Hello,
I supertune Abu Garcia reels for fun. All my own.
With your setup you should expect a test casting distance of around 50 yards with 1/2oz weight.
Few things I see:
1. Strip it and clean it. Flush the bearings and scrub the transmission etc. I like hot water and Dawn for washing everything but the bearings; I like denatured alcohol for that.
2. Decide if you want to replace the bearings. Boca bearings have great replacements. Personally, I have no use for anything over Abec 5 and usually not even that, so I use the stock bearings most times.
3. The levelwind disengages on that model for casting, so no reason to upgrade that.
4. Polish everything.
5. Use 10lb or greater mono equivalent diameter. For Sufix 832, this is 40lb to 50lb test. Otherwise, it can dig into itself and cause problems you describe.
6. The rod you describe uses 1/4 to 3/4 oz. The best weight is around 1/2oz. Use this for testing.
7. To set the spool, adjust the tension until the weight falls slowly.
8. To set the brakes, open up the side opposite the handle. (Undo the screw and rotate the panel off -- consult your manual). You'll see six brake shoes in there that you can turn on or off. Turn three on, in a triangle pattern.
When you cast, don't try to lob it out. Cast smoothly. Centrifugal brakes work at the beginning of the cast. You'll need to control the spool with your thumb as the lure slows or you'll get an overrun.
(Magnetic brakes work more toward the end of the cast. I prefer centrifugal as those are what I grew up on.)
Google "educated thumb".
Do lots of yard fishing. It helps.
Regards,
Josh
