Delaware Valley Tackle

I agree the VSS is a winner but have you looked at the AmTack aero palm swell spinning seat? Love them too.

SCIV but yes, they’re Croix blanks for all intents. The Bass 4 are just select powers and actions suggested for common bass applications. They’re all good.

2 guys in a small craft, snagged another rod on the back cast and let her rip. Mono line ended up in a birds nest that nearly reached the spool depth. That was my one and only cut-off backlash.

You want a long rod 7’> to aid casting and landing fish.

I made one from an old chalk line. Its compact works well. It doesn’t help if you throw it in the trees on the bank though. Or so I’ve heard.

I have to agree with your definition of BFS. Many MH casting rods are rated 1/4-3/4oz.

Lol. No, you’ll the dexterity of a surgeon, imagination of an engineer and patience of a saint.

And it never ends. Have you been into one of the new shimano spinning AR assemblies yet? I was stringing together curse words in some very creative ways.

I’m not one to discourage DIY if you’re up to it. I take plenty of calls helping folks through their projects. But in the words of “Dirty” Harry Callahan, “A man’s gotta know his limitations.”lol Getting fully or partially disassembled reels isn’t ideal but it’s not a deal breaker for me and you wouldn’t be the first or last. Hit me up for whatever level of help you may require.

A lot of blanks contain more than one modulus of carbon fiber and they can be and often are, marketed as being a super high modulus blank when only a fraction of the material is in fact that high modulus. Mandrels, scrim, resins, processes all affect the quality of a blank. Design and components absolutely have an affect on the finished rod. I’ve seen it first hand more than once. Obviously a Berkeley cherry wood and St Croix LTB are using vastly different materials and the higher modulus one is obvious. No reasonable person would argue that point. But if trusted brand x claims 40million modulus and unknown brand y claims 48 or even 54 there’s no guarantee they’re better or even as good. Could they be? Sure. Depending on the variables mentioned. It just doesn’t mean nearly as much as some would have you believe.

If you’d like contact me I’ll give you a quote and at least guide you through the process

That response is a cut and paste from an online article. That doesn’t make it inaccurate, just not specific to their rods. Modulus is misunderstood and over emphasized by marketers and consumers alike. There’s much more that goes into a quality rod. Any modulus info that may have given you means little in evaluating the rods potential performance.

Just a film of light oil. Never grease. Keeping the brake cone clean by swabbing with alcohol also keeps them working and quiet

I receive my share of bag-o-parts orders. You wouldn’t be alone! Lol

Sorry I was too late to help but the community came thru as usual. Busy time of year. Glad you figured it out.

Regardless of which hand you prefer to crank with, try moving the fish with the rod and taking up line with the reel. Much more effective. I can, and do swap hands on some setups but prefer holding the rod in my dominant hand and cranking, in my case, with my left.

I fished with a club member that towed a glass boat with a mini van. You’ll be fine.

Incompatible greases are a thing but not nearly as common as the internet would have you believe. Grease Color is just dye. It doesn’t really mean anything. The Lucas product is also lithium based , is a quality product and perfectly safe to use.

The rod has much more to do with lure presentation. A 3000 reel on a Med spinning rod is arguably as versatile a setup as you can get for bass fishing.

You don’t “need” belly guides. They’re a minor tweak available if you choose. Within Pennie’s of the price of running guides, why not? I’ve even used them as running guides on heavy power rods.

From a wear prevention perspective a film of grease is call you need. Some reels come “over greased” to compensate for tolerances and may make a reel feel smoother temporarily. Grease is just thickeners called soaps used as a vehicle to carry oil and hold it in place. I use a cheap craft paint brush trimmed short to apply grease to the teeth of gears. If you applied grease to the whole circumstance of the gear it’s lubricated and the sound you hear isn’t doing any harm.

Unless it’s going from locked to free with nothing in between I don’t think there’s a problem

Nope

100% preference. Use the handle that feels good to you.

Mb874 will throw those size spinner baits well enough. I’d probably go mb873 if I wanted one specifically for those two baits