The Rooster

The current model of Shimano Clarus rods actually uses hardloy rings, same as the Compre line above it. Previous model Clarus rods just had standard aluminum oxide I believe. If your rod has the word "Clarus" written in chrome lettering then it is an older one. If it is written in blue lettering then it is the newer one and has hardloy guides. I was told by Bantam1 from the Shimano forum we had here last year (he is a Shimano rep as well) that hardloy guides used on my Compre will handle braided line just fine. Being that they both will have hardloy guides, I would not feel bad at all using braid with a newer Clarus.

YES!! Each time I've ever bought a rod that was in the $20 -$50 range (or any other rod for that matter too) I have had to check several of them to make sure the guides all line up and are straight, and sometimes this isn't enough either. They may all be straight with each other but not be aligned with the reel seat. I have seen $100 and above rods have the same problems though, but it's MUCH more rare. It's quite common in cheaper rods though. Go to Walmart and just grab several of their rods and you'll see right away that a lot of them have crooked guides. To the original poster, I do not know if the rod is SUPPOSED to be that way as suggested by someone else, but if it is not then I most definitely would not like it. And the suggestion to ask them if their reputation is worth $40..........that's priceless!!! Also valuable advice too because that's exactly what I'd do if it came to that.

I recently read on the walmart.com site where a customer claimed to have bought 2 of these reels and had to send them back because he says they are not reversable for handle usage on the opposite side. Is this true?? I thought all spinning reels, with the exception of the REALLY cheap ones, were reversable now. I'm pretty sure he was wrong himself and just didn't know how to swap sides with it too, but I just wanted to ask to know for sure.

On the frame, I'd much prefer an aluminum frame just because every reel I've ever owned that had a graphite frame was just junk. But I've also looked at the Inertia and for THAT PRICE you will never go wrong. Seems like a good reel just holding in hand at the store. They were on clearance here at a local Walmart for $45 and I almost bought one thinking that was a good price. $25 is really cheap. Seems like it would cast well to my way of thinking. I don't really have a use for one since I have 5 reels now that are casters and have aluminum frames on all. But for some reason I feel that this would be a decent reel. At $25, even if it lasts for just one season, it's earned every penny. I'd probably get a couple more if you can still get them for that money.

I have none of my receipts. If that happens to me, I'd just contact Shimano to see what they suggest.

Until now I have been a confirmed Shimano Compre fan. Great rods and I love the two I have. But that Okuma has really got my eye now. I'm considering one of those for my next rod purchase. Looks like according to features and warranty, it would compare to the Shimano in every way. What's important to me is the absense of a foregrip. The way I hold a rod, this will help me feel what is going on with my bait more since I am able to touch the blank with 2 fingers.

Haha, love the reaction, although I bet it was staged for the blooper reel for a laugh. "Dag Gommit!" You might think so, unless you've ever seen the one where he hooks a hornets' nest and has them flying around while he's swatting at them with his hat and finally jumps in the water. I doubt anybody would do that on purpose just for the blooper reel. ;D

Have no idea, I just know it works. It's just automotive brake parts cleaner from Advance.

OK, I know I said that, and I was starting to feel that way at the time. Now though, I want to retract that last statement and reserve judgement until I can do some further fishing with these reels this season again. Reason being is that I just opened up that last reel again and removed the gearing only (as everything else was already cleaned up). I cleaned the gears thoroughly again and THIS TIME I brushed the grease into the gears using a 1/4 inch wide artist's paint brush. I used far less grease than ever before, so little in fact that I could barely tell it was there. But when I reassembled it again it cranked smooth as glass. I couldn't feel that gear mesh that I felt before. So I lined it up and went out in the back yard for a dry run with a casting plug. I casted it around for about 5 minutes and reeled it back in fairly fast for another cast again. I could not feel any gear mesh this time. The reel felt very connected in terms of how solid it was, I can feel the machined parts working as I crank, but it was in a precision sort of way, no gear mesh and no roughness at all. I do not know what the real difference is, maybe the brush forced the grease deeper into the gear teeth, or maybe it just made for a better bond to the surface of that smooth brass with a little force applying it instead of just being lightly squeezed out into the teeth. All I know is that now I will be able to get by using far less grease (making a tube last longer) and can have better results. Otherwise I don't have a huge problem with the way these Extremes are built. I would like to have 2 bearings under each paddle instead of just 1 only, but I suspect I can order another set for fairly cheap and then my reels will be 9 bearing models. So far I'm satisfied with the results. When the bearings are sprayed down with brake parts cleaner and then relubed with a SINGLE drop of oil only (and not a heavy one), then that spool will cast a country mile. When there is no line on it and I just spin it, it looks like a blur for a solid 20 seconds. I cannot ask for more than that from a $60 on sale reel. I'll let you know how this goes, but I think it will turn out well in the end. Thanks to the person who suggested using a brush to apply the grease, that was the tip I needed to pull this all together.

