kickerfish1

Sentimental value? Perhaps, but any monetary value will be pretty small. The only old or vintage rods that are worth something are either vary rare or highly sought after models.

What do intend on using the rod for? I have my eye on one but wasn't sure how they would fish jigs and texas rigs around 3/8 oz to maybe a bit more. Sharp looking setup!

They were discountinued for the same reason all rods get discountined and that is time. Same reason auto manufactures redo a car with a different motor, electronics, and body. Most rods will be on the market before they are either pulled or changed due to sales or new advances in rod technology. I have 4 Gen 1 Cumara rods and one Cumulus. All great rods.

Anything that would double as a pond beater outfit. Sub $100 rods and reels that function fine but may not look pretty. Now if it someone I know and trust I would let them use whatever as long as they didn't abuse it.

The red blanks of the Gen 2 Cumara are better than the foam handle crucial rods. The Cumulus blanks were the best Shimano ever made.

I am not sure I would classify expensive as $200. However if I had to pick between many $100 rods and a few nicer ones I would pick a few nicer ones. Most people usually go through a "what if" phase and end up selling their cheaper rods to buy more expensive rods. In the process they take a loss on their cheaper rods and shipping and normal depreciation take their toll. Spend more for your bottom contact stuff and less for your reaction rods. As finances allow add additional rods to round out your arsenal so at first think versatile to an extent.

Spectacular looking place and I too like the garage! I think Cassidy will approve of the extra space to play in. Congrats Clayton!

Nice BMW!

That is not all that great of a deal. I am sure you could do better waiting out a 15 or 20% off sale. I bought a Champion cranking stick from a local Cabelas a few years back for $159.

It is always a sad sight to see a rod transform from a 1 piece to a 2 piece involuntarily. Hopefully it will get sorted out and you will be taken care of.

There is a fill line on the spool of a baitcaster. Sometimes it is isn't always the easiest to see but like a spinning reel I don't like overfilling them. The reel will be more prone to backlashes early in the cast. I would start with removing about 5-10 yards. If that helps the problem some but not all the way remove a bit more. At the same time you don't wonder it grossly underspooled either.

Sorry to hear about this. It is also one of the reasons I am not a big braid guy. Most lines make a mess especially when they are new. Not trying to pick on ya, but the rod in the pic is a Champion and not a DX. Great choice on the reel! I have 2 and they are simply amazing.

Yea, that was a good snag on the NFC blank. I thought about it as well but decided to pass as I am going to re-evaluate my arsenal after the fall to see what I want to do and where any voids are. What reel are you going to use for the new cranking stick? SV103?

Looks good Hog but it looks like that one is a bit of coach potato! If it was built by who I think it was it should be a real winner

Something like a Citica 200D in the 5:0.1 flavor would suffice. They are pretty easy to find for well under $70 used.

Just for an example I picked up a used Citica 200E for $70 a few years ago. You should have no problem finding a BPS or Cabelas house brand rod that is in a 2 piece variety for around $30-50.

I would recommend a Shimano reel that utilizes the VBS breaking system. They are very user friendly and easy to adjust. For a hundred or less I would highly recommend the Citica 200E. You can also look at a Curado 100D, Curado 100B. Even a Citica G or Curado G would also be good options for right around $100 or less. The Daiwa Tatula CT or the standard version are also very good reels to learn on as they have a very forgiving Magforce Z braking system. The only other reels that seem to be good for beginners IMO would be a Daiwa reel with a SV spool or a Shimano reel with a DC breaking system but they are at least 2x your $100 budget. Despite some like Dual Braking reels like the BPS PQ for beginners I think that dual braking reels can me harder to get dialed in and some can be finicky.

Perhaps, but when a reel is tinkered with and there have been quite a few hands through a reel, it could be possible something wasn't put back together quite right causing premature wear. We really don't know much about the reel, the history of it, its service records, or the skill level of those that have worked on it. Reels that see a lot of resistance baits like spinnerbaits, big cranks, A-rigs etc, can wear out faster as well. The material a gear set is made from also should be considered. I dropped a 6:8.1 gear set into an Alphas it is now one of the smoothest reels I have ever used. Also put a set of 7:0.1 gears from a Core into a Curado 50e and it is now incredibly smooth too.

Generally you need a swept star to be able accept a swept handle and vice versa. Hawgtech offers a swept handle but it is 102mm which is pretty long especially for a 50 sized reel although I do run one on mine. It fits fine with the stock star even though the handle is swept and star is not. Probably similar to the HH Studios handle mentioned above. With fitment questions like this it may boil down to a case by case basis.

IMO it would be foolish to replace to the stock bearings on a Core. They are already as good or better than Boca 7s. Just flush them and put a light drop of oil on them. If the bearings are damaged then sure replace them with what you want. If your retrieve is shot or getting rough it may not have to do with bearings but rather the gears. There are new gear sets for those reels that are about $15-30. Another thing to consider maybe handle bearings but it wont smooth out a rough retrieve. Sounds like there may be something going on inside the reel leading to the rough retrieve. In that case it may be a good idea to have a pro go through the reel and inspect all the parts for damage or wear.

Good info. Thanks for the details!

What reel or reels do you like that particular spool for? Is the casting distance gained noticeable or worthwhile?

Straight flourocarbon with none of that braid garbage.

I have tried various Boca and HH Studios bearings and have used stock bearings on $100 Shimanos up to the $400 Shimanos and everything in between. Adding a drop of oil will quiet them down. The only downside is that the free spool test isn't as great. I also think bearing last longer lightly oiled than ran dry. To each his own...