Naters

I can't even imagine catching one over 10 lbs. I need to fish some other parts of the country lol

no sir

I hear ya, that's why I keep looking at it but haven't taken the plunge lol

Well I picked up a Dobyns Champion casting rod yesterday. Just need to figure out what reel I'm gonna put on it. I'm tryin to keep it around $200 or less. I feel like I should get one of the outgoing model Curado's due to the great price and such high praise it gets, but I just can't get over the ugly green color

I came across a deal on a Pflueger Patriarch baitcast reel for $139. It's got the 7.1:1 gear ratio with the 12/100 spool. Is this about as good as it gets for that price? Also, is that spool size ok, or should I hold out for the one rated for 14/130?

That's funny you bring that up. I tied a practice plug on and was out in the backyard tonight practicing. Seemed like no matter which way I wanted to cast it flew left every time. Overhand casts just buried straight in the ground lol. I figured my gear, although not great, was at least good enough to learn on.

I'm thinkin it's gonna be either a heavy pole for thick cover or a moderate action for my crankbaits. My only real option for a heavy pole is a baitcaster right?

With the understanding that asking that question on a board like this is like asking a crack head if he needs another hit.......Let's put our practical hats on for a moment. Here's the rods I have now: St. Croix Premier 6'6" Med/Heavy power Fast action (w/pflueger supreme) Berkley Series 1 6"6" Medium Spinning (w/pflueger president) 6' Medium Ugly Stick Gander Mtn. Guide Series Competitor (baitcast) 6'6" Medium Action Skyline 5'6" Medium action (rated up to a 1 5/8" lure) And a couple other junkers that don't really get used. As told in my other thread, I can't baitcast for crap, and the ugly stick is god awful compared to the first 2, so really I have a hard time using anything other that the St. Croix and Berkley. My fishing mainly consists of bass and northern pike. I use buzzbaits, spinners, cranks (lipped and lipless), hula poppers, and I've really been getting into soft plastics lately, especially unweighted senko style worms. I've really got the itch to get another nice setup and can't decide if I want to go with a more technique specific rod, or stick with another "middle of the road" kind of rod like the st. croix/berkley I already have. One thing that has crossed my mind is to get a good setup for fishing in lillypads/thick cover. The last time I was out fishing I lost a few in the pads because the bass wrapped the line around clumps of lillypads before I could horse him out in time. I'm wondering though if the St. Croix rod I have is ok for that though if I just spool up some heavy braid and not be a sissy with it haha. Thoughts?

I'll try not to make this too long winded. A couple of years ago I got the itch to try out a baitcaster to try something new and see what all the rage was about. I didn't want to invest too much money in the event that I didn't like it, so I ended up with a combo from Gander Mountain consisting of a Gander Mountain Guide Series Competitor rod (6'6" Med. Action GSC-661CMT) paired to a Daiwa Advantage 153H7 reel. I read up on how to adjust the reel and practiced in the yard with a plug until I could at least cast it out without having a massive birds nest. No real accuracy, but I know that will come with practice. First trip out went about like this: "Wow, this rattle trap that I can usually fling a country mile with my spinning setup goes 15ft." Then a series of birds nests resulted in the setup on the floor of the boat while I went about enjoying my spinning reel. I think I tried to use it one more time with a different type of line and didn't do much better. Fast forward to now, it still ticks me off, and if anything I wanna figure it out just to say win, haha. Plus I figure if I can get this thing working it'll be like getting a new rig now without having to spend any money since it just sits in my basement. So to get to my actual question.....I'm wondering if the gear that I'm trying to make work is junk, or if it's ok and I just need to put in countless hours of practice. Second (quicker) question....After my grandfather passed a couple years ago I was given some of his fishing gear of which included his baitcast setup. It's obviously old school. A 5'6" Skyline Med. Action Rod (model CSK558 rated for 1/4 - 1 5/8 oz. lures) paired with an Abu Ambassador 5500c Reel. Is this worth messing with, or better left for display purposes only lol. Thanks for any help/advice

I'm in the process of planning a weeks vacation next summer with my wife, kid, parents, sister, brother in law, and their kid (kids will be 2 and 4). We're looking for a lake that we can do some good fishing in the morning/evening and ski/tube/swim during the day. I'm not looking for a lake that's so big and deep that the only way to fish is to troll, but we also don't want it to be so small that it feels like we're boating in a bathtub. Any kind of sandy beaches and restaurants on the lake is a plus. Any suggestions? We're from northern illinois and would like to keep the drive within about 4 hours, no more than 5. Thanks.