Fishing, Hunting and Camping
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The JTTVO J3000 Review: My New Backup Fishing Reel
I have been on the hunt for a cheap backup fishing reel over the winter. I picked up the JTTVO J3000 in hopes it will take the job. Today we are going to take a closer look at eh JTTVO J3000, cover the features and cover my initial thoughts.
Why I Picked the JTTVO J3000
As you might have guessed, JTTVO is not a well known brand and I believe can only be picked up online. Most of the time, I would have passed over a “no name” fishing reel but a couple things stuck out to me.
Build
Photo by Manufacture
Today, many manufactures are using plastic. I’ll never use a plastic body reel. You will just be asking for trouble out on the water. The JTTVO series fishing reels seem to built well.
- Full metal body
- Brass gears
- Stainless steel shaft
- Carbon and stainless steel drag washers
That along with the price seemed hard to beat…
Price
Seeing the above quality parts and noticing the price is what got me to take a closer look and consider this reel. Just under $30 when I purchased, the price is a step down to most best for your buck reels (I’ll be sharing those in another post soon).
My main bass reel is not an expensive fishing reel in any regards (Okuma). But the price is still closer to $50. I wanted a second set up in case of disaster but also didn’t want to invest a lot in it. The price of the JTTVO is on point to fill my needs and not too much if it breaks.
The Satisfaction Guarantee
JTTVO claims that “we support the replacement even a full refund anytime”. As to official warranty, I’m waiting to hear back from them on that (just reached out). Many manufacturers don’t throw that out there, especially on a $30 reel. It’s good to know that if I don’t like it, I’m able to return with no issues.
My JTTVO Fishing Reel Review
So, this is my initial review of the JTTVO J3000. I will update this review once I get some good water time with it.
The company offers the following sizes:
- J2000 (ultralight)
- J3000 (largmouth size fish)
- J4000 (larger fish, stripers, catfish, etc)
- J5000 (big blues, large shovel, saltwater, etc)
Shipping
I purchased the J3000 from Amazon (found here) using my prime account. Since it is fulfilled by Amazon, it was at my door in 2 days. It came double boxed.
Unpacking
I was pretty impressed with the weight, look and build.
A cool feature, the handle
Besides being able to go from left handed to right handed, I noticed a nice feature that I didn’t notice before buying this fishing reel. In the above photo, you will see a button on the bottom of the handle. This is a release to fold it in.
Most other reels have a screw cap on the other side of the reel to loosen the handle allowing you to fold the handle in. I have never seen a fishing reel with a button. If they are out there, I have never seen one. This feature made my day and will be used often.
Size
The JTTVO J3000 compared to my Okuma C-30
In the above photo, you see the JTTVO J3000 next to my Okuma C-30. The J3000 is larger than the Okuma but not as much as it may seem in the photo. The C-30 is on the small side of fishing reels and I say that the J3000 is the size you would expect to see on a bass rig.
Testing
I paired my new reel with some 8LB Mono SpiderLine.
Adding line
The reel lined well laying the line out as even as you can get. The smooth action of the internal parts gives this fishing reel a nice feel. No issues to report.
Casting
For testing purposes, I used a small 3/0 (1/4 oz I think) slit shot weight to test casting. Most of what I will be using while on the water will be much heavier than this. I just wanted to see how smooth the casting is and what type of control I can get out of the JTTVO J3000.
Using the 3/0 sinker, I was getting about 15 yards with a flip of the wrist. The cast is smooth and no binding or catching. Now, the rod and line have something to do with cast quality as well. I’m using a 6.5 foot medium/heavy action rod and brand new line. But I can’t complain.
Reeling
I can only attest to my testing situation for now. I will share more information here once I get out on the water and bring in some pigs using this reel.
The handle has an anti-reverse system that doesn’t give anything back when your setting your hook. This is a nice feature as well. See, on some reels when you pull on the line, the reel will reverse a half inch or so. This takes away from setting the hook and puts a jolt on your line when set. When anti-reverse is used, there is no play from where your handle stops and when the line gets hit with tension.
The one thing I will say, is that when reeling in, I did hear a little noise from this reel. Not much but someone may not like that. I will also say that I went from the box to testing. A little fishing reel oil may fix this.
The Conclusion
Okay, so this isn’t the final conclusion as I will be updating this review in the next few weeks after getting some water time. We’ll say the initial conclusion for now lol. It’s not one of the best fishing reels on the market, but can’t be beat for the price.
Pros
- Heavy duty build
- Very smooth
- Anti-reverse option on a cheap fishing reel
- Looks good
- Quality beats other reels in this price rage
- The guaranty form the company
Cons
- Not a well known brand (yet)
- Possibly a little noise with tension
Bowhunting: Crossbow vs Compound Bow
When it comes to bowhunting, most hunters have a preference on what they like to use. Some swear by compound bows only with the thoughts that compound bows gives more of a challenge than crossbows. Today, we are going to go over crossbows vs compound bows and why one may be a better fit for you over the other. So let’s get started…
State Laws
Depending on what state you live/hunt in, there may be laws that help you with this decision. For example, up to only a few years ago, you could only use a crossbow during gun season in Indiana. Since a crossbow has a trigger, they were considered a firearm. Then the law was changed to you could only use a crossbow during the second half of the bow season. Today, you can now use crossbows during all seasons.
