Your opinion about the Z2020 in 2023.

[bronzefly]

I still have two that I use regularly and have amassed spare parts just in case. The Z is one of the most brilliant reels I've encountered. They maintain a welcome place in my lineup.

[dragon1]

I still have two that I use regularly and have amassed spare parts just in case. The Z is one of the most brilliant reels I've encountered. They maintain a welcome place in my lineup.

So many of the current TWS reels are supposed to be the "mini Z"...but nothing would be more badass than a true modernized Z1016 with 3D and sans the TWS.

[dragon1]

It is a nice reel with impressive power in the retrieve, while still very smooth. I use mine for pike fishing with baits around 1-3oz. Casts good, but a little bit overpowered brake imho even on long cast mode with magforce 3D. To me it is a bit like the zillion-series. Great but without the magic. If it ever broke down I would not replace it with an identical reel. Something I would do with any of my beloved 100-sized round reels.

Hmmm....that's a bit strange, in my hands, LC mode and mag turned down to say, 5-7 range and with higher tension knob setting, a 1/2 oz + lipless is scary fast on the cast, whether mono/copoly/fluoro/braid.

[ninjaman]

Overpowered brakes? You might have an issue with your reel if you feel that its overbraking. The spool inside these reels is very fast, and with the 3D braking its as fast as it gets.

Check your spool and side plate bearings. You might have grease or high viscocity oil slowing you down.

Hmmm....that's a bit strange, in my hands, LC mode and mag turned down to say, 5-7 range and with higher tension knob setting, a 1/2 oz + lipless is scary fast on the cast, whether mono/copoly/fluoro/braid.

Hmmm. I feel a bit stupid trying to convince you both. But I can assure you that my bearings are clean as can be, and only lightly oiled with Hedgehog light (or maybe medium) oil. I only wish the spool behaved as you describe. It casts smooth, not bad, and on the lowest settings you can backlash for sure. But on the "long cast" setting I expect a little more untamed spool

Could the difference be in the lure/spool weight ratio, with lighter lures like 1/2oz not engaging the brake as much

I also have an FX68 which I think behaves similar with not a lot of difference between the 3D-modes. But it has a much lighter and more shallow spool, so the behaviour is more as one could expect; Stress free, easy casting.

[dragon1]

Overpowered brakes? You might have an issue with your reel if you feel that its overbraking. The spool inside these reels is very fast, and with the 3D braking its as fast as it gets.

Check your spool and side plate bearings. You might have grease or high viscocity oil slowing you down.

Hmmm....that's a bit strange, in my hands, LC mode and mag turned down to say, 5-7 range and with higher tension knob setting, a 1/2 oz + lipless is scary fast on the cast, whether mono/copoly/fluoro/braid.

Hmmm. I feel a bit stupid trying to convince you both. But I can assure you that my bearings are clean as can be, and only lightly oiled with Hedgehog light (or maybe medium) oil. I only wish the spool behaved as you describe. It casts smooth, not bad, and on the lowest settings you can backlash for sure. But on the "long cast" setting I expect a little more untamed spool

Could the difference be in the lure/spool weight ratio, with lighter lures like 1/2oz not engaging the brake as much

I also have an FX68 which I think behaves similar with not a lot of difference between the 3D-modes. But it has a much lighter and more shallow spool, so the behaviour is more as one could expect; Stress free, easy casting.

No need for you to convince, nor should you feel stupid...details of the rod, reel, line, and lure being cast would help to illuminate both sides' input and assessments.

I can say that with a 3/4-1 oz Excalibur lipless and the 7'11" Orochi XX Cyber Shootist and 15lb PLine CXX, which is by far not a supple long cast line, I was launching further than I cared to reel back, and longer than the Exsence DC Gen 1 with 40 lb braid.

Edited for spelling and grammar...

[ninjaman]

No need for you to convince, nor should you feel stupid...details of the rod, reel, line, and lure being cast would help to illuminate both sides' input and assessments.

I can say that with a 3/4-1 oz Excalibur lipless and the 7'11" Orochi XX Cyber Shootist and 15lb PLine CXX, which is by far not a supple long cast line, I was launching further than I cared to reel back, and longer than the Exsence DC Gen 1 with 40 lb braid.

Edited for spelling and grammar...

Interesting that you find it to be such an excellent long distance caster...
I guess I at least will have to change the bearings...

I usually pair it a Major Craft Volkey 70X 3/8-3oz and it is filled with some ridiculously expensive YGK 40 or 50 lbs braid that I can't remember the name of casting baits usually about 2oz.

