newapti5

When you turn the handle, the moving parts inside that reel are the main gear with drag pads, the pinion gear, and the idle gears for level wind. These are all rotating parts, so if they got into contact with other parts that they shouldn't, they would only make scratching sounds, not clicking sounds. So if you're sure it's a clicking sound, it may not come from the above gears. A clicking sound could come from bearings - AR bearing and other bearings. You could remove the spool and see if the sound still exists. If yes, then it may come from the bearings inside the reel.

Why do you want to flip the reel upside-down, before the drag star and handle, as well as the AR bearing sleeve and main gear inside, are all locked in place? Try to assemble the whole thing with drive shaft facing upwards, and make sure everything is stacked up on each other with no gaps in-between. Then, you could flip the reel to whichever direction for testing.

It seems to me that you already have the answer. Medium power Expride is good choice for an all-purpose rod, especially the popular 6'10" M model with a 1/4 - 3/4 lure weight range. I use mine for bottome contatct lures and jerkbaits/crankbaits/poppers...

Has anyone tried this JDM lure? Seems like an interesting design. https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Deps_Sakamata_Shad_Soft_Jerkbait/descpage-DSSJ.html

What line are you using? With mono, I believe a single improved clinch knot would suffice. But for fluoro, I must use double improved clinch knot and have no problem with it. No matter single or double, sometimes when the line surface is frayed and not smooth, I could have problem cinching it down, even with water to lubricate. And if I force it down, the knot would be twisted into a ball. In my experience, that would be the only case when improved clinch knots fail.

I used to have both Deputy and Maestro. If you're impressed with Deputy's sensitivity, then you'd be pleasantly surprised by Maestro's. To me, their sensitivity are NOT on the same level, with Maestro's much better. Also, Maestro balances better.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256801183711801.html Best cheap handle you'd find.

@Siebert Outdoors Any chance of a Fourth of July sale? Me and my buddy are looking to restock some jigheads. Thanks!

Gee, these look exactly like Abu's knobs on the Revo Premier reels, which I am quite fond of.

In that case, check if you put all the shims back in where they originally were. If a shim is supposed to be with the bottom bearing, but you put it with the top bearing, there is a chance that the bottom of the knob would be pushed against the handle, leaving a gap inside. And the top bearing will be with too many shims, causing the screw cannot be tightened all the way. I hope I make it clear.

I think Gomexus used to make Titanium knobs, but not anymore. I happened to find some on JDM sites. IMO the quality is almost as good as Livre, and they're light as well. They definitely copied Livre though, and for some reason, they never copied any big knobs like the Fino+, which I personally prefer. I think Quantum handles use different knobs and bearings. Shimano and Daiwa knobs use 4x7x2.5mm bearings, but Quantum knobs use 5x8x2.5mm bearings, same as Abu and Lew's.

For light rods, I would go as light as possible with the reels as well. Vanford would be my choice, instead of the relatively heavy Stradics. Daiwa's LT reels are pretty light as well, as the name suggests, Light & Tough.

This is like asking "where to buy a smartphone." A question so general makes answering it difficult. Anyway, if you want genuine Shimano knobs, here's their US official site: https://fishshop.shimano.com/

Besides shims/washers, make sure the bearing(s) is properly installed, which means it's pushed all the way down. I use a tweezer to do that.

Wouldn't you feel the lack of sensitivity while fishing bottom contact lures with monos in PA, especially around some deeper water? Anyway, thanks for the heads-up on the piscifun spooler. I agree that combining line counter to a line spooler seems like a perfectly natural idea. Why haven't they done it? You took the words out of my mouth.

I wish 832 and PowerPro have the same thoughtful design.

Staight to point, I like it 👍 but I do have many reels.

Thanks, I will search the forum history then. I want to know the exact number because I am so cheap that I want to distribute 150 yards of line evenly to two reels. Yeah this is the one I have, and my method is similar to yours. It works for thicker line, but no matter how I have tried, it won't work well with lighter braids. Maybe it's because the one I have has finally broken down.

As the title suggests, I am having trouble of an accurate line count when putting on light braid line, such as 10lb PowerPro, on spools. I do have a Berkley basic model that works ok with thicker lines, but it doesn't work on lighter braids or smoother lines. My fishing buddy has a digital version Berkley line counter, which he claims works well with braid, but it's a bit pricy. Any other suggestions? Or should I just calculate the number instead of counting it?

Mt used Lews were selling like hot cakes, even faster than my S and D reels, so I, too, have been surprised before.

Just image directly putting 8-10lb force on those gear teeth, because that's what happens when you lock down the drag. If you're confident that it won't leave a mark on brass teeth, or you don't care much about the reel smoothness when cranking, then go for it. Otherwise, like others said, why take the chance?

As far as I know, no. But you can buy from plat.co.jp; it's pretty much the same as ordering from Daiwa directly.

It's not about what diameter of the line is; it's about how high you set the drag. If you crank up the drag so it's totally locked down, all the tension force on the fishing line will pass on to those tiny gear teeth, then to the AR bearing. With bass fishing, that tension force may not break the gear teeth or the AR bearing, but it sure will shorten the lifespan of gears, which means the reel will feel "geary" soon. When you set the drag too high, hard hookset and snag-pulling will definitely leave a visible mark on those teeth. Do what other suggested, with some rubber or EVA material as buffer so you won't fray the line. Or you could just wrap the line around your arm a few times (I assume you wear long sleeve shirts) and pull, but never directly with your reels.

$215 to-my-door for two mint condition old magnesium JDM reels - one first gen Steez (with a SV spool), one first gen Aldebaran - I'd say it's a pretty good deal.

Nothing is stopping you from doing it yourself: