Super User iceintheveins Posted July 9, 2014 Super User Posted July 9, 2014 I just bought a Lew's Tournament MG reel for deep cranking. I'm using 10 pound P - Line fluoro (a fairly limp fluoro) and a 7'10" MH BPS crankin' stick, and I'm only throwing 1/2 ounce or bigger lures on it, even though it's rated for lures as light as 3/8 of an ounce. Anyway, I'm dissappointed by the casting distance. I mean it throws the big cranks fairly far, but not all that much further than my Curado E throws a 3/8 ounce crank with 10 pound mono and a 7' crankin' stick. I noticed that my Lew's was LOADED with grease on the worm gear, and I would bet inside the reel it's similar. Seems like way too much. If I was to clean the reel and re lube it with less oil and grease, could this improve the casting distance? In short, I'm wondering if too much lube is negatively affecting my casting distance. The reel is smooth and performing well otherwise. Quote
Super User iceintheveins Posted July 9, 2014 Author Super User Posted July 9, 2014 Or could a better cranking rod increase the distance? I'm doubting that due to how well the same rod in a shorter and lighter model throws cranks that are 3/8 of an ounce with my old Curado. Or is that just due to the fact the Curado E outcasts the Lew's by a lot? Quote
gramps50 Posted July 9, 2014 Posted July 9, 2014 Put the Curado E on the 7'10" rod and see what happens. I have never done it but I have heard of people who will take a new reel & clean it & relube before ever using it. Seems many are over lubed at the factory maybe to help protect them from rust in transit, who knows. It would never hurt to clean & lube the reel to your specs and see what happens. Remember grease on gears & oil (just a drop) in bearings. All this being said we will assume you have the reel tension set for the lure your throwing. Quote
Super User F14A-B Posted July 9, 2014 Super User Posted July 9, 2014 Lews and the brakes... Back off the braking.. Adjust the cast control you should be able too get more distance outta that reel... Idk I don't use them all Shimano here but you should get better Quote
Super User iabass8 Posted July 9, 2014 Super User Posted July 9, 2014 If you haven't cleaned the reel yet, do it. Flush the bearings and you should certainly see an increase in casting performance. Quote
Super User FishTank Posted July 10, 2014 Super User Posted July 10, 2014 It definitely would be improved with less oil and grease. A small amount goes a long way. Quote
Super User iceintheveins Posted July 10, 2014 Author Super User Posted July 10, 2014 Put the Curado E on the 7'10" rod and see what happens. I have never done it but I have heard of people who will take a new reel & clean it & relube before ever using it. Seems many are over lubed at the factory maybe to help protect them from rust in transit, who knows. It would never hurt to clean & lube the reel to your specs and see what happens. Remember grease on gears & oil (just a drop) in bearings. All this being said we will assume you have the reel tension set for the lure your throwing. Yeah I am going to do that with Curado. I have the tension and brakes set as light as possible, the magnetic break is usually on 4 with pretty light tension. Quote
Super User iceintheveins Posted July 10, 2014 Author Super User Posted July 10, 2014 Lews and the brakes... Back off the braking.. Adjust the cast control you should be able too get more distance outta that reel... Idk I don't use them all Shimano here but you should get better I'm a BC veteran so yeah I have the brakes and tension set pretty light. Quote
Delaware Valley Tackle Posted July 10, 2014 Posted July 10, 2014 A deep cleaning and proper lubrication is the single best thing to maximize a reel's potential. The rod, line and bait combined have a greater effect on casting than the reel though. Quote
TNBassin' Posted July 10, 2014 Posted July 10, 2014 You haven't seen excessive lube until you've seen a Curado I. 1 Quote
Super User F14A-B Posted July 10, 2014 Super User Posted July 10, 2014 I'm a BC veteran so yeah I have the brakes and tension set pretty light. My apology . Quote
BobP Posted July 10, 2014 Posted July 10, 2014 Many manufacturers put heavy lube in their reels. I think it's because they know the "Average Joes" that buy the reel will use it until it fails without ever cracking the case to perform routine maintenance. Clean/re-lube the spool bearings. That should help. Everything else can wait until it's time to do routine yearly maintenance. 1 Quote
Super User iceintheveins Posted July 11, 2014 Author Super User Posted July 11, 2014 Got it cleaned well. We shall see now. Quote
Super User iceintheveins Posted July 11, 2014 Author Super User Posted July 11, 2014 My apology . No problem at all. Quote
OnthePotomac Posted July 13, 2014 Posted July 13, 2014 Yep, in Shimano fashion, I just finished soaking the oil out of the spool bearings on my new Curado I and re-oiling with a tiny drop of Yellow Rocket Fuel. I was pleasantly surprised with the spin time of the stock bearings. Grease in gears should not impact casting and should only result in a smooth retrieve, so I don't bother with cleaning gears until end of season cleaning time. If a new worm gear has grease on it, I just add a couple of drops of Reel X to the worm gear, run it back and forth a few times, then run a Q tip over the gear to remove the excess. Quote
Smallmouth Hunter Posted July 13, 2014 Posted July 13, 2014 You haven't seen excessive lube until you've seen a Curado I.Eh. Not really. Mine wasn't too bad really.OP, flush the 3 spool bearings and reoil. I remember that when I first got a lews TP, it was so stuffed with grease that I couldn't cast a 3/8 oz jig + trailer even 30 feet with the lowest brake setting I could use. Flushed the bearings, and distance was much better and the 3/8 oz jig would go atleast 30 yds. Still not as good as my shimanos though. LOL Quote
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