Jigging rods....trevala, terez, or tallus

I backed up my Saltiga with a Revo Toro Winch. The two make a very balanced combination. A little slow on the retrieve, but I think I could haul up anything presented.

Wobbler

How does the Daiwa Lexa 300 do with saltwater?  I heard there were some holes in the body where salt can get into the reel drive and corrode.  I've maintained some older Daiwa reels and was not impressed with the components or corrosion resistant construction.  Would like to hear if Daiwa improved any of that for the Lexa 300.    Also, do you think the Lexa 300 is sufficient for jigging albacore tuna?  Kayak Tuna is in my future!

Where's the best place (for lowest price) to buy a Daiwa setup?  Lexa 300 and the Saltiga rod?

The Trevala is a good value rod -- saw those on sale at the Sportsman Show for $90.

Lexa 300's do well in saltwater IMO.  It is important that you open them up, inspect and grease them every year as you should with any reel you use in the salt.  There are holes in the bottom of the reel but they provide a way for saltwater/water to get out of the reel instead of it accumulating inside and causing damage.  I rinse my reels and then let them dry with the holes facing down so any water inside will drain out.  If you grease the hell out of the inside of the reel when you get it (which is what I like to do with all my reels I take on the salt) it won't really matter that salt water gets in the reel as long as it is given a chance to drain out when you rinse and dry the reel.  I have taken a Lexa 100 and 300 completely apart, greased, and put back together and as far as I can tell, they seem really well built.

The 300 is what I plan to use for tuna, as well as other big fish on the salt.  They can come with a power handle, have plenty of line capacity for kayak use, and come with really big carbon fiber drag washers off the shelf, which provide over 22 lbs. of drag.

I should probably go get some touchy-feely on the Lexa 300....seems like a nice reel!
Here's another question:  When you release the spool in freespool for casting or dropping (on the lexa300), does the levelwind mechanism move to track with the line as it's coming off the spool?  If it doesn't (and i'm guessing from most level-winds that the typical function is NOT) then do you suppose this introduces a problem where the line on the spool is not always aligned with the level-wind (especially for short drops)??  Is the spool so narrow that it doesn't matter on the lexa 300?  With a trained thumb on a conventional reel, you don't have to be concerned about the line angle since there is a lot of distance to the first guide.  I'm thinking for tuna jigging a level-wind might not be the best performer for this reason.  The 7.1 retrieve and the drag specs are impressive for the price.

The levelwind does not track back and forth when the reel is in freespool with the Lexas.  This provides a better freespool action, but you do have to deal with the levelwind not always being lined up with the line paying off the spool.  The levelwind is pretty far forward from the spool though so you don't get that hard angle of the line against the levelwind as much.  If that bothers you though and you're looking for a good quality Daiwa reel, I would suggest checking out the Saltist reels.  They have the same amount of drag in the smallest sizes as the Lexas and come in levelwind or non-levelwind models, and boy are they sexy!  The Saltist levelwind models have a levelwind that always tracks the line paying off the spool, whether you're in freespool or when the spool is engaged and line is pulling off the reel with drag, providing the same amount of drag for the fish at all times.  I use the Saltist levelwind with a line counter as my go-to salmon reel.  You can find the Lexas or the Saltist reels at either Fisherman's or Hoggs in Hillsboro among other places.

Anyone recommend a good spot in the Bellingham or Seattle area to get hands-on with some of this gear.  So much new stuff I've never seen before, going to have to learn another language to keep up with you guys.

I own one Trevala and it's a good rockfishing setup (fine for cabs and lingcod). I used it on a powerboat last year and cranked the sh!t out of it while stuck (Duncan Rock area) on a rock and no eyes broke and it's still working great. My friend Mike has about five of them and even uses them on halibut and other bottom fish down in Florida. They work but I am not stuck on them necessarily.

For halibut I just went cheap and durable - Ugly Stik Tiger.

Best of luck

FWIW I'm a big fan of Daiwa and love my TD Luna and Advantage, *but* I'm not a fan of the Lexa. It felt somewhat cheap and plastic-ey to me. (I'm referencing the 100 size) I'd probably go with one of the Abu Revos instead. I had an STX but sold it for my Advantage. The new Revo NaCl looks pretty good, but I haven't fished one. Oh and I'm enjoying the Avet SXJ as well. It's a bit heavier but makes up for that with quality / durability and bling-points. IMO it'd be the best all-around kayak reel for the salt.