Tweaking a Pflueger Summit

Paul Roberts · December 30, 2023, 04:48:09 PM

Nothing particular to the Summit here, or any other direct-drive (DD) reel for that matter. "Tweaking" refers to solving specific secondary performance issues each individual reel may bring. For me, taming noise from a given reel is often the final step when I work on a reel destined to be fished. Taking a line from Ernst Radke, "I (too) prefer a reel without sound effects". Some noises are intolerable deal breakers, emanating from worn or damaged parts that simply need replacing. Minor noises I can, or may simply have to, live with. But often even these can be corrected.

Such was the case for a particularly pretty Pflueger Summit and first string performer that I plan to fish with. However the handle clacks as I retrieve line. It's not intolerable, not rare either, but... why have a beautiful high quality reel that sounds... cheap? "Clack-clack, clack-clack-clack..."

Jiggling the handle I can not only hear but feel and see that the entire handle/main gear move: both up and down (the main gear on its post); and side to side due to tolerances between the main gear shaft and the sleeve bushing in the face plate that the gear shaft rotates within. The movement is slight, but adds up when the line is retrieved quickly. "Clack-clack, clack-clack-clack..." "Enough already!"

I took care of the first —the up and down motion of the main gear on it's post— by cutting a small thin washer from a firm, thin (.007"), slick plastic sheet from some product packaging I'd scrounged. I scrounge promising materials whenever I see them. There are some impressive plastics, Mylar's, metals, and what-have-you's out there that... might just come in handy someday. I cut the tiny washer (using a hole punch and scissors) to sit at the very bottom of the post for the main gear to ride on, effectively filling that void. And this did the trick. Again, the plastic material is very firm and very slick. It does not hamper the gear's ability to spin on the post.

Next I slipped a short length of heat-shrink tubing onto the shaft of the main gear for a sleeve bushing to fill the tolerance gap between the shaft and the face plate sleeve. And this did the second trick.

Closing up those tolerances quieted things down significantly. There is still a minor click, audible when retrieving quickly -some forward and back play in the handle/gear train due to teeth meshing. This might be due to wear but checking a half dozen other Pflueger DD's in reach suggests this is within the native tolerances for (albeit 70yr old) Pflueger DD gear trains. Excessive gear wear tends to produce a buzz, which none of my Pflueger's, and few of my DD reels period, produce.

So, how does that beautiful reel perform now, with those added parts? Certainly as well as she did prior. A quick test yielded 107ft with a 3/8oz bank sinker and 20lb PE braid. Voila! A high performing Pflueger Summit that casts like a demon and retrieves smoothly and quietly.

Bryan Young · December 30, 2023, 06:07:54 PM

Wow, a guy that still fishes, a rocket. You are my hero!

Paul Roberts · December 30, 2023, 08:32:45 PM

) It's a Summit. But I do have a nice super-tuned Rocket as well. If I could quiet the annoying AR clicker I might use it for musky.

Reeltyme · December 30, 2023, 09:54:13 PM

Paul, now you know the noise from the AR lets you know it's working! Beautiful job as usual. Thanks for the contribution.

Paul Roberts · December 31, 2023, 01:17:22 AM

Thanks, Randy. If I do use the Rocket for musky casting, I'll be using it in DD. Nice to know though that I do have the option to engage AR and drag during a fight if I need it.

Bryan Young · December 31, 2023, 04:42:46 PM

Quote from: Paul Roberts on December 30, 2023, 08:32:45 PM) It's a Summit. But I do have a nice super-tuned Rocket as well. If I could quiet the annoying AR clicker I might use it for musky.

Oops, a summit too. You are still my hero.

Paul Roberts · January 01, 2024, 06:46:44 PM

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Bryan. Not to hero status with DD reels yet. Someday I hope to reach "legend in my own mind" status though. Will be sure to let everyone know when I get there.

Gfish · January 02, 2024, 05:41:32 AM

Good job. Beautiful reel. I like the looks of the old-school rod too.

Paul Roberts · January 02, 2024, 06:45:19 PM

Thanks Greg. That solid glass rod I bought for under a buck at a thrift store. Some work and it was back in shape. Yeah, makes for a cool looking rig. It's one of the few solid glass rods I've found, so far, that's fishable. Not so much the rubber club like so many. Guess it helps that it's only 5ft long and well tapered. It's still soft so it'll have its limitations.