diehardbassfishing

I've been away from BR and fishing for awhile. This is my first "Scorable Bass" for 2023! A medical issue that got my attention! Gents, keep up with your PSA testing! Sure glad I did...

Not difficult - I've used my fingernail. I'm sure a wood toothpick would work fine too. Karl

Welcome! I'm familiar "Susky" smallmouth fishing! Here fishing with guide on a Rockzilla bass boat. Great to experience... Karl

Oh Lord - Help Us!! ??? Karl

Yea - same shifting internal weights on SP Pointers. When the lure hangs from rod (lure tail down) the weights move to the tail end. This helps the lure in the air, on cast, to fly straight. Else lure could fly sideways - hampering distance because of poor aerodynamics. Good to mention this. Sink test again. The weights move forward when it's jerked with the line in combination with the lure's front bill. It noses down with jerk, moving the weight to the middle of the body. If the weight is NOT shifted forward (middle of the lure) it will suspend with the tail down - radically. The Pointer is designed to suspend "level". So, when testing in the sink, hold the lure with the head down, this will move the internal weight to its middle "fishing position" then lay into the water. It should suspend - level. Karl

Opps. Tx for correction. That's right FC sinks... Karl Sorry, big mistake by me - screwed up Mono/FC. FC sinks - Mono Floats. I'm getting old!! Karl Still try the in-house sink test...

Do a Sink Test. Drop the lure into a basin of water. My suspending SP78 and SP100 Pointers (not your new XR version - never tried) will show suspending action right in the kitchen sink! Karl

Sounds about right. You could be seeing effects of line too. FC or braid- would sink less/slower. Mono - sink faster. Using mono I've never seen my LC Pointers float. Never seen them slowly rise. Karl

Along with a tension knob clicker (if built with one) - the knob has (should have) an O-Ring to protect against water intrusion, and provide a degree of force to prevent the tension knob from turning easily. This O-Ring is likely greased from the factory. I wouldn't be too surprised if it's over lubed. I've wiped of access grease to increase knob "force" on reels where it turned way to easily. If you see excess grease, I'd clean off all the grease on the O-ring, surrounding area, and the inside of the knob. I'd use a simple spray cleaner and paper towel. Q-tip good also to finish. Could use naphtha lighter fluid for a stronger de-greasing. Then re-lube lightly. Put small amount of grease on your finger - a smear, not a blob. Put a VERY light grease coating on the O-ring. After this I always find the knob to have a tighter feel. This will also get better after a few outings of use. Let us know if this helps, Karl Oh - be sure spool axle end has grease - the very end - where it rides against the tension cap. If this grease gets cleaned off in the process of degreasing the O-ring areas, it's critical to put a dab of grease back on the end of the shaft (or inside the cap where the shaft rides).

Day 2. Karl

Finally a Fall Bass! Had to change body of water from my usual. The usual has been skunk city for over a month. Bottom fished a Tube Craw. Karl

You can't cast well with a broomstick or a wet noodle. The two rods you mention fall between. Good! I also have the bait monkey acting on me to try different brands of rods. I've found that I can find rods that fit what I'm looking for. It's not too hard to compare two rods for "equivalent rod loading ability". Hold your trusted rod by the grip, and extend the rod out and place the tip against the seat of a chair. Something that is kinda neutral in height. Get a feel for how the rod flexes using little force. Small bounce is helpful. Now switch to the rod you're considering to purchase. If it feels and looks VERY different when loading, it's going to cast very different. Try this test using your rods - see if you can see the differences and similarities. Karl

Something like that! Karl

"Closet queen" at least until I've gone through all my other Zillions! Megabass Dragon Karl

OK - Now I see the wording issue here. We both know how the two spool control systems work. We just see and explain the actions differently. I look at it from the spool's perspective. Spool tension directly affects the amount of friction that a spool feels. THAT THEN affects spool rotation speed, which will have an affect any type of centrifugal spool control system. Karl

Sorry, but this in incorrect. Spool tension has no effect on magnetic field. Tension effects only the amount of friction a spool has from pressure against the spool axle. It's set correctly when there is zero spool side to side play, Adding a tiny bit more than that to "taste" is fine. But the old Abu Garcia classic round reel instruvtion for setting tension for slow drop isn't the Daiwa way. Karl

Believe the slot is there for the hook to collapse into the bait on a bite. Effectively allowing a wider hook gap on hook-up. Karl

Yes, the Mag dial screw that goes into frame. Now I see! Frame swap in order. Karl

Hitting head with palm!! Of course no frame screw goes into the brake side plate.......

The plastic composite side-plate can be ordered. If you're good at reel building, it's quite doable. Installing the magnet assembly is the trickiest part. I've done it. Our sponsor here, Delaware Valley Tackle, may come in handy. I wouldn't try a repair. It'll only extend your frustration. Karl

NOW!

Adj spool tension for what works for you. Daiwa's recommendation is for best casting performance. Adding a bit of tension can help with spool control, without any "real" loss in casting distance. Karl

But handle is short, and line capacity is low. It's a finesse reel. Karl

Bearings behind a spool pin can be flushed. I happen to use cigarette lighter fluid. I wouldn't use acetone since it might melt the device I'm explaining. The trick is putting a plastic cap over the pin and bearing. A cap filled with cleaning fluid and placed over the end of the bearing. I have found 2 types of caps can that work for this. An eye dropper bottle cap (the non child-resistant type), and those bolt (screw bolt) caps that can be had in hardware stores. These come in various sizes that are color coded. They're quite flexible and can fit nicely over the end of the bearing. To help the effectiveness of cleaning the bearing on the spool assembly, I strongly suggest removing the bearing shield. It is a bit tricky to do on a captive bearing, but I've done it many times. Once the shield clip is removed, and the shield is lifted, depending on the size of the spool pin, you may have to cut the shield to remove it. Yes, keep the shield removed. It's fine! Good luck - have patience! It does work great... Karl