Delaware Valley Tackle

I receive my share of bag-o-parts orders. You wouldn’t be alone! Lol

Sorry I was too late to help but the community came thru as usual. Busy time of year. Glad you figured it out.

Regardless of which hand you prefer to crank with, try moving the fish with the rod and taking up line with the reel. Much more effective. I can, and do swap hands on some setups but prefer holding the rod in my dominant hand and cranking, in my case, with my left.

I fished with a club member that towed a glass boat with a mini van. You’ll be fine.

Incompatible greases are a thing but not nearly as common as the internet would have you believe. Grease Color is just dye. It doesn’t really mean anything. The Lucas product is also lithium based , is a quality product and perfectly safe to use.

The rod has much more to do with lure presentation. A 3000 reel on a Med spinning rod is arguably as versatile a setup as you can get for bass fishing.

You don’t “need” belly guides. They’re a minor tweak available if you choose. Within Pennie’s of the price of running guides, why not? I’ve even used them as running guides on heavy power rods.

From a wear prevention perspective a film of grease is call you need. Some reels come “over greased” to compensate for tolerances and may make a reel feel smoother temporarily. Grease is just thickeners called soaps used as a vehicle to carry oil and hold it in place. I use a cheap craft paint brush trimmed short to apply grease to the teeth of gears. If you applied grease to the whole circumstance of the gear it’s lubricated and the sound you hear isn’t doing any harm.

Unless it’s going from locked to free with nothing in between I don’t think there’s a problem

Nope

100% preference. Use the handle that feels good to you.

Mb874 will throw those size spinner baits well enough. I’d probably go mb873 if I wanted one specifically for those two baits

I have a nice Bantam Magnumlite on the bench right now.

Oem shimano bearings are very good. They used to be really expensive compared to equivalent aftermarket options but if the price is right you know what you’re getting.

By definition every braking system “decreases backlash” it’s what they’re for. Some systems are little more user friendly but none are magical. Your wife will need to master bait casting technique. She’ll be better off for it. In general, I find centrifugal brakes more user friendly than mag only with the exception of Daiwa inductor brakes. The STX is an affordable quality reel that one can learn on and not “outgrow “.

Kidding aside, in a pinch, I’d pick either a MH fast casting rod or Med fast spinning rod for a versatile all around rod. The final determination would depend on cover and bait weights.

lol. No…really….what are really asking?

I haven’t done anything yet

What’s your budget?

Thanks again guys.

Thanks for all the help. I know new bfs reels come with mag brakes for logical reasons. I prefer centrifugal brakes as a rule. In your opinion, can I get by converting my existing reel as a jumping off point? I just need something I can build around (testing blanks, seats etc.). How much smaller profile are the BFS models compared to a 50 size shimano?

Thank you. Japan tackle would likely be my source for a spool if I go that way. Thank you for sharing your experience. Then you for your reply and sharing your experience.

I need a BFS reel to dabble and use to R&D bfs rods. I have a couple never used scorpions and thinking of putting a spool in one of them. The only readily available option I’ve seen is the Avail Aldebaran/chronarch50e/core mg7 spool. For those initiated in bfs, is this a good option? Would I be better off in the long run to pick up a current Curado or Tatula bfs model?

This only holds true to a point. Dual pinion and crank bearings, spool bearings of course and the AR. Total of 7. Next would be level wind bearings (2) the least important are the 4 handle bearings.

It depends on the specific reel, what bearing you chose (ABEC rating, material) and how that bearing was lubricated. Some bearings come lubed with heavy oil. You want an ABEC3 minimum, ideally 5, or all out with ABEC7. Look for lube dry designation. Spin test new bearings prior to installation. Flush as needed. My guess is that the bearing you installed was sluggish with heavy lube.