bulldog1935

I would search Handle Spacer Daiwa to Shimano on ebay. Same on Express website.

Tranx 300 handle has 8 x 5 mm shaft slot, which matches Daiwa/Abu, Curado 70 is 7 x 4 mm. You can buy an inexpensive spacer shim that will let it fit. There are also many aftermarket handles made for Shimano with the 7 x 4 mm slot.

The other choice is a 60- to 65-mm handle. While none are made specific for Shimano, can use a spacer shim that converts Dauwa/Abu handle to Shimano.

all small frame Shimano reels have fiber drag washer - it's plenty of drag on the rods that you match small frame - it's also a glass + resin reinforced cloth that's a lot tougher than simple felt. Shimano medium and large frame reels have carbon drag washers. '20 Twin Power C3000XG schematic

Nice thing about SV brake system, it allows versatile aftermarket spools. '23 Air TW BFS has the new smaller SS MagForce brake - will be interesting to see whether it shows up on the next version of Steez CT or Steez Air.

As long as you stay away from Headhunters Lure Shop in Narita, you'll likely be safe enough (handmade wood plugs and heroin tackle) https://www.headhunters.jp/hpgen/HPB/shop/shopguide.html (imagine this with green YGK braid vs. white Varivas Si-X)

Just a note, the Hedgehog-copy tool (not the only tool you will ever need) will work on this spool. The bearing is outside the spool flange. But only the SLP Works or Roro-version offset module vise will work on any of these spools. The pins on these spools all sit too low for the flat pin press to reach them. Note the bearings are in the spool hollow. Here's both tool types on Roro website - cheap postage. https://rorolure.com/collections/spool-bearing-remover

@GreenPig hi friend - that's a line/hook keeper - it rocks to pinch the line, and has a hook notch. It was on the reel I bought in Yahoo auction, though it was installed backwards. Here's where the reel above began. It was a good Yahoo snipe, used reel, scratched spindle caps, no box, wrong aftermarket handle - everything that would turn off a Japan buyer.

This is where capture and paste of schematic, and/or capture and paste of "Debo" stills is important for an intelligent discussion. The reel model isn't yet mentioned.

Liked this part.

There are two types of pin removal tools, depending on how hollow the spool, and whether the spool bearing sits far out on the spindle, or deeper in the spool hollow. The pins themselves may be shouldered to only move one way, and forcing the other way destroys the spool/spindle. Check both ends of the pin with magnifier or calipers. Rorolure.com sells both pin removal tool types for the best prices. Lew's SP requires the spendy SLP Works offset module vise, which Roro sells equivalent for the best price on our planet.

A/R roller bearing is on the main shaft, which the clutch separates from the spool by a yoke lifting the pinion gear out of engagement with both the spool and main gear. This freespool design goes back to 1918 (Pflueger Douglas patent, also A/R), but got shelved in 1928 until Ambassadeur picked it up again in 1954.

Mature audience warning - round reel porn ahead. 😉 This is a used Isuzu BC720SSS (5500C size) almost off my bench, scored on Yahoo, with a compliment of brass trim parts from Bright River, and NS Craft handle. editing in the final photo with the LW upgrades completed

Never, for 20 years' worth. Once, DHL misdirected an ebay order for 3 lures that I charged back.

It's official, Japan is one-third off.

XUL rods can be wonderful for their niche of casting distance and fishing light-touch with XUL lures, and the two rods above sound like jewels in that niche. These rods will replace UL spinning, and still have good butt power for turning fish. Also as mentioned, they may not strike bass the way you want. Here's my buddy Alex with a spinning XUL he built from a fly rod blank. I was fishing a fly rod the same day with Alex - we were wading and bank fishing a private-access impounded creek noted for 4-5-lb bass in pods. (Below, I'm fishing the same water with Kevin Townsend, of course, filming a fly-rod TV show) When I went looking for a bass-specific baitfinesse rod, for reservoir fishing from kayak, 1/16 oz low-end capability was primary, but I limited my search to the highest top-end I could find - I didn't quit at 3/8 oz, but narrowed my rods search to 1/2- and 5/8-oz top end. This gets into ML and MM rods, and I couldn't be more delighted with the Valleyhill rod I found, which covers me for 1/15 oz Neds and finesse spinnerbaits to mid-weight crankbaits, and can go out alone on my kayak. It's unfortunate that both rod series Valleyhill built on this blank are OOS and apparently out of production. The JDM market changes so quickly, you have to "keep your eyes peeled" to find a perfect niche rod. But both XUL rods discussed above will give you more feel fishing unweighted plastic and XUL topwater.

