Daiwa Zillion Cranker---The Perfect Cranking Reel? 2024
Scorpio reply :
I think I just found the perfect cranking reel, The Zillion Cranker. This reel has awesome power and casts better than anything I own. I haven't been able to bog the reel down, even in current. Daiwa Engineers hit a homerun on this one.
Micro reply :
I agree. Daiwa hit a home run with this one. I've owned the Curado 200DPV and the Revo Winch. The Zillion perfomed as well as the Curado with light baits, and much better with heavier baits. The Zillion performed much better than the Revo with light baits, and just as well with the heaviest baits.
Scorpio reply :
I have also owned the Winch and currently own a Chronarch 100bpv. The Zillion is just more exact. I think the power is due to the tight tolerances of the gearing. Although the BPV is good, it doesn't instill near the confidence when cranking deep baits, and doesn't cast as well.
Bigs reply :
I like my zillion cranker but I have to say the first big bass I caught on it which was about 8 pounds, didnt do so well. I was actually throwing senkos with 10 pound floro in 3 feet of water. 24 inch bass got on and ended up gettin off right in front of the boat as I was gettin ready to try and grab him. The reel just feels a lil weak with big fish but it does cast like a dream no doubt. I ended up losing the biggest fish of my life and I cant help but think the reel played some part of that. I think its that 8.8 pounds of drag which just sux imo. Beautiful well built reel tho but not as robust as some of its competition.
Dan: reply :
So did the drag slip or what? You didn't provide any explanation for blaming the reel. And why were you using a 4.9:1 ratio for shallow water soft plastics?
sal669 reply :
QuoteI like my zillion cranker but I have to say the first big bass I caught on it which was about 8 pounds, didnt do so well. I was actually throwing senkos with 10 pound floro in 3 feet of water. 24 inch bass got on and ended up gettin off right in front of the boat as I was gettin ready to try and grab him. The reel just feels a lil weak with big fish but it does cast like a dream no doubt. I ended up losing the biggest fish of my life and I cant help but think the reel played some part of that. I think its that 8.8 pounds of drag which just sux imo. Beautiful well built reel tho but not as robust as some of its competition.
I don't think the reel has anything to do with you loosing the fish ! :-/.
8.8lb of drag is all you need, unless you fish slop. And since the fish was by the boat, maybe having the drag tightened all the way down ( and not allowing the drag to work the way it's supposed to when you needed it) gave the chanse to the fish to rip the hook out of his mouth.
Bronzefly reply :
I'm not sure it's the "perfect" cranking reel, but it is very nice, no doubt. A few mods and upgrades make that reel even better. Despite its weight, the Calais 200APV is one amazing cranking reel as well.
sweet daddy reply :
I love the zillion, have a few of them but this model is only good for deep and I mean deep crank baits. If you use it for any other pattern you will end up working harder than the reel.
Bigs reply :
I was using it for senkos that day cuz it was the only reel of mine that didnt have braid at the time. I much rather use fluoro for senkos so thats what I did. I prefer to fish senkos with a baitcaster too. Keep in mind I was fishing heavy matted grass beds, Im talkin thick nasty stuff on the potomac. And yes the reel had everything to do with why I lost that fish. I know how to reel in a fish, Im not stupid. And I know how to set up my reels. You guys are singing praise for this reel but whats the biggest fish you have gotten in the boat with this reel so far ? Im not saying its a bad reel , I love my dawias but this one is my least fave.
Micro reply :
QuoteYou guys are singing praise for this reel but whats the biggest fish you have gotten in the boat with this reel so far ? Im not saying its a bad reel , I love my dawias but this one is my least fave.
420, I've caught a couple of blue catfish over 10 lbs (one probably closer to 15) on one of my Zillion 6.3:1 reels. A blue cat will test your drag better than any LMB. And the reel handled those fish just fine.
Fish a little more, sonny, and you'll get the hang of it.
mudkart reply :
QuoteI was using it for senkos that day cuz it was the only reel of mine that didnt have braid at the time. I much rather use fluoro for senkos so thats what I did. I prefer to fish senkos with a baitcaster too. Keep in mind I was fishing heavy matted grass beds, Im talkin thick nasty stuff on the potomac. And yes the reel had everything to do with why I lost that fish. I know how to reel in a fish, Im not stupid. And I know how to set up my reels. You guys are singing praise for this reel but whats the biggest fish you have gotten in the boat with this reel so far ? Im not saying its a bad reel , I love my dawias but this one is my least fave.
"It is the poor carpenter that blames the tool." - unknown
Dan: reply :
I don't get it. If you were fishing slop and vegetation, what is wrong with braid? That's exactly the situation where I would want braid. I would think that the low gear ratio might have hindered your ability to keep pressure on the single hook.
You are saying it was the reel's fault, but why? What about the reel failed?
