Alphas CT SV

[migman]

Hi all,

I am new around here. Quick background: I learned to fish in the 70s by fishing for pike and muskies with my dad and grandpa in Northern Wisconsin. Therefore, all I knew was Abu Garcia Ambassadeurs. Sure, I panfished with whatever spinning rods grandpa had laying around the cottage, but I loved casting his muskie lures a mile with an Abu/St. Croix combo. Those long summer days burned in my love for baitcasters.

Unfortunately, for most of my adult life I have had little time to fish, but now I am getting back into it. However, my fishing is limited to whatever I can catch from my local park's marina seawall on Lake St. Clair near Detroit. I just recently acquired a Daiwa TD Luna 253 as a tribute to my early years, but I also picked up a 2016 Daiwa Alphas Air so I can have some fun throwing small lures from the pier. I just used it for the first time this weekend and I was blown away how smooth it was to use and how great the profile was in my hands. Which brings me to my long-winded (sorry) question: I am looking for a similar quality reel for a bit bigger lures when paired with a 7' St. Croix MH rod. Would the Alphas CT SV be a good candidate for such a task or should I be looking at something else in the $300 range that has a similar quality and feel of the Alphas Air? Thanks in advance.

[freelancer27]

Have a look at the new Daiwa Coastal SV TW. I can cast light lures, it has good line capacity and is smooth.

Cheers!

[fishonsc]

Hi all,

I am new around here. Quick background: I learned to fish in the 70s by fishing for pike and muskies with my dad and grandpa in Northern Wisconsin. Therefore, all I knew was Abu Garcia Ambassadeurs. Sure, I panfished with whatever spinning rods grandpa had laying around the cottage, but I loved casting his muskie lures a mile with an Abu/St. Croix combo. Those long summer days burned in my love for baitcasters.

Unfortunately, for most of my adult life I have had little time to fish, but now I am getting back into it. However, my fishing is limited to whatever I can catch from my local park's marina seawall on Lake St. Clair near Detroit. I just recently acquired a Daiwa TD Luna 253 as a tribute to my early years, but I also picked up a 2016 Daiwa Alphas Air so I can have some fun throwing small lures from the pier. I just used it for the first time this weekend and I was blown away how smooth it was to use and how great the profile was in my hands. Which brings me to my long-winded (sorry) question: I am looking for a similar quality reel for a bit bigger lures when paired with a 7' St. Croix MH rod. Would the Alphas CT SV be a good candidate for such a task or should I be looking at something else in the $300 range that has a similar quality and feel of the Alphas Air? Thanks in advance.

The problem with using the Alphas CT SV is not much line capability. What size lures you wanting to throw?

A Daiwa Zillion TW HLC reel will bomb 3/8 - 1/2 lures.

[jvelth74]

The problem with using the Alphas CT SV is not much line capability. What size lures you wanting to throw?

A Daiwa Zillion TW HLC reel will bomb 3/8 - 1/2 lures.

Yep, I also thought to suggest Magforce-Z reels (HLC is Mag-Z with stiff spring) because of better casting properties in long casts.

But I'm not sure is it needed long casts at all in this kind of fishing.

But I consider that sv tw Zillion: https://japantackle.com/casting-reels/d ... -1016.html with tuning (Magforce-Z) spool might be good solution for fishing like this. I guess it's over budget due to ~ $100 spool, but if trading beloved(?) standard sv spool it might be in budget.

RCSB 1012/1016 G1 or RCSB 1012, or old Steez 100 or Steez 103 spool..
https://japantackle.com/tuning-parts/sp ... 00218.html
https://japantackle.com/tuning-parts/sp ... 00078.html
Old spools was in this reel, those spools are occasionally traded in this forum (or in Ebay):
https://japantackle.com/reel-archives/c ... zbait.html

I have CT Alphas and it's absolutely one of nicest reels of mine. It casts nicely ~12 g lures with standard spool. Lastly I put to standard spool as a backing 50 meters of Spiderwire stealth smooth 8 0.06 mm (12 lbs) and for casting line 50 meters of 0.12 mm (26 lbs). 100 m is enough for all the fish I can imagine I will hook with this reel. And 50 m of casting line is enough for pretty much every cast I will throw. Ok, In very long cast some of backings runs out, but I keep that in mind.

[migman]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will check out all of those options. I may move my TD Luna 253 (a Magforce-Z reel) to a heavy rod to handle my heavy lures, which I don't have many of anyway, and get an Alphas CT SV to handle everything in between the Luna and the Alphas Air. I tend to throw lures in the 1/4-1/2 oz. range mostly (#3 & 4 Mepps bucktails, various Rapalas and spoons).

[hoohoorjoo]

If you like the Alphas Air platform, the older Alphas variants share the same frame, but with larger/deeper spools. There is the Alphas R Edition, Alphas Type F, original purple Alphas 103 and the Alphas Ito. If you look on ebay, they can be found from Japanese retailers for good prices. There is also the Megabass Zonda 68, which is a deep spool tuned version of the Alphas. You should be able to find at least one of those on the auction sites for your $300 price, and probably for a good bit less than that. Any one of these will handle that 1/4 to 1/2 oz range very well.

[ss30378]

At the $300 dollar price point you may be able to get nice condition steez a as well.

[rando]

Yea I use my alphas ct for almost everything. Got one on 611 m+ adrena for weighless plastics, small trigs topwater (and many more) and 1 on fmj for jigs in all shapes and sizes. Never felt undergunned with brass gears. Never felt that I do not have enough line on the spool (altough 40lb 832 is as thick as I go).

[migman]

Thanks everyone for the input!

[tincanary]

If you'd like to try an Alphas CT before you buy, PM me. I'm in SE MI as well (Warren). Lots of excellent fishing around here. I was throwing 1.5" paddle tail grubs on a 1/16 jig head around Metro Beach recently with my Alphas CT and it performs great. Total weight of that bait is 3g. Us old timers around here still call Lake St Clair Metro Park by its old name, Metro Beach lol.

[migman]

If you'd like to try an Alphas CT before you buy, PM me. I'm in SE MI as well (Warren). Lots of excellent fishing around here. I was throwing 1.5" paddle tail grubs on a 1/16 jig head around Metro Beach recently with my Alphas CT and it performs great. Total weight of that bait is 3g. Us old timers around here still call Lake St Clair Metro Park by its old name, Metro Beach lol.

That's a very kind offer and I may take you up on it. Although, if it feels anything like the Alphas Air I have (which I am sure it will) I may just go ahead and get one. I do my fishing from the seawall at Neff Park in Grosse Pointe.

[migman]

Ok, I said to heck with it and pulled the trigger on one. Now the question is what line to put on it? Anything wrong with 20lb Sufix 832?

[hoohoorjoo]

Ok, I said to heck with it and pulled the trigger on one. Now the question is what line to put on it? Anything wrong with 20lb Sufix 832?

That will do nicely! Just remember to either use a short length of mono to connect to the spool, or tape the braid directly to the spool after tying it.

[migman]

Ok, I said to heck with it and pulled the trigger on one. Now the question is what line to put on it? Anything wrong with 20lb Sufix 832?

That will do nicely! Just remember to either use a short length of mono to connect to the spool, or tape the braid directly to the spool after tying it.

Thanks. You read my mind. I was going to ask about that.

[tincanary]

Ok, I said to heck with it and pulled the trigger on one. Now the question is what line to put on it? Anything wrong with 20lb Sufix 832?

That'll work plenty good. I'm running 15lb Power Pro on mine, no complaints.