FibWi

You all are lucky. The Dick's in my county doesn't even have a Fishing section!

Unsurprisingly, I have another question. How high should I set my drag? Considering 50# test is quite strong.

Hi everyone. I have already made a few posts asking a few questions, but I have yet to properly introduce myself. I'm 18 and I live in San Diego. It is currently my first year at San Diego State University. I started Bass fishing about a year ago. Before April last year I had always wanted to catch a fish (let alone a Bass), and I started attempting to around last January. After 3-4 months of being skunked... I finally caught a Bass (aprox. 5 1/2 Lbs.) Needless to say, I was hooked (no pun intended) from then on. I hope to get much better at introducing myself, as well as fishing and this forum should help me a lot! See you around! - If anyone is in my area, it would be nice to have a chat. -

Alright. Sounds good. So the leader diameter would ideally be around the braid's diameter? Will do. I just came back from Walmart and bought a $3 Zebco spool 20#. What type of cast would go furthest with a baitcaster?

Okay sounds good. So let me break down what I've picked up from this thread. 6:4:1 reel is good all around. 50-55 # Braid would do nicely all around. I should spool about 3/4 of the reel with mono backing and about 75 yards of Braid. Sound good so far? I normally in clear water reservoirs, occasionally with some heavy weeding. Should I worry about the braid being visible to the bass? Should I attach an FC leader for spinner/chatter/buzzbaits? What about top waters such as poppers and jitterbugs? I keep seeing mixed opinions regarding it, which led me to ask.

What is the diameter for 50-55 # Briaid? On average? I think I would waste much more braid than usual, since this is my first baitcaster. Bound to have many backlashes.

Yes. Perhaps more.

Thanks for the information! Since I'm on the end of my budget, I can only afford one 300 yard spool. Which # test should I go for? For "all-around" use?

Okay thanks a lot! I'd rather not make a new thread, so I'll ask here. I'm planning to use some Sufix 832, I understand it'd be ideal to spool on some mono backing. I wanted to ask, what # test I should get in braid and how much mono backing should I spool on? Also, would I need a fluoro/mono leader for the spinners? What about the buzzbait and jitterbugs? Thanks again!

Would it be enough for buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, and jitterbugs? The 6:4:1.

I'm not necessarily getting away from plastics, I'm just expanding my lures. Thanks for the help!

I hate making choices! Now I'm starting to have second thoughts about that gear ratio... since I've been making a transition from primarily finesse to other lures.

Thanks for the input! Do you use braid?

Just a question, I understand that Suffix 832 sinks, but is the sink rate high enough to hinder the performance of things like jitterbugs/buzzbaits?

I just purchased the reel and decided to go with the 6:4:1. The 7' MH was conveniently in stock at Walmart for $40, which is about $30 less than BPS. I also have been using braid/fireline for a while. I was wondering what line strength (braid) I should get for these lures? Would I need a fluoro/mono leader for the spinners? Thanks again!

Sounds good, looks like I'm going with 6:4:1. Just so I know, what are the advantages of 7:x:1 compared to 6:x:1? Disadvantages?

I see. I'll start looking into that. But in the case that I do buy the PQ, which gear ratio would you recommend? I'm fishing soft plastics, spinners/buzzbaits, perhaps frogs later on.

Which reel do you think I should get? Thanks again.

Generally, it is an open shore. I do occasionally deal with trees that are right above my head, but I could always just alter the way I cast temporarily right? Is this what you meant? http://www.basspro.c...ct/104157/86975

Hi everyone, I'm still relatively new to Bass fishing, but recent events have led me to begin searching for a new and low price set up (as I'm a College student). Since I had to buy a new rod anyway, I thought to myself, why not buy a baitcaster while I'm at it (since I enjoyed using my friend's)? This would be my first baitcaster. I've created my preferred set up that would fit my budget, and this left me with a couple of questions. I am planning to get: A Berkley Lightning Trigger Rod A BPS Pro Qualifier I fish mostly senkos, lizards, brush hogs, flukes, etc. However, I am planning to begin using Spinners, Buzzbaits, and Jitterbugs. Since I fish the shore primarily, I was wondering which rod I should get? The 6'6 MH or 7' MH? I also wanted to ask which gear ratio on the reel should I go for? 6:4:1 or 7:1:1? If you have any other set up suggestions other than the one I listed, please do tell. Thank you! Oh, and by recent events, I meant my crappy Walmart Abu Garcia rod broke right as I lifted a huge bass out of the water.

Thank you all for the help. I'll go ahead and go with the left hand retrieve. I have yet, another question, and since I would rather not post a new thread, I'll ask here. I plan to use some PP with my future baitcaster, but I understand that it would be adequate to spool on a good amount of mono before spooling on the braid. May someone guide me to the light on how this would be good for the braid? What exactly is "slipping" when spooling on the braid without a mono spool? Thank you!

Thank you for all your replies, they gave me a lot more insight. It's just that both of them have something very uncomfortable with them, whether it is retrieving or casting. It's leading me to be unsure which to use. I retrieve with my left hand on a spinning reel, and that has been the most comfortable for me. Which led me to ask if it would be an issue if I casted right handed with a left hand reel. Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll just go ahead and purchase the left hand retrieve, but cast it the unusual way. Unless there's something else I should be aware of... thank you!

Just realized this was in the wrong section. My apologies.

Hey everyone, I've been Bass fishing for a while and became accustomed to using spinning reels. I've decided to upgrade and I noticed an odd issue I was having while casting my friend's baitcaster (LH retrieve, which is most comfortable for me). I wanted to ask the question whether or not it would cause any issues when casting a baitcaster with the handle facing down rather than up. I attempted to cast it the correct way, but I found my casting ability to be extremely off since it wasn't what I was accustomed to. Is this something everyone has to deal with? Should I go ahead and get a LH retrive and learn to cast in a different way? Or vice versa? Thanks for taking the time to read my complicated question and I hope to hear from y'all soon.