Delaware Valley Tackle

The main things to keep in mind to care for reels: Handle them with care. Keep them away from sand etc. Wipe and allow them to dry before storing. One drop of the factory oil on the race (side shield) of each spool bearing periodically. (Every 6-8 trips maybe) Keep level wind clear of debris and very lightly oiled. Have reels deep cleaned annually or as needed. visible gunk and/or noticeable decrease in performance are sure signs it's time.

You got a good deal. There are a lot of reels out of production that still fish great.

True. Composites can also be of various modulus graphites. As stated, it's a technique used to get a specific action somewhere between what you'd get with one or the other. It's not all that unique or uncommon.

In case you don't have this to be sure everything is there and aligned: http://s7d5.scene7.com/is/content/purefishing/SUPREME%208035MG%201150253%20REV%2002pdf

Each of the big 4 (Daiwa/Shimano/ABU/Quantum) have positive design features of their own. At the end of the day only you can decide what you like best.

You need something fabricated or purchased specifically for this purpose. Bend the pin or ding the spool edge and you cost yourself $30-$40 +/-. You can soak the bearing in place or blast it with a spray as well, but you need to keep solvents away from the line and brake blocks.

x2 on the return. As far as adjustments go popping the spool out and loosening the cast control before reinserting might eliminate any slight binding.

Here's a basic primer from a respected source: http://www.rodguild.com/howtos/index.html?id=2

I'll make it unanimous on the importance of schematics. As far as mixing lubes goes, the chances of incompatibility are greater mixing greases than oils. If two lubes are incompatible they will not cause instant catastrophic failure. They simply don't lube as well as they would otherwise. Best practice is to clean and degrease parts prior to relubing. Doin't worry about over oiling bearings in a spinning reel a they are for support and not speed. FWIW, any manufacturer that tries to blame failure of their product on the lube I use will suffer my fullest wrath as a consumer.

A Walmart by me has a Citica D still in the case. It's marked at $119. I tried to get the mgr to sell for $89 which is what Gander was closing the E's at but no dice. He said he could do 10% but that's all.

The Chronarch is a fine reel, but so is the STX. Be aware of reel use, storage and maintenance to avoid problems. Sudden loss of casting distance may be an issue besides reel design or quality. Good luck and enjoy your new reel.

"Micro" covers a range of guide sizes so there is no one size fits all answer on them. Like everything else they have their time and place. The best guide is the smallest, lightest one that will do the job. Ice and filimentous algae may clog guides if they are a concern. As for leader knots, if a knot is knocking out inserts, the whole rod is trash. Junk it and start over. An Albright knot between 50# braid and 17# fluoro will pass through size4 guides with no problem. All else being equal a longer rod will cast farther and a shorter rod will be more accurate. You may want to try a 7' rod for your next one but there's no need to go swap out the 6-6 for a 7'.

The gains that can be achieved through Super Tuning depend on the model and condition of the reel. Older Shimanos are prime candidates and sometimes out cast newer reels after being tuned. A gear ratio change is a modification, not necessarily an upgrade. Some shops will charge to Tune any model and charge extra for "Even finer polishing". This is disingenuous at best. Once polished to a mirror like surface there's really no more to be done and using finer grits to polish doesn't involve any extra work or expense. There is no advantage in tuning reels with two piece, full floating spool designs. I'm happy to reply to PM, Email or calls with specific questions. Mike L DVT

Quality wise any of those listed will hold up with proper care. Feature wise the SX is a magnetic only brake design which some find hard to dial in. Beyond this its all personal preference and hard to go wrong.

ABU and Pflueger are both part of Pure Fishing. They share basic design as well as parts and tooling. The Pflueger models are priced lower primarily due to lower marketing expense. I believe all the Pfluegers use a solid spool shaft like the Revo S, but they still cast well especially after a good cleaning. If you like the Revo line the Pfluegers will feel familiar. If you want to really expand your experience a Chronarch (or Curado E) or a Daiwa might be worth looking into.

For bearings the oil that came with your reel is fine. If you don't have it, Oust or whatever is handy over the counter will work. You can also use Rem Oil, 3in1 or even sewing machine oil if you have one of them around the house. One small drop on the race of the bearing is all you need. You might want to consider a deep cleaning and lube once the season winds down.

You should be able to get by fine with what you have especially starting out. When you get a feel for the fish and cover in your area you can fine tune if you feel the need. One of the surf outfits is closer to what most use to target big cats.

At the $150+ price point you'd almost have to try to go wrong. The unweighted plastics you mention have enough heft of their own to cast decently on any quality casting rig as long as the rod loads properly. It's 100% personal preference. For really light baits something with a light weight wiffle spool and low line capacity helps a bit.

The cross-their-eyeballs/jaw braeking hooksets are for dramatic effect on TV. Heavy baits with heavy wire hooks need a little more force to penetrate but IMO the amount of force needed is played up. There is no reason to rule out braid just because you're using a heavy rod with a fast action.

The 6735 Pflueger President and 2500 Stradic are about the same size. I have both and like them. Bang for the buck wise Pflueger spinners are hard to beat. If $ is less of a concern I really like my Ci4 stradic.

Spool tension, brakes and thumb pressure all work in unison and play their own roll in casting. Over-doing or ignoring any one is counter productive. Flipping shims is a quick fix. Keep an eye on them and replace as needed.

That's one of the nice things about custom built rods, the blank doesn't know what it's "supposed to be" and doesn't care. A longer UL or Light helps protect that light line as JF can attest to from steelie fishing.

What do you mean by "cleaned up the reel a bit.."? A deep cleaning and proper flush and lube of the bearings will most likely solve the issue. The design differences between the E & G series shouldn't affect casting at all really.

Some compromise will be necessary to cover those two applications with the same setup. If you lean more toward the punching I think you're on the right track. A 1/2 oz bait might not cast real well but the heavier ones should be ok. I don't think 11# of drag is a handicap at all but Revos do test out higher. If you like the Chronarch invest $8 in a Carbontex drag upgrade and run them dry.

Any manufacturer claims that their rod & reels need to be paired together for top or enhanced performance is pure marketing. Each brand of reel has models that may excel in a certain application. This is definetely the case in rod blanks. IMO I'd mix and match according to personal preference and available deals.