Delaware Valley Tackle

At that price the tatula is a good buy or hold out for a pro qualifier on sale.

I haven't seen that one before. Those guides are nearly indestructible. At any rate, it appears to be perfectly fishable but if you want it fixed it's very doable. The end result depends on the competence of the repairer.

That's my guess.

The problem if you want to call it that is with the Rod not the reel. I think 1/4 is at the low end of that rods range. Flushing and piling the spool bearings will help any reel out of the box.

The skin on the Winn can be twisted off or out of alignment if you get as aggressive on them as you can regular EVA. If you get epoxy on them by accident the little ridges can be hard to clean. Not the end of the world just not the norm of other materials.

It depends on use and conditions. I recommend annual deep cleaning as a starting point and adjust from there.

A light all propose oil is all you need. Remoil, 3in1 or even sewing machine oil will work fine. Use heavier oil on the worm gear in place of grease. Something like gear lube.

You can carefully pinch off the Eva in chunks with pliers and scrape away the residue with gentle heat and the edge of a popsicle stick. New grips have to be slid on from the back end using epoxy or rubber cement as adhesive

This exactly right. The easier casting leads to better accuracy but distance gains are ancillary.

I believe it's the bottom right thumb screw as you face the crank side.

Shimano doesn't use the traditional bail spring design. Either the hinges are dirty ( most likely) or the wire got bent enough to cause the hinges to bind

Has the reel been deep cleaned and / or super tuned? The advantages of any bearing choice are less to a clean reel than one out of the box. If you're certain about bearings, ABEC5 are the best bang for the buck. I have Bocas for $9.95 ea

Not only are trimmed threads more aesthetically pleasing they are more comfortable. IMO of course. There is no right or wrong that's the great part of going custom.

40-50* isn't really wet wading conditions. A pair of breathe able stocking foot waders with wading boots is the way to go. There are several buyers guides available through a Google search

If I was to buy something it would more along the lines of a Calcutta but the curado b is a tank of a reel. It'll hold up if you stay on top of maintenance

Outside of punching heavy mats braid is all about sensitivity and line handling. 10# braid can be prone to digging in and wind knots. If it's working for you on your circumstances no need to change.

I never put a foregrip on a bass Rod unless requested. The seat gets the threads trimmed flush with the hood and is finished with either a check, epoxy ramp, foam arbor ramp etc.

Yup. This would be my guess as well. You should be fine.

You need at least enough spool tension to keep it from moving side to side.

Spinnerbaits, cranks, swimbaits, maybe C-rigs

That should be a perfectly fishable reel but I'm not sure the application you mention is its best use.

Spinning the handle isn't a normal fishing motion and really doesn't tell you much of anything. If the AR and cast control are working and normal reeling feels ok you should be fine.

Grains of weight are a small unit but can be meaningful on a percentage basis of the whole guide train. I use recoils on float rods for steelhead with no problems. I'd use a ringed tip top on a bass Rod

It's not unusual for blanks of the same model to vary slightly in ern or aa . The posted specs will get you close enough to never tell the difference though. I'd like to see CCS catch on more with manufacturers but I'm not holding my breath.

Even reels of the exact same make and model often have their own "personality" and differ slightly. Doesn't sound like you have anything to worry about.