Delaware Valley Tackle

My Dad is a Johnny Cash fan. I could've very well been named Sue, so......

If you'd like to send your reel in to me be sure to include your screen name and I'll apply a 10% members discount making the cost of service $19.80 plus shipping. My service is a complete stripping of the reel down to the bare frame. Cleaning and degreasing of all parts and followed by close visual inspection of each part before reassembly and lubrication. Every reel is bench tested for proper operation and wiped down for packing. Done properly, this process takes about 90 minutes, often more for extremely dirty / corroded reels (for which there may be a surcharge). Take into account overhead for supplies etc and you'll see that the service is a great value. Let me know if you have any questions. And thanks everyone for the kind words and support. Mike

Anyone using these? Do you prefer them to Spooks, or use them in different conditions?

Well there goes another worst kept secret ever. lol. The Ika rigged backwards and weedless on an EWG hook is a go-to for both SMB and LMB. You can fish it in place of a senko when the fish are aggressive and want a faster fall and will get more bites when worked back than a senko. Dragged around rock pile and humps the smallies will eat them up. They also make a good C-rig bait. I don't fish them weightless in more than 10-12 feet or if drifting too fast as they tend to ride up off the bottom.

Like most things in rod building there's more than one way to skin a cat. You'll see several variations on spiral wrapping referred to as Simple, Roberts, Revolver to name a few. In a Simple spiral the guides are laid out as usual all on top, then the second out to the tip are all turned to 180* and a transition guide is added between the stripper and second guide (some are skipping this step and just letting the line rub a little. A non-issue on a bass rod). I use more of a Revolver method. Install the tip top at 180* and the stripper at 0. Mount the reel and run line through the stripper and tip. Put a running guide where the line hits 180* and 1-2 transition guides in between. place running guides as static testing indicates. The stripper may or may not end up at 0. It may need to t be at 10* or -10* depending on line lay which needs to be checked by casting and retrieving under load. There is no "right" or "wrong" either way hence the Custom part. Scott H will probably chime in to. Once you try a spiral wrapped rod you'll likely never go back.

The last reason in the world I would base a purchasing decision on is a paid endorsement, but ya a little gossip would be good. "We're just not the gossipy kind, you'll never hear one of us repeating gossip. So you better be sure and listen close the first time"

I care so much I didn't even catch that this two years old. lol

X2 It's a misconception that you're pulling the bait away from a fish and they "need time to eat it" and that stretchy line will compensate. Using a more sensitive combo of rod and line along with sticky sharp hooks and being ready for a quicker hookset has actually improved crankbaiting for me.

Is their reel trade in program good for all purchases or just on the BPS reels? (I know PQ is excluded).

That blank in an SCIII is rated for 1/16-5/16 casting weight. It will cast the 3/8 a distance but may not be my choice for in close accurate casting. The butt measurement is .4". The taper isn't very fast in the butt of these so depending on the grip length you're probably looking at .35 +/-. You can't really judge power by butt diameter alone due to the differences in materials, wall thickness etc. I've built on the 13' and it lands big steelhead no problem. Kinda off the OP, but FWIW, I built a 4 1/2' rod from the front half of a fly rod blank for a client that fishes the limestone creeks in PA with small spinners and he lands some impressive rainbows and browns.

PM sent. I did a build for a member here on an NFC blank not long ago. There are lots of nice blanks to choose from for a custom rod. I'm sure we can do something nice for a fair price.

You can look on the packages for the line diameter and do the math. If the 15# is x% thicker the line capacity will go down by the same %. Assuming the 145 yds of 12# is accurate it should hold a little over 100 yds of 15#.

There are a lot of these still in service. I've got a few on thee bench right now. The 100's are a nice size

I've run out of Ikas and "made" them by stuffing senko scraps into a tube and they worked, probably not as well though.

Are you sure? And if so does it matter? Everyone has their own take on these questions I'm just encouraging keeping an open mind and not drinking the cool-aid.

The Ika is a go-to for me. I don't know about gliding further, the weight may just pull the nose down, but a faster fall and added weight for deeper water and faster current may make this work where the Ika wants to ride back up. It's fun to tinker isn't it?

The trick to the SX is simply to be sure the mags are off/lowest setting before setting spool tension if fine adjustment is difficult be sure the tension shims are all there, undamaged and clean. you can also check the frame and be sure the spool isn't being interfered with by contaminants. My guess is that the reel in question would benefit from a deep cleaning.

Congrats. Enjoy & stay safe!

Get well soon. Don't rush it, that just prolongs healing in the long run. We'll save you some.

If just for backing, use the cheap dacron like we use on fly reels as backing.

For one, only drag specific grease (Cal's etc) should be used on drags. Remove the gear grease and run the carbon drag dry. Check the yoke as suggested, but also be sure the ratchet washer is seated followed by the rest of the gear/drag stack. If you didn't, print a schematic of the reel and be sure all the parts are there. In the future use heavy oil as opposed to grease on the worm gear. The exposed nature of the gear causes the grease to collect dirt and gum up.

Do you mind sharing the brand and spec you used? Also, did you clean the reel at the same time? Reason I ask is that I see where factories grease the frame to quiet the spool and after cleaning the spool can be louder as well.

10' on a cast won't likely result in any extra fish but if you want to experiment you'd fill the spool except for 1.5 long casts worth then add your top shot.

There is a very specific order of steps to set up an sx and have it perform as intended. If they have been followed there are only a handful of things that can affect casting as far as the reel itself are concerned. Double check each guide to be sure they are threaded properly and undamaged. The only thing I can suggest as far as the reel itself goes is a deep cleaning to rule out any contamination.

Ceramics are a little louder, but I don't find them to be the growling monsters that some do. lol I look at like it hot rodding a car or bike. Faster almost always means louder to some degree, and to be honest, stock is probably fast enough anyway.