badfish79

i say get comfortable on something cheap like an abu black max. learn the basic ins and outs of casting and maintenance on that. once you are ready to graduate, you will know what you really want in a $150 - $200 reel that you will keep/use for years.

It should be 8x5mm. I bought an aftermarket handle that came with an adapter for the smaller 7x4mm Shimano shaft, and the handle fit on my lews without the adapter.

Not sure what your disposable income is like, but I'd try to avoid losing a couple $150 combos a year and stick with losing $10 walmart ozark combos like Fishing_rod mentioned.

Is this for fishing in saltwater? What are you targeting?

the cork example I used was a random google image search, but heres an example of pitted up dobyns cork, screencapped from a youtube video. its a champ xp so you know the rod isnt super old. i'll take sealed cork over this any day.

you want to deal with this in a few years? or keep seeing this? I think the Sierra and Champ cork is the same, so you would get similar results as this. I dont think the cork is super high quality, so you probably dont need to worry about ruining the "feel" of it. I'd probably have to think a bit longer if sealing some nicer stuff, like Xtasy or NRX cork.

I seal for all all the reasons stated above, but mostly to keep the cork from getting pitted up. Pits in cork make it look so beat up. Its a lot less effort to seal it when its nice and pretty than it is to mess with the wood filler, sand it smooth and then having to seal it anyway to never have to deal with that again.

The AA cork on my champ XPs turned this color after a light coat of u40 and some use. Doesn't get much lighter when I magic eraser the dirt off.

The reason I seal my cork is to prevent pits from developing. I kinda baby my rods I guess because I've never had a pit form after I seal it. I always wondered if it would ever happen to sealed cork. I guess I know my answer now.

If you can be patient, AL*'s used section often has excellent condition Exprides (mine came with the cork handles still wrapped) at around $240. With the right discount, they can be had for $200 or less. I picked up a medium power 7ft Expride B spinning rod for $190 at the time. I think it was a 15% off the used section type flash sale. Theres a 6'8 medium in there now.

I return or exchange almost 80% of the rods I buy at TW. They have a pretty good policy for that. I try to test the rod asap so I know if I want to keep it or not, and keep all plastics on the handles so they dont have problems with putting it back on the market.

I had the same issues with a couple Tournament MBs. I took em apart and put them back together, and the issue went away. Never figured out why they were slipping though.

The blank would be the only major difference. A little lighter and a little more sensitive on the Champ. The reel seat, guides, cork are all the same. The balance should be very similar as well. My opinion, the Sierra is an upgrade from a Mojo.

Be warned, your first Dobyns will come with a complimentary bait monkey.

I wouldnt be afraid to use a Champ XP 734 for treble hook lures.

Sorry, I haven't tried the other rods you listed.

I recently bought and returned a DC763C for long casting finesse jigs and small swimbaits from shore. I was expecting it to have the same tip as the 703C, but a little longer backbone, but it was a bit stiffer overall. Its more like a light flipping stick I guess. My DC734C loaded better and casted farther the same baits I was throwing with the 763. It could have been a bad day, but I wasnt willing to try again and just sent it back.

Do the side plate of the MB and Tournament Lite have similar profile or dimensions?

I'm considering a Tranx 150, but the SLX XT experience has me cautious about the non-high end Shimanos. I'll probably plan a trip to a local tackleshop to try this or a Curado out to see how they feel in hand, just in case the SLX was a dud.

I really want this to be the one, but after the Custom Pro ergo issue, I'm worried about the ACB being a factor. I was also kinda surpised that I wasnt impressed with the Custom Pro's weight. I guess I'm used to the solid feeling of the Tournament MB and BB1. The Custom Pro's weight made me think it was made of plastic.

So its time to replace my Tournament MB. Not going to put any more effort to fix the geariness that developed. I ordered a Lews Custom Pro SLP, but I didnt like the way it palmed so I returned it. I think the sideplate is more bulbous because of the new ACB braking system or maybe its just the way the SLP frame is? Either way, I prefer the way the Tournament MB LFS feels. I also have an older BB1 with the same MSB braking system as the MB and I also preferred the way it palmed vs the Custom Pro SLP. I guess for my preferred ergonomics, the height of the reel isnt a concern as much as the width of the sideplate. Since I'm replacing, I might as well upgrade to new technology. I am really comfortable with Lews, so I think I will try the current Tournament Pro or Tournament Lite, both are LFS frame with the ACB brakes. Does anyone know if these reels might be as wide as the SLP is? I dont have any local stores with either of these reels in stock so I can check myself. If its the ACB system that makes the SLP wide, I might consider the Custom SLP that has the MSB brake system. Anyone have that reel that can comment on it? A strong non-Lews contender is a 20 Metanium. With the JDM discount, these are a little bit more or equal price to the Lews options. Its considered a high end reel so it must be awesome right? My only experience with Shimano baitcasters is an SLX XT, which I wasnt very impressed with. Ergonomics was nice, but it didnt feel as refined as the Lews reels I have. Anyone have any experience with the Metanium compared to any newer Lews reels? The Bantam A sounded good until I learned its more than an ounce heavier than all the options i listed so far. I mainly fish saltwater, and cast lures from 1/4 - 1oz if that matters. Thanks for any advice or other options you guys can suggest.

I'll give cleaning/soaking the AR bearing a shot. Would that be another name for the one way clutch bearing?

Would you think it's a worn out gear set? Should I give a local professional cleaning a shot at it? The closest Lew's service center is in Texas and I imagine I'll need to cover shipping on top of the service. At that point I might just apply those funds toward a new reel. I really like this one though.

So I have a right handed Tournament MB which has been my favorite/main reel for almost 5 years. Its finally starting to feel geary on the retrieve. I've taken it apart multiple times and cleaned and re-greased and re-oiled it, but I cant get that geary feeling to go away. I dont know what I am missing. I am very much an amateur at reel maintenance, but I'm good at youtubing and feel like I covered most of what needs to be done. I brushed the gear teeth on the pinion and drive gears multiple times, including after a long soak in acetone to make sure no old gunk was missed. The geary-ness is still there. So I also have a left handed Tournament MB that I don't use often at all. Same gear ratio and all. It still reels smooth like its supposed to. Can I swap the pinion and drive gear from that reel into my right handed one to see if those parts in the right hander are just worn out? Or are they machined in a different direction? The official Lews schematic doesnt have individual part numbers for left or right reels. Asking before I start the process of taking both of these reels down for the swap and end up with no progress back to the smooth reeling that I'm used to. Kinda nervous to have both reels broken down at the same time. Thanks in advance for any advice you can share.

mine still looks pretty light yellow, but all the text on the bottle kinda disintegrated, so i dont know if its was called bantam oil also or what.