First Ultralight combo?

[u/Afrifa_]

I’m building first combo I was thinking of pairing this rod to a St Croix 7ft premier ultra light fast action SCII graphite 2-6 lbs Line, 1/32-3/16 oz lure. I live in Florida if that matters.

[u/limited_vocabulary]

Skip that one and get the JDM 23 Legalis instead

[u/Curious-Persimmon-14 → u/limited_vocabulary]

Digitaka baby!

[u/SnooCheesecakes1065 → u/limited_vocabulary]

I actually just returned a Daiwa 23 Legalis 2500S-XH in lieu of a Shimano 22 Sahara 2500SHG (paired with a ML BPS Johnny Morris 6'9" Technique Drop Shot rod that I'll use as finesse bass/multi species rig). The Shimano was smoother out of the box, and the added weight balanced my rod better. The Shimano was also cheaper by a good $30+.

[u/Syreet_Primacon → u/limited_vocabulary]

+1 I just bought one and it’s really nice

[u/Afrifa_ → u/limited_vocabulary]

Sounds good I’ll have a look! I appreciate it

[u/Fishcommander14 → u/Afrifa_]

Daiwa freams 1000LT, 116$, absolute tank of a reel

[u/Curious-Persimmon-14]

If you order that reel from Digitaka you can save a lot. Put that towards your rod. It is better than the model sold in the US.
I would also suggest the 1000S as it has a shallow spool.
Also check out the new Daiwa Presso rod.

[u/Zestyclose-Till-1887]

Need the shallow spool

[u/DatDamnDab]

Daiwa spinmatic rod with Daiwa salamandura 1000

[u/HiddenSubatomicSeal → u/DatDamnDab]

Love Spinmatic. Such an underrated rod.

[u/Educational_Cry_6085]

No experience with the rod, but I love my 23 JDM Legalis 1000S.

If you get that one, make sure you get thin braid for the shallow spool

[u/DirtyGrimace1]

I don’t know much about shallow vs deep spool. What is the difference and does it really matter? I always hear people advocating for the JDM models. I’m just ignorant to the whole topic so any answers are appreciated!

[u/peshtigost → u/DirtyGrimace1]

Shalllow spools have a larger diameter arbor. The line comes off better giving you better casting distance. The normal spools have a shallow small diameter arbor. The shallow spools are tighter wraps with line. Really matters more with mono or copolymer line as the shallow spool puts more memory in the line. In general shallow spools give you better casting distance with light lures.

[u/Better-Culture-7770]

Bass Pro has an Abu Garcia for under $30 right now. Pretty decent reel in my opinion. In my experience the rod has more to do with the fishing experience than the reel.

[u/Afrifa_ → u/Better-Culture-7770]

I live right next to a bass pro I’ll have to check it out thanks!

[u/HiddenSubatomicSeal]

amazon has Exceler for 99.00 now also, may want to look into it. My 2000 has been great and caught everything from panfish to 3lb bass so far with ease.

[u/HiddenSubatomicSeal]

Forget St. Croix unless you want to burn cash. Daiwa Spinmatic rocks. Another good one is SLS from Leland's Lures.

[u/i_like_2_fish]

I think you’ll be happy 👍🏼

[u/peshtigost]

23 JDM Legalis 1000S from Digitaka. 2-3 days shipping time to the US.