Delaware Valley Tackle

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By moving the guides to the bottom of the rod a spiral wrap avoids the tendency of a rod to torque or twist under load. It also keeps the line off the blank avoiding line slap which will increase casting distance and accuracy. What Raul said about the spine being important is true, however a quality rod should be built with the spine in mind regardless of guide placement technique.

Hi and.....

Aboard!

Aboard! I'm in the Delaware Water Gap in NE PA. Some good fishing in NE PA and North Jersey.

Welcome aboard!

Here http//www.delawarevalleytackle.com/ if you want to ship or Here http://www.lakeladyrods.com/ is a local builder I saw get positive reviews on another site Mike

x2 These 3 rigs will let you properly present most any bass bait.

Parts can be hard to find on older reels. Scanning the upcoming area flea markets for a parts reel might be a good idea.

2x what Ronnie said. 3x

kikstand has a point. The key is regular cleaning and appropriate lubrication. No one's product will do irreparable harm is used correctly.

I'd consider the 5'6" for in close spinner-bait casting

I've never reamed one of these but I'm curious. What are you building?

What ever brand you settle on: oil for bearings/ grease for gears. If changing brands, thoroughly clean all parts of any residue since some lubes are incompatible with one another.

There may be a screw going through the worm gear assembly from the crank side into the opposite case. As you said definetly don't force anything. What are the symptoms of the reel that is broken?

I fished Black Lake several years ago. We caught LMB, pike and sunfish. If I recall the town was Hammond. I didn't use a guide but there were several advertising locally. The lake is shallow,weedy and turns the color of pea soup in late summer. It's a short drive to the St Lawrence from there also. We spent week in the area and had a really good time.

Count one more for spinner-bait. I actually built something similar for the same application. Allows good accuracy and a low cast for soft entry.

Cleaning and lube can be done yourself, however, if the problem is deeper a professional assessment is relatively inexpensive. There is saving money, then there is money well spent. Good luck!

Are you concerned with over-all weight or a heavy tip? If you're looking for a better balance look at different handle lengths. If you can't find what you want, you might consider a custom build.

A little wax on the ferrule and a quarter twist to align the guides will help hold the pieces in place and keep them from seizing if left together for a spell.

1) Use alcohol on a swab to clean the brake drum. After it dries, use a new oiled swab to apply a light coat to the drum surface. 2) To oil the spool bearing, put one drop on the race (groove holding the ball bearings) 3) These two bearing can be oiled the same way. Now, to do this job right, the bearings should be removed and cleaned of any lube and dirt. Mixing lubes is never a good idea since some are incompatible with others. Reel maintenance can definitely be do-it-yourself but like previous poster said, a professional job is well worth the relative low cost.

If the only reason for a shorter rod is transporting it, I'd consider a two piece. Performance and reliability shouldn't be a problem, especially since you're looking at quality tackle. If you want a special length one piece, you might consider a custom builder.

Open the side plate opposite the crank and look for a centrifugal brake. It would similar to a brake shoe inside a drum with 6 or so magnets that slide out and slow the reel. Each magnet can be clipped down to lock in place rendering them inoperable. If the side plate has no screws it may twist open, probably not easily if it's never been opened. The eBay seller may also have some info. Good luck! Let us know how you make out.

x2 You want large profile & dark color for contrast, colorado blades for vibration and slow retrieve to give a chance to find and eat it. The same ideas apply to night fishing. Good luck!

On this site go to Fishing Articles/Tips&Tactics and in the Equipment section there is a sub-section titled knots. Good luck!