Jrob78

Friction cause line to heat up. When it heats up, it breaks. Get a bottle of KVD Line and Lure Conditioner and spray your knots before tightening. I would hate for you to get saliva on your line....eew.

x2 I think this would definitely be the best bang for your buck and the PQ is great for backlash free learning due to the dual brakes. 1 rod and reel, be it spinning or casting, isn't going to cover bluegill-catfish. It doesn't matter if you have an extra spool or not, rods are not that versatile. I use and prefer baitcasters so that's the way I would go. If you go spinning, that will work too. Either way, I would get a rod that can handle up to 5/8-3/4oz and use your spincaster for panfish.

I like throwing the 3.8 on a darter head. I usually use a Rainshadow RX8 822.5 built as a casting rod, paired with a Daiwa Sol and 8lb fluorocarbon. It's sweet for casting small reaction baits. I use it for Pointer 78's and RC 0.5 sized crankbaits, among other things.

That rod doesn't take a reel. It's a crappie jigging pole. They are 9'-12' long. You run the line through the tip and then tie it off on the rod somewhere.

I would look for an aluminum framed baitcaster, like the Lew's Speed Spool, Abu Garcia Revo S, Shimano Citica E or G, BPS Pro Qualifier or Daiwa Exceler. These reels will fit in your budget and hold up to a lot of use. As far rods, spend the remainder on a medium powered graphite rod, 6'6"-7'. If you have an Academy near by, look at their All Star rods or Ethos rods. The Lightning rod as mentioned above will work, Lew's makes some decent rods and BPS has some good rods for not a lot of money. You can always upgrade the rod later and your reel should still be going strong. Also, resist the temptation to buy a rod and reel combo that's already put together, you can usually get better quality components if you buy them separately.

I would get a baitcaster, it's a natural transition from a spincaster. A decent baitcasting combo is going to cost more than a decent spinning combo, so what's your budget?

Matt has some slow sink's, just not in male or female. I'm thinking about buying a Tilapia or Crappie just so I'll have one.

This is what I did too. I cut the broken rod down to about 24" and wrapped some new guides on it. I mounted an old round reel and spooled it up with a very thin "rope." I use the Jewel Hound Dog retriever and so far in limited use, it's worked well.

I use the same rods I would use any other time. I don't see too much benefit to shorter than normal rods. I've got a Ride 135 also. I use a Black Pak with 5 rod holders. I don't normally carry more than 4 rods though. I just try to plan ahead and use my best judgement as to which rods to bring.

Daiwa, Shimano, Pflueger, Abu Garcia, BPS....those are the brands I have owned or cleaned up for friends. All reels probably $90 and up. I would assume that most of the cheaper graphite framed reels from these brands have 2 bearings on the spool too but I can't say for certain.

I know the incestual nature of the fishing industry, everything is a copy of something else. I just have a hard time buying baits that are a direct knockoff of a well known, high quality bait. It's bad enough that the shape is the same but they copied the eyes and color patterns too. I'm sure I own other baits that are copies but the STX rubs me the wrong way, I will never own one. It will never be a 110.

All modern reels (that I've owned or opened up) have bearings at both end of the spool. That isn't a measure of quality, anymore at least.

I would fish a Fluke that small on a drop shot. You could also try rigging it weightless, nose hooked on a small drop shot/wacky rig hook. I like albino and natural baitfish colors.

I will change to a completely different pattern of the same bait to start with. If I'm throwing a shad pattern I will switch to a bluegill pattern, just something with a different primary color. I do try to stick with colors I know work for the water clarity I'm fishing.

I totally forgot about VMC, they make a pretty wide range of trebles.

Gamakatsu makes one too. As far as I know, these are the only 2 short shank, wide gap, 2X trebles on the market. Owner makes some nice 2X trebles in a regular round bend.

Yep, 2 brakes on and the spool tension loose enough that there is the slightest side to side wiggle in the spool is the sweet spot with my Shimanos. I move it to 3 brakes in certain circumstances.

Different lens colors work better in different lighting situations. I'm not an expert on sunglasses so I'm not sure what colors are best for what scenario. I just buy the grey polarized lenses because I wear my glasses for more than just fishing.

Oakley makes great sunglasses but you definitely want to make sure they are polarized for fishing. That price seems a little cheap for polarized Oakleys but it does say it in the description. Just make sure "Polarized" is printed on the bottom of one of lenses before you buy them.

Changing colors in the same bait is the first thing I do when I get followers and short strikers.

If you like the Caenan, move up to the Curado G or the Chronarch E.

A thumb on the spool gives you all the extra drag you need.

I'm right there with you. I've been using baitcasters almost exclusively since I was about 12 years old. There is no way in the world I would attempt a cast with no brakes and the cast control set loose. I hear people on the internet claiming this all the time, I flat out don't believe them. If someone could cast one of my reels with no brakes and light cast control, I would eat my words, I don't see it happening though.

It's a private fishing and hunting lodge, they can make whatever rules they want. I don't know their reasoning behind no braid but it is a trophy lake that people pay a lot of money to fish at.

Absolutely not true.