Twitchin' Reels...

[FloridaFishinFool]

I am not sure if this subject has been covered or not, so I thought I would start a thread on twitchin' reels.

I recently acquired for free an old Daiwa twitchin' bar reel I had to completely rebuild. The previous owner used it until it stopped twitchin' and then kept on using it grinding some of the gears to the point of no teeth and no operation out of them. I found that to make this reel like new again cost me about $30 in parts- more than other non-twitchin' reels usually need. I think I replaced 5 or more parts in the reel. But now I have my first twitchin' reel that I now have on a dedicated rod for use here in central Florida.

I have some ideas on how I want to use this reel, but really I have no experience with a reel like this one and I was wondering who among the members here use a twitchin' bar reel, and what are your experiences with them, the best uses, most effective techniques, etc. for this type of reel?

It will be really interesting to me to see if I even like the darn thing and will continue to use it over the long term or if it will get tossed aside as a gimmick reel???

Here is a link to an ebay auction for the same reel I now have...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/351944658433?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[FloridaFishinFool]

Hmmmm... nothing but crickets on this one. I am kind of surprised there have been no comments about twitchin bar reels.

Does this mean that none of the members here even use twitchin' bar reels? Am I to assume these are just gimmick reels and not to be taken seriously???

I was really hoping there would be some twitchin' reel users here who could post some advice on their use and usefulness if they are useful at all. So I went off site to see what others had to say. I started with Daiwa website the maker of this reel...

http://www.daiwa.com/us/contents/reels/megaforce/index.html



"A simple touch of the thumb lets you pick up slack line instantly or impart a subtle twitchin' action to a jig or plastic worm, deadly when fish are finicky.

Clutch and Twitchin' mechanisms are beefed up to handle the Hyper Speed 7.3 to one retrieve."



The Daiwa website does not have much to say about their own reel. So moving on now to users...

Ah ha! Doing a google search it pulled up another 7 year old thread right here on ultimate bass forum where this very same reel was being discussed. So now I have the benefit of that thread along with all the offsite comments to really get a good idea and feel for what to expect from this reel- and some idea on how to use it and what to use it for.

daiwa megaforce w/ twitchin bar comments
« on: March 22, 2010
http://www.ultimatebass.com/bass-fishing-forum/index.php?topic=75046.0

Maybe Bassinlou will jump in here since the number one use for this twitchin bar setup I am finding out there is for a frogging reel- which was where I planned on assigning mine for starters this year.

Almost half of the comments I find across the web for this reel say it is either a gimmick or a feature that some reel owners are not using unless their second hand is occupied doing something else like drinking a beer or smoking a cigarette. Then they reach for the twitchin' bar.

One of the better comments paralleled my own thinking on this twitchin' bar before I ever even try it:

"its not a gimmick because it doesn't work, it does. But because you can do the same thing with a normal reel, in fact not learning how to do the motion can actually hinder your advancement and make you dependant on the unnecessary feature only offered on a very few select reels by diawa (thereby limiting your next purchase). Learn how to do it with a normal reel and you will be able to fine tune the twitches to any degree, with any rod/reel and be better suited in the long run for both fishing and getting your next reel. There is NOTHING you can do with the twitching bar that can't be easily done with a reel without a twitchin bar."

I must say I found this line in the above comment to be very compelling indeed as a good reason to avoid twitchin' bar reels:

"because you can do the same thing with a normal reel, in fact not learning how to do the motion can actually hinder your advancement and make you dependant on the unnecessary feature only offered on a very few select reels by diawa (thereby limiting your next purchase)."

And I do not want to become dependent upon an unnecessary feature that is for sure! I have fished for bass since the late 1960's and I never saw the need nor have I ever used a twitchin bar feature. But I got one for free- just needed to repair the twitchin' bar feature- and now I have a fully functional reel ready to use...

[FloridaFishinFool]

What I found inside concerning the failure of the twitchin' bar revolved around the fact that they employ a second AR bearing on the twitchin' bar shaft- (#34 - G97-4901 AR Gear Assembly). It sits at the end of the bar just inside the reel housing and the problem with this is that water can follow and flow into that bearing from the twitchin' bar shaft.

The used broken reel I acquired had its small AR bearing so corroded and rusted up to the point that I did not even recognize it as an AR bearing when I removed it. It was only when I acquired the new part that I was able to see what it really is.

And when this small AR rusts to the point it freezes up then the reel is unusable because that small AR bearing is locked into the drive train through a series of small plastic gears #'s 26, 31, 34, and 37 shown on the schematic below.

So whoever owned the reel before I got it, they simply ground the reel back into working condition as a regular baitcasting reel stripping those small plastic gears in the process just so they could crank the reel. But in the process they destroyed the small plastic gears that operated the line guide as well since the gear flow starts at the drive shaft crank, goes directly to the gear on the worm shaft line guide assembly and then connects up to the twitchin' bar through another gear to the AR bearing inside the twitchin' bar gear. So when the AR bearing rusts and freezes up, the entire gear chain is brought to a halt. The reel will not operate unless the owner forces the handle to turn which will still crank in the line on the spool, but don't expect the line guide to move back and forth properly when those gears are ground off and stripped.

So I had to replace these parts:

DAIWA 100TSHL

26 - G93-2201 Drive gear (A)
31 - G93-2501 Idle gear
34 - G97-4901 AR Gear Assembly
47 - G93-9902 worm shaft assembly



Another issue which seems to be a "sticking" point for this reel is the twitchin bar design itself. You can see from the image above that the twitchin bar is a plastic part with a long plastic tube that slides over the metal shaft it operates on with plastic inserts on both ends operating like a bearing or bushing on each end of the shaft. Apparently, over time, the lubrication between these two parts either wears off and/or the shaft corrodes slightly and dirt and debris can get in there and this causes the twitchin bar to get stiff and hang up because the spring that resets it is not strong enough to overcome the increased friction.

