Had a funny with the last reel seat I removed from an old fiberglass rod. The shimming was done with cardboard, and by getting it wet, and letting it set for a few minutes, it totally dissolved and the reel seat fell off. If you don't want to mess around with trying to save the reel seat, the easiest way to remove it is CAREFULLY using a Dremel tool to cut through the seat (WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BLANK), and taking off the chunks.
Trouts don't live in ugly places.
A friend is not who knows you the longest, but the one who came and never left your side.
Don't look back, we ain't goin' that way.