Delaware Valley Tackle

Is it the longer rod or the longer handle they sometimes come with that’s a problem in a kayak?

Any well setup quality baitcast reel can allow casts 1/2> further than you want to set a hook on a frog. Concentrate on solid frame and good drag.

“Parabolic” is misused when discussing Rod actions. A parabolic curve is a horseshoe shape and can’t be more or less, it either is or isn’t. A moderate action will initially load a little further down the rod but that that doesn’t in itself mean the tip is soft. Often just the opposite, a fast tip will have a lower lure weight rating. A moderate or moderate fast action in a really heavy rod helps keep fish pinned when they surge at the boat.

This is somewhat common. Easy fix: take the handle and drag star off and set the AR clutch (C065) a little deeper into the side plate. This allows the spring washers to press on the top of the AR sleeve without binding. One more word of caution: pinnacle parts are virtually impossible to find anymore. Don’t lose or break anything.

I have to agree with AJ and I’ll add that a longer rod moves more line and should get better hooksets. If the frog body is stiff you can slightly bend the points up. Just something else to consider

A brand new Trion is $49.95. Pre owned I wouldn’t pay more than $30.-$35 even unused.

There’s a lot of good reels out there. At the $150-$200 price point you can hardly go wrong. Short answer to the OP is yes, the zillion and alphas are arguably a best value on sale or at JDM exchange rate

Richard, I can no doubt do what you’re asking, but it’s likely more economically viable to build from scratch. Email me to discuss. Mike

Sorry, yes, remove the old wrap and clean the tip and guide for good adhesion and use a Hi temp hot glue also referred to as tip top cement. The wrap is really just decorative but the little bit of finish that overlaps onto the guide adds a small amount of insurance or extra adhesion. Unless you have the supplies, if you want you can hand wrap some thread of whatever color and seal it with clear nail polish.

Flipping switches are useless imo and only serve to complicate service. YMMV

They used epoxy and used too much. That creates air pressure that pushes the tip off. And it set up that way and went unnoticed. You don’t have too replace the thread wrap if you don’t want to. I’d use the go temp hot glue if it were mine

I bought three sizes of Ci4 Stradic on clearance when they switched to the Vanford. The worm drive oscillation and self contained AR were primary selling points. After servicing several new Shimano’s with the new AR assembly I won’t buy another one until they change it. If you don’t service your own reels then it’s no concern. Of course I service them for customers but they’re unnecessarily difficult to work on so this is my own little protest.

In a DC reel there is no mechanical contact between the spool and brake surface. The grease you mention is strictly for corrosion resistance.

Walk off 30 yards of line and run a strip of electrical tape around the spool. This will keep backlash from going deep. Never muscle a cast. Let the rod load and do the work.

By little knob do you mean the spool tension knob in front of the star drag? They work independently from one another. They’re both just threaded knobs. Did he intentionally crank them down?

Why take the chance? Pulling snags with any reel is adusive and should be avoided. I’ve seen so many damages to rods and reels that were 100% avoidable. I have a piece of old broom handle that I use to pull on when necessary buts it’s rare if you pay attention to detail.

Even though it’s rated 1/16-3/8 it handles the 1/2 jig well? How did it do on the lower end?

In this case I think you’re fine. The blanket answer for readers is , it depends. 1/4 over on. 1oz rating isn’t bad where as 1/4 over on an intro light probably wouldn’t cast well.

It’s very easy to cross handle nuts. They should start easily and turn by hand initially. It happens. We’ll figure it out

It’s common for stripped or cross threaded nut to damage the shaft threads. Without seeing it that’s my guess. The hook set part is coincidental. Make sure the retainer is installed. Let me know if you want me to take a look.

When it comes to braid on a baitcaster, outside of frogging or heavy cover it’s all about line diameter and handling. I use line or similar diameter to mono or fluoro you’d use in similar applications.

Epoxy finish is not structural. Wraps are required to adhere the guides. Wrapping ultra light tips is challenging. Welcome to rod building

It’s impossible to say for certain without seeing it. Sometimes things just don’t seat quite right when reassembling. Drag chatter causes depend on the drag material. Some require grease (shimano dartanium for example) some run dry(synthetic and nylon that I suspect is in this reel) or can be used either way (Carbontex). Expectations need to be managed as well. An entry level reel developing some feel or sound after use or deep cleaning is not uncommon. I don’t think you did any harm in your lube process even though not optimal. Grease is not good on level winds due to their exposed nature. The grease collects debris and grit and will gum up.

I have to discourage this practice. There are way too many things that can go wrong. The gear tolerances in a reel are not tight enough to benefit from polishing especially under power. Any improvement noticed after this process is coincidental imo.

Choosing an abu over a Lews is equivalent to choosing a Chevy over a GMC. 6/half dozen.