Delaware Valley Tackle

You can turn down the existing grip material and use it as an arbor too. The need for arbors to account for the taper is the only difference in installing a grip from the butt. If you want to remove the old grip just pinch off chunks with a pair of pliers being careful not to crush of crack the blank. A little heat and scraping will get the remaining residue. Cork filler is easy to use if the pitting is shallow.

Does Alps have a High Frame or Match type guide?

Blank spine/spline is one of the most misunderstood and over analyzed properties of rod blanks. With your eyes closed you could not possibly identify it from the feel of the rod. This is a QC issue that will boil down to a mislabeled blank most likely, possibly some other manufacturing anomaly.

Grab a 30 size Pflueger President on sale somewhere $50 +/- and the highest end rod you can find with the rest. St Croix Rage or maybe Avid on sale, something similar. I'm leaning more toward ML/F for my spinning tackle. It depends what and where you want to cast.

Don't use CP on just part of a wrap or you'll get blotches. Even NCP thread is not 100% impervious to CP.

Brake settings will vary widely between users and setups. I'd start with 3 cent brakes activated, set the spool tension for a slow controlled fall then set mags according to wind conditions. I fish some PQ reels on a similar technique and find them pretty user friendly.

I prefer a Boga type lip gripper or a net when treble hooks & toothy critters are in play. Lipping is doable but as you can see from your friend's mishap extra care needs to be taken.

Understood, I'm glad to help. Whenever these vids pop up though I feel compelled to clarify what you get for your money when you do send reels in.

Good point. Also, Moderate action doesn't necessarily equal soft, whippy or not sensitive.

This is a first for me. Goes to show, anythings possible I guess.

Minor differences can occur between "identical" make and model even, but between brands there are very often differences because there are no industry standards and the terms are subjective. It's my observation as well that reels of the same make and model tend to each have their own personality and feel slightly different often times. Are these supposedly the same rod that the mfg may have mislabeled one?

The Stripper will go 19.75" from the reel spool face and the reduction guide will go 11" in front of that. So you can compare that to the current placement. Running guides may/ may not be placed as the current ones are. Static testing is required to check that.

Adjust the flexible "ears" on the AR dog and grease the gap. Make sure tabs grasp the ratchet when installed. That'll be $22 please. JK Let me know if you have any other questions. FWIW these videos are better than nothing, but a far cry from a complete frame-off deep cleaning.

It depends on the finish that's on there. If it's a bare graphite the old guide placement may be only slightly noticeable. If it has a painted finish expect a less than pristine look but maybe not horrible depending on how the current guides were applied and how much care is taken in removal. Unless this is a real high end blank the labor involved in rewrapping a rod can easily exceed the cost of a simple ground up build. Only the builder you choose can tell you for sure what to expect and options. The Micro Wave system is extremely effective, easy to employ and forgiving if swapping reels and line often.

No. Metallic is not ideal for guide wraps though. The tension required can strip off the metallic coating. It can be done but IMO metallic is better left as trim.

Brand? Model? Pac Bay's Minima4 ring-less guides use hard stainless and hold up perfectly well. They are super light and affordable as well. Get the 4's over the 3's as they are double swaged.

Yes, The zirconia are probably pretty close. Hardness is the least of my worries though. I look for the combination of hardness and low weight. That's what I like about Alconite compared to lower Fuji guides. I'd have to weight a set of each of the Alps and Fuji to know how they compare exactly. My gut tells me it would be splitting hairs.

I noticed the same. Is there anything I can help you with?

The teflon tape acts as a release agent. Also, the cork needs to dry on the inside as well so the mandrel gets pulled out before it's set.

That's nice blank and itself retails for $105, more like $125 w/ shipping. Med-deep diving cranks I like a glass rod. The MHX S-Glass are worth a look if glass is an option.

Spline/spine is often debated as well. It's an 80's theory that has for the most part been replaced by building on the straightest axis. Reason being, you don't fish on just one plane. Tom Kirkman did a rod breakage test and found that dead lift capacity was lowest when the axis is oriented as you describe.

The spool rim, frame, spool shaft, inside pinion gear will all affect casting performance if not free from contaminants including dirt, oil and grease. And it doesn't take much.

You've been cheating? And this close to Valentine's Day? I'm hurt. lol

That's right. Casting is the true test. Spool weight and size, brake system and some other things affect free spool time but don't necessarily have any negative impact on casting. Just curious, did you remove the seals prior to installation and /or spin test each bearing prior? If not, do so. It will make a difference.

What are using for a reel and line? I'm not sure of the height of those guides but for a 2500 size w/ mono or fluoro I'd be looking more like 20/12/8/5.... for the guides. A 1000 size reel with braid you're probably alright.