VikingsFan

Hello everyone. I've been bass fishing for two years using only spinning gear. I think its time to try my hand at baitcasting. Since this will be my first and only setup for now I need an all purpose rod and reel. If baitcasting is something I enjoy using I will get several technique specific setups. My price point is about $300. I don't want to spend too much and find out its not for me although I still want to start with pretty good quality gear. I was thinking of going with a Shimano Citica E reel, for the price they seem like very nice reels from what I've read. The part I'm stuck or unsure about is what rod to go with. The Citica is $120 at *** so that leaves me with between $150-180 for the rod. Maybe a Shimano Compre or Crucial? I really like the Airrus Ultra XL, great grips, high exposed reel seat, removable butt sections, good aesthetics, etc. However I don't know much about the brand or their rods in general. Any help regarding rod/reel options would be great.

Rapala Floating Minnow (Silver/black back) and Strike King Double Blade Buzzbait (Super Chartreuse).

Thanks for the help everyone I really appreciate it. I don't need a two piece rod for traveling reasons, thats just what I've always purchased in the past. I'm talking about the sensitivity, power, etc. Sam I can honestly say I've never had that happen, maybe I'm just lucky.

Hello everyone. I've always used two piece rods before, only spinning. Well since I'm researching my first casting rod to purchase I'm curious about the differences between one and two piece rods. Obviously two piece rods are better for traveling purposes. Is there a difference in sensitivity?, power?, anything? Probably a stupid question, but I'm curious.

Rapala Floating Minnows (Silver/Black and Gold/Flourescent Red) I've used these for a couple years and have caught tons of smallmouth and largemouth.

Thanks for the replies.

Hello. I was wondering if any one has used the Lunker Lure brand buzzbaits. From the various websites I've visited they have received good reviews. The price of them is good also at under 4 dollars. Any comments you can give me about them would be much appreciated.

Hello. I was looking online for smaller sized swimbaits that weight around 1/2oz. I couldn't find what I was looking for, so does anyone know of any? Any help would be appreciated.

I will spend time practicing with the baitcasting setup until I get comfortable using it. I think I've decide on the BassPro Extreme reel. From the reviews I've read from BassPro and here it seems like a good reel to learn with. However I have question about the reel. They have three different models available. Each has a different gear ratio. 5.4:1, 6.4:1, and 7.1:1. I'm not sure which one to get. What would be the ideal gear ratio for someones first baitcasting reel? Thanks for all your help so far.

I've had good results using the Strike King double buzzbait. Good luck.

Thanks for the help everyone I really appreciate it. I will check out the reels that you guys mentioned. Thanks again.

Hello everyone. I know this question has been asked many times however my situation is a bit different. I'm going to be looking at purchasing my first baitcasting reel soon. I have a couple criteria's, first it must be a left hand retrieve reel, and second it must cost no more than $80. The reason for the price limit is because I want to find out if I like baitcasting setups. If I do like them I will buy another more expensive setup. But right now I just need a decent reel to help me get started. Okay I've looked online and found a couple reels that might work. Abu Garcia Black Max http://www.***.com/descpageRLCABUGAR-AGBM.html Daiwa Megaforce http://www.***.com/descpageRLCDAIWA-DMF.html They both have received decent ratings from both Cabelas and Basspro but I'm just not sure. Has anyone used these reels before? If so any feedback regarding them is much appreciated. Also if anyone has other recommendations for baitcasting reels I would really appreciate it.

I like Bombers, they work well for me and the price is right.

I'm relatively new to bass fishing so I'm not sure how well this will help you but. I just started fishing buzzbaits this season. I've had good results using a double blade buzzbait, chart with silver blades. In my limited experience I have caught small as well as larger sized bass. Both Largemouth and Smallmouth hit the double buzzbait. One advantage I've found with double blades is that you can retrieve the bait a lot slower. Good luck. Hopefully this helps you some.

Hello everyone. I have not used buzzbaits a whole lot, maybe a dozen times. I've used both single as well as double blade buzzbaits and have caught bass on both. I was just wondering which style buzzbait everyones uses and why.

Hello. I was just wondering when are the best times to use a deep diving crankbait. I'm assuming they are mainly used in the spring and fall when there are less weeds and plant growth. Also are they meant to dive deep enough to reach the bottom of the lake? I'm just confused on when and where to use them. :-?

Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.

I use P-Line CX. Tough, almost no line memory, and ties knots easily. I've tried many others but this is by far my favorite.

Hello everyone. I will be purchasing my first baitcasting rod and reel soon. There are some baits, mainly shallow running crankbaits that I use currently. My main question is if it is possible to use lighter weight lures with baitcasting gear? I'm talking about 1/4oz lures? Now when it comes time to starting fishing with my new baitcasting setup should I start with a heavier lure? If so what size? Also lure rating on the rod. What range should I look for? How heavy of a lure should the rod be able to handle, 3/4oz, 1oz, etc? Sorry about so many questions. Any help you could provide would be much appreciated.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I understand what your all saying about using inexpensive line to start with. Than upgrading to better line once I get the hang of it. Sam about the Line Conditioner. After I've used it while spooling on the line do you have to reapply it at any time after that?

Hello everyone. I've been thinking about purchasing my first baitcasting rod and reel. Now since this will be my first and only one for now I will be using it for pretty much everything. Topwaters, crankbaits, and soft plastics is what I mostly use. However I would still like to experiment with other lures. My question: What type of line would be best? Mono, Fluorocarbon, Braid? Also what pound test would be good? Any help you can offer me would be much appreciated.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, really appreciate it. I will pick up a few different baits and give them a try.

Hello everyone. I'm very new to fishing smallmouth, caught 6 in total. I first starting fishing with nightcrawlers on the bottom, mainly for suckers, catfish, etc. However on one outing I actually caught a few smallmouth. So the next outing my dad and I decided to try some lures to see if we could catch more of them. Well between us we netted 12-15 in total in just 3 hours. Wow what a fun fish to catch. The lures that were working included a silver Rapala floating crankbait and a chrome/blue DT-4 crankbait. It is a decent sized river, shallow water, with a moderate current. Oh and we fish from the bank. Besides the crankbaits I have no idea what would be good baits to use. Would a smallmouth hit a surface lure? Sorry for the rambling. If anyone has recommendations on what lures to try please let me know. Any other tips you could provide would also be helpful. Thanks.

Hello. I purchased a pack of 4 inch Berkley Powerbait Pogy swimbaits. It doesn't say how much they weigh, I've looked online and can't find anything. If anybody knows how much they weight or a website it would be much appreciated.

Hello everyone. I had a question regarding storing soft plastics. Would it be okay to remove the plastics from the original bags and keep them in a plano box? I know not to keep different colors together. Would it cause them to lose their scent? Would it effect them in any negative way? Any help you can provide me would be great.