NOC 1

you could try Japan Tackle, JDM Heaven, and 7Seas Pro shop for starters.

I am missing your meaning here. Soaked the cork?

It's pretty tough to get a crank-bait 17' feet deep and nearly impossible to get to 30'....just saying that because it may affect your choice if that is the main reason you are looking for a crank-bait rod.

Thanks, I've been sort of eyeing those up as well. A lot of guys seem to really like them. And 6'6" is right in my comfort zone for length. I think that what is holding me up there, and I should probably be ashamed of it, is that it seems a waste of a good opportunity to add another MegaBass or the like since I've already pretty much convinced myself that I "need" another rod. I have also been thinking of the Adermine which has been mentioned too. I have been neglecting my spinning gear for a long while, and I've been thinking of getting something fairly nice there. I'm also drawn to the 6'8" UL Poison Adrena, 6'5" F0 World Shaula, Legit Design Wild Side 6'8" L/MF, and I'm liking the Major Craft MS-X Limited 6'4" XF solid tip more and more all the time......Ah, So much great gear...never enough cash.

I could see where you would want to reapply if you are using the Magic Eraser to clean the handle because it is an abrasive and it probably sanding off the light coat. I started using Windex to clean cork 40 years ago when I used to ride a lot of bicycle events. No fishing rod handle gets dirtier than cork handle bar tape after sweating on and grinding the dirt into them with leather gloves for 100 miles or more. It cleans cork to brand new looking without sanding off the surface..Right now my oldest current handle bar tape was installed in 1987 and it is now just as bright and clean as it was 23 years ago. Just make sure you get the Windex with Ammonia (or just use plain Ammonia) as Ammonia is not damaging to wood. It's the go to for removing old wax from fine furnishings...I'm not sure about the newer "greener" formulations.

I know how you feel. I did the same with my Lews reels.

i think that the difference is mainly that for the same motion, the rod tip will travel further. That can be pretty useful if you are using stretchy line and you've got 40 or 50 yds. of it out there I guess. Yes the ratio is higher so it is is a little more effort, but like you say, not so much that anyone would notice without a a machine to measure it for you. Or maybe if you had an arthritic shoulder. They are making me go in still, but I agree in principle. If I'm going to be figuring stuff, I'd rather be figuring fishing stuff.

Well, the thing is that things work the way they work whether or not you consider them. I like many others understand how they work because I have learned that. I can't unlearn it just because I am fishing. BUT....personally, I don't think about it much when I'm fishing except when I have problems. For example if I'm losing fish because I'm doing 50 yd. hook sets with a 6'3" regular action rod strung with mono. It is nice to know the physics so that I know how to fix the problem. But mostly I just go with what feels best to me when fishing. I figure out stuff at work and I like fishing because it isn't like work. What's the other choices? You could just stumble onto a solution I guess, or you could ask on a forum like this and let somebody else figure out how it works.

Well, given the same power applied, torque is converted in part to speed. The upshot is that a shorter rod has more torque. It's a lever after all. Longer rod equals more distance traveled with less power while a shorter rod travels less and slower but has more power given the same motion and the same power used to make it.

I usually just wipe them down with a little Windex. Seems to work well enough. I've not had to reapply yet.

I am considering a Light action casting rod lately. I am considering having something built. I am thinking along the lines of a Phenix Iron Feather blank 7'1" EX Ln. 1-7, lure 1/16-3/8, Titanium with SiC guides etc. Or maybe something built on a Walleye spinning blank of some sort. Still working it out I guess. Maybe I'll try making it myself, but then again I don't it think it would be a wise move to build my first rod on a $200 blank, so...

I don't know. I really prefer a 90mm handle, but use plenty of reels with 80mm handles just fine. On the other hand a reel with a 100mm handle will get the handle changed to a 90mm. The longer handle seems like a lot of wasted motion to me and I don't worry much about the torque. Even a 20lb Flathead cat is no match for a 240lb human with tools. I think that one's preferences might have to do with hand size. I have small hands so smaller handles and small precise movements seem fine to me. But I can see why somebody with big ham fists might not feel it the same way?

For Ned rigs, I've been using an OG Daiwa Black Label ML/R with a Daiwa PX68R for the lighter stuff, an F3 Megabass Speed tip Custom (solid tip) with a Daiwa SS SV 103 upgraded to a Zillion SV TW G1 spool for the stuff that is a little heavier. I will also use an Abu Volatile ML/XF (really supposed to be an inshore rod) with a Daiwa PX68R from time to time.

Holy cow...I use 12lb and 15lb on my MH set-ups and 8 or 10lb on my medium rods. My finesse rigs are loaded with 4, 6, and 8. What lure weight would you consider "finesse"? I know people have differing ideas of what that means. I can't imagine using 15lb line to throw 1/8 oz baits.

