JimInAlabama

Thanks for the info y'all. I'm gonna stay with stock Shimano bearings on all but one, and I'll try a set of Hawgtech ceramics on the one reel I throw weightless plastics on.

Yes thanks, that makes a lot of sense, I probably don't clean often enough and maybe not well enough. I fish 10-15 hours a week and flush the bearings on my four go-to reels once a year, the others less often. I don't have an ultrasonic cleaner, I put 'em in a tall slender glass of acetone, let 'em sit a few hours, swirling 'em around in the acetone occasionally, take 'em out and spin the acetone out, repeat that a few times and let 'em dry out good and put a single drop of lightweight oil on each. Before I order bearings I'll see if I can bring these back to life.

Thanks for the help, I didn't realize there were other Shimano bearings that fit my reels ? !! The Shimano parts list calls for BNT0194 but Shimano doesn't have 'em on their site any more. I bought a supply several years ago but have used 'em all. I'll try the 4343s and I'm sure they'll be fine for most of my setups. I may bite the bullet and try a pair of higher spin bearings in a reel I use to throw weightless plastic, just hate to spend $40 on these old reels.

This has probably been asked but I can't search up an answer. I realize there are different opinions and I'd like to hear 'em from people that have first hand experience. I have a bunch of CU200BSF reels. I've paid to have some pro serviced but I'm an old guy on a tight budget and I have a few I'd like to just replace spool bearings in. I've always used steel bearings comparable to what Shimano shipped them with, and I can do that again but there's a lot of buzz now about hybrid/ceramic bearings. I don't need to spend $30-$40 each for Boca on these old reels. Are the $15-$20 or hybrid ceramic bearings junk?

Ummm, thanks?? ? I've learned a lot of really good stuff on Internet forums through the years. And I've chased a rabbit or two but I'm pretty good at sifting out garbage.

Thanks for the reply. Yep, I used mono backing, a wrap of tape and appx 75 yards of braid. And, after I posted I kept digging and found some other posts on the issue. I'll try unspooling and respooling REALLY tight and see if that helps.

I've used 50 & 65 lb Power Pro braid on my froggin reel for years and love it. I switched from mono to fluoro on most of my other bass reels several years ago and like the feel and low stretch of fluoro ... but ... if ya don't tie a perfect knot you're gonna break off and it's gettin' harder every year to tie perfect knots every time, plus a lot of times the fluoro is hard to see to watch my line. So I decided to try 30 lb Power Pro instead of fluoro on two reels recently (jig and T rig). I've only been out twice but really struggled with it. The line is digging into itself on the spool. I'm pretty sure I've read on the forums that a lot of folks like 30 lb braid on baitcast reels, any tips for me? Is this just the nature of lighter braid? Will the line settle in better after I use it a while? If it doesn't get any better I'm going back to fluoro! Thanks in advance for your experienced advice.

I'm not concerned about visibility as much as dealing with hangups and getting maximum life out of the braid, I throw into some ugly stuff. I'm thinking I'd rather break off a leader than cut off my braid. And maybe it wouldn't be such a big deal with 30#, will it break off at the knot, or find the weakest point up the line?

I'm using Kistler rods with what they call "macro" guides, which I assume means small but not as small as micro. I think I'll be ok.

I've been a long time lurker but just signed up and this is my first post. I live on Lay Lake in central Alabama and fish here exclusively, spots and heads. The water here is usually somewhere from 3-4 foot visibility to murky. I spend a lot of time either throwing 1/8 - 3/16 oz shakey heads or big weightless creature baits on medium/heavy baitcast rigs. I made the switch from mono to fluorocarbon a few years ago and once I found a knot that works for me I like it a lot, my only issue is the cost to respool several reels with decent FC. I spooled two reels with 50 and 65 Power Pro several years ago to use for frogs/creatures and I can't wear it out so I'm thinking I'd like to try braid with FC leader on one rod and see how it works out for me. First question is line size, I'm thinking 30 pound braid, probably Power Pro since it's available locally, with 12 - 17 pound FC, probably Seguar Red Label (because I already have some of that!) Does that make sense? Next question is about leader length and a knot for braid to FC. Short leader that never goes inside the guides? Or longer leader that allows more reties? I'd like more leader but concerned about casting it through the rod guides. The knots I'm coming up with on the 'Net are double uni, blood knot, and FG ..... but will these actually cast ok through the guides? I'll try a longer leader first and see how it works for me but any advice greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for your experienced advice!!