Delaware Valley Tackle

No. I was not not clear when I said all but the drags. The oils I listed are suitable for bearings. The grease would go on gear teeth. To service the drag you will need Cals or Shimano drag grease. FWIW Crankshaft and handle knob bearings can be grease packed if you prefer that feel. I personally do not.

Shimano's drag grease can be used for drags as well as gears. If you have already have Rem Oil, 3 in 1 or even sewing machine oil oil along with Yahmaha Blue marine or Superlube grease you can lube all but the drags. Drag washers require a specific drag grease to function properly.

Goose, thanks for the confirmation. I don't usually replace the crank side bearing unless the reel uses a solid 1 piece spool shaft.

don't forget to factor the rod into the equation. If the rod is too powerful to load with the light bait you'll get poor results regardless of your reel choice. When matched with an appropriate rod, a "finesse" reel maximizes the setup. IMO tuning the new 51E will get you the best bang for your buck. If you really want the used Sol (or any used reel)it's well worth the few bucks to have someone go through it.

Does that model have a bearing on the spool itself? if so, the kit contains a 3x10x4 & 5x11x4. This is how other JM models are configured. I believe the PQ is 2 - 3x10x4 measuring is best to be safe. IDxODxW. I can sell them to you 10% off retail and install as part of a cleaning as well. My advice would be to have a reel cleaned prior to upgrading bearings to see if bearings are needed and to get the full benefit.

Patching will be unsightly. If the thread covering is not compromised I'd leave it alone and just keep an eye on it. Worse case is moisture gets underneath and the epoxy continues to peel. If that happens you rewrap and finish the whole wrap.

If they're ceramic insert guides you should be fine with any of the newer quality braids. Run a q-tip around the guides to feel for rough spots if you want to monitor for peace of mind.

Storing rods vertically standing on their butt in a rod rack is my preference. They can be hung horizontally as well just try to keep the hangers back away from the tip section. Hangers can be rubber coated or wrapped with some tape to protect finishes. Don't lean them in a corner and I don't like the idea of hanging weight from the reel. Actually I dismount the reels, wrap them and keep them in a tackle bag during the off season.

I believe BPS is cotracting straight with factories now for their reels but they still share design and tooling seen in Pure Fishing products (ABU, Pflueger...)This is NOT to say they are the same reels however. BPS has some good reels and some to stay away from just like everyone else. Post some specific inquiries and I'm sure you'll here from lots of folks on both sides.

There are some spinning reels with a fast ocssilation that will criss-cross line to help avoid digging in. Good, round braid with a reasonable diameter should be pretty manageable. That cheap Spiderwire reel is the only baitcaster that come to mind.

Thanks for posting John. It's nice to have someone that's good with a camera and computer as well as knowing what he's talking about.

Dave, when you say main ring are you referring to the flat top main gear that drives the pinion when the handle is cranked? If so, I do not mark them but make sure they are seated, meshed properly and smooth before buttoning it up. Where are you again in NEPA? We'll have to get together sometime.

Bladderwort is shaped kinda like milfoil or coontail but the "leavs" are net like and have little seeds all over. This stuff grows fairly deep, 6'+ and lays over matting on top. Our lake is using blankets and harvesting in attempts to avoid chemicals.

Merry Christmas Glenn, and thank you!

Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays & Happy New Year from our family to yours! We wish you all a safe and prosperous 2012. Thank you for your business, support and making Bass Resource the community that it is! Mike L

Role reversal:

I enjoy helping a young person enjoy a wholesome hobby. How many reels do you have that need cleaning? I'll do two free for you if you pay the shipping and the regular member price on any additional, debit, credit, check or MO. Merry Christmas! Mike

Yup, I agree that polishing the brake drum improves the performance. I do that as part of my "Super Tune" service. I've seen so many butchered "Tuning" attempts I'm hesitant to encourage the practice without exhausting other options. Your point about not sanding is right on.

9.14 is 1 pound shy of the NJ state record for LMB

I think what you are decsribing is Bladderwort. This is not a weed conducive to good fishing in my experience. Weed choked doesn't begin to describe this junk. Navagation is nearly impossible and they don't hold fish to the dgree that other weeds seem to. The mats are so thick a fish couldn't come through it to hit a top water even if they were under there.

Nate Follmer organized a get together there earlier this year. He might put you in touch with the attendees if that would help.

I'd like to be that guy just to play with ya' but I can't. Not even for a joke.

The butt on this rod (post9)is flared which will make a tight fit in back and loose in front. Reshaping the butt is the way to go.

Which Curado do you have that you like so much? If it's the E7, the new Chronarch is the closest to it. The Curado G is still a very good reel $40 less than the Chronarch, $30 more than the Citica. IMO the new Curado is probably $30 more refined than the Citica but both are good reels. The Citica doesn't offer any advantage over the Curado that I can see unless the $30 difference is a factor. It's a gift, why not splurge? Edit: link added http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/products/reels/low_profile_baitcasting/Curado_E.html

Weighting the inside of the blank presents some challenges especially on a finished rod. If that's what you want I suggest contacting a rod builder for assistance.