new2BC4bass

Sorry. No prize. The small cap on the side of the reel is spool tension. The dial on the side of the reel is for setting the brakes. The star under the handle is for setting the 'drag'. The dial on the side (brakes) and the small cap (spool tension) are what slow the spool during a cast. I've never heard either of these referred to as 'drag', but I guess technically they do put 'drag' on the spool. However, not what we think of when we think of 'drag'.

You are already fishing my go-to bait when I visit Florida. An unweighted 10" ribbontail in Junebug. I don't know what to tell you if you can't catch bass on them. I do fish from a boat when in Florida, but like a lot of boaters we are fishing the shoreline a lot.

Do you read Tackletour? There are 2 places there that you could post this question and expect to get some answers. 1) Tackle, subforum Reels 2) Shop Talk, subforum Maintenance & SuperTuning Q&A Those guys love experimenting.

Me too! Only a so-so caster. I'm getting a headache cuz the subject has become so deep and I am so

Whoa! I don't see any of those.

You are much more flexible than I am.

Spinning or baitcasting?

Originally I looked for versatility. I'm sure these rods can do more, but I bought them for one purpose. Frog rod Ned rod Crankbait rod I bought a 6' MH Lightning and 100HN Procaster a few years ago for my grandson to use. He had no desire to learn baitcasting. It is now a dedicated spinnerbait rod for me.

My guess is that most experienced guys (gals) on here fish from a boat. They have a tendency to forget that some of us are stuck on shore. Our requirements aren't always the same as theirs.

I had a 23 year hiatus from fishing after moving to my current area. Fishing sucks here. Was strictly a spinning guy, but wanted to try baitcasting when I got back into fishing. Had Internet access by then! Although I now have more spinning combos than I ever did before, they seldom see use as I love baitcasters. I learned with the sidearm cast. My timing was awful at first. Probably landing 30 degrees to the left of my target. Had I known to use a roll cast, my learning time would have been shortened, and my accuracy much better right from the get-go.

Agree 100%. Catt's distance and accuracy requirements are awesome. I also am a bank fisherman when home. When visiting Florida I still am looking for distance most of the time even tho fishing from a Gheenee due to boat placement. My casting is more accurate at long distance than at short because that is where I am casting the vast majority of the time. My accuracy practice is casting to leaves, foam cups, plastic water bottles, etc. that are floating by on the river. I even manage to hit a target occasionally. EDIT: I'd also agree with Lionheart about casting distance. I have made longer than 50 yards under the right circumstances, but that is not something I can accomplish on a regular basis.

I like my HMGs, but for $100 I'd take the Tatula first. Read good things about the H2O Ethos and EVX (and of course the Fury) but no experience with them. The few reviews I have read about Ark rods have been pretty good. Picked up a 6'10" MF Sniper on sale at TW, but no chance to use it yet. Feels nice in hand and hoping fishing it only increases my liking for it. The two rods dodgeguy mentioned are well thought of here. Never had a Bocoo, but at one time I had more Falcons than any other brand. Daiwa now holds that title thanks to the Tatula line. (Haven't gotten rid of any Falcons. Nice rods.)

Not familiar with either rod or reel, but as others have said...8# braid is way too light for a beginner. I don't know of any modern day reel that doesn't have some kind of brakes. Right there are two things you can change to improve your casting. Don't be stubborn. Baitcasters are fun, fun, fun to use. Please don't refer to a rod as 7' tall.

I try not to be a brand snob. I am partial to Daiwa, but my Penn has treated me good. What do you consider a 'good chunk of change'? The Pflueger President gets excellent reviews. Used to be a gentleman here from Florida that used spinning reels only. Fished about 365 days a year. He fished Pflueger and Shimano. Said every Shimano had been sent in for something, but not one of his Pfluegers. Not knocking Shimano as I have several of their casting reels and one spinning reel. No problems with any of them so far. The Daiwa BG can be found for less than $100 occasionally. I have the 1500 and it feels like a little tank. Bought a Daiwa RG for a brother-in-law's birthday a couple years ago. He fishes spinning only. Haven't heard anything bad about it yet.

My biggest ever crappie was caught on a MHF casting rod fishing a 1/2 oz. spinnerbait....in Florida...while fishing for Largemouth Bass. Again....just saying 'medium' is leaving out a lot of information. Medium Jig & Worm rod? Medium crankbait rod? The first would make a decent all around bass rod...once again depending on manufacturer...while the second would be a poor choice. Single hook lures require a light hook when using a ML rod. Not enough backbone in most to drive a heavier hook home. Again...saying ML is not sufficient to give a good recommendation. Example: AFAIC 1/4-3/4 oz. is a good range for a MH rod (casting rod). Many of my MHF rods fall in that range. However, my 7' MF Compre carries the same lure rating. Abu and St. Croix are known to fish heavy. Some Fenwicks, too. Dobyns and Phenix are known to fish light. Also spinning rods sometimes have a wider lure range than casting rods. I have a 7' MF Aetos spinning rod that is listed 1/16-3/4 oz. Now I don't know if it will fish both ends equally well. but if it will, then it will make for a very versatile rod.