I keep my reels and bearings clean, it casts nice and smooth in a very controlled way. Mechanically everything is in order; inductor moves easily, 3D-brake moves etc. I will se if I have time to try it with som lighter lures this weekend to see if there is a difference and it makes the reel come alive. Because that has always been my main issue with it. It feels too controlled, in a boring way. If going lighter makes it more lively I might reconsider my previous relationship with it

[dragon1]

No need for you to convince, nor should you feel stupid...details of the rod, reel, line, and lure being cast would help to illuminate both sides' input and assessments.

I can say that with a 3/4-1 oz Excalibur lipless and the 7'11" Orochi XX Cyber Shootist and 15lb PLine CXX, which is by far not a supple long cast line, I was launching further than I cared to reel back, and longer than the Exsence DC Gen 1 with 40 lb braid.

Edited for spelling and grammar...

Interesting that you find it to be such an excellent long distance caster...
I guess I at least will have to change the bearings...

I usually pair it a Major Craft Volkey 70X 3/8-3oz and it is filled with some ridiculously expensive YGK 40 or 50 lbs braid that I can't remember the name of casting baits usually about 2oz.

I keep my reels and bearings clean, it casts nice and smooth in a very controlled way. Mechanically everything is in order; inductor moves easily, 3D-brake moves etc. I will se if I have time to try it with som lighter lures this weekend to see if there is a difference and it makes the reel come alive. Because that has always been my main issue with it. It feels too controlled, in a boring way. If going lighter makes it more lively I might reconsider my previous relationship with it

Thanks for the update...well, it doesn't sound like the line but rather the length of the rod and perhaps guide set up on the MC Volkey may have something to do with the tame casting characteristics of your Z. I'm not sure a 7'0" would provide the pendulum and launching leverage needed for good distances with a 2 oz bait. Have you tried a longer 7'6" Heavy mod-fast tapered rod with say a basic 3/4-1 oz lipless?

FWIW, there are many peeps, all the way back to 2010 when the Z2020 made it's debut, that have very similar experiences as mine in that the Z is among Daiwa's longest casting FW bass reels with proper line/rod/lure.

[LowRange]

Overpowered brakes? You might have an issue with your reel if you feel that its overbraking. The spool inside these reels is very fast, and with the 3D braking its as fast as it gets.

Check your spool and side plate bearings. You might have grease or high viscocity oil slowing you down.

Hmmm....that's a bit strange, in my hands, LC mode and mag turned down to say, 5-7 range and with higher tension knob setting, a 1/2 oz + lipless is scary fast on the cast, whether mono/copoly/fluoro/braid.

Hmmm. I feel a bit stupid trying to convince you both. But I can assure you that my bearings are clean as can be, and only lightly oiled with Hedgehog light (or maybe medium) oil. I only wish the spool behaved as you describe. It casts smooth, not bad, and on the lowest settings you can backlash for sure. But on the "long cast" setting I expect a little more untamed spool

Could the difference be in the lure/spool weight ratio, with lighter lures like 1/2oz not engaging the brake as much

I also have an FX68 which I think behaves similar with not a lot of difference between the 3D-modes. But it has a much lighter and more shallow spool, so the behaviour is more as one could expect; Stress free, easy casting.

Maybe the baits you are throwing are too light? I was throwing a 1.5 oz Jackall Gantarel Jr last night and tbe difference between the modes was night and day. All around for casting into and across the 10 mph wind and long cast with the wind for insane, spool emptying distance. When I turned to cast shallow around docks and the shore I switched to max brake to keep my bait off the docks and where I want it. When casting glides I run at max brake into the wind or all around with the wind since the baits tumble and slow rapidly. If I am throwing a weight transfer big crank then I am on long cast almost exclusively. My reel is the USDM Z200. The spool is heaver than the Z2020 with a thinner but longer inductor. I love it.

[ninjaman]

Thanks for the update...well, it doesn't sound like the line but rather the length of the rod and perhaps guide set up on the MC Volkey may have something to do with the tame casting characteristics of your Z. I'm not sure a 7'0" would provide the pendulum and launching leverage needed for good distances with a 2 oz bait. Have you tried a longer 7'6" Heavy mod-fast tapered rod with say a basic 3/4-1 oz lipless?

FWIW, there are many peeps, all the way back to 2010 when the Z2020 made it's debut, that have very similar experiences as mine in that the Z is among Daiwa's longest casting FW bass reels with proper line/rod/lure.

