# calcutta bearing degreasing and colored weights



## exodus125 (Aug 20, 2007)

all I need to do to be able to cast a little better is do degrease the 2 spool bearings correct? nothing else? 

Also, can anyone tell me why calcuttas come with spare weights and if the green and pink ones are different from one another?


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

Focus on replacing the cabelas rod, that reel is sreaming for something else.


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## Jesse Lockowitz (Feb 13, 2006)

exodus125 said:


> all I need to do to be able to cast a little better is do degrease the 2 spool bearings correct? nothing else?
> 
> Also, can anyone tell me why calcuttas come with spare weights and if the green and pink ones are different from one another?


after you take the factor oil/grease off of them, make sure you oil them with a nice lighter oil..light rocket fuel red or something along the lines.

it will help your distance some, but dont expect it to make it go 10x as far 


uhm if ur talkin green and pink plastic breaks?

also to make the reel free up a little, depending on how many breaks came on the spool when u got the reel, take a few off and that should free the reel up quite a bit.



jesse


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

Don't take this the wrong way but you would probably be better off to leave the grease in the bearings to maintain control and concentrate on improving your casting technique. If you degrease the bearings and then relube with a fast bearing oil you will most likely have trouble controlling spool speed and end up frustrated, spending more time picking out birdnests than casting.

Remember, the faster the spool the more braking you have to add to control it. You need to find that balance so that you can hit the rod hard but still maintain control.

Brake blocks
magnets
heavy bearing oil
line level
thumbing...

can all be used to keep the reel under control.

Tommy


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## exodus125 (Aug 20, 2007)

no, i wont take it the wrong way. However, ive been using a bait caster since I was 8 yrs old. i think i got it by now.


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## exodus125 (Aug 20, 2007)

Lipyourown said:


> Focus on replacing the cabelas rod, that reel is sreaming for something else.



give me some suggestions.


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

Sounds like you've got it covered... 

I just hate to see guys spend time sppeing up a reel just to turn it into an uncontrollable beast.

I've been down that road.

:fishing: 

Tommy


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

exodus125 said:


> give me some suggestions.


Click on the sponsor banner at top of page.... 

Tommy


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## XXX. (Aug 14, 2007)

if you know how to cast conv. to the point where you dont normally get a birds nest then I would change to bearing oil, just to get a bit more distance. The rod that you have is quiet a set back. Try a rainbow shadow (breakaway) 1267, its rated 10'6", 2-5 oz., and its rated from 15-30lb ( i believe, dont remember). This rod will match perfect with that calcutta you got and smoke lures from 1-4 oz. Another good rod is a GSB 120 2L 10ft. 2-6 oz. line is rated til 30lb. This rod has a little more backbone then the breakaway. Both rods are excellent for the reel you have.


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## blacksand (Oct 4, 2002)

Let Me Just Say That I've Used The Calcutta 400s, 700s Since 1996 And Haven't Had Any Problems As Far As Distance. The Best Way To Control These Models Is To Have 3 Brakes Locked In, And Three Brakes Popped Out For Balance. Also, Just Use The Oil That's Provided With The Reel. 
Brian


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## exodus125 (Aug 20, 2007)

can anyone recommend a rod in the 100 dollar range, and its got to be a 2 pc because i will be taking it on a plane. is this too little for too much? Cabelas sells a salt striker surf rod, but i dunno how good they are, the xml rods are really good rods, just not for surf fishing or distance casting.

For example, check this one out:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...tx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=surf+rod&noImage=0

or this one: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...ct&cmCat=Related_IPL_120765&id=0023731317103a 
(the 9 ft rod)


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## XXX. (Aug 14, 2007)

in that price range I reccomend tica rods. Look them up, look for something in the 10ft range and 2-6 oz. lure range. These rods would be good for the budget your in. You can leave the calcutta in the stock oil, if you just want normal distance. If your looking to get the most distance out of the reel is when you start to upgrade the reel. I use the reel with no brakes and with very thin oil in the bearings. This should be done when you have come to the point that you feel like you can outhandle the reel with everything stock and looking to get extreme distance.


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

> no, i wont take it the wrong way. However, ive been using a bait caster since I was 8 yrs old. i think i got it by now.






> I got a good deal on a calcutta 400TE. The reel is a work of art. I know its not the furthest casting reel, and I am as Novice as you can get when it comes to surf fishing and especially surf casting.



?????  

Novice or expert?


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## exodus125 (Aug 20, 2007)

Surf Cat said:


> ?????
> 
> Novice or expert?



lol, good point. ive been fishing with baitcasters


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## exodus125 (Aug 20, 2007)

Surf Cat said:


> ?????
> 
> Novice or expert?



lol, good point. 

ive been fishing with baitcasters since I was 8, i have never really used a long surf rod to cast lures, but ive used 7 ft rods and my control of a bait caster is good. by novice surf caster i mean knowledge of equipment, and yes even technique, but not control over a bait caster, although I am sure its a whole different ball park casting 8 oz weights or lures 100 yrds or more.


opcorn: 

I will tell you this, I AM NO EXPERT


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

No prob- Just yanking your chain a bit  


You wil find that while theoretically you may be trying to accomplish the same thing, casting heavier weights for long distance is quite a bit different from freshwater style bait casting.