Thanks. Found them. Yes I am aware of the 3 Tatula models. Was hoping to see the 7'2" Glass model I have read about (original model), but it's not listed (nor at TW ). I see they list the 7'1" MH as "Fast", but the X in the model number means it is an Extra Fast. Never paid more than $100 for mine. That rod is the last one of the Tatulas that I picked up. No reel on it yet.

Tatula or Tatula XT? If Tatula, where? Big fan of the originals.

Creeks will most likely be best fished with a short rod. Same for any ponds or lakes fished from shore if you have to contend with obstructions near the shoreline. I agree with a ML rod when crappie are in the equation. Most MLs are going to top out around 3/8-1/2 oz. maybe less depending on the rod. What Glaucus means is that rod power is limiting because you aren't going to have much success fishing a 3/8 oz. jig...with or without a trailer. Not going to do very well with a 5/8-7/8 oz. rattletrap. A 3/8 oz. spinnerbait may be within the rod's lure range, but the ML is unlikely to have the necessary power to set the larger hook on such a lure. Etc. A ML can land some pretty big fish and can be a blast to fish. My largest Smallmouth came on such a rig. A ML is considered a finesse rod for bass. Look at a Berkley Lightning or Lightning Shock. Sometimes on sale at Wally World. A Pflueger Trion makes for a good low priced reel. Also look for store brand combos. I can't speak for any of them, but there are guys on here who can. I have not used a Lightning Shock (can't get past the color.), but have an old 6' ML Lightning that has been a great rod for me. Also I would check out the Flea Market and other For Sale forums on other fishing sites for a better used reel that would fall within your budget. Hard to find a used rod in your budget due to the cost of shipping. Closeouts are a great way to buy quality gear at a great price.....if you can wait. As mentioned, the Aird X is highly rated for its price. Walmart currently has the 7' ML for $46.63, but you would be paying tax if purchased there. Free shipping to a store near you which is what I did after receiving one at my door in two pieces. It was originally a one piece rod. No problem getting a refund tho so I could order another rod.

Sunday was nice, but church day. Rain yesterday and today. Were planning on Friday. Weather forecast that day is for thunderstorms. Looks like no fishing until Saturday unless I can find a place to fish from shore. Will have plenty of time for but none for / Good thing I brought my Paperwhite.

I bought the 6'10" MF on sale from TW. Haven't put a reel on it yet, but will say that it felt good in hand. Looking forward to fishing it....and to reading some more reviews on Ark rods.

I visit relation in DeLand. Brother-in-law loves to fish...but...is not what I call a fanatic like us. He never gets on a computer. His 2 baits of choice are an unweighted 10" ribbontail worm in Junebug and an F11 Rapala. I try more different lures than he does, but probably no where near as many if I was fishing by myself. My 2 biggest bass over the years have come on spinnerbaits. Overall the worm has been our biggest producer. Helps that we fish it a lot. We haven't been out yet...arrived Sat. night...so I don't know if he followed through yet, but he was going to add spinnerbaits to his whopping big varied arsenal. It helped that one day I landed 4-5 nice bass in about twice that many casts before the bite quit on a spinnerbait. Junebug is also my favorite color, but last year I used black a lot with good luck. Another day a shallow running squarebill caught all my fish. My brother-in-law doesn't own one, but he was doing well with his worm. I wish I could find a place to fish from shore by myself as we don't get out that often. He still works although older than me. Both of us are beyond retirement age. I wish you the best of luck with your fishing. Here's hoping you land a double digit fish.

I have a Penn 430SS on a 6' ML Lightning that are both over 40 years old. It may be heavy for its size today (I wouldn't know.), but at its size it is still plenty light for me to fish all day if I wanted. This combo has caught more fish than any of my newer purchased combos since I got back into fishing a few years ago even though I've pretty much gone to baitcasters and haven't fished it to speak of since returning to fishing.

Can't speak for the bass, but I like the different colored braids. I doubt it makes a difference in fish caught as I am fishing in slop...most of the time...if I am using braid. I am pretty sure a search will turn up many articles on this subject.

I was here a year ago last February. Threw the frog some each time I went out. Nothing. Nor did I hear any bullfrogs in the evening. Figured it was too early in the year. At least for up here. I brought 3 different brands of popping frogs along with the normal (?) type. Hoping this year to get a couple bass using them. Water is up and my fishing buddy says he can't unload the boat on his favorite lake. We fish out of a 14 foot Ghenee (by Gheen Mfg, Florida)...which for those that don't know is a canoe with a squared off back. Wish I had my 12.5 foot Porta-Bote down here. Lighter and much more stable and can still handle 2 people fishing. Thanks 813 and Mike for the advice.

Thanks. I sent a dedicated frog rod down here last year. However, it was February when I visited, and frogs seemed to be hibernating. This year I brought a few different frogs with me in hopes to get a few hits.