Delaware Valley Tackle

A QUALITY multi piece rod is just as good as an equivalent 1piece.

There was shimano castaic I believe that had the flip up hood.

Imo the biggest advantage of bearing upgrades is ease of casting resulting in improved accuracy. Some ancillary gains in distance are usually noticed too. The benefit of bearing upgrades should always be measured against properly flushed and oiled stock bearings.

A regular 3x10x4 bearing won’t fit in those as bulldog points out. Good results can be had super tuning those reels including inside bushing surfaces and level wind parts.

It’s the thought that counts!

I feel your pain

I’ll have a booth at the Adirondack Outdoor Show in Johnstown NY this weekend. Stop by and say hello.

Everyone is treated special here! Lol send at your convenience including a copy of the work order form from the website. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks

Citicas are workhorse reels well worth maintaining imo. Send whatever you have at your convenience. As for the grease, the shear amount used doesn’t mean much of anything.

A single felt washer isn’t unheard of. It’s sufficient for a freshwater reel that size. That said, I prefer to swap out felt for Carbontex no matter how many there are. Good call.

Brakes on a reel are to manage backlash not so much casting distance. Distance is affected by several factors including but not limited to, rod, line, bait, skill etc. id have to see the reel to diagnose any potential mechanical problems

It really depends on where and how you prefer to fish. Road warriors 3 rod starter suggestion of MF spin, MHF cast and MHMod cast then either a Hvy fast or ML XF on either end is one way to go.

I’m right handed and primarily use left hand reels. Where I depart from the OP is the use of words like should, better, right or wrong. Its 💯 personal preference.

The service or rather the lack of it far overrides any potential quality or performance advantage they MIGHT have. I only use them if the client obtains the blank because I don’t want the blowback. The supply chain issues we encountered during Covid kind of got us used to waiting for merchandise. In the aftermath some companies are using that to get away with manufacturing on order instead of keeping inventory. They’re just not tying up their cash in inventory. It’s good business if you can get away with it. NFC pushes it to the limit and compounds the problem with poor communication to put it lightly.

Dual supported pinions are a nice feature, however I don’t think they by themselves create a smoother feel or ensure longer life. Overall quality and tolerances have as much or more affect. Shimano Core is a good example.

BFS is an enthusiast niche. I recommend you try it just for enjoyment sake. If it doesn’t appeal to you strongly enough to try, you’re not missing out on anything efficiency wise.

I wouldn’t sweat the F/xF designation. For one, they’re subjective terms. Second, a 3” longer rod with matching lure range but faster action probably just has extra length on the butt.

That’s putting politely. I’d get banned for using the words to describe my feeling about those.

They’re decent reel especially at that price.

The difference between those two ratios isn’t significant imo. At least in this scenario. The mechanical advantage of a 5:1 is nice for deep diving, high resistance lures.

I’m not a fluoro fan really but use 10# abrazix with no trouble to speak of. I know suppliers of store brands change but xps did very well in a shootout comparison a while ago.

Thank you guys. Joe, I’ve replied to your email. Thanks!

Mind over matter: those that matter don’t mind. Those that mind don’t matter.

The majority of my spinning tackle is ML these days going to M where weight and cover dictate. Keep in mind there is no industry standard for power designation. Weight range and action are most important specs.

Multi piece travel rods are no harder to build than others. People that complain about “brittle “ rods just have poor technique. High modulus blanks are intolerant of high sticking and rough handling but are surprisingly powerful when used correctly.