Delaware Valley Tackle

I'm partial to Pflueger spinning reels for there bang for the buck. However, I recently acquired a Stradic Ci4 2500 that will go on a custom 6' 10" ML/XF with almost identical specs as the St Croix. The combo balances perfectly and is super light.

I don't see any need to deviate from your normal choice. My spinnerbait rod is a custom Med/Fast 6' short handled and does some topwater duty as well.

Something's definetely wrong. I work on a lot of Revo's and can't remember a total AR failure let alone multiple ones. Email me some more details of the symptoms or send them in and I'll see what's up.

There are no reel specs that match any particular rod. About the only thing relevent there would be weight and profile. These traits help you balance the setup. Basically you just want it to feel good in your hands. There are many whole threads about "balancing" a rod or combo so I won't get into that here. Reels have different line capacity and gear ratios that can be used to fine tune presentations. Right out the gate you can keep it simple. 6.3:1 is a standard gear ratio for all around use. Again, a search here will provide hours worth of reading about ratios and IPT (inches of line retrieved per turn of the handle). Invest in a quality reel and take care of it and it will last a life time. Shimano, ABU, Daiwa, Quantum and BPS all have quality reels in the $100-$150 +/- dollar range. Post for feedback on any model you're interested in and I'm sure you'll get lots of feedback.

I just got the catalog and saw that myself. Good deal for a tight budget.

$119 is a great deal on the Curado. I bought one myself. 7:1 ratio is not mandatory but neither will it hurt anything comapared to a 6.3:1. The Curado 201B is a classic reel that is sturdy and casts well. They are also a prime cadidate for tuning for even better performance and can be bought for $60 +/-. The Revo line are quality reels too. I personally prefer centrifugal braking so would go to the STX which has dual braking or stick with an S model.

Three setups should cover you for common bass fishing techniques: 7' MH/Fast casting (jigs,t-rigs,spinnerbaits...)1/2oz> 7'Med/Fast spinning for <1/2oz 7' MH/Mod casting for crankbaits and other trebelhook lures For bottom contact applications (jigs, plastics..) scew your budget toward the rod and get the lightest most sensitive rod your budget can accomodate For fishing moving lures like deep cranks that have a lot of resistance a strong smooth reel is more important than ultimate sensitivity. As far as brands go, there are as many opinions as there are anglers. In general, $100-$150 budget for a baitcast reel, $60 for spinning reels and $100-$150 for rods gives you so many choices for quality gear it's almost hard to go wrong. You can certainly fish successfully on a tighter budget too, you just need to shop carefully and ask for reviews before you plunk down your cash.

I prefer to cast spinnerbaits to targets, so a shorter fast action rod works well. If you're distance casting to cover water, a longer rod will will better. A 7' MH worm/jig rod will work fine for spinnerbaits if you need a multi purpose rod.

Just for future reference, a blank can be repaired by splicing but this not anything for an inexperienced person to take on. Trimming a blank from either end results in a slower (albeit possibly stiffer) action.

One of the advantages of a Tennessee handle is that you can position the reel anywhere along the handle to help balance it. Lighter guides and/or a balancing weight in the butt may be a better option if needed.

How heavy a jig? How deep? Cover?

The power of the rod you choose needs to match the bait weight or the rod won't load and you need velocity on the bait for it to skip. Those baits you mentioned work well on a Med/Fast rod. Cover isn't usually super heavy in an area where you would skip-cast a bait to so you should be ok from that angle as well with a Med power rod.

Look for some deeper water within casting distance. Check the inlet and outlet for channels and water oxygenated by the current. Fish should become more active and move shallow again as fall approaches. You can try some moving baits like a spinner and cover more water.

A large arbor spool helps reduce coiling from line memory. The only real world advantage I can see would be if you want to use line heavier than what you would normally use on spinning tackle without going to a much larger, heavier reel. For 6-8 mono, fluoro or any braid a regular 2500 class spool works fine.

You should also make sure the roller clutch is seated properly. If the roller sleeve does not protrude from the top of the roller the drag star can't put enough pressure on it when tightened.

Sounds good. Thank you for your service. Be safe!

Better guides should be less of a problem. Being a little more vigilant in your rod handling may be helpful too. I don't see any reason to stop using tungsten though.

Yup, that's it.

Once epoxy has set, there is no chemical that will remove it. At least not one that will not eat the blank as well. Conservative use of heat will soften ithe epoxy slightly so you can scrape it with a plastic putty knife. You can use a razor blade but be very careful not to cut into the blank fibers. Same goes for sanding. Go slow and do not go past the blank finish.

There are a lot of good spinning reels in the $60-$100 range. One of the biggest bang-for-your-buck deals is the Pflueger President. The Supreme has been on sale lately too.

The free play you see in the drive shaft is normal. A bearing will make retrieve somewhat smoother but the tolerances are'nt that different. Both designs have some play there. Some times the fit is a little tight or the shaft has a slight burr that makes sliding the main gear off harder. As long as the gear seats well it won't affect performance.

I'm not sure form your description what part you're looking at, but in general each part serves a purpose and could cause a problem if missing or mis-assembled. As k_mac suggested, never disassemble a reel without a schematic in front of you. Something is no doubt mis-assembled from the sounds of it.

Except for gearing options and a bearing on the drive shaft these two reels are nearly identical. I doubt swapping anything between the two will solve the problem. Let us know how you make out.

If you've rulled out line slippage and spring washer orientation, the next thing I'd look at is the drag washers to be sure graese or oil has not migrated onto them. The spring wahsers may be weak. The gearing should have no affect on the drag. The Carbontex drag is the real deal and an affordable upgrade. Also check the reast of the gear shaft parts against a schematic to be sure nothing is missing or out of place.

I think it was Mike Iaconelli that coined the phrase "Panic Box" for a group of baits to rely on when nothing else is working. I'm sure you can search posts or articles with the details but it's basically slow finesse baits like small grubs, tubes and the like.