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[NothingToSnagAbout]

I may soon be handed down an Okuma Aventa from a buddy who’s moved on to Islanders. I’ve never fished center pins but from what I’ve read, the Aventa is OK to start out and learn with.

Knowing my buddy, the reel wasn’t well taken care of and will probably need some initial TLC. It seems switching out the Aventa’s bearings for some ABEC 7’s will do wonders. Anybody done this? Does anybody sell them in the lower mainland?

Also, would a Shimano Convergence medium be a good rod to pair with?

[Rieber]

Contact Mike's Reel Repair for the bearings. But before you replace them, you might want to try cleaning them out first with lighter fluid. Take the bearings out and soak them in a small container with the lighter fluid. You will probably find the bearings work surprisingly well when they are clear of old lube and river grime. New bearings won't be that expensive anyways.

The Convergence rod is a good starter rod. Good value and durability.

You'll end up with a very good set-up which some will consider a starter set and others use as their main set. I used that same combo and really liked it.

[NothingToSnagAbout]

Thanks, Rieber

Looking into Mike's. Also do you have the medium or medium-heavy rod?

[BCfisherman97]

I started with an Aventa 7 years ago, good starter pin and lasted 2-3 seasons before it really started to wobble and I upgraded. I also have a Raw III as a back up. Haven't used it too much but it spins nice and is really smooth. Looks good right now but we will see how it holds up in the long run.

[losos]

I may soon be handed down an Okuma Aventa from a buddy who’s moved on to Islanders. I’ve never fished center pins but from what I’ve read, the Aventa is OK to start out and learn with.

Knowing my buddy, the reel wasn’t well taken care of and will probably need some initial TLC. It seems switching out the Aventa’s bearings for some ABEC 7’s will do wonders. Anybody done this? Does anybody sell them in the lower mainland?

Also, would a Shimano Convergence medium be a good rod to pair with?

You can try ceramic bearings which do not require any greasing.

[NothingToSnagAbout]

Yup, just ordered some ceramic ABEC 7s from Mike's Reel Repair, great service. $25 bucks well spent, I think. Can't wait to go out and practice casting!

[Dogbreath]

FWIW-Ceramic bearings can be quite noisy so don't be alarmed-also it's debatable whether or not you'll see any improvement in reel performance.

[bunnta]

still rocking the same reel for almost 9 years now. changed the bearing in 2014 at mikes and the handle. that reel took a lot of abuse and mishandling and still works flawlessly, has so much dried up roe on it and smell but does the job. im took broke to upgrade......