Delaware Valley Tackle

The Lamiglas SR705 is great cranking stick.

I agree, if you're going to have bearings in the grips at all there might as well be two. However, I still think they're mostly marketing and an added expense with little or no benefit. There are some very smooth feeling bushing handles out there.

I like a high speed reel for buzzbaits to get them up on plane and into the strike zone quickly. Since you seem to already like revos I'd stock up on the clearance models Winch, STX and Premier. I don't spend a lot on spinning reels and think the Pfluegers are a great bang for the buck. Especially the President on up. I don't see where the MGX has enough over the Premier to justify the price difference, but if it helps you out tell the wife i said you HAD TO HAVE ONE.

I don't know how the Field & Stream rods compare to others. The Berkley Cherrywood seem to get decent reviews for budget rods. A St Croix Triumph is a little more but from a quality line. You want baitcast (trigger) rods. One 6'6" Med/Fast for top water, small cranks, light plastics and small spinners (triforce). One MH/F 7' for jigs, weighted plastics heavier spinners (5000c).

Remove the grease from the spool axle. The mating parts are machined to minimize wear. Friction can be further reduced by polishing the spool shaft, inside of pinion gear and spool ends. This is the process referred to a Super Tuning. 1/4 and 1/8 oz baits are better thrown with spinning tackle or at least finesse baitcasters. Baitcasters are better suited to 1/2> The 3/8 should be ok. The 1/4 might be stretch for this particular setup. Flushing the bearings in an acetone bath and lightly oiling will help maximize free spool.

James that is a work horse of a reel capable of much better casting. First thing is to make sure the weight of the bait you are casting falls within the ratings of the rod. A longer rod will aid in casting distance but a six footer of the proper power should be doing better. When re-lubricating you may have gone too far. Grease should be applied to gear teeth and oil to sliding parts and bearings. The spool shaft and spool lip should not be oiled. If none of this gives you any clues, I'd have to see the reel to diagnose.

You're welcome. I can be reached by email and phone as well if anyone has questions too involved to get into here.

There's your problem. The races are the groves in the frame where the spool lip rides. Get the alcohol and swabs out again and remove any oil residue from inside the pinion, spool shaft, spool, frame and you should be good. Most of the lubing is done on the crank side under the handle side cover. The oil that comes with a reel is primarily for the bearings. Here again, less is more. One tiny drop on the side of the bearing is all that is needed. Maintaining your equipment is admirable but needs to be done correctly. An occasional drop of oil on the worm gear (level wind) and each bearing along with a wipe down and removal of visual crud should suffice during the season. Over the winter have the reel deep cleaned and relubed. This is relatively inexpensive and will make the reel last and perform at its best. I extend a 10% discount to members here for services.

Where and how oil did you apply? If you put oil inside the pinion or on the spool or races that will slow the spool down a lot.

I can't quite visualize what you had apart. You said nothing on the hande or gears and then say you wiped down the gear on the handle side. Do you mean the bottom of the pinion gear visible when you remove the spool? Did you service the bearings at all? If you were using cotton swabs you may left fuzz behind either inside the pinion or the spool races. The spool mau just not be seated correctly. Pull the spool and look for contamination. If all looks good loosen the cast control knob and reinsert the spool. The brake side case should lock into place easily. Also, if you lubed you may used too much or the wrong lube in the wrong spot.

I give very little significance to line visibility except in very specific situations. I'm migrating toward Hi-Vis colors to aid in line watching. A black sharpie run across the first couple feet is all you need. If you want to stick with the moss green just fish it.

CLR is the best corrosion and rust remover I've found. If a reel is corroded it needs to be broken down anyway so the plastic isn't a concern. Silicone sprays (WD40 etc) can help somewhat for light jobs.

A quality spinning reel will have a very good (smooth) drag to protect the typically lighter line and for raw casting distance a properly set up spinning rig can't be beat. In an "Either/Or" scenario you can get by with either but being proficient with both gives you more options and enhances the overall fishing experience IMO.

Both being Pure Fishing products the basic engineering is identical. The Revo will probably have better resale value down the road just due to name recognition.

Ron White - "You can't fix stupid"

Probably fluoro more for abrassion than visibility. A hybrid like Yozuri might be even better.

1. Match lure weight to the rod 2. Consider lure profile when distance is critical 3. Spool up with 75 yards of braid (Power Pro 20lb) or get some KVD lure and line 4. Keep line diameter to 8lb or lower 5. fill spool to proper level ( about 1/8" below spool lip) 6. Make sure spool lip is clean and free of nicks and dings 7. Longer rod = longer cast shorter = better accuracy 8. Feather the line as it leaves the spool to fine tune distance and hit targets 9. Minimize line twist by being sure the line roller is free and lubed, close the bail by hand rather than cranking, use swivels as approriate and "troll out" twist when it happens.

Sure jigs will work. Any combo can be used for any presentation, it just might not be the optimum. Most prefer a 7' fast action for jigs and plastics but if you don't have a setup like that "run what ya' brung".

Shallow crank baits and topwater. Maybe a little light for a full sized Spook but Jrs, Sammies, Pop-rs. Will still work as an up close spinnerbait rod. Could make a decent stream smallie, bank rod to throw whatever.

I have a few short (6' or less) rods dedicated to in close spinnerbait casting, dock skipping and topwater. If you have a lure weight rating and action I can give you a better idea where it will perform best. Still, don't get too hung up on technique specifics. For example, one of the best Frog Rods I built was on a light salt water blank.

Those reels are built like a tank and perfectly fishable. I recondition them regularly with very good results. Paired with a 6' rod you may find the combo mismatched by today's standards but when the reel came out 5 1'2 and 6' pistol grip rods were common. You should be able to toss any 1/2 oz > bait without issue. Getting the outside cleaned up and basic oiling isa good start but if there is corrosion on the outside the inside should be deep cleaned before oiling.

IMO it's too much of a coincidence that you spooled braid and now the drag seems to not work correctly. To check it, press down firmly on the spool and turn the crank. Watch the spool rim. You'll likely see the spool turn but the line won't be taken in. Some Quantums use ceramic drag that is pretty thick. Smooth Drag does not have a Carbontex washer to fit those. (at least last time I checked).

Do NOT pour water through or intentionally dunk any reel to alleviate noise. You may mask it for a while but that's it. Spinning reels are no piece of cake to work on. Those videos are ok but as you can see, they don't tell the whole story. My suggestion is to not use it any more until it is fixed. I strongly suggest sending it to an experienced technician to diagnose and correct the problem. I'll be happy to take a look if you'd like. If you insist on DIY, I'll do my best to help you work through it but it's really hard without seeing, hearing and feeling what's going on.

The Core is a sweet reel but approaching the "enthusiast" price level. IMO it is the biggest bang for the buck at that level. There are so many good reels in the $125> range you'd almost have to try to go wrong. The ABU Garcia Revos on clearance are a great deal right now.

A Manager's sole responsibility is to make money at his store so he can't be blamed for that. However, it is short sighted to let good people get away just to scrimp on payroll. You have to spend money to make money.