do you tune/ upgrade your baitcasters?

[SBFISHING]

just wondering if any of yall tune/ upgrade and parts of your baitcasters.

if so what all do you do?

do you upgrade new reals as well as older ones? just curious to see what the general consensus is.

thanks a lot guys!

[optimator]

I'll replace parts as they wear out. I've never felt the need to upgrade anything. YMMV. 

[bhoff]

As long as you buy decent quality equipment there really shouldn't be a need to upgrade anything down the road. Personally I have never upgraded any of my reels but when you're spending a good chunk of change on something I feel as if you shouldn't need to. If you make it into a hobby then that is a different story but just for general application I don't think it is exceedingly necessary/common.

[Stephen B]

For me I don't see the purpose of buying a Curado, Chronarch, Metanium, etc and spending more money for upgraded bearings or parts for cosmetics. I'd rather sat the money aside for a new reel,rod, lures, etc.

 

I had a Curado 70 and put Hedgehog bearings in it and immediately took them out as I didn't think they provided the performance I assumed they would. I much prefer the stock bearings. However, I do buy additional spare spools from the manufacturers (not aftermarket spools).

[FishDewd]

Nah, on newer reels upgraded bearings and such will only result in more backlashing under most circumstances since suddenly the bearings will exceed what the braking system can do, etc. The only ones I upgrade are the older round reels that don't have the braking systems, like old Abus and Penn reels. I have a penn reel I've upgraded the drag washers and gear sleeve on so that it can provide more drag in case I decide I want to do some salt water fishing or something.

[DogBone_384]

I send mine to Mike @ Delaware Valley Tackle and go with his recommendations.  

 

His work and pricing are excellent.

[Raul]

Nope !

[new2BC4bass]

From what I have read, Shimano uses good bearings.  I have a tuned and upgraded Curado 51E and a stock one.  I really don't see enough difference between the two to pay for the supertune and upgraded bearings.  One of our moderator's sent a Curado to DVT and said it was a huge improvement.  Mike did mine, but I've already mentioned my results.  Could be my lack of skill is holding the reel back. 

 

I almost always have a Carbontex drag installed when I send a reel for cleaning and always when getting a reel tuned and upgraded.

 

I figure that if I am getting a reel supertuned, then I might as well go for better bearings while the tuner has the reel apart.  That way I know I am the limiting factor.  Two of my 5.8:1 reels are now faster.....one is now 6.8:1 and the other has a 7.2:1 gear set.  I still have a couple with 5.8:1 gears, so not a disadvantage going to the faster gears in those two.

 

Actually I find it to be the opposite of what FishDewd said....for me.  I find I can usually run a supertuned and bearing upgraded reel with fewer brakes on than a stock reel.  Not in every case, but most of the time.  I don't see a big improvement in distance, but it is easier to achieve the distance I was getting before.  Some claim to get a lot longer casting distance.  I've not seen that.  But...again...it could be me.

 

I did replace the spool in one in an attempt to turn it into more of a finesse reel than it was....a Sol.  I've never replace handles, spool tension caps, etc.

 

I have had new and used reels tuned and upgraded.  TD-Z 105H and Alphas SV105 are examples of each that I have had work done on.  The SV105 was backlashing a lot as it came from the factory.  Setting it up the way videos show, and how people here told me to set it up didn't help.  A tune and upgrades have turned it into a totally different animal.

[evilcatfish]

I never really understood why a reel would need to be super tuned and have the bearings upgraded, that is, until I had one of my reels get "the treatment." The difference was huge, and since then I've had several reels tuned up.  I like TH Kustoms but Delaware and others do great work too

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The ROI will depend on the starting point and expectations as well as the users casting ability. 

[Mike L]

Clean and lube once a year. 

No complaints

 

 

 

Mike

[Eric J]

I have two Daiwa reels I use with my ultra light rigs that I have owned for 20plus years or so. They were top of the line when I bought them and with proper care they are still top of the line!

[Stephen B]

13 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

The ROI will depend on the starting point and expectations as well as the users casting ability. 

I agree, however, the majority of aftermarket products for the reels are not worth the cost. I recommend just buying a quality reel and and clean it regularly. Then send it to reel techs such as DVT for maintenance when the reel needs repairs or in depth cleaning to keep it working at peak performance.

