Customizing Reels

[CwBTx]

I know the most common ways to customize a reel and was wondering; how mays different things i could do to a reel? And how much of an impact these upgrades might have? can i upgrade ball bearings in reals? Can i upgrade the drag? the specific reel i am speeking of is none other than the shimano scorpion xt 1000. i am not new to fishing but i am new to customizing reels. And if you could answer any of my questions please do it is highly appreciated. thanks for checking this post out and as always tightlines!

[aavery2]

Drag upgrade and handle/knobs are a great place to start with these, if you want to do more there are custom drag stars, spool tension caps, bearings, and spools.

[00 mod]

Send it to DVT(board sponsor) and have him supertune it and change the bearings and drag.  That is the best way to enhance the performance.  Other than that, a Hawgtech handle is super nice!

 

Jeff

[kickerfish1]

Shoot a pm to 21 farms as he has the reel and is a good guy that understands upgrades and can shed some light on it.

Off the top of my head you could:

1. Upgrade the spool bearings

2. Upgrade the spool to a finesse spool. This would be good for lighter baits but wouldn't give you any added distance on say 3/8 and above.

3. Upgrade the handle to CF and knobs.

4. Upgrade the drag to say carbontex drag washers.

5. You can likely find a cool drag star and cast control cap and handle nut retainer.

6. Have the reel cleaned and professionally supertuned.

Frankily I would leave the reel stock with the exception of a carbontex drag and possibly having the reel supertuned. Most all other upgrades will be cosmetic and not effect performance. In its stock form it is a great reel out of the box.

[SirSnookalot]

I'm a spinning man, I've put a 4000 larger handle on a 2000 reel and it's made a huge difference, makes me think the Hawgtech is a nice option, whether the reason is comfort or better cranking power.  Not being a b/c user, I've heard pros and cons after bearing upgrades, maybe buying a better reel in the first  place might be cheaper and better in the long run, I don't really know.  One thing that gets really tested on my reels are my drags, never upgraded or had to replace any, my reels catch a wide range of species and all kinds of fish.  The only caveat would be a stradic I have that's about 5 years old and I'm just thinking about maybe replacing the drag, I couldn't begin to describe the amount, sizes and strengths of the fish I've caught on this reel.  For me, if it aint' broke don't fix it.

[Loop_Dad]

Like SirSnookalot, All my reels are stock. However, I am bit interested in spool bearing upgrade. I have always been wondering how much of difference that upgrade will make in casting distance. I came across bearing + drag upgrade parts combo for a bit over $20 on eBay. That's cheep enought to just try out. I'm currently search of DIY instruction on how to change the spool bearings...(Citica G)

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The advantage you can gain from Super Tuning and bearing upgrades depends largely on your casting ability. I feel the biggest advantage to faster spool speeds is in accuracy since it takes much less effort to cast when free-spool is improved. On a cost/advantage basis I recommend:

1. Professional clean & lube with stock bearings.

1a. Carbontex drag upgrade.

2. Super Tune (applies only to solid spool shaft design like Shimano uses)

3. ABEC7 ceramic hybrid spool bearings.

4. Spool and/or handle replacement.

[.RM.]

The advantage you can gain from Super Tuning and bearing upgrades depends largely on your casting ability. I feel the biggest advantage to faster spool speeds is in accuracy since it takes much less effort to cast when free-spool is improved. On a cost/advantage basis I recommend:

1. Professional clean & lube with stock bearings.

1a. Carbontex drag upgrade.

2. Super Tune (applies only to solid spool shaft design like Shimano uses)

3. ABEC7 ceramic hybrid spool bearings.

4. Spool and/or handle replacement.

X2  

[CwBTx]

What would be ths cost to upgrade my shimano scorpions handle, spool, and all bearings plus drag?  What does upgrading the drag do does it give me more power and if so how much my scorpion only has like 10 and honestly i wouldnt might that number a little higher up at least 14ish.

[21farms]

here's what i've done to mine: SO FAR 

1) professional tune (bearing flush and internal polish)

2) upgraded bearings to ABEC9s hybrids

3) replaced one bushing under each knob with ABEC3s

4) replaced 80mm OEM handle with 84mm chronarch E handle (rendering #3 above moot)

5) replaced OEM spool with yumeya 32mm BFS shallow spool

6) replaced OEM 6.4:1 gear set (main and pinion gears) with 7:1 core50 gears

 

my next steps:

7) upgrade handle (again) to the brand new semper-fi carbon fiber 90mm swept handle

8) replace OEM drag washers with carbontex

 

i'm actually very happy with the stock drag so i only plan to replace the drag discs with carbontex only after the OEMs wear out. out of all the things i've done to my scorpion XT, my favorite is switching to the shallow spool...that made the single biggest difference in my pitching/casting performance. good luck!

[Smallmouth Hunter]

All I have ever done for upgrades (all on tourney pro) upgrade spool bearings to the new hawgtech hybrids. I think I am going to upgrade the knobs and drag star, but they are already really nice so maybe not. I think an upgraded spool would be nice though. Does anyone know a upgraded spool a tournament pro can use?

