10-12-2009, 07:05 PM
Around $200, huh? Even $100 makes Reel Schematics' deal of a reel maintance manual and how-to-start-a-reel-repair book seem affordable.
Maybe there's more too a clean reel casting far that its bearings being replaced. But I keep thinking new bearings will solve the distance problem.
I don't backlash very much, but then again I fish lakes that usually are protected from wind. Seldom must I cast into a strong wind. I mostly tend to get a snarl after something big splashes on the edge of my normal casting range. I give it something extra to reach farther, and that added elbow grease earns the backlash.
Also, I go out with four reels and sometimes forget their quirks. My most expensive reel at $70, marked down from $120 as I remember, is a six-year-old BPS Extreme that's presently shelved in need of new bearings after losing casting distance.
Haven't gotten a raise this century, so I just can't afford any more than necessary. I haunt eBay and look for bargains at discount stores. I did splurge for a $70 Bill Dance combo out of BPS two years ago, and it's by far my best. I use it for long casts with cranks. Next best is a Wal-Mart Quantum, marked way down after originally being part of a combo and now missing its cap. So I went home, gathered caps, went back and found one that fit. The best reel should be my Curado Bantam found in a Shakespeare box of the closeout bin at K-Mart, which stopped carrying baitcasters. But I stupidly got oil into the drag shaft, making it unpredictable and dangerous for hooksets. It'll start out the day OK, but lose drag as used -- that's a pain. I also use a old model Daiwa MagnaForce that I got new off eBay, with a flippin' switch (yeah, I'm a sucker for those.) My only backup is the shelved BPS.
I'm happy with my four cork-handle rods. Well, let's say I don't know enough about rods to want better. None's probably more than $20, but they work.
Please let me know if any of yours are for sale. I don't care how they look as long as they get decent range.
[signature]
Maybe there's more too a clean reel casting far that its bearings being replaced. But I keep thinking new bearings will solve the distance problem.
I don't backlash very much, but then again I fish lakes that usually are protected from wind. Seldom must I cast into a strong wind. I mostly tend to get a snarl after something big splashes on the edge of my normal casting range. I give it something extra to reach farther, and that added elbow grease earns the backlash.
Also, I go out with four reels and sometimes forget their quirks. My most expensive reel at $70, marked down from $120 as I remember, is a six-year-old BPS Extreme that's presently shelved in need of new bearings after losing casting distance.
Haven't gotten a raise this century, so I just can't afford any more than necessary. I haunt eBay and look for bargains at discount stores. I did splurge for a $70 Bill Dance combo out of BPS two years ago, and it's by far my best. I use it for long casts with cranks. Next best is a Wal-Mart Quantum, marked way down after originally being part of a combo and now missing its cap. So I went home, gathered caps, went back and found one that fit. The best reel should be my Curado Bantam found in a Shakespeare box of the closeout bin at K-Mart, which stopped carrying baitcasters. But I stupidly got oil into the drag shaft, making it unpredictable and dangerous for hooksets. It'll start out the day OK, but lose drag as used -- that's a pain. I also use a old model Daiwa MagnaForce that I got new off eBay, with a flippin' switch (yeah, I'm a sucker for those.) My only backup is the shelved BPS.
I'm happy with my four cork-handle rods. Well, let's say I don't know enough about rods to want better. None's probably more than $20, but they work.
Please let me know if any of yours are for sale. I don't care how they look as long as they get decent range.
[signature]