AndZ

Got that, thanks! The BB809-1IM is more parabolic, more powerful and overall I like it better for Deps 250. Will use it this spring with Gan Craft 303 and other 12" baits and report back. Word is it can handle up to 11 oz. no problemo.

I thought that so, but I can flush the bearings and lube them with Shimano, Rocket Fuel or other oil. Yes, the reel is rough and I can feel the gears meshing with the drag tightened all the way up. Makes my Lexa 300 feel really smooth )) The coating on the seals peels off rather quickly - I touched the spool/body seal with a pen (it looked like it wasn't seated properly, but it was) and just by touching a small portion, the water repellent spray was removed. Just a warning if you're using the Tranx in saltwater. Mine will see only fresh and big baits... I suppose at the moment of yearly maintenance, the seals should be replaced with new ones from Shimano. First impressions: very solid, very compact, wide paddle knobs, feels torqueful. The weight is not noticeable, especially when I put it on my customn NFC BB809-1 IM rod for baits up to 10 - 11 oz.

The reel arrived today after a long wait. The sender filled in the incorrect/incomplete name and address. The reel feels quite decent in size, it's really nice. Although the spool spins rather on the very slow/short side. Maximum 2 seconds... maybe the spool bearings are greased? I think it will be a great reel for the 10" to 12" baits and maybe more.

Mine's in the mail. Hope it gets here next week. When I cast my Lexa 300, the line capacity drops rather quickly with .43 mm diameter line and Magforce set at 3 maximum. This is why I wanted a larger and wider spool, too. Not to mention the line retrieve consistency you guys mentioned since the beginning of the thread.

Happy New Year! I ordered a Tranx 401 right after Christmas and I'll see how handles the JC 303 and other over 10 inch baits.

I'll get the floating version and use Suspen Strips or something similar on it. Thanks!

I fished the sinker more. The floaters will go quite deep, too. The fish there have a habit of feeding near the bottom, there are no weeds or other structures except for the breakoffs. I usually catch fish on soft swimbaits dragged down there.

I own 2 Gan Craft Jointed Claw 230 baits, they are super lures, I caught fish on them on the first fishing trip. One is floating, one is sinking. I can only pick another one for Christmas, found a good color, but don't know which one to get: the sinking or the floating version. Which would you consider more versatile? The lakes I'm fishing are between 3 to 13 ft. deep. In the winter, a floater that nearly suspends is more valuable for the slow moving fish. For the rest of the year, the bottom moving baits get bit more often. Get the floating version and add lead tape when I need to get down fast? I would prefer to get them both but my budget is limited.

I'll be using 25 and 30 lbs. Japanese lines on it. These lines are thinner than most, but I still prefer a larger spool. So, 401 it is. But could get another 301 next year, if I like the bigger size.

I'll go with the 400 size. I'm going to use 25 lbs. line, I've used some 30 lbs. line in the past on my Lexa 300 (it was Sunline MachineGun Cast of a very thin diameter 0.43 mm for 30 lbs.). The Tranx 300 looks definitely narrower that the 400. I want a low pro reel for my newly received Gan Craft Shaku-One, the Balam 300 and others to come. Thanks guys for your thoughts!

The 301 will fit my hand better since it will be smaller and narrower. I'm OK with my Lexa 300, I don't find it too big. I'll see. I have yet to make a decision.

Thanks, that's a valid point. I was leaning towards the 401 size. There's only 3/8 oz. difference in weight between them. I like the fact that the 400 has a wider spool, even though it will create more sharp angles with the line guide being in the opposite corner. Although with the baits I'm throwing, there won't be any loss in distance.

The weight differences are really small between the 2 models. I need one of the other for fishing with large swimbaits, Deps SS250 being the smaller - will go for Gan Craft JC Shaku-One, Mother etc. The Tranx 400 has wider body and spool than the 300, I think this is how they gained extra line capacity on the spool. I'm currently using 25 lbs. line on my Lexa 300 (.43 mm diameter, Sunline Queen Star, cheap and dependable) and the next step in diameter, the .47 mm (30 lbs.) looks way too thick for my taste. So, I don't think I would go heavier than 25 lbs., even use 20 lbs, on occasions. The wider spool would get more heavier line... but somehow I think the 300 narrow spool would cast better with the disengaging line guide. What would do: get the 300 or go for the 400? Right now I'm not swimming in money because of a recent car crash I went through.

