tholmes

This, or BPS Excel, 17# in clear blue Flourescent. Tom

Abu Vengeance, Berkeley Lightning Rod are both good rods for your price range. Tom

Trilene Big Game 15 lb. or BPS Excel 14 lb. Tom

2006? That isn't even broken in good yet. My newest reel is 4 years old, the oldest (still in regular use) is ~ 50 years old. Most of my gear is at least 10 years old. Regular cleaning and lube keeps them going. I did buy a new baitcasting rod last year to replace a broken one, but the rest of my rods are getting pretty old too. If it still works, I see no reason to replace it. Tom

I can't stand sandals, flip-flops, Crocs, etc. Warm weather shoes are New Balance sneakers, cold weather - Ariat insulated boots. Tom

Can't go wrong with either Pflueger or Shimano. Tom

I still have two of them, a B-100 Mag and a BTX-100 Mag. I don't use them anymore, but they still work just fine. Tom

I was in the same situation last fall. Several years ago, I used to catch a lot of bass on the Slug-go but stopped using them for some unknown reason. I found a couple of bags of them buried deep in my shed. I rigged one up on my next outing and caught two chunky four pounders in less than 1/2 hour. Slug-gos are back in the rotation for next season, for sure! Tom

For bait casters, I use a 10" pole barn nail clamped in my bench vise, for spinning reels, I set the bulk spool on the floor so that the line comes off in the proper direction and wind it on under a little tension. Tom

Barlow's, Jann's Netcraft, and Lure Parts Online all carry them. Tom

Full brim with neck shield. Skin cancer is NOT fun. Tom

I use a MH/F rod for spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, deep crankbaits, and some topwaters. I don't fish spinnerbaits enough to have a rod dedicated exclusively to them. Tom

This is what I use for jigs, t-rigs, etc. I'm not too worried about the fish seeing it, I'm more worried about me seeing it. Tom

I've been using Big Game for decades. I like the Solar Collector (12# or 15#) for bottom contact baits like jigs and T-rigs because I'm an incurable line watcher and it's MUCH easier for my old eyes to see. I use 10# clear for crankbaits, jerkbaits, topwater and spinnerbaits. Lately, I've been trying BPS Excel mono and I'm liking it pretty well also. Tom

I use this for fishing jigs and soft plastics. I find that I see a lot of bites that I don't feel. It's definitely high visibility. Tom

Green Pumpkin, while not my most productive color, is still one that I carry and use. It ranks behind tequila sunrise/red shad, black and June bug, but is still in the arsenal. I seem to have better results with jigs in GP than soft plastics, especially early in the season. I catch enough bass on GP that it keeps its place in my tackle box. Tom

Same here. Big Game or BPS Excel mono is about all I use. I catch enough fish with it to keep me going back. Tom

It could be a bad bearing. When a bearing goes south from , it can feel "geary". Pull them out and spin test each one, clean or replace any that feel rough. Tom

I've never replaced a bearing in a reel unless the old one was faulty. From my (limited) engineering knowledge, I cannot imagine a fishing reel needing an ABEC 5 or ABEC 7 bearing. If your reel spins at 100K rpm, you might benefit from high$ bearings, otherwise, they're just not necessary, IMHO. Tom

I guess I should make myself a little more clear?. In my first post^^ I didn't answer your question re: what knot to use. My second post was just my opinion that what knot you use really doesn't matter as much as tying the knot properly. There are several knots that would work well. Tom

Really, most any knot, if properly tied, will work just fine. I use an Improved Clinch Knot on virtually everything because I can tie it quickly and correctly. I almost never have any knot failure problems. Tom

Definitely add a split ring if it didn't come with one. I also add a ball bearing swivel, especially if I'm throwing it with spinning gear. Tom

There's no rule that says you can't use both. I'm also a shore-bound angler and I use both spinning and baitcasting gear. Sometimes even (gasp!) spincasting. Generally, I use spinning gear for lures weighing 1/4 oz. or less and baitcasting for 1/4 oz. and up. Use whatever you like and are comfortable with. Tom

I've hot-rodded several of my round Ambassadeurs over the years. Get ahold of Jerry Foran at http://hookless.com/ for parts at the best prices I've found, plus, Jerry is a great guy and has a vast store of knowledge about the reels. The best improvements I've found: Thorough cleaning of everything, polishing friction points and using high-quality oil and grease. Carbontex drag washers. They won't do anything for your casting distance, but they're a major step up from the stock drag. Dual ball bearing levelwind and cog wheel - available at the link above. If your reel has the 2-pin brake system, consider installing the smaller (blue) brake blocks. Tom

I've had a couple of Abu Garcia Vengence casting rods for a few years now and I like them a lot. IMHO, the best $50 rod out there. Tom