An ya won't get much better advice than what Tommy has to offer- if your not aware he's one of the elite casters in the country -he's been there and back -

not to make him sound old or anything  

OH- Welcome aboard !!


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## exodus125 (Aug 20, 2007)

maybe this next question is not for here, but what if the lures are lighter like 3/8 , 5/8 oz, ect. in general does a longer rod equate to a longer cast. 

the reason I ask is because in all seriousness its not like I live in NJ and go striper fishing, this will be mainly for snook, and I would need a rod thats not too bulky.


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## Mark G (Nov 15, 2004)

in general yes a longer rod equals longer cast, however you can only go so long in length when tossing light lures or the rod becomes too limber and unpredictable, some will use long carp rods for light lures, but I doubt that is what you want for snook, however when it comes to snook, I don't know squat. 

I'm sure some of the Florida guys can help you with recommending proper Snook gear.


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## exodus125 (Aug 20, 2007)

i had my eyes on a 10 ft cabelas xml rod intended for salmon, but ive never held one to see how it feels, the recommended lines and lure weights are up to par with what i will be using.


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

exodus125 said:


> no, i wont take it the wrong way. However, ive been using a bait caster since I was 8 yrs old. i think i got it by now.


And dont take this the wrong way...but until you can put it out past 900'....we all have something to learn from Tommy about technique and tuning  baitcasters (with a levelwind) and conventionals are two different beasts....just a shot in the dark...you bass fish?


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## Lipyourown (May 11, 2005)

It sounds like you will be wading for fish or walking the beach looking for places to cast much like bass fishing a lake from shore. No need for 100 yard casts.

For $100, I'd get a 9' tica rated to 1-3 ounces...if you really will be targeting bigger fish...maybe the same rod rated to 6 ounces.

Take your 7' rod too since you are comfortable with it. Tommy was right, I would leave the bearings alone...the reel is gonna sail lures out of the box and the extra length of the rod will get you your distance. Look at the instructions in the box, they explain the weights...I sped mine up a little.


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## big brother (May 15, 2002)

ab-so-lutely, all you need to do is degrease two bearings and you can throw with the best in the world, there is really no need to spend countless hours on the practice field, question the best casters in the world, join a gym and work your butt off to get it handed to you by a guy half your size and you can do it with a calcutta. yes, you really can buy distance. LOL
charlie


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## TreednNC (Jul 1, 2005)

big brother said:


> ab-so-lutely, all you need to do is degrease two bearings and you can throw with the best in the world, there is really no need to spend countless hours on the practice field, question the best casters in the world, join a gym and work your butt off to get it handed to you by a guy half your size and you can do it with a calcutta. yes, you really can buy distance. LOL
> charlie


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## exodus125 (Aug 20, 2007)

big brother said:


> ab-so-lutely, all you need to do is degrease two bearings and you can throw with the best in the world, there is really no need to spend countless hours on the practice field, question the best casters in the world, join a gym and work your butt off to get it handed to you by a guy half your size and you can do it with a calcutta. yes, you really can buy distance. LOL
> charlie



First of all, all I was referring to when I said, " all i have to do is degrease the 2 spool bearings to cast farther" was do i need to degrease ALL the bearings or just those 2. I was not implying that is all there is to casting. 

Second of all, is there really a need for sarcasm? I thought id ask you guys who know more about this than me, and most have been very helpful. I'm not trying to take anything away from the experts. :spam:THANKS FOR THE WARM WELCOME BIG BROTHER!


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## XXX. (Aug 14, 2007)

exodus125 said:


> i had my eyes on a 10 ft cabelas xml rod intended for salmon, but ive never held one to see how it feels, the recommended lines and lure weights are up to par with what i will be using.






Salmon and steelhead rods are usually slow-mod action. These kinds of rod bend alot and are made for ultra light lures. This is probably not what your looking for. You need something with a little more backbone.


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## exodus125 (Aug 20, 2007)

just as an update, i got the rocket fuel oil, re oiled the bearings and changed the weights to the light pink ones which are lighter. with the 7ft rod i'm casting about 75 yards with 1.5 oz. I'm planning to go to basspro to pick out a surf rod though. before the re-oiling and weight change i was able to get it down to 2 weights engaged before the reel started to backlash a bit I was also casting just a little over 50 yards, with the re-oiling and lighter weights i can get it down to 2 weights too, but the lure travels a little further, so I guess this is good, one thing was that i had some wind blowing pretty hard taking the lure to the right, so i'm sure that didn't help the casting. Its pretty cool because the lake I go cast has a section that is about 110 yards, so its a pretty good ruler to guesstimate how far your casting.


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