Delaware Valley Tackle

I don't do a lot of weaving mainly due to the weight of all the extra epoxy. There are also many other ways to dress up a rod.

Is he saying that the bearings have lasted 3 yrs with TSI use or that the bearings haven't been lubed in three years? I can't imagine him suggesting the latter since there there are lots of other reasons to periodically clean and service a reel. It just doesn't make any sense to be in there and ignore the bearings. There are also lots of variables. I get reels that haven't been touched in 5 yrs that the owner claims are working fine. They're always pleasantly surprised.

Attempting a butt wrap on a first build is quite an undertaking. Props to you for that. Butt wraps are finished pretty much how you described. Once you have them locked down with a few wraps, feathering the loose strands with a razor blade makes the transition less noticeable similar to dressing guide feet. When you go to finish over the wrap do it in two or more thin coats. A light first coat just to seal the thread reduces the chance of bubbles escaping into the finish.

You can also savesome weight and shipping by using conduit or centarl vacum pipe if you can find it. It's plenty strong. The schedule 40 is a little overkill but sometimes all you can find.

Tungsten is very hard and sense and transmits feel better than lead according to some. It's much more expensive but if you're in one of the areas where lead is being discouraged if not outright banned tungsten weights and jigs might be worth a look.

Price has been the only real drawback to Daiwas reels IMO. I'm glad to see an offering at this price point that doesn't compromise the general quality.

The President is hard to beat from a bang-for-your-buck standpoint IMO.

PM sent

A 4" Senko and Gammie Finnese Wide Gap hook I have laying here weighs 1/5 oz. A 5" is probably closer to a 1/4 or a little over. That's near the lower end of lure weight ratings on a Med power rod and little below what most MH are rated. Of course these are subjective and personal experience will dictate which way to go at the end of the day.

I'm experimenting with the TSI lube. My initial impression is that that it is a good lube for spool bearings. I expect to have it available as part of a service eventually but as I've posted in the past there is no magic there or in any other lube. My philosophy is to focus on providing quality service and value for the cost. I don't believe it serves long term goals to jump on any bandwagon. I need to be convinced before I can recommend something and never over-sell. There is a lot of hype out there on several common topics. I don't wat to hijack this thread but I'll post a new one soon with some more comment.

The LD (Lube Dry) spec from Boca does not refer to a dry lube being added. From Boca's site : "All Ceramic Orange Seal fishing reel bearings are supplied Lube Dry (LD) without any grease or oil. Lube can be added upon request." All lubes are coatings without exception. Lube cannot be "absorbed" by metal. Some of course have better adherence than others but that is the best that can be hoped for. No lube lasts a lifetime and it's important for parts to be kept clean and free of contamination. Regular cleaning and proper care in between should allow ceramic hybrid bearings to have acceptable life. With that said, minimal oiling will add some life with little or no on-the-water performance affect. Even though the Orange Seals are meant to be non-contact that is not always the case. If you have reels that saw no gain after adding them, I suggest removing the seals and trying again. The bearings can be run open with no problem as long as some sort of regular maintenance is done on the reel.

Power, phone and internet service have been restored. We're up and running full steam. We're accepting reels for service and taking orders for rods for Christmas.

Line management is much better with braid on spinning reels in addition to the sensitivity and line strength advantages. I'm moving toward Hi-Vis on most of my own.

Both are quality reels and as stated it comes down to ability and preference. Accuracy is much more important to catch rates than distance casting in 99% of cases. Where raw casting distance is a concern spinning tackle can't be beat.

Most of my spinnerbait fishing is shallow short casts to targets and use a 6' med or MH with a fast action. Usually 15# > line

I'll check when I get back to the shop but they are a little over 7'

Please forgive me if anyone has tried emailing in the last couple of days without a response. Sandy knocked our power out. I'm back and forth between relatives in the meantime. and checking PMs when I can. Our thoughts are with everyone who bore the brunt of this one. God Bless.

These are MHX composite blanks. 1 Med one MH

I have 2 quality, Mod-Fast graphite blanks to be built. They'll make nice sqarebill, medium diver crankin rods. If anyone's interested in customizing one of these I can make a good deal. If not I'll be building them up and just put for sale. Thanks, Mike

Every tool-kit needs a hammer! lol

If you have new Chronarchs then you know exactly what a Curado E is/was lest for the slightly different gear ratio.

Acetone's about the best solvent I've found for bearings. Brake or carb cleaner woks well and you may have some already. U.S. cleaners are a nice perk but a little overkill for a a reel here or there.

Greasing the gears won't hurt anything like you describe. If this is the first time using this reel in this manner and don't have prior experience with it to compare you can probably chalk it up to the reel just not being ideal for that application.

Ya, the cutbacks required to get the Chronarch 50 to the Curado price point would eliminate most if not all the advantages the 50 size offers over the 200.

I worked in the lube oil industry including running a distributorship and the one thing I can guarantee 100% is that there is no magic out there. All you need to do is keep parts clean and lubed with a quality product in the proper application. The TSI 321 is a good product. Whether or not it's worth the cost is up to the individual. Just keep expectations within reason.