Delaware Valley Tackle

Please don’t take offense as none is intended, but.... you just need to practice and become proficient. The President is a fine reel. Distance casting is hardest to master as you tend to muscle the cast too much. Try backing off a little and just be smooth. For raw casting distance a switch to spinning tackle may be the ticket.

The Z2020 reminds more of a Curado 300. The Conquest is on another level from my perspective, which admittedly lacks hands on with the Z.

My advice is to order the gears now and send them in first of the year. I don’t think any one of us is the “best” but I believe I have a proven track record and spend money in support of the forum as a sponsor. What you need is a straight forward job. Let me know if I can help.

Why would you expect no over run after touch down with a baitcaster and no thumb? Set it and forget it just means flexible not auto pilot. Required settings depend on your circumstances. Rod, line, baits, casting technique etc. Others settings might get you close but trial and error will tell you best.

Expect a quality build to cost as much as or a little more than a comparable over the counter rod plus extra for decorative wraps and custom turned grips. I get why people care hesitant to give a budget out of the gate, but if you trust your builder, providing a range saves them time providing an acceptable quote.

The ultimate number of guides and their placement is best determined by static load testing. You want just enough guides to provide a line path that closely matches the rods bend under load. I find as does Mick, that a fast action 7’ bass rod takes 9 plus the tip top. More is not necessarily better. Line slap is controlled by use of correct guide sizes and spacing. Where low framed or micro guides are used, line touching the blank under load is harmless as long as it does not drop below the blank.

That’s just a blemish in the epoxy finish. Structurally it won’t hurt anything especially right away. It may get moisture underneath some day but it’s not a given and not catastrophic if it does. If it were me, I’d take the discount, touch up the guide wrap with Sally Hansen Hard As Nails and fish it. If you want to jump through the hoops to replace it you’re within your rights. Your call. BTW no, stress cracks in epoxy are not sure to happen in all, most or very many quality rods.

This is probably true for 90% of us but only a few brave souls will admit it.

TSI is a very good product. I use it as part of my Super Tune service. It’s not a must have for casual diy maintenance though.

Try full strength Simple Green followed by a hot water rinse. Acetone soak for bearings.

“Reel” oil, grease, cleaner...are all just relabeled common products. I don’t use Ardent Reel Clean and I’m not suggesting it’s not good for it’s intended use just that you can likely get an equivalent less expensive. I wouldn’t use any degreaser as a last step prior to bearing installation. Degrease, dry, light oil, install.

There’s always room for improvement, but I’ve worked inside processing facilities for all three(ups/FedEx/usps/) and they all use similar material handling process and equipment. Packages get handled a lot during the process. The long tubes can fall victim to turns in the conveyor track. Crushing damage like the pic likely happened during loading of a tractor trailer transport. If you saw the process in action you’d be surprised anything ever gets anywhere let alone in one piece. The shear volume is overwhelming. I’m not suggesting accepting damaged goods just adding some perspective.

There’s nothing about braid that would keep it from twisting. It’s supple and twist manifests itself differently: wind knots.

Something is clearly wrong. You’re right in not forcing it. To see what’s binding it up will require disassembly. If you’ve never had a reel apart and not sure what to look for feel free to send it in. If you’re comfortable opening it up you can send or post pics that l/we can check for you.

When covering water as opposed to target casting making long casts is easier with a long rod. This applies to many baits.

Pinch the cork or EVA off in chunks with pliers, split the seat on two sides with a dremel cutoff wheel, insert and twist a screwdriver. Be very careful not to cut into the blank. Remove any arbor material and epoxy residue with light heat, plastic scraper and sandpaper again being careful not to get into the blank material. Order a standard 16mm reel seat and grip with tenon and butt cap. The grip will have to be teamed to fit over the butt end which will make It loose in the front due to rod taper. Build masking tape arbors to produce a snug fit, same with the seat. Leave 1/8-3/16 gaps between arbors so epoxy bonds to blank. Use paste epoxy completely encapsulating the arbors. Clean overage with paper towels and denatured alcohol.

Thanks for the heads up, but more than that, thank you for providing such an awesome site and keeping it cutting edge!!

Did you by chance grab the rod ahead of the reel seat? This changes the angle of force significantly. Or the blank might have been compromised by being dented or stepped on previously. Going to low end tackle will just reinforce bad habits causing more trouble down the road.

You think it’s “the bearing” but don’t know which one or the size, so start at the beginning. What was going on when this started? How much use has the reel seen? Has it been dunked or dropped in the sand? Is it constant or at a certain point in handle rotation? These things are nearly impossible to diagnose sight unseen. Contact me directly if you want to try to address it or send it in and I’ll take a look.

They are both farmed out to a Korean manufacturer (Doyo in many cases). Lews doesn’t even make their own. Whoever told you that is making assumptions based on visual similarities.

I don’t see the mainline being the cause of leader connection failure.

Glad i wasn’t to blame. Lol

M/F spinning 4&5” ML/Xf spinning for 3” mh/f casting 5”> over pads or if cover dictates

I just watched a movie and missed the ending pondering whether Sanyo and Panasonic are the same maker!

Spool shouldn’t wobble. I’d avoid that of get enough off to plan for repairs.