Delaware Valley Tackle

I don't see any real advantage to the "under spin"/"trigger spin" design you mention. It's just an option for light tackle fishing without the bail on a traditional spinning reel.

They aren't vastly different in engineering but, the simple addition of the Centrifugal brake makes the STX worth the $30 extra imo.

I've seen some weird stuff but not this one. The most common thing I see with these is them getting bent all out of whack by being mishandled. The caveat of "properly maintained" covers a multitude of sins too.

I'm with JF and RM on this. Considering all the stuff we buy that isn't "needed" I don't understand the desire to remove something that is a nice little added feature. Any perceptible difference in the feel of a reel with a properly maintained AR pawl is all in mind imo. But, as previously stated, to each his own.

If your reel has a bearing behind a pin on the spool shaft I recommend leaving it and just spraying it out a sbest you can. You stand a good chance of damaging the spool or pin if you don't have a suitable tool and some practice using it.

Acetone is hands down the best choice. The spray and blaster help but are not a substitute for soaking. Ultrasonics will probably come up, and do speed up the process but are overkill for doing a few reels of your own.

I bet your son's bassinette had pontoons, didn't it? lol My favorite fishing days have been with the kids.

As a leader or main line? Have you expeimented with the specialized float line?

Ya, spin-cast reels don't handle stiff lines well at all. I'll second Bankn's other suggestions as well.

If a reel's max drag is 8#, it should take 8# of pulling weight to slip the drag when cranked down. When loosened, the line should pull off effortlessly. The value of the reel is not high, but if you'd like to send it in I'll be happy to take a look.

Reel feet vary somewhat in design forcing seat manufacturers to make "average" sizes. As mentioned, a little shim will snug things up.

Welcome! BassResource.com is a one of a kind site, enjoy!

Welcome Mike! I live in the Delaware Water Gap in PA and fish a lot of the waters in NW NJ as well as PA, NY and CT. We'll see ya on the boards. Mike L

Welcome Phil! I live in Milford, PA, Right across the Delaware from Sussex County NJ. Lots of small lakes as well as the river to fish.Let me know if you're ever in the area. Enjoy the forum.

A quality blank with built in ferrules is plenty sensitive and durable. If you want something you can't find over the counter, you can have it built.

It's not mandatory at all that the sheilds come off. Repeated soaking, rinsing and changing the solvent will clean them just fine. In a shop that does a lot of them an ultra sonic cleaner speeds up the process but that's overkill for a person doing a few of his own imo.

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That pin is one directional on ABU reels. The chances of damaging the pin, spool shaft or spool itself are high if you are not careful. My suggestion is to strip the line and blast the bearing with brake cleaner.

I would expect the variation to be less within a single brand but unfortunately the ratings used are subjective and lend themselves to some variation from case to case.

If the bearings are in need of replacing it is well worth considering upgrading them. Other than that, the upgrade falls into an "Enthusiast" category, better than stock but needed. The easier casting is much more of an improvement in accuracy than distance which is over rated imo. I do not recommend Super Tuning on any rels other that one piece spool shaft reels which I believe covers the PQs but there may be versions with the other design. A tighter tolerance bearing should not need any extra maintenance. In fact, I believe the looser tolerance bearing will wear faster due to those looser tolerances.

http://www.mudhole.com/Shop-Our-Catalog/Concept-SiC-Concept-Alconite-Tops/Fuji-Alconite-Concept-Micro-Tops-Black The second number in the size of tops is the tube size which is in 64ths of an inch

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The Super Lube grease is a fine product but can not be used on drag washers. A drag grease like Cals or Shimanos on gear saves having to keep another container around and works just as well.

When I started reading I was thinking to myself " uh-oh here comes another Bag-O-Parts" lol. Congratulations, but add a disclaimer "Do not try this at home" lest folks think schematics are over rated! Happy New Year!

"Immitation is the sincerest form of flattery" (stole that one too) lol Happy New Year and a toast to dishpan hands!