Daiwa reel for cranks/swimbaits

[pharmboy]

Too many choices.....I am looking for my first heavy duty crank reel. I would like to try daiwa as I only fish shimano/abu garcia now. Options I am looking at for Black Friday include......1 - Daiwa T3, 2 - Daiwa Zillion Type R, 3- Daiwa T3 Ballistic and 4 - Daiwa Crazy Cranker. I need something tough enough to handle king salmon on jerkbaits, but also smooth and comfortable to cast med/deep cranks to bass all day. Thoughts? I was leaning towards the T3, but have read that out of the box it is "geary" to crank with. THanks

[GARRIGA]

I have the Zillion Type R and the gears are too tall for medium cranks. I'm ordering more Rs for several applications and have converted one R to 6.3 for spinnerbaits and small cranks. Should work fine. I'm getting a Crazy Cranker with upgraded R handle and Star a drag for deep diving cranks. Hopefully that should have me covered.

Based on using the Crazy Cranker for spinnerbaits, I'm going to say it may be too low for medium cranks (KVD 2.5 Square Bill) but just right for DD22. Based on that, the regular Zillion 6.3 or T3/Ballistic 6.3 may just be right. I wouldn't use 7.1 or higher on the 2.5 but have with the 1.5. The bigger the resistance the lower I go. Hope that helps.

If you want to get the feel of high gear with low power then look at the Z2020H. It's the heaviest and most expensive of the group but it pulls high resistance baits with ease and cover 28" of ground with every turn. I use it to pull Hudd 8s which are normally cranked with 5:1 reels. I've cranked spinnerbaits with ease and it should handle KVD 2.5 or equivelants with ease. I'll have to see how it handles a DD22 although based on other reviews and my experience with the Hudd it may just be fine. Slower then the R or Zillion HS but still fast enough for many techs.

[pharmboy]

THanks for input.........i love that reel, but not the price. THe main attributes I am looking for are .....durable, cranks smoothly, good drag (kings), and loooong casts. 6.3:1 is likely what i will go with as I would like to not only rip jerks, but crank DDs with ease.

[Tokugawa]

The Zillion and Z are your best bets. I use the CC for all kinds of cranking, save for burning lipless cranks. It is exceptional with all depth baits. One of my favorite wake bait reels too when I want it agonizingly slow in front of cover. I've even thrown jerkbaits on it. You can't pull off a frenetic retrieve, but a jerk-pause along with rod rips will be fine.

I use the 50th for lipless cranks and lipped cranks down to medium divers. Not sold on the 50th deep cranking with big lipped baits. Baits like the Deep-X 200 are fine, but a DD22 is not.

The Z2020 is just sick.

[RWSCHMITZ]

Too many choices.....I am looking for my first heavy duty crank reel. I would like to try daiwa as I only fish shimano/abu garcia now. Options I am looking at for Black Friday include......1 - Daiwa T3, 2 - Daiwa Zillion Type R, 3- Daiwa T3 Ballistic and 4 - Daiwa Crazy Cranker. I need something tough enough to handle king salmon on jerkbaits, but also smooth and comfortable to cast med/deep cranks to bass all day. Thoughts? I was leaning towards the T3, but have read that out of the box it is "geary" to crank with. THanks

King Salmon with a T3 ??????????????????
a 20-30lb King will rip off 50yds of line on a run !!!! For Kings U need a reel with 5.1:1 gears. I would be looking at a Luna 253 or a ConQuest 300 for Kings and then get a bass reel.

[pharmboy]

i beg to differ schmitz......landed 25plus 4yo kings this year up to 28lbs ..........on a shimano core (obviously, a much lighter duty bass reel). While I am looking to beef up the reel, landing kings this size on a finesse baitcaster can be done (its definitely nerve racking tho)

[spookybaits]

Think you got the right idea with the 6.3:1 gear ratio. Fast enough for jerkbaits and not to fast for deep diving cranks. I know you said you want a Daiwa, but the Abu winch seems to fit the bill perfectly for your applications. 5:4.1 gear ratio, high line capacity & one hell of a drag. I've never owned one, or fished for king salmon for that matter, so take it with a grain of salt. A faster option would be the revo inshore. But again, it's not a Daiwa.

[husonfirst]

i beg to differ schmitz......landed 25plus 4yo kings this year up to 28lbs ..........on a shimano core (obviously, a much lighter duty bass reel). While I am looking to beef up the reel, landing kings this size on a finesse baitcaster can be done (its definitely nerve racking tho)

Sure, it can be done but probably not the right tool for the job.

[Gone Phishin]

i beg to differ schmitz......landed 25plus 4yo kings this year up to 28lbs ..........on a shimano core (obviously, a much lighter duty bass reel). While I am looking to beef up the reel, landing kings this size on a finesse baitcaster can be done (its definitely nerve racking tho)

Sure, it can be done but probably not the right tool for the job.

Yup. You could stick a one-armed man in a rowboat, plop him in the middle of a lake, and force him to row to shore. I'm sure he would eventually get there, but why would you make him?

As for the OP, I agree with Tok, the CC and Z get my vote.