So this really has to be maintained on a regular basis to keep it smooth and free for proper operation.

But as to the AR bearing, what I did with mine was to install the upgraded AR bearing Daiwa uses in their higher end twitchin bar reel. My reel came with a grey metal cast molded gear and the higher end reel Daiwa makes with a twitchin bar uses an all machined brass gear with AR bearing inserted into it. I bought that one for my reel and to help keep it from corroding I use corrosion X lubricant rather than just plain old oil to help keep out the water and prevent it from rusting.

But I now know that if I actually like using this reel and twitchin' bar that I will have to check that bearing on a regular basis and keep it clean and keep it lubricated with anti-corrosion lubrication so it can continue working smoothly over the long term.

If a twitchin' bar reel fails, it is usually for these two reasons mentioned above and/or a combination of both reasons happening at the same time.

When using a twitchin' bar reel, the user really has to keep it dry and clean. Fail to do that and this type of reel will fail much quicker than non-twitchin' bar reels.

Oh, one more thing... I have used corrosion X for more than 10 years now on all of my AR bearings in all of my reels, spinning and baitcast reels with zero problems and zero issues. Never had to replace an AR bearing after using corrosion X as the one and only main lubrication for them. And they are not rusting either. Corrosion X keeps AR bearings working flawlessly and keeps them from rusting. Regular oils have not produced as good of results as corrosion X does.

[cortman]

Well I have a question... what exactly does the "twitching" bar do?? Looks like Daiwa still produces one reel with it.

[LgMouthGambler]

Its a gimmick of a reel, and certainly not a "real" Daiwa. The bar is designed to be pushed, and it will turn the spool a certain amount to pull some line in. Pretty much the same as if you just turned the handle some. It just allows you to do it while holding the rod in the same hand. It keeps one free so you can drink beer and soak a worm at the same time. 

[FloridaFishinFool]

Nearly half the comments I found searching the web match yours LMG! But darn it, I now have one of these reels and I put $25 in parts in it and I am going to use it this year no matter what! But who knows, I might toss it real fast too and go back to all shimano NON-gimmick reels!

Well I have a question... what exactly does the "twitching" bar do??

Technically speaking the twitchin' bar does only one thing... a full depression of the twitchin' bar will turn the spool through the drag mechanism to reel in only 7 inches of line each time the twitchin' bar is fully depressed.

And this only holds true so long as the lure itself is free to move, and as long as the drag mechanism is not slipping.

If the user does not fully depress the twitchin' bar, one can bump it to reel in shorter amounts of line than the 7 inches. A quick bump might only bring in 1 or 2 inches of line.

Using the twitchin' bar operates the reel the same as turning the handle does. It drives the reel through the worm gear and main drive gear.

One benefit of having the twitchin' bar is that when you cast the reel, one hand can reset the reel into the retrieve mode just by hitting the twitchin' bar. Otherwise normal reel reset can be done through turning the handle.

[Lee Smith]

I've owned a couple through the years, both of them broke eventually.  I took the plastic gear out and the reels are still used today, just have that floppy thang hangin' on top 

[FloridaFishinFool]

I've owned a couple through the years, both of them broke eventually.  I took the plastic gear out and the reels are still used today, just have that floppy thang hangin' on top 

Lee you can remove that annoying thingy on top and probably be much happier once allowed to forget this gimmick on the reel!

Shame on Daiwa for making a floppy gimmick! Shimano has not made a gimmick reel like Daiwa has that I know of???

[Capt. BassinLou]

FFF, I haven't jumped in or commented about this reel system because honestly, its the first time I hear of it. If it wasn't for this thread, it would have still been off of my radar. 

[FloridaFishinFool]

FFF, I haven't jumped in or commented about this reel system because honestly, its the first time I hear of it. If it wasn't for this thread, it would have still been off of my radar. 

Well you see, since you are the froggin' master around here, I was hoping you might of tried one out since most comments I have found online across the web say that the number one use for this reel is twitchin' those topwater frogs. Coming in second would be bumping baits across the bottom like Daiwa shows in their website image for this reel's use.

If I don't like this reel and I decide to get rid of it I would be happy to send it your way!

[Capt. BassinLou]

Well you see, since you are the froggin' master around here, I was hoping you might of tried one out since most comments I have found online across the web say that the number one use for this reel is twitchin' those topwater frogs. Coming in second would be bumping baits across the bottom like Daiwa shows in their website image for this reel's use.

If I don't like this reel and I decide to get rid of it I would be happy to send it your way!

Lol... master?? Far from it..  . Thank you for the offer, from what I have read so far, doesn't sound like the reel and I will get along.  ... but I do appreciate the sentiment. 

[LgMouthGambler]

Lol... master?? Far from it..  . Thank you for the offer, from what I have read so far, doesn't sound like the reel and I will get along.  ... but I do appreciate the sentiment. 

That reel wouldnt last one minute down here. 

[West6550]

I seen them while looking at Daiwas a few weeks back. I only looked at Daiwas sight though.

Looks like all the info can be found on this thread now lol

Very ugly reel. I hope it works for you. Heck the banjo minnow catches fish.. I have seen it first hand lol

[Tavery5]

Diawa produced several versions of these reels in different levels of refinement.  A few that I am familar with are the Daiwa Viento and the Daiwa Smak, Red Tune Smak, Megabass also created a version of this reel called the Jaggler.  In my mind that would qualify it as a "Real" Daiwa reel.