That reel is a Daiwa. And that's what mine looked like. No two parts left sticking together.....except on the magnetic sideplate. Saw no real need to remove the magnet assembly from the sideplate. But otherwise I took EVERYTHING apart including the levelwind and also the thumb bar. I even slid the sleeve out of the clutch bearing and removed the bearing from the sideplate it was in. I mean if I could take it off the reel then it came off. Sure is a smooth functioning device now but I hate feeling the gear teeth. I do admit that I likely overgreased it. I probably did overgrease it. I'll try the paintbrush trick next time. But even if I did overgrease it, how can I still feel the gear meshings??

I guess it's possible that some things inside can be out of alignment. Must be from wear over time. Everything went back in just the way it came out and the reel functions and operates just fine. I just don't like the way it feels.

I'm starting to think these Extremes aren't really that well built after all. I have 5 of them, and just cleaned one thoroughly for a friend too, so I have experience with 6 in all. My friend's reel came out flawlessly, his is so smooth now that it makes my 5 look bad. And when he first sent it to me it felt slightly rough as well. I cleaned it just as described above and now it feels like new again. That was its first cleaning. When I did mine previously they all came out like this too, after their first times. But now that I'm on the second or third cleaning of some of them I just cannot make them to feel new again it seems. First, I had one straight out of the box get rough on me after only 5 times of using it. I could have easily sent it back for a replacement but I did not since BPS was going to send me a newer model different from the rest. I'd have had one odd reel after that and I didn't want that so I just kept it for a "parts reel" incase something happened to the other 4. I cleaned it after deciding to keep it, but it didn't help. With the rest of them, seems after a while they develop roughness too, and eventually there's nothing you do can take it out. I've cleaned them in the past and restored it on a couple, and now it's back again. This time I can't get it out, and I used the same techniques as before, same materials too. And this time I did something I've never done before too. Took the handle paddles off to see how they were made. They didn't need anything done to them but I just wanted to know. I discovered one bearing on one end of the axle, and a nylon bushing on the other end. That will not last and it's no wonder I have one reel here now that has a little handle vibration, as it's the oldest one and does not have handle bearings, so I guess it just has 2 nylon bushings in it. What a crock!! Seems I bought disposable reels after all. It still casts like a dream. Reels in just fine. I just don't enjoy using it since I can feel that little roughness as it comes in. Now knowing the handles will wear in eventually takes the fun out of it altogether. All I have to say now is.....Shimano or Daiwa............here I come!!

Here's a dumb question since I've been doing this for years already. How do you properly grease a set of gears for a baitcast reel?? Main gear and pinion gear. I normally just slowly turn the main gear and apply grease as I turn it to where each tooth is filled to level, with no excess beyond what it takes to do this. Anymore and the grease gets shoveled off to the sides and piles up in the corners of the reel, gets into bearings and slows their rotation, and all that bad stuff. But it seems that this is still not enough to completely remove grinding feeling from a retrieve. So I'm at a loss for what to do further to improve things. To let you know what I did prior to this, incase it matters for this issue, I cleaned the gears using dishwashing soap and a toothbrush, dried thoroughly, and then applied the grease to the dry gears (always do this when I clean reels). This works on some of my reels and not for others. It's like it's a hit or miss thing. They're all the same reels, BPS Extremes. The gears were as clean as they could be, just shiny brass, no dirt, no water, no wear that I can see though I'm sure some is there. Any ideas for improving things (besides replacing the reels for Curados, though I'm starting to NOT be opposed to this)?? Surely the Extreme reel is not THAT bad of a reel. But I do have to say I never had this issue in a Garcia or Quantum, the only other brands of casting reels I ever owned and serviced myself. They were a one shot deal, lube and done, worked perfect afterwards. Also, I'm using Zebco branded grease and oil.

I use a 6'6" M/F Shimano Compre. It's been perfect so far when I am throwing a Rapala X-rap. Landed several good ones with no problems at all. For $100 cost on this, you could save some money this way. Also have a 6'6" St. Croix similar to that last post, but mine is not a Mojo, it's a Triumph. From what I've heard they have the same blank but I have yet to even fish it so I couldn't tell you how it would be. Compared to that Compre I have though, side by side, just "in hand" only for overall feel, I'd rather have the Shimano.

