Twitching Bar

[jmartin]

Just curious, has anyone used the new Diawa reel with the twitching bar?
What do you think of it. BTW I have one and love it.

[Fishbear]

I have used reels with twitching bars in the past, borrowed from buddies. I love them, for a plastics reel or a jig reel. makes it so much nicer to work something super slow.

[Fishnngolfn]

I figured a twitching bar is something that allows you to twitch your bait without moving it too much or even at all. Can you post a picture of your reel with the twitching bar? i have never seen one. How much are they?

[jmartin]

Here is a link to BPS to look at the reel
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/st...001000_100-1-1

[WTL]

A salesman almost sold one to my Dad when I was with him one day for 200 dollars. I eventually grabbed him, dragged him outside and talked a little sense to the old man.

Its not a bad idea, but paying so much money for essentially a device which does something you can do all by yourself (twitch) is a waste of cash. But if you can get a reel that you want, and it happens to have one, I bet it will every now and then come in handy - its just when they first came out they were advertised as the essential advance in technology and that part aint true. Since that day, I saw a few Diawa reels that were reasonably priced with twitchin bars, so I guess maybe Diawa came to their senses too.

[Bob Smith]

I, personally, have no use for them. I find I can impart the same action with my mechanical abilities either through rod action or reel movement. The same thing goes for reels with "flipping" switches? DOH! loosen the cast drag and disengage the reel and use your thumb! Fewer gadgets = fewer things that can go wrong or break.

[BigBassin144]

I have the Viento and love it! I use the twitching bar all the time to pick up slack quickly or even move the bait slightly. Now I didn't get the Viento Just for the twitching bar, I love Daiwa reels, and it is the best reel I own (twitchin' bar or not).

WTL, does your dad know about the Daiwa Megaforce? Same thing as the Viento, but 7.1:1 gear and only $60 (I think).

BB

[jmartin]

I went with the Megaforce because I had just spent 600.00 on 3 Kipperstick custom rods and was already pushing my luck with the wife HAHA.

[zooker]

Originally Posted by WTL

Its not a bad idea, but paying so much money for essentially a device which does something you can do all by yourself (twitch) is a waste of cash. But if you can get a reel that you want, and it happens to have one, I bet it will every now and then come in handy - its just when they first came out they were advertised as the essential advance in technology and that part aint true. Since that day, I saw a few Diawa reels that were reasonably priced with twitchin bars, so I guess maybe Diawa came to their senses too.

he is right and i agree..

besides i don't twitch i BANG the bait..

zooker

[Jim80]

Originally Posted by zooker

he is right and i agree..

i BANG the bait..

zooker

That sounds like a fetish to me zook

[rangerryan]

Originally Posted by Bob Smith

I, personally, have no use for them. I find I can impart the same action with my mechanical abilities either through rod action or reel movement. The same thing goes for reels with "flipping" switches? DOH! loosen the cast drag and disengage the reel and use your thumb! Fewer gadgets = fewer things that can go wrong or break.

hey, if youve ever pitched a tube jig in a weed bed and had a 5lb bass take off running away from you before you could get the reel engaged then you would think that a flippin switch was pretty neat. but the twitchin bars are a little rediculous.

[Fishbear]

Originally Posted by Jim80

That sounds like a fetish to me zook

Now that's funny right there!!!!!

[tnfisherman]

i have one and love it

[rrw4258]

Originally Posted by Jim80

That sounds like a fetish to me zook

My thoughts exactly...

[Lancer6]

I was gifted with a new Viento about three or four years ago. I like the twitch bar feature.
On windy days, when it's advantageous to keep one's rod tip near the water to avoid line bowing (See: Dragging the lure off-target; into trouble; loss of sensitivity, etc.), the twitch feature is most useful. In addition to that feature the reel casts very well, has an excellent drag, and weighs under nine ounces...all good. Also handy for taking up slack while using the other hand to grab another peanut butter/cheese cracker or sipping a Gatorade.
I use the Viento on a 6'6" St. Croix Avid AC66MHF and can easily cast a T-Rigged worm with a 1/8 ounce weight and bead or a light jig. I prefer to use rod movement to "work" such lures but the twitch often proves very useful. By varying the force and rapidity with which you "Twitch", you can create a wide range of retrieve speeds and styles. Tjhere is NO downside to this reel.
(Line: #30 braid w. #15 OR #20 P-Line CFX pure fluoro leader.)
The twitch bar is just another "extra" on an already excellent reel. For 200 bux you get your money's worth plus a cool and useful additional feature.


Lancer6

[Lilmoosecountry]

After reading some Bps reviews on the Twitch Bar. I would'nt waste my time. There all saying the same about it's performance.

[Lancer6]

Originally Posted by Lilmoosecountry

After reading some Bps reviews on the Twitch Bar. I would'nt waste my time. There all saying the same about it's performance.

Well, here ARE the reviews...in detail, from BPS regarding the Viento. I invite all here to read a page or two.
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/st...00-1-0#reviews
I'd call 4.5 stars out of a possible 5 pretty good.
You might wanna see a good optometrist OR make certain which product whose reviews you are quoting to your peers.
Could it be that you read the reviews for the Viento's far cheaper cousin? This one:
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/st...00-1-1#reviews

L6

[WTL]

Not concerned with talking about the quality of the viento, but I have noticed that there are tons of 5/5 ratings on bps. I think things get inflated on there.

[Lancer6]

Originally Posted by WTL

Not concerned with talking about the quality of the viento, but I have noticed that there are tons of 5/5 ratings on bps. I think things get inflated on there.

