Delaware Valley Tackle

Pro Service is definetely money well spent and of course we welcome your business! Send to: Delaware Valley Tackle 2739 Gold Key Est Milford, PA 18337 Enclose a repair order dowloaded from our website or a handwritten note with all contact info and description of any symptoms or problems. Cost is $16.20/reel ($18-10%) + shipping and parts if needed. Thanks, Mike

I like these blanks a lot and readily recommend them for custom builds.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the Bass Resource Forum members, staff and sponsors. I'm looking forward to spending 2011 with you all. God Bless you and yours! Mike L DVT - Delaware Valley Tackle

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the Bass Resource Forum members, staff and sponsors. I'm looking forward to spending 2011 with you all. God Bless you and yours! Mike L DVT - Delaware Valley Tackle

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to the Bass Resource Forum members, staff and sponsors. I'm looking forward to spending 2011 with you all. God Bless you and yours! Mike L DVT - Delaware Valley Tackle

I haven't fished a Toro but I prefer centrifugal braking over magnetic in general and have no complaints with other ABU's I have used. Neither system will take the place of the proverbial "Educated Thumb" though.

But on what reels is this actually true? For example, look at the Shimano Symtre. There are actually more washers on the rear drag, and they are the same size. I mean it SHOULD work that way, but that isn't what I find being made. J I have to agree with you when you compare reels of the same line or equal quality. The fist thing that popped into my head thinking about rear drag was some cheapo's I'd had in recently.

A front drag allows for larger disks and oftena higher stack. It is also more direct being on the spool as opposed to the far end of the drive shaft. All in all the front drag is a more efficient design.

Email them. The parts guy, Greg I think his name is, emailed me one last year. Email me too if you want and I'll forward it. Mike

Seriously? Even brand new? Why is that? Do they just gunk it up with too much grease from the factory? If so, would getting all that excess grease off and replacing it with a light layer give me smoother performance? Thanks The factories tend to over-lube. My guess is they are combating shelf time, shipping and storage conditions and doing as many as possible as quickly as possibble. I flush even brand new bearings prior to installation and re-lube them as well. No way can a mass production unit afford that kind of attention to detail.

All reels should be serviced at least anually, more often if used heavily or under extreme conditions. Most any reel will benefit from a thorough cleaning and proper lubrication, even right out of the box.

The BPS reels compare best to the Revo and Partiarch since they're all Pure Fishing products. They are good values especially at sale prices.

x2 This about sums it up. Experiment until you find what feels right to you. There is no "Right" or "Wrong" just opinions.

Here's all the ins & outs of the float & fly rig: http://www.floatandfly.com/ More info than I can put in a post. If you don't find exactly what you want in a manufaturer rod, let me know if you want to consider a custom. Mike

The best idea really is to have them serviced professionally. The cost is very modest ($16.20 ea after discount) and the results will be much better. If you insist on DIY, you can email or pm me and I'll help you out. Mike

Send it for proper repair, especially since the guide will need re-wrapping since the thread is loose.

FYI http://reviews.basspro.com/2010/10219245/wright-mcgill-skeet-reese-victory-baitcast-reels-reviews/reviews.htm http://reviews.basspro.com/2010/10219255/wright-mcgill-skeet-reese-victory-spinning-reel-reviews/reviews.htm http://www.austinkayakfishing.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=33313&sid=bf949c2affdfe8e95d043afc8ba68fda

I use a moderate or mod-fast taper for heavy, heavy cover. I want the hookset and weight of the fish to load up the entire blank, not the tip and then the backbone. I'm setting the hook and hoisting the fish up out of cover in one movement. For anything else, I agree - a light weight, sensitive, mh/xf rod is pretty much what I want for a jig rod. Is your goal to protect the rod tip during on an aggressive hookset, or do you feel you have less control of the fish with a fast action rod?

I stick with Flex Coat primarily because I'm used to it and know what to expect. Mixing slowly to keep bubbles from forming to begin with is important. If you pour it out onto a piece of aluminum foil and exhale on it to break the surface tension, you should have a bubble free starting point. If the thread or tunnel makes a bubble, hitting it with a alcohol flame will zap it. Everyone has their own process like RM said, keep practicing and find what works for you.

This is another good point. People may confuse a softer tip with a mod. action.

For a float and fly presentation you want a rig similar to what is used by the steel head guys. I don't know about the BPS Brand specifically, but lengths from 8 1/2' up to 14' in ML power is typical. The length aids casting and line mending if drifting. This isn't a heavy cover technique, so ML power is sufficient.

I'd be interested to hear the rationale for a slower action in a jigging rod. If you're not hooking up, it probably has more to do hook choice, bait selection, rigging.... MH or Hvy depending on cover and a F or XF action is my recommendation.

Using chair tips as butt caps, both weighted and not, is fairly common practice for rod builders. Works well.

Definitely loosen for long term storage. I think it's most important on bait casters to let the pressure off the spring washers but not a bad idea for spinning reels as well. I'd loosen between trips if you're one to crank a drag down tight.