If I were going to use an Ugly Stik for a cranking rod it would be an Ugly Stik Lite Pro from Walmart. They are very light compared to the original Ugly Stik, but they also have aluminum oxide guides compared to the plain Ugly Stik Lite not having them. These two features, in my opinion, makes them the best Ugly Stik of the 3 types available. They have cork handles as well, not foam. Also not really of much importance but they look better than the rest as well since they don't have that orange color on them, these are blue and gray instead. They honestly feel like a quite nice rod and cost slightly less than the plain Ugly Stik Lite. Here they are $37.97. I'd personally get the 6'6" M or a 7' M. They have a MH also but this might be too stiff, even for an Ugly Stik. These are an overall nice rod but they still won't be equal to the higher cost cranking rods. On a budget though I think they would be fantastic for what you would invest. I'm thinking of grabbing one this year for cranking, and next year upgrade to the nicer rod and then use the Ugly for catfishing or something.

I don't think I'd agree with that completely. Besides providing support, I think when casting the reel that that bearing will need to turn as freely as the others or it will pose some resistance. Granted, if the two end ones are replaced then there will be less resistance, but as long as that one is still there then the spool will not be as truly free spinning as it could be. I think if support were it's only function then a bushing would suffice.

Never had that experience personally but I doubt it will be much of a problem for me cause I buy only from local dealers now UNLESS they don't sell what I want and then I can order it from online sites. These local dealers run quiet little stores where you can hear a pin drop and kids acting like fools with $100 rods would not be tolerated in there.

Is he still your buddy?? Ya know, depending on how many people were around, and how nice that rod was, I might have kept it and threw him in the lake instead. ;D

Can a person buy these pliers or do you have to "make" them by drilling the hole yourself??

Sorry guys, no offense, but I just ain't buying it. 8-) I am buying it. I've used the "face the label up or down" method before. I've tried flipping it over. I've tried rolling it off like a baitcasting reel. I've had less twist with the rolling it off method as I have with any other way. I've yet to try the rolling it off the bottom however, and that is now next to try when I get new line this spring. I've also noticed that the flipping the spool over until you get less twist one way over the other is a hit or miss thing just like CWB said. This is just what I've seen personally. The first time I ever tried the flipping the spool it worked like a charm. The next 3 - 5 times seemed like it failed to have any effect at all. Then it would work again, then not. I finally gave it up and now spool every reel rolling it off instead.

The last guy is right on target. But what you say here will work just fine too.

Or maybe this is the funniest thing here instead. ;D Since I made another post I'll give you another story. My brother has got to be the worst for losing stuff in the water. He had a basket stringer for keeping fish he caught in to keep. Was catfishing, pulled up the stringer to put another whisker inside it and then tossed it back into the water without retying it up again. The entire thing sank like a rock, fish and all. He then recovered it by tying on the biggest treble hook I've ever seen (looked like a grappling hook) and went snagging for it. He has also lost a rod by baiting it up for catfish and then went swimming with the bait still out. The rod went sailing by him in the water and he dove for it but missed. Never saw it again. He lost the end of my dad's 30+ year old reel in the water, never recovered. But hey I can't blame it all on him. I once dropped a spinning reel spool over the side but still had the line in my hand up top. I started pulling it up and after a minute I realized what was happening. 120+ yards later I had my spool back and a bush of ruined line at my feet. That little incident was only just ONE of an entire host of events that went with that day. I'll save those stories for another time though, they don't quite go with this thread.

That's got to be the funniest thing I have read here today!! ;D I once nearly lost a spinning rod and reel to a bluegill!! Me and the (ex)wife were fishing at a lake, she laid the rod down at the edge of the dock we were standing on with a nightcrawler still on the hook and dangling in the water. I did not know this at the time. I turned around for some reason and she was looking towards me totally unaware that the rod was slipping below the surface right at her feet. All I could see was the handle and reel still above the water when I first made eye contact with it. I made a dive for it and put my whole arm in the water up to the shoulder and just caught the end of the handle with my fingertips as it was being pulled down. Water right there was 20 feet deep at least. I pulled it up and found an extra fat bluegill hanging on the end of it, large enough to have gotten a 1/0 light wire hook in it's mouth. Shirt sleeve was wet but I saved the rod and got a memory out of it.

For plastics probably XF or F either one depending on your preferences. For crankbaits, between those two it's a F. Ideally it should be a MF (medium fast).

T-rigs, C-rigs, jigs, spinnerbaits, and some froggin' (minus the super heavy slop), all can be done with a MH/F rod and a good 6.x:1 reel. Some prefer a 7.x:1 reel. I would too mostly but not especially for spinnerbaits, I sometimes want to slow these down and that 7.x:1 reel would make it hard for me. There are so many things you can do with a MH/F rod and 6.x:1 reel that I found myself wanting two identical setups of this so I don't have to cut and retie so often. I think when I get that second rod though, one will have a 6 reel, and the other a 7. Then for hard jerkbaits, topwaters, and some crankbaits I use a M/F rod with another 6.x:1 reel again.