Delaware Valley Tackle

I choose braid by diameter over pound test. Whatever mono I’d use in a given application, I pick a braid of equal diameter.

Line rating on a freshwater rod is next to meaningless. The only weight I give it is to get an idea of where their subjective labels of power (H, MH…) lie. I discourage the practice of locking drags in general. It’s especially important when running braid to protect both rod, reel and line.

Line rating on a freshwater rod is next to meaningless. The only weight I give it is to get an idea of where their subjective labels of power (H, MH…) lie.

The OP is a little vague. What are you looking for opinions on? Bill is major player in the rod building world. I haven’t seen his work I person but I’ve read and heard enough from him to believe he knows what he’s doing and 1000% legit. He’s a builder whose advice you can trust imo. If you’d like to discuss future projects I d be glad to.

You’re 90% of the way there just by doing some level of maintenance. You’ll be just fine with whatever you have around the house/garage or readily available locally. Superlube is in all the parts stores. I use marine grease for gears and cals for drags. If you’re going to special order cals use it for both if you want. Gear oils anti corrosion and high viscosity make it my choice for worm gears, frame bearings and sliding parts. Any light hydraulic oil is good for spool bearings. Sewing machine oil, 3in1or as suggested air tool oil work well. Nothing wrong with the specialized products but they’re totally unnecessary and in most cases just repackaged products. Don’t stress over what to use. Just be satisfied that you’re using something.

Go on ereplacementparts.com and look at abu schematics for a comparable part

I don’t think the difference between 6.3 and 7.1 is enough to justify the expense of a swap. I’ll do whatever a customer wants, but is asked for advice I don’t recommend gear swaps unless the reel is not available in a particular ratio.

Shhhh. Lol

My best guess is that you hear the kick lever setting into a tooth on the ratchet gear and then the clutch springing back to position. At any rate I don’t think you need to worry.

I don’t know in this case, but 90% of the time the threads get stripped. Sometimes they get bent from a drop or fall. That’s about all that can happen to them.

I had a similarly satisfying interaction with Lews. I’m glad for the young man and heartened to see a positive post about a company as opposed to the bash fests so common online.

Everyone does. It’s part of the game. Auto correct is kicking my butt but I think you got the point

Mh fast is typically a good all around bass rod. As you’ll see the labels and specs are subjective but also keep in mind that technique specific rods are over emphasized. You make an ok purchase. You’ll have to see for yourself with any rod purchase where is shines and may not. Stick with mid to upper weight range lures while learning. Pull off 75’ of line and tape the spool to keep backlash from going too deep. Practice side arm, tool casts and pitching with lots of thumb on the spool. No overhead or bomb casts. Nice and easy focus on accuracy and spool control. Distance will come automatically.

Take the e clip off the bottom, remove the washer, bearing, retainer, washer and level wind drive gear. Install on the new shaft in reverse.

I see a lot of vintage rods and reels both come through the shop. A surprising number of Mitchell spinning reels still being fished. One can only speculate as to which modern reels will withstand the test of time.

I’ve repaired 4 rods just this week using OQuinns method. Properly employed, you get a rod with no perceptible negative affect on performance. I’ve done dozens over the years. There are hacks online advising “half fast” versions of this technique that just won’t work long term.

It’s hard to tell without seeing it. Im sure you’ll get lots of thoughtful responses but they’ll all be shots in the dark. You can PM me and I’ll do what I can to walk you thru it. If we can’t do it that way you can send it in to my shop.

If the reels been cranked on as hard as described, the clicker in the star might have been damaged. There’s nothing I can see that will affect the drag itself’s performance.

I’ll second this. There’s not much to it: star presses on spring washers that press on the ar sleeve which presses on the drag plate and washer stack. If it’s rough reeling I have another solution. You’ll need to contact me for that one.

I have a minnkota edge 45 that appears to have the directional gears come apart inside the head. There’s a service center 30 miles from me but they’re booked out a ways. Looking at the schematic it doesn’t look too bad but I’ve learned from reels that they’re just a parts list and not necessarily showing assembly order. Are there any pitfalls or “gotchyas” to look out for if I crack it open myself? Tyia for any insight offered.

There are basically two approaches to blank design. One is thin wall, larger diameter. Second is thicker wall, smaller diameter. Neither is right or wrong, just two paths to a similar destination. Regardless of which construction method is employed, as a consumer heavier power rods are more resistant to flex. Each heavier power will have a higher lure weight range and corresponding stronger backbone. How strong, you can’t tell as all labels are subjective with no industry standard.

Reason being is rods don’t send vibration or waves, you feel the tip moving and the longer lever moves more when the tip moves. This is probably over simplified to a degree. That’s where ymmv comes in.

At the most basic level longer = longer casts, shorter = better accuracy. Theres an argument to be made that longer rods are more sensitive (defined as light bite detection). The longer rods will move more line on a hookset. Keep in mind that your caveat of all else being equal rarely is the fact. At its root the rod is a lever, nothing more or less.

The main obstacle I see here is the lure weight(s) you’ll be throwing. Finding a rod to cover all three could mean either a medium or MH depending on the exact baits and the manufacturer definition of each power. Fast or medium fast action depending on cover.

It depends on your grip, especially on a spinning reel imo. But I agree that the results are mixed and varied.