Delaware Valley Tackle

There is no Best. The key lies in keeping parts clean #1 and lubricated with an appropriate product for the application second. Yellow rocket Fuel is good. I'm using some Tsi 321 with good results. Oust, Rem Oil and even sewing machine oil work fine and are easily obtained bearing oils. As for grease, a water resistant and corrosion inhibiting grease like a marine grease is fine or you can opt for a synthetic like Super Lube. Wet drags should get only drag specific grease like Shimano's or Cal's which can both do double duty on gears as well. A heavier oil works well on sliding parts and the level wind due to its exposed nature. There is no magic to any of this.

FWIW I'm transitioning to all Hi-vis for jigs & plastics. I'm much more concerned about seeing my line than the fish not seeing it, and there's always leader options.

One guy's opinion doesn't set a new standard. A new bait design may minimize lure drag, but I don't see it going away completely. The only way to know is to try it for yourself and see what works for you. Personally I'm not ditching my C3's or Winch any time soon.

The rivers and creeks will be fishable any time now as long as they don't blow up from rain & runoff. As soon as the ice is off the lakes they're in play.

Where is the water reclaimed from? Sounds contrary to any of the eco-friendly stands so common today. Is the idea just to keep the ponds full for aesthetic reasons?

I've seen convincing arguments on both sides of the "hook kick out" theory. I snell straight shank and finesse octopus hooks and it seems to work, whatever the reason.

There's always a trade off though. The Shimano AR is among the sturdiest in spinners and I like the worm gear oscillation. They finally caught on with the x ship in the baitcasters, it would be nice to see the extra support in the spinners but not at the expense of the AR assembly they use.

That's right. I forgot to mention that. Lots of times if you pull the spool and turn the crank they'll feel buttery. Install the spool and you can feel and hear it turn. This isn't a problem, just lets you rule out gear noise.

I With they'd put that on the Eternity2

Everyone's definition of "smooth " is different. The Curado is a quality reel but no Core or Chronarch. Most of the ones I've seen are pretty over greased but once cleaned out a little more mechanical in feel.

Some amount of wobble is inherent in spinning reels. The counterweight you see inside the rotor is to help offset this. If the reel has high mileage the normal wear may be making the wobble more noticeable. If nothing is loose broken or bent there's not much to do about it. It's impossible to say without seeing it.

Short answer is yes. Please see my post in "spiral wrapped guides" in the rod n reel forum

Those are good choices. The CRB are a steal

That's a good point. Working your way up step by step gives you a clear picture of what you get for your money and where the point of diminishing returns is.

They were a customer request. To be honest I was a little unsure at first but when you see it in person with the Titanium colored blank it's pretty cool.

Congrats. It's a great feeling when the client is happy with your work. Like most of us you'll be your own worst critic. One of the hardest things for me to overcome has been going back fiddling with minor imperfections only to make things worse and cause rework for myself.

One should last as long as the other if cared for. The JM may have some features over the Citica in bearing count and braking. Neither is head and shoulders over the other mechanically speaking. You won't get burned either way. The Citica will probably be easier to unload down the road should you choose to.

A Super Tuned Bantam will outcast a lot of new stuff, but long casts are over rated as far catching is concerned. Accuracy is much more important.

There are definite and demonstrable benefits to spiral wrapped guide trains just as there are for micro guides, high modulus graphite and any other new technology. None of them is a magic bullet or cure all though. For more than a few an Ugly Stick and a $10 reel are all they need or want and they'll catch their share of fish. On the other end you'll find anglers sporting the most advanced blanks custom built with every possible current feature and method topped with a Steez or Stella reel. That leaves a lot of room in the middle. Whatever works for you and you enjoy using is the "Right" rod or reel for "you". To the OP, if the rod felt awkward to you with just a few test casts I would place the blame on other aspects of the build rather than the spiral wrapped guides alone. The true test of any rod is to fish it. No harm in trying it out.

x2 One of the best things about these fish is they'll live where others won't and are willing to bite when others won't like the dog days of August.

I use both but 90% lefty.

Now where solid, just some banter during the big spring sale when the PQ was being blown out at $60. We'll have to wait and see. In the meantime I wouldn't hesitate to grab a PQ. The Brownings and JM signature stuff is pretty much the same stuff but they charge a little for the name. You have to look close at the features and decide if the price is worth it to you based on that. Quality wise, they all come from the same place.

What they bought was the Browning name and inventory. The reel are built in the same factory as the PQ, Pflueger, Revo, Lew's, and others. There might be a move coming toward another factory, the one Quantum uses. This is just speculation based on rumor.

The durability of any of today's high modulus blanks is largely dependent upon handling practices. Don't bang them around or high stick them and you'll likely not have a problem.

A lot of reels have similar play in the handle. Chances are the real problem is the clutch kick lever. They are a wear item. I'd replace it and maybe flip the ratchet over.