newapti5

Gear set: part 40 pinion gear, and part 44 drive gear. If you change these two, usually it'll solve the majority of the problem. If not, then you might also want to change the bearings, such as part 89, 55, and 24. (This is the schematics for Tournament Pro, but Tournament MB is similar.)

Worn gear set and bearings is the root of that problem. One of the cheap fixing routes is to put on a pair of thick EVA handle knobs; that'll dampen a lot of the unwanted vibration. And for future reference, maybe lower the drag. Setting a drag too high will definitely shorten the smooth period of any gears.

Hmm, good point. I always set spool tension knob loose, so I didn't even remember that others might put some tension into it. But the '18 Ryoga uses zero-adjuster; I don't know if the author of that youtube video purposely tightened the zero-adjuster.

Thanks Karl, but that's the old model, right? The '18 model seems to have just a plastic ring inside the side plate, and to open and lock the side plate, you just twist this plastic ring a little bit at the bottom of the reel, like most low-profile baitcasting reels. Here's the source of my concerns:

Amazon Japan is selling this nice little round reel for ~$340, the "Crazy Cranker" version. I don't have much experience with round reels, but itching to try one for spinnerbait/chatterbait/jigs. I searched around Internet, and saw some nice reviews from TT. But I also saw a number of users mentioning an alleged design flaw with the palm side plate locking mechanism, which is only a plastic ring holding the whole side plate to the frame. I wonder if there're any owners here who may share their opinions on this? Thanks!

So the limited edition decided to remove the collars of both pinion bearings? Why is that? I mean, I get the taper design of those collars, to make pinion gear side movement easier, and align it better. It seems to be a clever design. Why cancel it?

How reliable is this seller? And how accurate is their reel description? For example, those marked as "displayed reel, mint condition", are they truly in perfect condition? Thanks!

Second that. It can almost do ANYTHING.

Luckily, not all the reels. I only use it for a couple of reels. To be honest, I save my expensive reels for "safer" grease, like Shimano's, Daiwa's 104 and Cal's.

Well, in my experience, a little discoloring? Yes. Turning brass gear brown? Not so much. I normally just use Dawn and a toothbrush to give it a good scrub. It is harder to get it off of plastic parts though.

It's more like a Revo STX with custom paint job and handle. STX is a good reel, but the brake is a bit finicky. A price lower than $120 will be a good deal for that reel IMO.

I like Hot Sauce grease; it has the right viscosity IMO. But like others said, it is hard to get it off of reel parts when you're deep-cleaning. Once I start applying it to a certain reel, I guess I will just have to keep using it to that reel.

I have a Sierra 683, a Sierra 684, and a Champion 735. They are all full grip handle. Power 3, 4, and 5 can all be used for jig rods, depending on the weight of the jigs you're throwing. Sensitivity wise, Sierra is very close to Champion. They are well balanced, with a comfortable reel seat. I love them for jig/t-rig fishing, and often pick them over my Legend X and GLX. The moderate-fast action is perfect to keep SM hooked.

Whaaaaat? I still haven't got mine; how come you're faster than me?? Thanks for confirmation. To be honest, I wasn't 100% sure if it would go through.

Has anyone tried this smaller profile Megabass jerkbait? It seems like a killer bait for the SM.

I didn't at the beginning, but now always. IMHO, to get a proper hookset while fishing single hook lures such as jigs, we tend to tighten the drag almost to the point of total lockdown. When the drag is set really high, it tends to give out inconsistent force, which nobody wants. When I set the hook, I just press down spool a little, not much, and that will give out quite a "booster" drag force. After a solid hookset, I just let the low-setting smooth drag do the work. In this way, I don't have to go back and forth with the drag setting while fighting the fish. Because I hate doing that while I am trying to focus on the fish; it is such a distraction. And if you want total lockdown, why not just use the thumb to do it instead of taking a risk to damage the gears and drag? Speaking of gears, high drags will definitely shorten the lifespan, or at least the smooth feeling period, of any reel gears.

Amazon is selling Soft Steel Transcend Braid (owned by Okuma), 1500 yard, 50 lb test, for $26. I think this might be a system mistake, as $26 should be the price for 300 yard. Also, currently Amazon is having a "$15 off of $25 order" sales for Amazon shopping app first time user, so it could bring the price down to $11 if you're qualified. Here's the Amazon coupon link: https://www.amazon.com/b?node=21423115011

Yeah I think so, too. I don't use wooden knobs much, and these may have changed my mind from now on. Next I might try some others more expensive ones, such as these:

The quality of these AMO wood handle knobs is better than what I thought, given the low price.

Just as what others mentioned, other than the palm side plate and spool, there's nothing special about the rest of the reel. It's all basic baitcaster mechanics. But if you want to take out the spool bearing in the palm side plate for deep cleaning, that might be a bit different from usual.

Very interesting technique, a little different from how I tie the FG barehanded. I should definitely try it, but in my age, I sometimes need to force myself to try new things.

Nowadays, I would set the drag around ~3 pound, even while fishing a jig. When I need to set the hook, I just press down my thumb on the spool to give a proper amount of "booster" drag, depending on what kind of hook I am using. And after a solid hookset, I just let go the thumb, and let the smooth drag do the fighting. IMO, the higher to set the drag, the easier to damage the gears in reels. Plus, I am too lazy to adjust drag back and forth for every hookset.

According to your proposed usage, I would say definitely the 4 power, maybe even consider the 5 power if you set the hook hard.

I love Winn grip or Winn overwrap. Almost all my casting rods are covered in Winn overwraps. They don't last very long (couple of years with moderate usage before peeling off), but I like the tacky feel, especially during hookset and fighting. It is said it could dampen the sensitivity of rods, but in my personal experience, not much. Given the way I hold a rod, only a small portion of my palm get into contact with the Winn overwrap, which doesn't account for much of the sensitivity but provides just enough friction force to fight a feisty smallmouth.