[rippin-lips]

Yes, I do. To most people it’s a waste of money or considered pointless. $500 reel with another $300 worth of parts installed. Dumb right... You can’t see the gold Zpi pg spool. Why did I do it? Well, because I can, and it makes ME happy. You can’t take money with you when you die. Spend it on things that put a smile on your face. Cars,fishing gear,guns, ect. This site doesn’t have many that are enthusiasts and feel the need to spend even more money on a reel, but there are a good many of them out there though. @Redlinerobert comes to mind for sure. He basically had a reel built for him by Ian Shields. Who is 110% hands down the best in the business for reel tuning. 

[MassYak85]

31 minutes ago, Mike L said:

Clean and lube once a year. 

No complaints

 

 

 

Mike

This, if there is an obvious issue with something I will replace it but I don't throw 50 dollars worth of bearings in a reel I paid 100 dollars for and casts fine. That being said I can certainly appreciate nice stuff and if I had more to spend I probably would spend it lol. 

[Angry John]

Upgrade is subjective but change yes.  A spool change can totally change how a reel performs.  Drop a deep zonda spool in a sol or alphas and its amazing how much better you can cast small crankbaits.  I could have just bought a pixy spr but I accomplished the same thing with just a spool.  Bearings are a feel good thing in most cases and I won't call it a waste but modern quality reels have good enough bearings unless you're turning off the brakes and still need more distance.

 

I treat a reel like my truck, if I like the look of a new tires or trims I buy them.  Same is true for knobs handles or any other part on a reel.  I get what I like, and it makes me happy.

[Falkus]

12 minutes ago, rippin-lips said:

$500 reel with another $300 worth of parts installed. You can’t see the gold Zpi pg spool. Why did I do it? Because I can, and it makes ME happy. You can’t take money with you when you die. Spend it on things that make you smile. Cars,fishing gear,guns, ect. This site doesn’t have many that are enthusiasts and feel the need to spend even more money on a reel, but there are a good many of them out there though. @Redlinerobert comes to mind for sure. He basically had a reel built for him by Ian Shields. Who is 110% hands down the best in the business for reel tuning. 

Adopt me ! I live nearby. 

 

Awesome tricked out reel you got there. 

[rippin-lips]

3 minutes ago, Burke said:

Adopt me ! I live nearby. 

 

Awesome tricked out reel you got there. 

Thank you, sir.  I can’t right now. That would be another mouth to feed and body to clothe. You’ll take away from my spending money. I got to buy what I can before getting married soon.  

[Stephen B]

23 minutes ago, rippin-lips said:

Yes, I do. To most people it’s a waste of money or considered pointless. $500 reel with another $300 worth of parts installed. Dumb right... You can’t see the gold Zpi pg spool. Why did I do it? Well, because I can, and it makes ME happy. You can’t take money with you when you die. Spend it on things that put a smile on your face. Cars,fishing gear,guns, ect. This site doesn’t have many that are enthusiasts and feel the need to spend even more money on a reel, but there are a good many of them out there though. @Redlinerobert comes to mind for sure. He basically had a reel built for him by Ian Shields. Who is 110% hands down the best in the business for reel tuning. 

I agree that if you have the means, definitely go for it. Different things make different people happy. However in my eyes I would just buy another Steez or Metanium MGL for the upgrading cost to the reel. Your reel looks slick though. ?

[a1712]

18 minutes ago, rippin-lips said:

Yes, I do. To most people it’s a waste of money or considered pointless. $500 reel with another $300 worth of parts installed. Dumb right... You can’t see the gold Zpi pg spool. Why did I do it? Well, because I can, and it makes ME happy. You can’t take money with you when you die. Spend it on things that put a smile on your face. Cars,fishing gear,guns, ect. This site doesn’t have many that are enthusiasts and feel the need to spend even more money on a reel, but there are a good many of them out there though. @Redlinerobert comes to mind for sure. He basically had a reel built for him by Ian Shields. Who is 110% hands down the best in the business for reel tuning. 

Exactly, well said!! Brian.

[fishwizzard]

 

This is as far as I have gone cosmetically, but I do like the odd splash of color these days.  I am all for performance upgrades, I have a few spare spools to swap around.  Most of my reels take 34mm spools now so I have a ton of options.  

[Angry John]

A dash of color really looks nice imo

[tander]

I like my Lew's reels just as they come but if upgrading makes you happy, go for it !!!

[Jelvas]

 The only thing that i usually upgrade in most of my reels are the handles and, sometimes, the knobs. I like longer handles in most cases and big knobs on the reels that i use for bigger baits...

[burrows]

I really like the way some reels look customized but I just maintain mine clean lube and grease.