Delaware Valley Tackle

It depends on how well they've been cared for and of course the price. Parts can be an issue for older reels but if the price is right you could use 1-2 as parts reels.

The Revo and PQ are both good reels. The Shimano Citica, Daiwa Exceller, Pflueger Supreme are all good as well.

It depends on your budget. Plan on $100 & up for quality baitcasters and $50 & up for spinning reels. For budget reels Bass Pro Shop Pro Qualifiers and for spinning Pflueger Presidents are great bang for the buck reels. Once you get into the $150 price point for baitcasters and $75 for spinning reels you almost have to try to wrong with lots of quality choices. If you have technique specific questions post them.

A large arbor may make heavier line a little easier to manage but that could be negated if the stripper guide on the rod is too small. Rule of thumb when we build a rod is that the stripper is about 1/2 the diameter of the spool.

The weight savings are not large numbers but on rods that are already light by historical standards they are significantly lighter as a %. The T wing line guide from Daiwa IMO falls closer to the "gimmic" category than does the practice of lightening a guide train. Unless you're building the rod there is no way to compare the affect of different guide choices be it in size or placement due to other variables. I agree that some mass producers over sell innovations such as "micro guides" and they do not always apply the technology in the most productive manner and may over charge for them, but that shouldn't lead to blanket interpretations dismissing the system completely. Spinning rods are especially sensitive to guide choice and placement but it is the stripper and choke guides that affect casting and not the few guides running out to the tip.

If you grease a drag, use ONLY actual drag grease. The ones contaminated with regular grease should be replaced. As for the original question, carbon drags can be greased, but don't need to be like on a salt water reel where fish make long runs and heat dissipation is a concern. Greasing the drag may make them a little smoother but personally I run them dry.

Micro guides save weight in the crucial tip section of the rod improving sensitivity and recovery speed. Whether or not you'll see a discernible difference depends on some variables and personal preferences. Some folks don't see any difference between a low end or upper end rod. "Micro" guides are not a cure-all, in general the smallest lightest guides that will do the job will retain the max of the blanks inherent qualities. Passing knots and connections is one concern. A well tied Albright connection between 65# braid and 17# mono will pass #4 guides easily.

Generally speaking, a moderate action rod helps keep fish hooked up on treble-hook baits. For shallow cranks I compromise and go with a graphite mod-fast. Extra fast is over kill for this purpose. A plastics rod needs to be as light and sensitive as possible with a fast action to feel bites and get the hook set.

That's the intent but there is no definition or standard as to what constitutes any particular IM number. It's just marketing.

If you like the Mojo you'll love an Avid.

IM9 is a subjective label and means nothing regarding the quality of a rod. That is not to say the BPS rod is bad, just don't hang your hat that IM rating. A lot of punching rods are broomsticks where as you want a rod with some tip for casting frogs. A heavy "frog" or "swimbait" rod might be able to do double duty for some punching.

IMO the Pflueger spinning reels are one of the biggest bangs for the buck out there. From a maintenance standpoint I hate those rear drag setups.

I strongly urge anyone to look into a truly custom rod before dropping that kind of coin on a production one. You can get something that looks and performs at least as well and probably better and it would be the only one of it's kind.

This depends a lot on your casting ability and style. Both of these systems work well but it will boil down to personal preference at the end of the day.

For simple chuck & wind sensitivity is less of a factor, but to feel the blades thump, ticking grass etc. a better blank is useful. I typically build spinnerbait rods the same blank as a jig/plastics rod.

You're more apt to hang up on long casts with jigs but it's a trade off when shore bound. From a boat, kayak etc. I'd reposition to keep casts a little shorter.

Naming alloys is another piece of marketing and an attempt to set manufacturers apart in a very competitive market. I don't believe there's any magic in any one of them. There are other factors that play into making a quality reel such as tolerances, QC, engineering etc.

A-rigs vary in design, construction and weight. A rod rated for the total weight of the rig can be used for other techniques throwing similar weight baits.

Only the deepest running cranks really benefit from low ratio/IPT reels. The 6:1 should work fine for you.

I like a 6' for precise in close spinner bait casting. I also use one for sometimes for shallow cranks or small top-water. These are my own builds. Custom and high end are where you'll see more varying rod lengths. It's just not feasible on a mass production scale to build too many odd lengths.

Your new rod loads differently and propels the bait differently . The amount of force and release point need to be re-learned. It will come with practice as suggested above.

Braid is the way to go for all the reasons noted above.

The PQ is by far the best bargain, a solid reel that comes in a number of configurations. The JM reels are good but like most signature reels some of what you pay for is the signature.

It's impossible to diagnose for certain without seeing the reel. Since the issue came on suddenly, my guess would be contamination of some sort assuming you haven't changed rods, line etc. You can try popping the spool out and making sure the rim and frame are clean and maybe put a drop of oil on the bearings. Beyond that it's probably time for a deep cleaning. I can turn them around pretty quickly still, but the busy season is right around the corner.