Delaware Valley Tackle

In the grand scheme of things there’s nothing in the Tatula that a competent tech can’t handle. I’ll be happy to help you if you wish. You can click my logo and go to my site for a work order form containing our address and send at your convenience or you can take advantage of our new reservation service by contacting us for a date. Thanks Mike

13 aren’t junk but Shimano as an overall brand gets my nod between the two.

I’m not one for standardization. I like trying new things and just swap out any I don’t like. I also don’t fiddle much with braking. Each brand has models that excel in certain ways. Your collection looks to be good quality and performance wise.

Yup it’s actually contaminants (sand, grit, etc) that grooves anything not the line really. Certain applications require certain tools.

From what I’ve seen, St Croix, Fenwick and maybe surprisingly ABU.

IMO grips are largely aesthetic. When actually fishing my hand makes very little contact with the grip do I’m not picky in that regard.

There are different grades of SS just like every thing else. Good ringless guides are light and durable. I don’t go out of my way to use them with a few exceptions.

That clears that up. Lol

If frogging is a favorite technique and your current rod isn’t cutting it you can go that route. Otherwise, pick a technique you want to hone in on and we can suggest options.

It’s actually front or rear drag not top and bottom, aside from semantics the rear drag is far more difficult to service and possess no other redeeming qualities imo.

An on sale or second hand PQ.

Drop shot is the one technique where you can over weight the rod a little without losing contact with the bait or load for long casts. A lighter power lets me work the bait subtly and feel light bites. A med power can help another site from deep water without over playing them. You’re not at any disadvantage from a landing standpoint.

I’d throw on a short leader of stiff 10#. This will help prevent fouling the hooks.

I like braid for line handling and bite detection first, and the added strength in the situations calling for it. In my experience, bass are not line shy, ymmv.

Action is where the rod INITIALLY bends as load is applied. Any rod will bend into the handle is enough force is applied. How easily the rod bends is Power. Lure Weight Range is a function of power. One misconception is that a slower action equals a softer tip. A softer (less powerful) blank with a slower action often work well in conjunction but they are not mutually exclusive. Soft is another subjective term we use. Soft tip can be a mod fast popping/live bait rod or an extra fast drop shot rod that loads easily but rapidly gets into a powerful butt section.

What about the course thread screws that go from the back into the side plate?

How light? Properly prepped and setup I don’t see either being a problem. The rod choice is more critical.

This exactly how I feel about Daiwa. They went from a bulletproof lineup where each model was a definite step up to a race with Lews to see who can put out the most redundant variants.

I prefer not to use rods at the lowest end of their casting range. The sweet spot is usually near the mid range with extremes especially the lower, just something you can get away with in a pinch.

Sounds like a good cleaning or at least bearing flush is in order. Check for line digging in and that the rod is appropriate for the weight casting

I don’t think you need a technique specific setup for what you’re doing here. A good all around bass rig should work fine. If/when you start punching slop with 1.5 oz> it’s another story

Fuego is great value. T wing is just another thing for me to work around.

Agreed. The sweet spot is usually near the mid range of the spec. Also keep in mind that rods cast. All reels do is feed and retrieve line and can impede or assist casting at best.

It’s more involved than just material. There are different types, grades and manufacturing of each. There are junk poured aluminum and there are rigid graphites. Try to shop in the $100> msrp range and quality is much less of a worry. You almost can’t go wrong among the major brands. Use the rod to fight the fish as intended and avoid just winching them in on a locked drag.

You didn’t tear it all the way down if the worm gear assembly wasn’t taken apart and cleaned. The exposed nature of the worm gear makes it more critical to service than anything you have to split the cases to reach.