The actual unsolicited advice here is along these lines - you spend money on tackle, you spend money on kayak, don't take them out together until you've worked out your rod holders and rod leashes. There is no part of fishing that requires abusing your tackle. Fishing is about using your senses, and not ignoring anything around you. The more attention you pay to the details, the more your honed skills and gear reward your effort. There's an analogy to hunting and firearms. With any of this, you should be methodical and perceptive. Stealth is the most important skill with both hunting and fishing, and next is knowing what to do when the opportunity arises to strike - should have it planned ahead. When you've arrived is when the methodology is as important and enjoyable as the result.

yet no one else ever has, either. Plenty of examples on this thread of how and why to use X-shrink. It's easy and inexpensive to replace, and can be used to repair worn, chipped cork and EVA grips. No accident high-$ offshore rods come with it. It makes a 1st-class repair on a splitting foam grip, like this 14-y-o stake-out pole.

https://japantackle.com/tuning-parts/spools-casting-reels/shimano/tu002389.html Roro makes this 32-mm dia spool that's the only reference to SLX I've found.

I use a lot of X-shrink on salt rods., here over a too-small EVA foregrip, offshore slow jigging. 14' surf rod, the foregrip has a base wrap of cork tape This salt finesse rod had grip too small for human hands, the wedge in the rear intended to split 3rd and 4th fingers, but it split 2nd and 3rd on me, and split them wide. I made a trial using closed-cell foam, cut it off, and finished with cork tape and X-shrink. Ahhh. Indexed hand-position paddle grips using closed cell foam and X-shrink The best way to apply this stuff is using boiling water from a tea kettle - pour from the center toward each end.

My daughter has always cast, switched hands, and reeled right-handed.

@garroyo130 - my reel with the long handle above is 8.3 gears, which is why I put the long handle on it If you go with a low-ratio gear, keep the short handle.

Most of my bait reels are set up BFS to fish threadline braid, and most aimed at the salt, to fish 1/8 oz down. Different rods match shore-fishing and kayak-fishing niches. Sticking to bass, my go-to rod for our local, deep, no-motors reservoir is Valleyhill ROC-67MMM. This is a great choice for taking out one rod on 14' kayak, covering from 1/15-oz Neds and finesse spinnerbaits, to mid-weight cranks. I can swap several reels in here, and currently have it matched with ZPI Alcance with finesse spool and bearings. The other place I fish bass is our limestone rivers from a 10' kayak. Fishing shallower here, it's important the rod has backbone to stop a respectable bass from going under the boat (and running wide on the other side). My go-to finesse combo is Smith Plugger reel and 5'6" ML S-glass Super Strike (2 power). The short rod fits very well in narrow river channels, and skip-casts under cypress overhang. Bottom-bouncing this 4-g keel spinner on the flagstone is cheating. I recently added a longer 6'3" graphite Smith rod with the same finesse rating, and matched it with a raced-out Ambassadeur 4500C. The goal here is longer casts with the same light lures, and this will cast 3 g to 90'

I've found that S-glass rods, because of moderate tip, will fish very well a bit below their rated bottom end. I normally fish these in close-kayak niches. e.g., this one fishes 1/8 oz, and skip-casts that light weight with aplomb. and this one fishes 3 g like a champ (rated 5 to 14 g). A longer graphite rod from this same maker (Smith) will not fish below its rated bottom end.

There's one difference, I run completely without spool tension - I adjust only to dial out spool side play.