Delaware Valley Tackle

If a rod rod truly has defective materials or workmanship or has been damaged in transport it will fail the first few times it is flexed. I doubt very much that if that happened Powell or any other manufacturer would not make good or they'll be gone. What is often referred to as a warranty is really a replacement program type of insurance. Like all insurances everyone pays for the few who use and abuse the system. I'd much rather pay a fair price for a good product than overpay and maybe collect a benefit later. I don't see lack of a warranty replacement program necessarily as not standing behind your product.

The SX or STX in the Revo line is more apples to apples when comparing to the other two. Shimano has a big gap between the new Chronarch and Core price points and the Premier falls somewhere in the middle.

While every part serves a purpose and the retaining clip should be replaced, the spool really just holds the line and shouldn't affect the retrieve. The bail just guides the line as it wraps onto the spool. I suspect something else is binding. It really is difficult to diagnose sight unseen. The cost of a service is $16.20 for forum members plus shipping. I do not stock OEM parts for resale but here is Shimano's contact: Shimano American Corp. 1 Holland Irvine, CA 92618 On site customer support - Irvine office 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday Pacific Standard Time Customer Service: 877-577-0600 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday Pacific Standard Time

The length of the rod won't affect sensitivity. Handle length is part of the design and it is common to see some increase in handle length as the rod length increases but almost 1:1 is probably not the norm. The grip on the 7 footer may be on the short side and this one on the long side making the difference more noticable. Even though the "effective rod length" is similar, the longer handle may be helpful if you get a short line strike while flipping. Typically, rods for deep cranking and jigging have different actions (Mod & Fast respectively)so you may want to consider a change in the future.

If they're willing to warranty it, let'em.

This is a great sport where anything can happen. It's a lot like bull riding. It's not a matter of IF you'll get hurt, it's When and How Bad! Villopoto should be the last man standing unless fate claims him.

Welcome Jason and good luck with your txs! NY has more outdoor opportunities than anyone would believe if not from there.

Dale, I don't mean to nit-pick but want to distinguish between "custom" and "hand crafted" rods. A prebuilt one-off rod is hand crafted, a rod special built to your precise specs is "Custom". A lot of thought, planning and design goes into a truly custom rod and I didn't want to see anyone get confused. To the OP, the Citica and PQ are good suggestions as are Revo S and Daiwa Exceler. As for a rod, a MH/F of the highest quality you can budget makes a good all around bass rod.

A co-angler or guest perhaps? previous owner of the boat? The other guys are right about what the piece is, now it looks like you need to find out who's it is.

The part you have pictured here is a drag washer and if that's missing it will cause problems. There may also be a retaining clip that's missing and allowed the washer to fall out. Shimano only lists the spool assembly on the schematic and may not sell just the washer. I'll check and see.

Ya, if it was a display model it's probably been cranked on some. See what shimano has to say and let me know if you want me to take a look.

The Orange Seal bearings run open have the best spin. The seals are supposed to no contact but even from the factory that's not always the case. An open bearing in a fishing reel that is maintained is no problem. If I expect that the maintenance may be less than ideal I'll suggest a shielded bearing.

I have 2 Ambassadeur C3's in service and a C4 on the way. I also have old Ambassadeurs that are used but less frequently.

Throw the bag-o-parts in with the c4 and I'll put it together and send it back for just postage.

Than would be great. I'll give it a cleaning N/C.

A MH/Mod and a good strong reel cranking setup will have you covered for pretty much any common bass fishing scenario. Once that hole is plugged you can start adding technique specific and duplicate setups.

The Carbonlite is a nice light reel but comes in fewer configurations. No 7:1 lefty would rule it our for me.

The PQ is probably as good or better a reel and has dual braking if that's important to you. Sale price is similar to regular PQ sales and I'd say about the same value.

Pinnacle's new Perfecta rods sell for $150 and have gotten some good reviews from mods here.

The metal frame is a good sign, bearing count is over rated as compared to bearing quality and placement. I'd like to see the inside of one of these if anyone has one that they'd like cleaned.

If the reel is designed to pitch light baits (shallow whiffle spool of light materials and with good bearings) there would be little room for meaningful improvement. In a reel with a deeper spool and heavier material what could be gained probably wouldn't offset the spool material and line volume increase in weight. In this case you'd probably be better off trying to design a super light weight arbor. I've seen some old Ambassaduers with a removable arbor but don't know if they were factory or an aftermarket thing.

Just choose a rod that will handle the total weight of the rig you'll be throwing. The MH is probably a little light for most of the rigs I've seen. Any baitfish colored soft plastic with a swimming tail on a ball head jig should get the job done.

Your probably talking 6#-8# line so a Med Power Fast action rod paired with a reel that has a decent drag should make landing fish no problem. A moderate action helps more with trebel hook lures that have mass and can be thrown when the fish head-shakes.

According to the Shimano website, yes. I wouldn't take that as a reason to skimp on rinsing and drying immediately after exposure to salt water.

Personal preference and budget, both are good reels.