Before deciding to move to a crossbow, you will want to make sure what the laws are in your own state.
Per state rules as of February 26, 2018 are listed below. The below list is only intended as a quick first glance at if considering a crossbow may be worth the purchase. You should check your current state DNR site for full rules.
State’s crossbows legal deer hunting seasons
- ALASKA: In bow only areas only, where gun/bow are both in season, bow season for the handicapped hunters (with Exemption Form)
- ALABAMA: Can use during all of deer season
- ARKANSAS: Only during archery season
- ARIZONA: All season for handicapped hunters that have permit. Open to all in firearms season
- CALIFORNIA: Open to everyone during gun season. Approved use for someone with physical disabilities though there is a process to be approved
- COLORADO: Can use crossbows during gun season. Handicapped can use during bow season.
- CONNECTICUT: Can be used during all of archery season
- DELAWARE: Can be used during all of deer season
- FLORIDA: Can be used during all seasons
- GEORGIA: Can be used during all seasons
- HAWAII: Can only be used by permitted disability hunters
- IOWA: Only people over 70 all season, anyone during late muzzle loader season
- IDAHO: Only during hunting season marked “any-weapon”. People that are handicapped may obtain a permit for all season
- ILLINOIS: Can be used during all of bow season
- INDIANA: Can be used during all of bow season
- KANSAS: Can be used during all of bow season
- KENTUCKY: During Modern Gun Season. 65 and older can use between first Saturday of September through the third Monday in January.
- LOUISIANA: During archery season
- MASSACHUSETTS: By permitted handicapped people only
- MARYLAND: During bow season
- MAINE: Must have crossbow permit, go through crossbow training
- MICHIGAN: During any gun season
- MINNESOTA: During gun season or a permitted handicapped person
- MISSOURI: During bow season
- MISSISSIPPI: During all of bow season
- MONTANA: During gun season
- NORTH CAROLINA: During bow season
- NORTH DAKOTA: Must have disability crossbow permit
- NEBRASKA: During bow season
- NEW HAMPSHIRE: During gun season and permitted handicapped people. Must have crossbow permit
- NEW JERSEY: During bow season
- NEW MEXICO: Gun season for everyone, bow season for certified handicapped people
- NEVADA: Legal in “Any Legal Weapon” season only
- New York: You will want to check current regulations here
- Ohio: During bow season
- OKLAHOMA: During bow season
- OREGON: Not legal at all, sorry
- PENNSYLVANIA: During bow season
- RHODE ISLAND: During bow season but requires bow classes
- SOUTH CAROLINA: During bow season
- SOUTH DAKOTA: Handicapped people only during bow season
- TENNESSEE: During all seasons
- TEXAS: During bow season besides the county of Grayson
- UTAH: Any legal deer hunting season
- VIRGINIA: During bow and gun season but requires a crossbow licence during bow season
- VERMONT: Legal for 50+ people. Only with disability permit if 49 or uner
- WASHINGTON: Only legal for people with qualifying disabilities. Requires submission from Doctor
- WISCONSIN: Only during gun season. Requires crossbow permit
- WEST VIRGINIA: During bow season besides McDowell County, Mingo County, and Wyoming County
- WYOMING: During bow season
Compound Bow vs Crossbow
Credit: Dwight Stone
Crossbow
Hunting with a crossbow is similar to hunting with a rifle but not the same. It is more challenging to hunt with a crossbow then a rifle but not a challenging as with a compound bow.
A crossbow would be a good fit for someone that may not be up to pulling back 75+ pounds, someone who might be physically challenged, or someone that gets cold/stiff easy when sitting in a deer stand all day. I’m one of those people. It may also just be more convenient to use a crossbow if you have never used a compound before but want to tale advantage of bow season (in some states). I always say, the best hunting happens before the guns start going off.
Here are a couple advantages of using a crossbow over a compound:
- Will be locked and loaded when the time comes
- Easier to get into a good shooting position
- Not needing to stand and draw
- Further shot distance
- More accurate
Credit: john skewes
Compound bow
Compound bows are the most widely known bows used for deer hunting. They take a lot a lot of practice, patience and strength to use.
Many people prefer compound bows for a couple of reasons. Firstly, people say that it about the hardest way to hunt today. So if your looking for accomplishment, this can go down as a pro. Compounds take a lot of skill to use. Think about how much work goes into using one.
Some people want the challenge of using a compound bow, I know I love it. It takes a lot of practice shooting from different positions including different height levels. If you already bow hunt, I’m sure you know that. Shooting from an elevated position (tree stand) shoots different than making our shot at ground level. We have all had that miss from the tree because you over shot… If you are thinking about buying a compound bow, I suggest reading our article titled 3 Best Bang For Your Buck Compound Bows of 2018.
Here are a couple pros for using a compound bow:
- Nothing makes you feel prouder than dropping a buck using a compound bow
- Harder hunt equals more of an accomplishment
- You need to be skilled being mindful of every move you make
Conclusion
Though, some say bows are inferior to crossbows, it really comes down to personal preference. Whichever choice you make, you will need to prepare and get to know your tools. Each requires you to set them up personalized to your style. You will want to practice as much as possible and shoot from as many angles/heights as possible.
Sources: Images used under Creative Commons. Images have not been changed.