at .177mm.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bert
Regards
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Haven't had any success finding a Luvias reel. I'll keep watching but the shops don't have them in stock. Any other similar reels to look at?
The Shimano Twin Power is the next cheapest “Made in Japan” reel I know of. It is about 50 bucks more. I have one and it is a great reel.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bert
Regards
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Not high end, but the new Daiwa Regal LT is the best under $50 reel I have ever cranked a fish in with. 10 bearings. I bought two 2000 size and one 3000 size (for dock shooting - bigger spool shoots farther) so far. Ditching all my other cheap reels in favor of these.
High end reels are deigned to last a lifetime.
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To me personally the high end reels really only matter when it comes to baitcasters, spinning reels are more of what I call line holders, low end spinning reels will cast as well as a high end reel, the difference will be spool size and drags Usually when I am using a spinning reel I am picking up line with the rod then cranking up the slack.
I don't think any of the guys on the board using high-end JDM reels think of them only as "line holders".Quote:
Originally Posted by Bricks
IMO, the high-end spinning reels do everything better.
Or come on down here and finesse a big snook or redfish without a quality drag and see hor far ya get.
Or mess with a musky, a 30" pike, a 20#+ carp or a 20"+ largemouth on 4# line. I tangle with some of each of these oversize fish nearly every year during my crappie fishing, which is 4# on 5' UL tackle, and I land many of those oversized fish with out even a net. It is the drag, live on it or you die by it. Not all cheap reels have bad drags either. When I look at my checkbook there aint no way I put out even a hundred bucks on a fishing reel, generally not even over 30, and some of my cheapies are half a dozen years old and still go fishing with me as many as three or four times a week in open water season. BTW the line I use exclusively is GAMMA from Black Knight, and I have no financial interest in them either. That has some stretch which augments the drag when fighting a large fish. IMO most line twist comes from either not manually closing the bail on a cast, reeling against an outgoing drag run, or improperly rigged baits and lures. And some lines just plain naturally twist no matter what you do.Quote:
Originally Posted by huntinslabs
I have never been convinced high end reel's are really worth the money. Highest end reel I've ever had is an ABU 6500, it was well under $100. Of course I don't get to fish near as much as most n here seem to fish. Recently got a new Kastking Rover 40, little over $40. If it last five years that means, assuming prices don't change $120 at $40 every 5 years is 15 years of life. Even if a high end reel last's 15yrs, you still gonna be using it? The urge to get new equipment is much to strong in most of us. Anybody still using a $200+ reel they got 15 years ago? This is almost like the fisherman that has only one rod and reel. Really one is all you need! But we have not several but a bunch! Shoot, I've got 18 rod's and reels and some haven't been used in years! I know because I just went and counted them!
Like others here have said there is no right or wrong. If you like it it is the right reel for you.
When I was a kid we'd fish quite a bit and when we put new line om a reel we were normally out in a boat. Ran the end of the line through the eyelet's and threw the spool overboard. Then drug the line through the water a bit and reeled it in. I'd pretty much forgot about that till yesterday. Got reel that I haven't used much that had line on it for years, and then a few more. So decided to change it. Stuff just wouldn't lay down on the reel right and I though about putting it on after running it in the water but, boat is in the barn and nearest lake to run it in is about 40 mi off. So I had this mess on the reel and held it under a water faucet. Then reeled it in and cast out as far as I could and did it again. Then walked away from the faucet a way and did it again. Surprisingly the line then laid down pretty well. If I can remember and ever get it out in the boat I'm gonna snap on a bobber and let all the line out and do it again. Take's the kink's right out of the line.Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
We are on a Crappie forum not salt water, I would not take my Crappie rod and reel with 4lb mono and go fish for Snook or Redfish. There is a slight difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by huntinslabs
Basically that is what they are now if you want to talk about baitcasters then we are in a different world as I have several higher end baitcasters, one of the biggest reasons for high end is lighter weight. When using baitcaster and lobbing larger baits all day long that extra weight makes a huge difference at the end of the day.Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
OK, but as you said:Quote:
Originally Posted by Bricks
Nobody here is lobbing big baits with baitcasters for crappie and bluegill. The JDM reels people are using are light, state-of-the-art reels made to handle very light baits and lines.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bricks
Most (freshwater) fly reels are line holders. High-end JDM spinning reels are anything but.
I’m curious as to the folks calling high end spinning reels “line holders” have actually fished with an actual “Made in Japan” high end reel? If you have fished a Daiwa Exist.....an Shimano Stella.....a Shimano Vanquish.....or a Daiwa Presso Limited....or even a Daiwa Luvias......I would be interested to hear why they are “line holders”. If you have not fished these reels I don’t see how you can have any input on the subject.
Regards
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Well, I can't wait until I'm able to give a report on one of these "high end line holders." The Japanese shops are saying it may be a couple of months before they have a Luvias in stock. I'll keep waiting and watching until I get my hands on one.