BrianSnat

That's pretty much what I was looking at but I think the Lews was $79

I think the chintzy guides are a negative. You can pay a bit more and get just as good a rod, but with better quality guides. I don't know why they went to them. I heard older models had better guides. I probably would not consider another Carbonlite because of the guides. In fact when I replaced the broken Carbonlite I did so with a Clarus.

I've been seriously considering getting a baitcasting outfit. I was pretty set on the Shimano Curado because of all of the great things I've heard about it here and elsewhere. Then recently there was a thread here on the Lews Speed Spool and some people seemed to really like it. I was still leaning toward the Curado until I got to play with both at Cabelas last week. The Lews just seemed to be more substantial and better crafted. The Curado seemed almost toy-like compared to the Lews. And considering that the Lews is a bit more than half the price of the Curado it looks like I might be leaning Lews now. I would have bought one on the spot if they had a left handed crank model but they were out of them. Any thoughts here regarding Lews vs Curado?

I had a Carbonlite and wasn't too thrilled with the cheap guides. Other than that it was a good rod. It broke on me when I dropped a fish on it. I blame me for that, not the rod. For under $100 I heartily recommend the Shimano Clarus or Fenwick HMX.

I used the other hand method at one time. Over the years I learned to control the line with my forefinger. I keep it out of the way but if the cast looks like it will go too long I bring the forefinger closer to the spool to increase friction. If it looks like I may be headed right for the shore, a dock or an overhanging branch the forefinger comes down on edge of the spool and stops the lure dead. Using this method I'm very accurate with my distance. Not including my fly rods, all of my freshwater reels are spinning reels. I do have a cheap baitcaster on my ice fishing rod and I'm thinking of picking up a baitcasting outfit just to see why most bass fishermen seem to prefer them, but I've been using spinning gear for over 40 years and I don't think it's hurt my catch at all.

I have 10 spinning rods and usually bring 6 or 7. These always come with me Shimano Crucial 6',6" MH F Shimano Crucial 6',6" MH XF Fenwick HMX 6'6" MH F Berkley Lightning 7' M I fill out the rest from among these: Berkely Lightning 2PC 6'6" ML St Croix Triumph 6'6"ML Shimano Clarus 5' UL Fenwick Woodstream 4'6" UL Ugly Stick Tournament 5' 6" L (this is acutally a good rod and far better than the regular Ugly Stiks, but I don't think they've made it in years) Shimano (old and no model visible) 6' ML

What about Round Valley or Spruce Run? I doubt they are much more than an hour away from you.

About where on the Passaic are you fishing?

Things are heating up. Bagged 7 bass and two pickerel Sunday evening. Biggest bass was 4 lbs and also got a 3 pounder. Went out again tonight for about an hour and a half and boated 5 bass and lost about 4 others. One was 3 plus pounds and all but one were a good size. Caught them all on either a swim Senko or a Yumdinger (both green pumpkin and T rigged. Swim Senko had a keel weighted hook and the Yumdinger was weightless) in 5 feet or less of water. The biggest bass were all caught in about 2-3 feet of water.

I like them both. The Senko casts a bit farther and sinks a bit faster. I will use a Senko in deeper water. If I'm in 5 ft or less of water though, a Yumdinger is usually on my hook. The Dingers are way easier on the pocketbook. I can go through a bag of Senkos in an hour or two if the bass are hitting, and maybe use 2 Dingers over the same time period. I also like the hook channel on the Dinger.

About 25 years ago both of my bass rods were stolen off the dock at our lake cabin. This left me with my 4' 6" ultra light glass Fenwick as my only rod. It was this way for about 5 years and I used it for all of my freshwater fishing, including bass. I tossed basically anything I use today, plastics, cranks, spinners (though I didn't know about T rig back then), everything but jigs. I caught plenty of bass on it. They certainly put up a good fight on that little rod. I sort of miss that. Unless a bass is over 4 or 5 pounds they don't put up much of a fight on my medium action bass rods. I just reel them right in. Last night I stopped for some casting from shore at the local lake and I happened to have two rods, one of my bass rods and an ultra light that I was using for trout earlier in the week. Tied a Rapala onto the UL rod and soon I was in a battle with a 2 lb bass. It was taking runs and stripping off drag (I only have 2 lb test on it so the drag is set light). It put as good a battle as an 8 pounder might on my usual bass rods. Loads of fun. Anybody else here occassionally go bassin' with a UL rod?

Last few times I had the boat out with new plugs, new gas, new filter it was poking along at 6-8 MPH. Interestingly enough I used the boat for camping and fishing at a local reservoir last weekend. Put it in the water and I was moving at a decent clip, 12-13 mph according to my GPS. Next morning while fishing I was back down to a top speed of 6 MPH. Then heading back to the dock after breaking camp I was hitting 12-13 mph. Almost half the 20 plus it had been going last year, but acceptable. The difference? When I had weight in the front, cooler, camping gear, my wife, etc the boat was going faster. When I was fishing alone it was going slower. The weight in the front seems to trim the boat, providing less resistance so the motor can push it faster. Guess I'm going to have to buy some sandbags for the bow for when I fish alone.