Distance casting and backlash prevention how would you rate the Tranx 301 against the Lexa 300? I use the Lexa with the Magforce set as low as 3 to cast everything in the box from Phatlab 2 oz. baits to SS 250s. And the Daiwa Z Black for smaller soft swimbaits (6 to 8"). But I never used a reel with centrifugal brakes (SVS) for big baits so far. Would like to get a Tranx 301 for baits in the 10" - 12" range.

I will have to use some lead tape on some of my floating baits as well, suspending them gets great results in late fall and near freezing temps. I caught fish on both Jointed Claw 148 and 178 so far, so they're effective little baits. For now, I just bought a Balam 300 and a Imakatsu Bigroid 210 from Japan. Oh, and a Z2020 Black Limited )) The Jointed Claw 303 Shaku-One will be next.

I just got into this bait, seen it on youtube. The tail looks fragile - in the YT movies they lost some tails while battling fish. A version with a tougher tail would be nice. Still, I will get at least one.

Actually I've seen the Balam 300 on youtube yesterday and I'm all over that action (although that tail seems quite fragile). Why don't they manufacturers make some models more damage resistant, I don't know. I have the DRT Klash, the Deps 250, the JC 148 and 178 and they're tough. So my big baits wishlist is expanding: JC 230 JC Shaku-One Balam 300 and perhaps, sometimes in the future, Mother

Thanks for the opinions, GC 230 it will be. I like the idea of the Shaku-One but don't have the funds right now. I had similar issues with the tails melting (without any contact with other soft plastics) on my Jackall Magallon jerkbaits. And they are some small and pricey baits... now most of them are without the tails. This happens to polymer-made plastics such as ElaZtech when they come contact with certain plastics. But the Magallon tails melted without any other contact... they're a pain in the box.

I haven't been around here for a long time, my job and the website are getting most of my time... but, I love my swimbaiting <*()))))))))))))< I am looking to add a new hard swimbait to my tackle box and I narrowed down to these 2: GC Jointed Claw 230 or MB I-Slide 262t. I could find them somewhat close in pricing. I own like 4 SS250 that are nothing short of amazing in the water. Which one do you like best? I hear the I-Slide needs some rod action to make it slide. I didn't find much on the Gancraft 230 though. Thank you for your thoughts.

I'm considering a mother too this year... so far I have used some Sunline Queen Star in 30 and 35 lbs. with Slideswimmers 250, megabass magdraft 10" and Savage Gear 3D line thru 10''. That line is really soft and manageable in that diameters... and I also got the Sunline Machinegun Cast - in 30 lbs. (.43 mm diameter). That is a low stretch nylon I used in the past for jigs, before fluorocarbon became mainstream... from what I understand the Machinegun Cast is not being produced anymore. Sanyo Applaud GTR Ultra is considered one of the best nylon lines out there, with an incredible abrasion resistance... but with a hefty price tag, too. I had a spool in the past, used it for reaction baits, good line, although it had a solid color.

Nice tactics, I see you really know how to catch the big ones, great videos btw! Now I can cast the Deps 250 30 meters but I have to put some bend in the rod... I'll keep practicing.

Yep, Deps 250 in keta bass color and with hooks on top - I bought it tuned that way from a friend in Japan. Also, videos (last 3 movies) are on my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/andrei.zabet

I also attached 2 freeze frames from my videos filmed on Saturday. These were from 30 meters casts. I think the bend in the rod is clearly showing...

Best piece of advice I've got for my problem. Last Saturday I was able to consistently cast the Deps 250 30 meters from the boat. I just needed to get used with the rod and the weight of the lure... I made some movies and posted them on my facebook page. They're listed as "public". Looks like the NFC blank wasn't under powered, the problem was me. My bad! Now everything is fine, can't wait to cast those 250 more.

I've seen that on your videos. The rod is also a tremendous help.