bearing questions for longer cast

[realmedic]

Alan,

as always you know i have questions after all thats one of the best ways i have to learn. when i fish with my bass club i normally fish as a coangler which means i fish alot from the back of the boat. therefore i feel its time for me to learn how i can get longer cast out of my bearings on my reels.

what do i do exactly and how to i do it so that i can get longer cast with my low profile reels for like say crankbait, spinnerbaits and baits of that nature?

[alantani]

the first thing to do is clean out the bearings.  i use carb cleaner and compressed air.  then i lube them with xtreme reel +. note that this stuff does not last forever, so it will require reapplication.  then figure out if the spool turns the levelwind assembly or if the handle turns the levelwind assembly.  if it's the spool, then the levelwind assembly also needs to be cleaned out and lubed in the same way.  i got an ambassaduer spool to spin enough to make the leveler travel 14 distances across the spool in one spin!  THAT is freespool.  alan

[realmedic]

thank you alan now this brings me to another question how do i figure out if the spool turns the levelwind or if the handle does?

[alantani]

just click it into free and spin the spool.  with all of the traditional ambassaduers, the leveler will spin when the spool does.  with many of the smaller shimanos and daiwas, the leveler will only turn when the handle does.  there are advantages and disadvantages to both systems.  alan

[realmedic]

ok now this is getting interesting alan. what are the advantages and disadvantages? in the reel im trying to do this with the levelwind moves when the handle turns however it does not move when the spool turns. i'm noticing this is the case with most of my low profile baitcasters.

[alantani]

a narrow spool reel with cast farther if the leveler stays stationary because the spool does not have to carry the leveler.  but if the line is 180 degrees out of sync, the line will go one way when the leveler goes the other.  under a heavy load and a wide spool, the pressure of the line against the leveler can cause damage to the levelwind assembly.  that's why you always see damage to the worm on the ends, never in the middle. 

[realmedic]

ahhhhhhh so thats why ok glad i know that now because at times there are things i cant explain so as always im still learning

[bus kid]

Thats the reason I removed the level wind from my 300

[bdoc]

after cleaning and re-oiling the bearings or even replace them with ceramic, then you have to re-adjust the freespool adjustment have you really gained anything as far as further casting

[bus kid]

i can cast a 4 oz iron with my 700xl grafighter and $50.00 300M further then most people with  higher end reels, ie avets,shimanos,newell ect... it did take some getting used to though having much better freespool.

[BigT]

Free running bearings should reduce the likelihood of getting overruns as it's easier for the spool to overcome inertia and less force is needed to get a cast the same distance.  So with an 'educated' thumb, you should gain plenty.

Cheers, BigT