Delaware Valley Tackle

Nice work as always

Yup it’s called a drop shot rig

I agree 100% that everyone on a team should be on the same page. Inconsistency raises eyebrows.

If the end result is a rod that performs as expected, what difference does the exact material make? 99.9% of the fishing public don’t understand the impact or lack there of different material have in final construction of a blank.

I learned the hard way that not much good happens after midnight. But that’s another story. As to your shipping concerns, the culprit on damage to long packages isn’t jeeps, or anything driver related, it’s the conveyor systems used in handling facilities and they all use them. If something bad happens contact the seller and they’ll make good.

For heavy cover fishing, whether it’s frogging, flipping, punching etc., what I look for in a reel is a solid frame, good drag and middle of the road gear ratio. As for line capacity, 100’ is a long cast, 150 (50yds) is a bomb. I don’t want to set the hook or land a fish from much over 100’ even if I could cast further. Especially in heavy cover. Pick your price point and shop among the name brands and you’ll do ok.

I can’t speak as to Scheel’s, but the Cabelas I’ve seen in the past were based on the Fuego which makes sense seeing the Fuego as a workhorse base model.

The rebranded Daiwa’s I’ve worked over the years have been barely distinguishable from their counterparts. If the savings in price is meaningful to you buy with confidence.

Sounds like it’s seized, corroded etc. there’s nothing in the schematic to indicate is shouldn’t pop right out. Shimano’s site shows a lot of parts discontinued already.

All those “new” “hyper” features plus full floating spools were standard across all their mid to top tier reels 20 years ago. The market is so competitive these reel companies are reinventing the wheel to try and stand out.

Hard to say without seeing it. Send it in if you’d like. Leave line on do I can put a load on it.

Don’t wrench on them. You an twist them apart easily. It’s a shame that they built reels to last generations but not enough parts to support them. You lucked out getting those.

The Ci4 material is plenty strong. Flexing is not a concern. It’s all about weight. The knock on the Ci4 predecessor of the Vanford was lack of smoothness, due again to the light weight. Neither is “better” I’m terms of what it will do or how long it will last. Comes down to the feel you prefer: light and effortless winding or slightly heavier with more fluid feel.

First come, first served 2-3 weeks as of today. With a reservation 48-72 depending on how many and what they are.

If you can get it warrantied by all means go that route. If not, feel free to send it in.

In the grand scheme of things there’s nothing in the Tatula that a competent tech can’t handle. I’ll be happy to help you if you wish. You can click my logo and go to my site for a work order form containing our address and send at your convenience or you can take advantage of our new reservation service by contacting us for a date. Thanks Mike

13 aren’t junk but Shimano as an overall brand gets my nod between the two.

I’m not one for standardization. I like trying new things and just swap out any I don’t like. I also don’t fiddle much with braking. Each brand has models that excel in certain ways. Your collection looks to be good quality and performance wise.

Yup it’s actually contaminants (sand, grit, etc) that grooves anything not the line really. Certain applications require certain tools.

From what I’ve seen, St Croix, Fenwick and maybe surprisingly ABU.

IMO grips are largely aesthetic. When actually fishing my hand makes very little contact with the grip do I’m not picky in that regard.

There are different grades of SS just like every thing else. Good ringless guides are light and durable. I don’t go out of my way to use them with a few exceptions.

That clears that up. Lol

If frogging is a favorite technique and your current rod isn’t cutting it you can go that route. Otherwise, pick a technique you want to hone in on and we can suggest options.

It’s actually front or rear drag not top and bottom, aside from semantics the rear drag is far more difficult to service and possess no other redeeming qualities imo.