Maybe the baits you are throwing are too light? I was throwing a 1.5 oz Jackall Gantarel Jr last night and tbe difference between the modes was night and day. All around for casting into and across the 10 mph wind and long cast with the wind for insane, spool emptying distance. When I turned to cast shallow around docks and the shore I switched to max brake to keep my bait off the docks and where I want it. When casting glides I run at max brake into the wind or all around with the wind since the baits tumble and slow rapidly. If I am throwing a weight transfer big crank then I am on long cast almost exclusively. My reel is the USDM Z200. The spool is heaver than the Z2020 with a thinner but longer inductor. I love it.

I appreciate your input! I will take the reel to the water tomorrow and see what happens with fresh, cleaned and oiled bearings. Could it be a difference in preferences and that my standard/benchmark is ambassadeur reels? We’ll see.
I’ll try with some different rods and aerodynamic baits from 1/2 to 2 1/2oz and hope you are right

[LowRange]

Thanks for the update...well, it doesn't sound like the line but rather the length of the rod and perhaps guide set up on the MC Volkey may have something to do with the tame casting characteristics of your Z. I'm not sure a 7'0" would provide the pendulum and launching leverage needed for good distances with a 2 oz bait. Have you tried a longer 7'6" Heavy mod-fast tapered rod with say a basic 3/4-1 oz lipless?

FWIW, there are many peeps, all the way back to 2010 when the Z2020 made it's debut, that have very similar experiences as mine in that the Z is among Daiwa's longest casting FW bass reels with proper line/rod/lure.

Maybe the baits you are throwing are too light? I was throwing a 1.5 oz Jackall Gantarel Jr last night and tbe difference between the modes was night and day. All around for casting into and across the 10 mph wind and long cast with the wind for insane, spool emptying distance. When I turned to cast shallow around docks and the shore I switched to max brake to keep my bait off the docks and where I want it. When casting glides I run at max brake into the wind or all around with the wind since the baits tumble and slow rapidly. If I am throwing a weight transfer big crank then I am on long cast almost exclusively. My reel is the USDM Z200. The spool is heaver than the Z2020 with a thinner but longer inductor. I love it.

I appreciate your input! I will take the reel to the water tomorrow and see what happens with fresh, cleaned and oiled bearings. Could it be a difference in preferences and that my standard/benchmark is ambassadeur reels? We’ll see.
I’ll try with some different rods and aerodynamic baits from 1/2 to 2 1/2oz and hope you are right

Also if this is your 1st Daiwa you cont need to use the spool tension knob. Just set it to eliminate side to side play of the spool and let the brakes do the work. If you are running a lot of spool tension then that can affect the braking behavior. It's the opposite of the old Ambassadeur reels. You actually want Daiwas to have a very fast drop when the thumb bar is pressed.

[ninjaman]

Thanks for the update...well, it doesn't sound like the line but rather the length of the rod and perhaps guide set up on the MC Volkey may have something to do with the tame casting characteristics of your Z. I'm not sure a 7'0" would provide the pendulum and launching leverage needed for good distances with a 2 oz bait. Have you tried a longer 7'6" Heavy mod-fast tapered rod with say a basic 3/4-1 oz lipless?

FWIW, there are many peeps, all the way back to 2010 when the Z2020 made it's debut, that have very similar experiences as mine in that the Z is among Daiwa's longest casting FW bass reels with proper line/rod/lure.

Maybe the baits you are throwing are too light? I was throwing a 1.5 oz Jackall Gantarel Jr last night and tbe difference between the modes was night and day. All around for casting into and across the 10 mph wind and long cast with the wind for insane, spool emptying distance. When I turned to cast shallow around docks and the shore I switched to max brake to keep my bait off the docks and where I want it. When casting glides I run at max brake into the wind or all around with the wind since the baits tumble and slow rapidly. If I am throwing a weight transfer big crank then I am on long cast almost exclusively. My reel is the USDM Z200. The spool is heaver than the Z2020 with a thinner but longer inductor. I love it.

I appreciate your input! I will take the reel to the water tomorrow and see what happens with fresh, cleaned and oiled bearings. Could it be a difference in preferences and that my standard/benchmark is ambassadeur reels? We’ll see.
I’ll try with some different rods and aerodynamic baits from 1/2 to 2 1/2oz and hope you are right

Also if this is your 1st Daiwa you cont need to use the spool tension knob. Just set it to eliminate side to side play of the spool and let the brakes do the work. If you are running a lot of spool tension then that can affect the braking behavior. It's the opposite of the old Ambassadeur reels. You actually want Daiwas to have a very fast drop when the thumb bar is pressed.