If yew wanna see a most-definitely NON-inflated rating, read the BPS reviews on STREN Microfuse line.
I'll allow that some ratings might be inflated, but I can't see why so many folks would overrate a reel. After all, I doubt most users of any given product own stock in the company.
It boils down to this; The original Viento is a high-quality reel with excellent performance in all the usual categories. The twitch bar, if one is willing to study and apply it's capabilities, is a very functional feature. Also, initial consumer concerns re the durability of the bar have proven unjustified in that breakage has not been an issue.
Lastly...Hey, if a person doesn't want one, he need not buy one. I wasn't in search of a Viento...mine was a gift from a lady...and I was skeptical too. She had done her homework, unlike many who try to gift-shop for the hobbies of others, and once I learned to use the twitch bar I realized that it has a place in my arsenal. Frankly, I'm delighted with it.

L6
Roll, Tide...and, of course....BOOOOOOOMERRRRRRRR!

[Bmuskin]

I have the Megaforce with the twitching bar. I use this reel 85% of the time. Honestly I like the reel and field & stream rated it as a best buy for the money. I like the feel and fit and it has held up great so far for $60.00. It does a good lob of casting and is super easy to tune.
The twitching bar works but honestly I forget about it most of the time and rarely if ever use it. I am so used to jiggling the rod and working baits with my spinning outfits it just comes natural to work baits this way.
Buy the reel if you like it and how it feels and fits but the Titching bar is kind of gimmicky. It may work if I gave it the chance though.

[Jim80]

I have been looking and reading up a good deal on reels lately and the Viento and the abu revo winch are on the top of my birthday wishlist for the end of next month personally i have not used a reel with a twiching bar and due to my finances have been limited to a lower grade baitcaster so I am hoping that one of the two reels ends up a present . Currently Ihave been leaning more towards the revo winch because i have become used to working weightless plastics with a spinning reel so from my stand point would you suggest a reel with a twiching bar ? Or suggest sticking to what I know .

[BigBassin144]

I have fished with both of the reels you mentioned Jim, and they are both great reels. I use the twitchin' bar, but not as much as I could. I guess it's like some of you had said, it just slips my mind. But anyways Jim, I think you'd be happy with either of them. They both cast great, and perform just as well.

BB

[Bmuskin]

This is the megaforce I have It is spooled with 30 pound power pro. I do like it for the money

[Lilmoosecountry]

I generally don't like reading opinions. But after reading about the megaforce MF100. I started to see the same problem that various fishermen were having. Many seam to have this problem only after a couple of cast. Why would Diawa sell a reel that falls apart in 2 or 3 cast of taking out of the box. No matter how Cheap somthing is that'z it should last longer than a couple of cast. Here is the reel i was Quoting. http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/st...00-1-1#reviews My opinon is if your on a budget get a 33. It'll last loger than this thing.

[Lancer6]

Originally Posted by Jim80

Currently Ihave been leaning more towards the revo winch because i have become used to working weightless plastics with a spinning reel so from my stand point would you suggest a reel with a twiching bar ? Or suggest sticking to what I know .

Jamie Lad,

The "Winch" is intended for ease of cranking large-billed baits, such as DD22s, but WILL serve well enough for some other applications, since it is not so "slow" as many of the other large-crankbait reels that have ratios such a 4.7:1 or even slower.
History lesson: The old red Ambassadeurs had gear ratios at or lower than 4:1 and the "Hi-Speed" Ambys, like the 5500, had a blazing 4.7:1, I believe. As well, there were aftermarket conversion gears for them that afforded the angler a screaming 5:1.
With the Winch's 5.4:1 you'll be able to comfortably retrieve spinnerbaits most of the time; fish jigs, T-rigs, and Carolina rigs with relative ease, and it will serve well for "Stop 'n Go" topwaters (Pop 'Rs and the like) and even "Walkers" like the Spook or Sammy. The reel will be fine for topwater frogs...SPRO...SnagProof, etc.
The Winch is not overly well-suited to buZZZZZZbaits, toads (Ribbit, Horny, etc,) when compared to faster reels, nor will it make burning a "Trap" over the weeds too easy. All these CAN be done but you'll have to work at it.
If confronted with schoolies that pop up, disappear, then pop up elsewhere you won't be able to reel in an off-target cast and fire on the new azimuth so quickly as will your partner with the 7:1 but you will be OK most of the time.
If you don't have a reel with such a gear ratio in your arsenal and you do like to fish medium to large cranks then the Winch will be an excellent choice.
Re your weightless worms w/spin gear; Nothing wrong with that. There is one aggravating characteristic with ALL spin (and even spincast) reels, however; When you are using a "Stop 'n Go" retrieves, especially one that involves some jerking, you run a greater risk of line issues. By this I mean attempting a cast only to have a snarl of line come off the spool and lodge somewhere up the rod. Clearing this can take forever, cause potentially fatal kinks in the line (fluoro users, beware!), and make a strong man weep.
Using braid on a spin reel pretty much eliminates the risk of the catastrophe mentioned above and a PURE fluoro leader offsets any concerns re line visibility. Too, the PURE fluoro sinks readily and that addresses the braid's tendency to float. Win-Win!
I recommend #20 braid with a 12-15 lb test PURE fluoro leader of material purpose-formulated for leaders. P-Line CFX is my choice, and learn to tie the ^$%$#! J-Knot.
I hope your Birthday "Stocking" contains the reel you're hoping for!

Lancer6