Anyone ever had a side plate stuck to the reel?  I have been trying to get the side plate access to the centrifugal breaks open.  The screw pin is disengaged, but this bad boy is on there good.  I think something may be corroded inside, preventing me from breaking it free.   I've tried to pry it open, but looking at my other TP, there is a slide lock mechanism, so prying it won't work, and would eventually break something. 

I had that problem with a used Curado 51E.  Sent it to Mike Lawson at DVT.  Pin was bent.  He got it off and straightened pin.  Still comes off a bit hard, but Mike didn't want to charge me $5-$10 shipping for a 50 cent part.

Try backing the cast control knob off a few turns. It puts pressure on the spool pushing it against the sideplate. It might help.