Redlinerobert reply :
If my Zillions can handle 15+ lb peacock bass, they can handle just about anything. The Zillion line is the best work horse reel out there in my opinion.
burleytog reply :
QuoteI was using it for senkos that day cuz it was the only reel of mine that didnt have braid at the time. I much rather use fluoro for senkos so thats what I did. I prefer to fish senkos with a baitcaster too. Keep in mind I was fishing heavy matted grass beds, Im talkin thick nasty stuff on the potomac. And yes the reel had everything to do with why I lost that fish. I know how to reel in a fish, Im not stupid. And I know how to set up my reels. You guys are singing praise for this reel but whats the biggest fish you have gotten in the boat with this reel so far ? Im not saying its a bad reel , I love my dawias but this one is my least fave.
I saw a Zillion High Power handle a 12 lb. hybrid quite well. The drag was smooth and handled the four runs the hybrid made.
jaym137 reply :
Caught a Northern Pike over 15lbs on my Zillion this year and plenty of big fish with it...drag is fine. Why is it the reels fault if you are horsing a fish in and bad things happen? I understand the need for a locked down drag punching mats with braid, but most fish lost at the boat are due to not playing the fish, using the drag to tire fish and trying to land fish too quickly. Here in the ultra clear Finger Lakes we land tons of big fish on 4 and 6 lb test with spinning gear...by playing fish out. Way too many glowing reviews of Zillions from some very picky and experienced fisherman for it to be the reel's fault, unless you got a defective one.
flechero reply :
QuoteI ended up losing the biggest fish of my life and I cant help but think the reel played some part of that.
It's the Indian, not the arrow. :
Losing fish at the boat happens... but not at the fault of the reel, unless it imploded and you lost control of the line. ;D
J Francho reply :
Not the cranker, but the burner. 12# brown trout. Line was 8# CXX, drag set to 3# of resistance. Worked like a champ.QuoteI was using it for senkos that day cuz it was the only reel of mine that didnt have braid at the time. I much rather use fluoro for senkos so thats what I did. I prefer to fish senkos with a baitcaster too. Keep in mind I was fishing heavy matted grass beds, Im talkin thick nasty stuff on the potomac. And yes the reel had everything to do with why I lost that fish. I know how to reel in a fish, Im not stupid. And I know how to set up my reels. You guys are singing praise for this reel but whats the biggest fish you have gotten in the boat with this reel so far ? Im not saying its a bad reel , I love my dawias but this one is my least fave.
Bigs reply :
Just to clear up what went wrong. As soon as that fish was on I could feel the reel slippin badly. Now maybe I wasnt quite prepared to have a 24 inch fish on that day with that setup so the drag wasnt set to perfection. Im speculating when I say 8 pounds, could have been 7 , could have been 12, who knows. I saw his big fat body come up like he was gonna shake that hook out so I dipped my rod down fast. All I know is those gears slipped badly. I just dont think that gear ratio helped me out to begin with and when I catch 3 pounders with that reel, nothing slips at all. You guys keep talkin bout the faster zillions and comparing them like its the same thing. I should know, I also own an anniversary 7.3:1 zillion which I use 50 pound braid on. Now that reel muscles 5 pounders into the boat as if I was catchin dinks. Totally different setup. So Im not knockin zillions. I love that red beast. Its my fave and best reel. Makes my e7 curado look and feel like a toy in comparison.
But the cranker I had 10 pound fluoro on for obvious reasons, throwing shallow crankbaits of course. I dont like using braid for senkos in slop cuz they just sit on top and dont sink well. In fact I dont like throwing senkos with braid at all cuz the initial fall sux with braid. And I usually get'em on that initial fall when I cast. Anyways, dont get it twisted and think Im sayin the reel is a POS, i just dont think 8.8 pounds of drag is nearly enough for that reel coupled with the gear ratio, end of story. Opinions vary and everyone has one, you know mine. No need to bash me or my skills at all. I'll make some adjustments and throw some slightly bigger fluoro on it and see what happens next time. Maybe Im totally wrong and out of line, in fact I hope I am otherwise I wasted 240 bux that could have went towards a revo winch. I have a sol, fuego, zillion 7.3 , zillion 4.9 and an e7 curado for my baitcasting lineup and that zillion 7.3 is the best followed closely by the fuego imo.
MarauderYak reply :
Not intending to bash you 420, but I don't think your gears slipped in that reel. I'd say it was the drag that slipped, and that is what the drag is supposed to do. If the gears has slipped, it would have made a very ugly sound and wouldn't be working after that.
If you're using 10 lb test you should have your drag set at about 3.5 lbs. With a 24" bass and 3.5 lbs of drag your likely going to have the drag kicking in several times. That's not a situation where you just crank it in.
With the exact same reel in a higher gear ratio, you would feel even more resistance when trying to reel the fish in.
Dan: reply :
Sounds like drag slipping to me as well. And aren't all the Zillions the same except for the size of the gears? If yours malfunctioned, maybe you should get it serviced? 8.8lbs of drag should be more than enough if set correctly, regardless of gear ratio.
How does fluorocarbon help a senko to sink down through slop? I mean, I know it sinks but it's not enough to pull a bait down through anything. Again, I really think you would be better of fishing a higher ratio with a texas rigged bait.
Micro reply :
Yes, Dan, they are all the same, except for gearing. If the drag in the 7.3:1 model is sufficient, the drag in the Hi-Power is sufficient as well. In fact, the Hi-Power will give the user a bit more mechanical advantage due to the lower gear ratio.
