Delaware Valley Tackle

Actually, the Tournament and Elite use the same blank the Xtreme is a step up, their top end blank. They are all nice rods. Some people see a real difference in top end rods, some slight and some none. I don't think you'll ever know unless you try one. St Croix blanks are available to custom builders as well if you don't like the handle options etc.

If the motor and rudder are mounted on the front of a Bass Raider will it keep the tail from spinning around?

I had a similar experience last year. After the initial disappointment though I took consolation in that I must be doing something right to have hooked him at all.

Either reel is capable of casts well beyond hook-setting distances. It comes down to the features and your preference. The Daiwa braking system is arguably the best but Shimanos cent. brakes are largely set it and forget it and are very manageable.

Pistol grips and round reels still catching fish. Nice to see. Thanks for posting.

Flushing the grease out of the AR and swabbing it with light oil should show an improvement. In a lot of cases the fit between the AR sleeve and drive shaft shows more movement than the roller bearing.

Reel parts can't reach speeds high enough to benefit from anything above and ABEC5 anything more is pure enthusiast territory, which is fine as long as expectations are realistic. The skepticism of the cheap bearings that surface here and there is based on the old "if it sounds too good to be true..". I can see under cutting a competitor if you can by a 10% or so but why leave 300% on the table? It's just not how business works. It's some bearing distributors I'm leery of not colleagues.

Annual deep cleaning is a good starting point. More or less often depending on use and any symptoms that develop. Oil bearings every 4 trips or so if heavily used.

Any reel can handle braid if it's spooled correctly. Use backing or tape to keep it from slipping, spool it under tension to make it lay evenly and tightly. 30# or heavier is easier to manage on casting reels. When you get hung up wrap the line around a dowel or something as opposed to pulling with the reel.

The ABU A/R is usually pretty positive. An end of season cleaning probably would have corrected it if it didn't drive you crazy in the meantime. The Crazy Cranker is a nice reel, typical of Daiwa. The downside is that Daiwas are a little more expensive than comparable competing models.

10# + steel head are landed regularly with light power noodle rods. It will be more of a fight but with proper drag settings you can land the occasional bass in open water with that rod. Just watch the tip and point it down to keep the tip from bending beyond 90* to the butt. If you want a bass specific setup for long casting I need to know what lure weight and type you're using.

I really can't say without seeing it. Try locking the tabs down on all the brakes and see if it makes a difference.

To test a bearing flush,dry and spin on a dowel or pencil point etc. It should spin freely and quietly and come to rest gradually. The clicking you hear is probably not bearing noise. The spool pin may not be inserted fully and is clicking on the bottom of the pinion. There may be some contamination, spool damage or a brake issue. It's impossible to tell for sure without seeing it.

Turn around varies with season and day to day orders. If you need a deadline met call or email and I'll schedule to meet your needs. Please keep in mind that the complete frame bare cleaning I do takes just under two hours per reel. Shimano reels are among the simplest to work on, so they're no problem. Sorry for the missed call. Please try again or email me and I'll get back promptly. Thanks, Mike

The spinning reels is possibly the biggest bang for the buck at that price point.

The hooks won't straighten out unless you want them to, as in freeing a snag. There's always the option of a leader too for abrasion resistance and to make break-offs easier (shore fishing, back of the boat etc.)

The plastic you're rigging really light too. Just going to a heavier salted bait (Senko, Dinger etc) will make a difference and any of the weighting techniques mentioned already will get an even faster fall. Nail weights will work too, look up "Neko rig"

I'd replace the roller sleeve if there is obvious wear but the roller clutch should respond just fine to cleaning and proper lubrication. Chances are there are other factors at play as well. I'd start with a deep cleaning / inspection and go from there.

Likely a relatively simple fix, but should not be necessary right out of the box, or ever unless someone gets into it.

Regardless of brand, if a new product doesn't meet expectations, return or exchange it.

Unless it's a deep cranking rod with braid in the harshest of conditions the guides should be fine if they are quality.

Thanks guys. I'm always available to answer questions either here or by email or phone. A standard cleaning involves stripping the reel to the frame, batch cleaning and individual inspection of all parts, flushing of bearings, reassembly with proper lubrication. Super Tuning, where applicable, involves fine polishing in steps of spool friction points: spool shaft, shaft ends, inside pinion gear and brass tension spacers if present. Polishing these surfaces to a mirror finish noticeably increases free-spool.

Guide frames or rings? Frames, the chrome looks nice, not the best choice for saltwater applications. As for guide rings, I use a lot of the Minima4 guides (SS rings) with good results. They are super light weight, inexpensive and durable. I haven't seen any problems with braid so far, but as mentioned, application and environment plat a role in choosing components.

Jig first flipped & pitched into the holes, spoon across the top and let fall into holes. If fish are less aggressive and won't hit the fast falling jig try the senko in the more open holes. I'd throw the frog later on when the weeds green up and thicken more.

I like that finish. It looks rich but not gaudy.