Maybe it does a little, but if so it is so little that I'm not sure it does at all. I can't tell any difference really outside of the fact that it seems to give the cork a nice velvety touch.

https://tackletrap.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1066_2409_2410

You could also check out the MegaBass Orochi XXX rod. they are usually around the $250-$300 range. I have a Black Elseil II, F4/6'10" rated for 1/4-3/4 oz. lures and like it a lot. The only caveat is that the XXX rods are a JDM series, so the the lengths and etc may seem a little odd if you are used to nothing but US market rods. I also like the new Falcon Experts at $200. Both of these rods are sensitive and light.

If the Lews reel is somehow allowing the bait to "waggle" more (it isn't) then you would be getting less depth from it. The quickest and deepest dive takes place with the lure lip facing straight down. The lip is going to be providing the same amount of force given the same speed and any sideways motion is using some of the force to move sideways and not to go down. Yes, the speed will make a difference because the downward force is a function of the surface area and shape of the lip, the angle of the lip, and the speed of the water trying to move around it. Just the same as the way that an airplane wing provides more lift the faster it moves through the air. That is why a jet liner will not fly at 40 mph but will lift itself into the air at 130 mph. Or more to the point, it is why a pilot can pull the rudder all the way to the side while he taxi's on the ground while it is a very bad idea at 200 mph. But, more speed doesn't mean the lure can gp deeper. It just means that it will go to a given depth faster. the limiting factor on how deep any diving lure can go is the angle of the line pulling it. If you could keep the line strictly horizontal, the lure could dive for as many miles as you wanted it to. But the reality is that while the lip is digging down, the line is at the same time pulling the lure upwards and the greater the angle of the line, the more it does so. so there is a point in the cast where the the up-force out-pulls the lip and you are then pulling the lure up. That is why to get a lure truly deep you need to troll using a outrigger cannonball weight or a maybe a Dipsy Diver set-up. Have you considered the the vibration in the Lews is simply because the Shimano is a smoother reel?

I just keep covers on all my reels when they are on the racks. A little bit of dust I don't worry about cleaning, it comes off fishing usually. I have used a can of air before to blow the dirt off of a rell that got covered in dust fishing, but usually I just keep them covered and then clean everything really well when I do the yearly tear down and clean. I always put a nice thin coat of Carnuba wax on the outside of the reel. That seems to keep a lot of dirt from sticking to them.

I don't have one of those rods, but one of my sons does. he uses it for launching Big Carolina rigs with big 10-12" worms into the deep water looking for big summertime bass in Texas. He says the same thing. He says it is surprisingly sensitive considering the price and the power of that rod.

I know right? One of my sons is the same way though. He tried Daiwa...too big he says, tried Lews and it felt just right but not up to par otherwise. Finally he went to the Shimano Scorpion 70 and the Curado 70 and he is happy with those....so far.

Pretty much any of the mechanical line counter, including the ones built into line counter reels are set up for a specific diameter. From my experience usually the equivalent to either 14 or 15lb mono.

I think I would keep all the rods too because they are all pretty good rods. THIS! Send the reels to a pro and they will tear them completely down and clean them in a sonic cleaner, inspect for worn parts etc. If they are just dirty and not broken too badly, you should be able to get all 4 done for maybe $200. The thing is that you probably couldn't buy a new reel of the same quality for that price. The Daiwa TD-X was just under the top of the line up to about 2005 or so. Great reels. Magnesium frame and side plates. That is why it looks like yellowed plastic where the paint is gone. It might be ugly, but cleaned up it will fish like a champ. The new Morrum 3600 is about $400. The old one is a little dated but still a really nice reel.A keeper for sure The Curado Bantam is a classic and built like a tank. Lots of guys love them. I wouldn't sell any of that stuff if it were me. It's all high quality gear.

It IS apples to apples. In all cases we are talking about things that are bought because we like them. They are discretionary purchases. Unless you make your living riding a motorcycle, hunting big game, or bass fishing, these things are all "hobby" type of purchases. If you NEED a rifle on the cheap, you can get a Savage or CZ for well under $1000 that will do everything you need it to do, or a plastic service pistol for under $500. But some of us choose to buy fine old Mausers and finely tuned Les Baer pistols instead. It is all about where we, as individuals choose to spend our money. I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that among the folks on this forum who argue that buying the best reels are a waste of money, there are a good many that don't have a problem with buying expensive trucks, or spending a fortune on a McMansion or even thousands on landscaping that mostly benefits the neighbors. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with any of these things. I just wish that people would see that it is simply choices we make instead of thinking that the things they do are perfectly sensible and the things others might choose instead are a waste of money.

I have rifles that are worth 5 brand new Steez reels each. A great pistol will cost more than 5 Conquest rods. And then there are the folks crabbing about spending over $100 on a reel. I get it, for some it is a matter of budget. For the others. I don't know, I guess they value money above all else.