Bigs reply :
it wasnt like the fish was takin alot of line, I wasnt tryin to power him into the boat fast either. I just did what I always do except with a fish twice the size. You may indeed be right that it was my drag and not the gears. I have never had a reel do that in my hands before either. To the point where that fish had me dead stopped at a few points and I just kept tension with my rod straight up over my shoulder. But tryin to pump and reel with that slow reel was an uphill battle. Thats where I felt it slippin the most. I havent touched the reel since so Im gonna take it in and make sure it's ok. In fact I dont even have it on a rod anymore since Im one rod short for my 5 baitcasters and since it was the least practical reel, i put it away for now. It was abrand new reel that I got from baitnhook btw. As far as the senkos go, the fluoro helps the initial fall for sure esp with some slop, thats a no brainer. Now if its dense surface slop then forget it, I dont bother with a senko at all. But its night and day out there with braid vs fluoro. Have u fished the heavy grass in the potomac b4 dan ? Its grown man fishing to say the least. I cant get enough of it, if I wasnt sick these last 2 weeks I would have been out there constantly. Only reason I been on here so much the last 2 weeks is I been sick as a dog and have fished once, yesterday. Caught a 5 pounder on a swimmmin jig yesterday and my 7.3 zillion+heavy flippin stick made qwik work of that fish, gotta love it.
Dan: reply :
So you're talking about more intermittent vegetation? yeah, I've fished the grass in the potomac before.
Bigs reply :
Im talkin bout when I cast a ways and miss that 2 foot hole I was tryin to get into. Intermittent vegatation u say? Not quite sure what ya call it honestly. Talkin bout what u see on the surface when tide is up a lil, not the hydrilla itself, but the surface junk. Ya, I can jerk the line and get the worm where I want with the braid alot easier if I miss that hole but in a perfect world I wont miss that hole ever. This is why when I fish senkos I prefer a baitcaster for accuracy reasons. But d**n if that torque from casting the BC doesnt tear up some senkos, less the case with 6 inchers but they are costly. Im fishing with senkos less and less these days , covers too little water too slow imo, so I have little need for fluoro. In fact I throw a 3/8 swimmin jig 90 percent of the time no matter what time of day or conditions. Nothing beats a swimmin jig out there imo. My bags of senkos are collecting dust for the most part. I save 'em for the occasional pond or lake anna action. The more I read these posts the more I feel like my drag was NOT set up to perfection or even close for that matter. This was the first crankin reel I have ever owned and I thought I had it set up right. Gotta buddy that works on reels so Im gonna let him see it and see if it was setup right to begin with, user error could play a greater part in it then I wanted to admit. Im not ashamed to admit when Im wrong, not too proud. Such is life, a constant learning process. I'll have to wait and see what my buddy has to say. My other reels are setup very well imo according to the results I have had with them thus far. Then again those are all setup to overpower fish on m/h-heavy rods with 50 pound power pro. Not rocket science there.
Dan: reply :
You don't fish any frogs? You can catch fish all day long on the Potomac with frogs.
Bigs reply :
I never have luck with frogs out there. Seems like alot of others do tho. I have the dean rojas frog which is everyones fave out there along with the bully wa's, horny toads and furbits. All great frogs but none bring fish in my boat. Wish I knew why. I didnt even bring my frog box with me yesterday when I went out, and of course the guy whos boat I was on took me to a great frog spot and on his first cast with the frog he had a 3 pounder in the boat, just my luck. I was afraid to ask him to borrow a frog since I hardly knew him or I would have. Sall good tho, I had a 5 pounder in the boat a few mins later on a All Terrain Swim-jig , took the trailer they come with off since they suck and had a rage tail on there. Good stuff.
Dan: reply :
When the tide is low frogs are a great option. When the tide is up they still work but in fewer areas.
Scorpio reply :
I think TackleTours really missed the mark with their review of the Zillion Cranker. Even at the list price, how can this reel not rate higher than the Winch (with its plastic on plastic braking system). I have nothing against the Winch, I have one and several other ABUs, but come on!
South FLA reply :
All is relative to a perfect cranking reel, frog reel, etc.
In defense of the Zillion, I have caught Snook and Jacks up to 20lbs on a the High Speed Model, no issues with drag not being able to handle the fish!
Remember folks and even though its in opinion I believe most hard core tackle junkies would agree.
1. Shimano/Daiwa
2. Abu
3. Quantum
4. Etc. etc.
Disclaimer, my older "tree catching brother" has a personal best bass that outweighs mine, he caught it on a closed faced Zebco and a Blue Sky rod on a beetle spin. So my opinion should not offend someone too seriously. ;D
spruce reply :
cabelas has this reel on sale for 189.00 !!!!!!!
spruce reply :
#9
spruce reply :
10. trying to give up the link
spruce reply :
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0072771121527a&type=product&cmCat=froogle&cm_ven=data_feed&cm_cat=froogle&cm_pla=0800501&cm_ite=0072771121527a&_requestid=123385
you can thank me later ;D
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