[Grantman83]

I have fully upgraded and painted 2 reels....Way too much money lol but you can truly make the reel unique. 

 

I fully upgraded my liberto pixy to a pixzilla which included.

 

Gear swap to 6.3:1

Carbontex Drag stack

TDz line guide

worm gear bearing upgrade

upgrade to orange seal bearings

steez drag star

click drag star conversion

Zillion type r handle

clear cork knobs

zpi knob caps

 

As I said, way too much free time and money but boy does it look sweet and work great...

[21farms]

I think an upgraded spool would be nice though. Does anyone know a upgraded spool a tournament pro can use?

tuning spools are pricey, that's for sure....about $85 to $200. the big three each make tuning spools: shimano (through yumeya), daiwa (through iz'e), and abu-garcia. the only third-party spool manufacturer i'm aware of is a japanese company called 'avail' but i have only seen spools from them for shimano, daiwa and abu-garcia, not lew's.

[Fishwhittler]

What would be ths cost to upgrade my shimano scorpions handle, spool, and all bearings plus drag?  What does upgrading the drag do does it give me more power and if so how much my scorpion only has like 10 and honestly i wouldnt might that number a little higher up at least 14ish.

 

Hawg Handle = $85 (includes four bearings)

Aftermarket spool = Variable depending on the spool; expect to pay at least $90 for a new spool from Japan Tackle.  This upgrade is really worth doing only if you plan on throwing light weights with your reel; otherwise it serves little purpose.

Spool bearings = ABEC-7 ceramic hybrid bearings from Hawgtech will run you $8 a pop; there's no need to upgrade anything besides the two spool bearings.

 

Will a drag upgrade give you more power?  Probably.  It depends on the reel and the surface area of the carbontex washers.  I've upgraded two Shimano reels with carbontex drags, both Citica 201E's.  I also polished the drag surfaces though I'm not positive it made an improvement in power.  Anyway, the Citica I still have has an absolutely immovable drag when locked down.  As in, if I lock down the drag and hold the spool to prevent it from turning, the handle won't budge.  No clue how much drag it's making, though I know it's much more powerful than 10#.  I've got several reels that max out at 10# drag, and I can still turn the handles while holding the spool.

 

I'd say the Scorpion 1000XT is a safe bet for increased drag power after a drag washer upgrade, since that's the JDM equivalent of the Curado 50E and the 50E uses the same drag washers as the Citica E.

 

All I have ever done for upgrades (all on tourney pro) upgrade spool bearings to the new hawgtech hybrids. I think I am going to upgrade the knobs and drag star, but they are already really nice so maybe not. I think an upgraded spool would be nice though. Does anyone know a upgraded spool a tournament pro can use?

 

 

One of these might fit:  Tuning parts for ABU reels.  If they do, you'll also need the parts to convert your reel to having an infini-spool with a two-part spool shaft.  Otherwise, as far as I know there aren't any options apart from machining your own spools.

[Loop_Dad]

The advantage you can gain from Super Tuning and bearing upgrades depends largely on your casting ability. I feel the biggest advantage to faster spool speeds is in accuracy since it takes much less effort to cast when free-spool is improved. On a cost/advantage basis I recommend:

1. Professional clean & lube with stock bearings.

1a. Carbontex drag upgrade.

2. Super Tune (applies only to solid spool shaft design like Shimano uses)

3. ABEC7 ceramic hybrid spool bearings.

4. Spool and/or handle replacement.

 

Please educate me here...why professional clean & lub with stock bearings is #1? And why spool bearing upgrage is #3? I thought upgrading the spool bearing was the clear #1 choice.

 

Edit: Never mind I found a thread about this:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/99316-help-me-understand-super-tuning/?hl=%2Bsuper+%2Btunning#entry1093839

[jtesch]

I've found that the spool bearing upgrade really helps with pitching. Much less effort needed for pitching and it makes for a much easier day on the water.

[bigbill]

I never heard of doing this before but how much faster do you gain in the quarter mile?

Just kidding but what is the gain really, do all the tornie guys do these changes? Does the reel perform better or does it last longer?

I use only to lube all my reels, moly eliminates all wear, reduced friction, fights corrosion, prevents galling, stays were we put it. Just don't use it on drags or brakes. It's good on bearings and gears. Anywhere there is metal to metal contact.

[SirSnookalot]

I'm not sure if upgrading the drag increases the power or not, but if I were to do it the reason would perfomance not more strenght. 10# of drag for bass fishing is way more than I'd be setting it in the first place, my drag is set to the line I'm using.

I do know quite a few big game charter captains and I know for a fact their drags are scale set when targeting tuna, marlin, swordfish and the like.  I don't know if the drags or any other parts of the reels are upgraded, a question I'm going to ask them.  I'm more curious about the drag issue as their reels are trolling, not cast and retrieve like bass or inshore fishing.

[CwBTx]

I have had 5 pound fish strip 10 pound drag from the fish exerting that much force. (SIZE DOESNT MATTER hahaha). Also if they get in brush or grass i can pull them out easier with higher pound drag than 10 pound drag. Thanks for your input and as always Tight lines.