Thanks, but I treat them all the same. Spool tension only to minimize lateral movement on the spool axis and let the centrifugal/magnetic/combo-brake take care of the rest under a well trained thumb

I took the z2020hl to the water along with some different rods. My conclusion is the following:
The z throws great, long casts. The problem is that I compare it to a tuned ambassadeur 5501 which I use for the same kind of fishing/baits. However the comparison is unfair, as the ambassadeur is better suited for long casts with heavier baits.
The comparison is roughly like a 100 size Daiwa to the 200 size Z. Bigger spool yields longer casts. So I guess it casts good for its size but I still think its main benefit is the power compared to size. If I remember correctly the main gear and pinion are the same as on Ryoga 2020.
Summer is coming to Sweden!

C3DDC6C9-6770-4091-BB60-4C6B62393576.jpeg (93.47 KiB) Viewed 1951 times

[dragon1]

Thanks for the update...well, it doesn't sound like the line but rather the length of the rod and perhaps guide set up on the MC Volkey may have something to do with the tame casting characteristics of your Z. I'm not sure a 7'0" would provide the pendulum and launching leverage needed for good distances with a 2 oz bait. Have you tried a longer 7'6" Heavy mod-fast tapered rod with say a basic 3/4-1 oz lipless?

FWIW, there are many peeps, all the way back to 2010 when the Z2020 made it's debut, that have very similar experiences as mine in that the Z is among Daiwa's longest casting FW bass reels with proper line/rod/lure.

Maybe the baits you are throwing are too light? I was throwing a 1.5 oz Jackall Gantarel Jr last night and tbe difference between the modes was night and day. All around for casting into and across the 10 mph wind and long cast with the wind for insane, spool emptying distance. When I turned to cast shallow around docks and the shore I switched to max brake to keep my bait off the docks and where I want it. When casting glides I run at max brake into the wind or all around with the wind since the baits tumble and slow rapidly. If I am throwing a weight transfer big crank then I am on long cast almost exclusively. My reel is the USDM Z200. The spool is heaver than the Z2020 with a thinner but longer inductor. I love it.

I appreciate your input! I will take the reel to the water tomorrow and see what happens with fresh, cleaned and oiled bearings. Could it be a difference in preferences and that my standard/benchmark is ambassadeur reels? We’ll see.
I’ll try with some different rods and aerodynamic baits from 1/2 to 2 1/2oz and hope you are right

Also if this is your 1st Daiwa you cont need to use the spool tension knob. Just set it to eliminate side to side play of the spool and let the brakes do the work. If you are running a lot of spool tension then that can affect the braking behavior. It's the opposite of the old Ambassadeur reels. You actually want Daiwas to have a very fast drop when the thumb bar is pressed.

Thanks, but I treat them all the same. Spool tension only to minimize lateral movement on the spool axis and let the centrifugal/magnetic/combo-brake take care of the rest under a well trained thumb

I took the z2020hl to the water along with some different rods. My conclusion is the following:
The z throws great, long casts. The problem is that I compare it to a tuned ambassadeur 5501 which I use for the same kind of fishing/baits. However the comparison is unfair, as the ambassadeur is better suited for long casts with heavier baits.
The comparison is roughly like a 100 size Daiwa to the 200 size Z. Bigger spool yields longer casts. So I guess it casts good for its size but I still think its main benefit is the power compared to size. If I remember correctly the main gear and pinion are the same as on Ryoga 2020.
Summer is coming to Sweden!
C3DDC6C9-6770-4091-BB60-4C6B62393576.jpeg

Yeppers...if you search TT long and hard enough, you will find some older posts where I note that nothing will beat out overall distance of an Abu Blue Yonder competition casting reel, especially in the 1oz + range with a long rod...the length of line released per turn on a larger diameter spool with sustained momentum, will always outdo a smaller spool with less line and of course, decreasing length of line released per turn as the line decreases in capacity on the spool during the cast.

BTW, nice Z!

[jvelth74]

Fantstic reel for heavy seatrout fishing. Love that retrieve speed and high quality gears, and clicking drag. I used RCS shallow spool anyway.

[dragon1]

Fantstic reel for heavy seatrout fishing. Love that retrieve speed and high quality gears, and clicking drag. I used RCS shallow spool anyway.

I can definitely see that, the Z for salmon and big steelhead.

[PKN8]

Agree with what everyone has said. I use mine for big baits (Klash 9 and DRT Ghost) and has done the job very well. It does weight quite a bit but it's not a finesse reel by any means. Big baits mean big gear.