RussBert

Fantastic post! Thanks for taking the time. It really helps n00bs like me What rod, reels and line do you prefer for jigging? Do you use a flouro leader?

One bearing is in the palm plate, and is retained with a small wire. I use a dental pick to lift it out, but remember to keep a finger on it because they can fly away never to be found again! To access the other spool bearing you must remove the cast control cap, then remove the cone shaped spring. I find the rotating is while you pull with get it right out. Then the bearing will fall out. How many brakes are on in your reel?

There was a very nice Zebco in the classified's recently just sayin'

I have that reel. I found the spool bearings were greased from the factory. I flushed them out and lubed them with a light bearing oil. (I use daiwa red oil) An easy way to flush them is to soak them in a small jar with Naphtha, swirling them around occasionally. Remove them and put them on a paper towel. This will wick out some of the naphtha. Them blow them out with some compressed air (computer dust off spray works well for those who don't have a compressor). Then add ONE drop of bearing oil to each bearing and re-install. You'll be impressed with the performance I run 2 brakes on and the spool tension knob adding just a slight amount of pressure. I can cast a 1/4" practice plug 110' consistently. The rod is a Shimano Crucial 6'6" MH/F

I use and like the Mojo 6'8" medium wacky rod with a Daiwa TD-Pro 2500. It works for me, but I don't have experience with many other spinning rods. I have also thrown a lot of wacky rigged worms with a Cabela's Tourney Trail 7' M/L rod and a Pflueger 6730 President. Great rig for under a $100 (on sale) I would like to hear about the Powell wacky rod that TW offers? http://www.***.com/Powell_Max_Wacky_Rig_Spinning_Rod/descpage-PWMS.html

It was more of an exercise in tuning, but I do try to tell myself how much more-awesomer these reels are! ;D

What rod? What bait? What line? Sam nails it, though. Do not try to cast far, try to cast smooth. Don't worry about distance, That will come when you get the mechanics of casting down. A sage angler told me, Less is More words to live by 8-)

H20-6801 Handle assembly, $50.50 040-3206 handle nut plate (red) $3.60 G79-3302 handle nut (LH) $4.30 353-8301 handle nut plate screw $0.50 These prices were as of August 15th 2010

But you use spinning reels exclusively. Slipping on the spool is more of an issue with baitcast reels. For the record I spool up about 10 yards or-so of tightly wound mono on my baitcasters

.ghoti., thanks for the reply I have done all that "stuff" to my Fuego's as well. I agree about getting the drag washers flat, parallel and polished. Very smooth drag with no stutter. I'm with you about the abec 7's, and have received a lot of flak for it! I did install HLC spools along with HTSA 90mm handles and modified the drag star to clear the swept handles

.ghoti. Have you modified any of your Fuego"s. If so, how so? and if anyone's interested, Fuego's are for sale at the TackleTour forums http://www.tackletour.net/TTForums/

Repair, restore and build guitar amplifiers Playing guitar (since 1975) Shoot at things, mostly steel plates & bowling pins and the occasional clay pigeon. Collect the things I shoot, and reload the things I empty I used to play a lot of paintball, but my knees don't move so well anymore. Still got a Badazz EMAG I try to bicycle every day...I don't, but I try

No big whoop. The Patriots have one three Superbowls with a 4th stringer ;D

In some strange way, I feel I'm part of this thread

I thought you used red braid because it matched your Fuego : ;D Well...Yeah, that too! ;D I rekon a Skeet Reese Revo on a Tessera rod would require yellow braid

I like red braid because I can see it better than I can green braid. I can see yellow braid even better. To heck with what the fish can or cannot see ;D

I know nothing about the reel in question, but for $30 it's tough to beat this reel, http://www.***.com/Daiwa_Procaster_Casting_Reel_Navy/descpage-DP100HN.html spend $50 and get free shipping

Actually, you and I are in the same boat. I started fishing last year after a 20 or-so year hiatus. Bought my first baitcaster (Curado E7) last season as well, and picked up the Fuego's over the winter

I heard don't cut it if you haven't owned or used one. The depth of Collin's experience never ceases to amaze me

Yep, very similar to the TD-Z. Zillion spools fit the Fuego. I have the HLC spools in mine 8-)

I have two Fuego's. Got them when *** was blowing them out. Right out of the box they are great. Good, smooth drag, MagforceZ braking is excellent. They are solid and smooth. Very versatile For me they are very comfortable to fish with. They fit my hands just right. They are also very tunable. You can tweek them to excel at throwing light baits and/or flipping and pitching. I keep one on a St Croix LTB "Teaser" rod and use it for just about everything, cranks, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, topwaters and senko's and other weightless plastics. The other one is mounted on an Avid 6'6" M/F and covers that pretty much the same applications. I always have my eyes open to get more of them

exactly. You're not fixing anything by spraying with lube, you're only masking the symptoms. Are you guy apprehensive about opening up a reel? There are many reel tech that frequent these boards and the price to fix the reel is very reasonable.

My OPINION is that the 7 to 1 ratio craze has far more to do with marketing than practicality. As consumers we like the fastest, the lightest, the most bearings and of course flashy paint schemes. At some point in the near future my crystal ball says there will be an 8 to 1 reel. Thing is that darn drive gear keeps getting bigger while the pinion gear is getting smaller. ;D

There is no "magic potion" that you can spray onto your reel and make mechanical problems go away. You gotta open up the reel yourself or have it profesionally serviced. The rest is all just wild-azzed guessing.

Lol, the advice that told me to take it back was posted too late. Thats why I said it was unfortunate. I guess that is what I get for being impaitent. Dog-gone-it!, you are dense! Throughout this thread the pound rating of the braid & mono is specified (40# to 65# for braid and 70# Samurai braid) You bought 20# :