As soon as I feel the weight I set. If I wait too long I gut hook a lot and since I'm releasing I don't want to do that.

I have a Spirex and like it a lot. My only quarrel with it is the handle, but someone who is coming from baitcasting may actually feel more at home with it. I'm a big fan of the Quickfire trigger. When it first came out I bought a reel with it and every spinning reel I've purchased since has a Quickfire trigger. In the Shimano line there are only two models left that have it, which is why I went with the Spirex. The fact that the anti reverse isn't instant has never been an issue for me in the close to 20 years I've been using a reel with the Quickfire. Personally I'd get a Spirex with the front drag though. I like the placement of the rear drag but it doesn't work as smoothly as front drag. For rods under $100 I really like the Fenwick HMG line and the Shimano Clarus. As far as action Medium/fast or Medium/XF in a 6,6 or 7 ft would be pretty versatile. My Shimano Crucial 6,6 M/XF is my go to spinning rod. If I'm only taking one rod and I want it do do almost everything, that's the action I want.

The exact same rod I use for my jigs. Works fine.

It's been rough lately. This time of year the bass are usually juming in the boat. I was at Monksville last Saturday and hooked one bass in about 5 hours (and it spit the hook just as I got it along side the boat). I threw everything in my tackle box. Then on Sunday I went to Clinton Reservoir with a friend, He caught 2 small bass (no more than 11 inches) on consecutive casts but that was it for the day. I got skunked until we were trolling back to the launch when I pulled in a decent pickerel. That in nearly 6 hours of fishig. This past Saturday and Sunday I was at Round Valley (camped there). Nada. Granted I was sort of going for trout and bass, which may have resulted in my getting neither. I was trolling a small spoon and small blade bait for trout in about 15-30 feet of water, while casting along the shore line for bass. Tried my go to bait, a T rigged, weightless Senko. When that failed I went with a Space Monkey and a Rage Anaconda on a drop shot. Then crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Nothing. Even the local lake, Fayson, has been slow. Most years in May I've usually been catching between half a dozen to a dozen bass in 2-3 hours of after work fishing. Two nights out last week got me 1 small bass.

From purely a spinning standpoint I see an improvement. I have mostly older Shimanos, 10-20 years old,and recently picked up a few new Shimanos (1 Spirex and 2 Syncopates). As much as I liked my older reels, the new ones are far smoother in every respect and feel a lot more solid. Time will tell if they will last as long, but right now I like them so much more that I'm considering slowly replacing my older Shimanos. I love the Spirex and the Syncopate is a great reel for the money.

I don't think they mean dropping it straight down from the boat. That is as easily accomplished with bait casting gear as it is with spinning gear. As I picture it in my mind, when you cast a bait and it hits the water, with spinning gear the bait will sink nearly vertically as the line is still coming easily off the spool. With bait casting, the bait will hit the water and fall at an angle as the line is fairly static, by virtue of the need to stop the spool from spinning so as to prevent backlash. The deeper the water, the more pronounced that effect will be. You can achieve the same effect with a bait caster but only if you strip line quickly so you have sufficient slack after it hits the water. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, as I have little experience with bait casters, but I think that is what is meant by vertical presentation.

If they are in good condition I don't see why you'd want to replace them. One of my trout rods is pusing 30 years old and works fine.

If you took the survey it says something like: Which saltwater fish do you target most often? -Red Drum/redfish -Striped bass -Flounder -Weakfish -Blackfish/Tautog -Bluefish -Any fish that bites I take that to mean if the person chooses the last he heads out without a specific species in mind. I encounter it all the time. I'll see a guy fishing in the canal or off a bulkehead and ask what he's fishing for and he'll say "whatever I can get" If you look in his bucket you may find a flounder, a blowfish a few porgy, etc.

Not switching, just adding.

I'm considering picking up a bait casting outfit or two to add to my arsenal of spinning gear. When looking at the various catalogs I realized that they are set up the opposite of spinning reels with the handle for righties on the right side. After 40 some years of using spinning rods and cranking with my left hand and holding the rod in my right I can't envision switching. What exactly are the advantages of holding the pole in the left hand during the retreive for a righty? First, does anybody who went from spinning to casting, or who switches periodically between the two have any problems adjusting? Does anybody see any reason why I shouldn't buy a lefty casting reel for the sake of consistency between the two types?

I fish my Senkos T-rigged and weightless too. I prefer T rig over whacky because I don't catch as many weeds. I do use a 1/8 oz bullet a weight on the swim Senko sometimes. As far as other T rigged plastics, Rage Space Monkeys and Anacondas, Yamamoto cut tail, Yumdingers, Zooom speed worm and Yamamoto Kreature

Where the heck was the camera mounted on?

I think what they mean is that they aren't targeting a specific species. They just throw out a line and see what takes it. Kind of the way I fish saltwater.