hooah212002

This is one that I've seen that has caught my eye.

Yea, I get that. My first baitcaster was an extreme cheapo and was the worst fishing reel I ever owned. I got to the point where I didn't even bother using it. Then I got a combo that was just slightly better, slightly more expensive and got pretty good with it. I severely reduce my backlashes and almost never had one that necessitated a line cut. That said, I need a new rod/reel and I want that to be a baitcaster. I can't see any time soon being able to drop $100 on a reel. Not that I can't afford it, but I can't justify that amount of money on one thing when the wife is complaining about needing a new vacuum.

Unfortunately, no. I do have a Gander Mountain though within somewhat reasonable distance, but it's not close enough that I could go on a regular basis. it would have to be a special trip. Moreover, like I said in my OP: I am wondering what it is that makes the $150 reel better than the $40 one. Is it purely down to better manufacturing or QC? Is there something I can look for while shopping that would help in the decision making process other than "a lot of people say this one is good"?

This weekend I will be buying a baitcast rod/reel combo. I want one, but can only justify (to my wife) spending under $50. The whole magnetic drag/braking system seems new to me because when I had my baitcast reels before, that was either only on high end ones or non-existant. I have found what look to be like some excellent buys at Walmart that are combos for $40, but the three Walmarts I frequent each have different ones. There is also a Dicks nearby that has a couple. Yes, this one will be a cheap-o for now, but I intend on getting better rigs as bills get paid and whatnot. Besides, with proper care and maintenance, it shouldn't matter much since I only fish on the weekends. I am unsure what qualities I should be looking for in making this purchase.

Nice fish man. I need to find me a spot like that.

No clue, but it's a possibility I suppose.

Looks to me like a rock bass. abe: Nope, you're right and I'm wrong. I'd never heard of a Green Ear before, but after looking it up that is what it appears to be.

Great to hear you are back home and your family is ok. Gotta love the politics of the military! That's the biggest reason I got out. While I was deployed, my wife was pregnant. The Red Cross decided to wait a few days to let me know whe had given birth to my first son. I didn't make it home until he was 2 weeks old. Again, good to hear you've made it home and she's ok. Drive on, trooper.

No problem. We went out again yesterday and I've noticed my 4 year old son picking up one more new thing that he's willing or able to do each outing. Just last Saturday he was skittish about even handling worms. Yesterday though, he was pulling the worm out the box and baiting his own hooks. We got him a spot with some small LM's and some gills (that was clear from weeds. He lost countless hooks and bobbers lol) and I showed him how to flip his crawler in there. He landed his first bass on his own (my dad and I have let him reel in a few little ones we've caught)! I ran over and held the hook steady and told him to stick his thumb in the mouth but he wanted to just grab it lol. So he held the fish while I removed the hook, then he tossed him back. That said, we are on a roll. You'll recall how I said my dad and I have TERRIBLE luck. However, the last 4 consecutive outings we have caught at least 1 fish, small as it may be. We've caught almost as many fish in the past 4 outings as we have since we started fishing....and I'm 30 years old. edit: I realize I contradicted myself with this post by saying that we've caught something the last 4 outings, but I posted earlier saying last weekend we only got sunburnt. Allow me to clarify: last weekend all we caught were some gills right near shore that were visible with the naked eye. To me, that's not fishing, not the fishing I prefer to do anyways. It seemed so cheap, so I don't count it. On the flipside, it helps (I think) my son in wanting to go out because what kid wants to go fishing when they don't catch anything?

just some cheap walmart one. I can't remember the name. It broke already and I only threw it a few times.

Oh, my mistake. I was looking here: http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/fishing/Documents/IllinoisFishingInformation.pdf at the table down on page 25. I looked at the table and not what it was for. Minimum eligible for some fishing awards program is 6 pounds. Whoops.

I am trying to find it again, but the other day whilst looking up info trying to figure out whether or not the fish I caught last weekend was a redeye bass (which are not native to WI...not even close), I could have sworn that either WI or this lake in particular had a minimum size of 6 pounds. I will continue my search for that PDF.

I can't wait to get my baitcaster next weekend and load it up with some braided so I can work this weed bed like it needs to be worked. I want to flip some jigs in there. I lost a whole bunch of hooks because the weed bed goes out maybe 5 or 6 feet then there is a tree about 3/4 feet past that. That's right where I was tossing it and let me tell you, that is t-o-u-g-h with a 6' medium spinning rod with mono that likes to get tangled up on itself (cheap ole' berkeley). Prime cover if there ever was any, that's for sure. Especially since it is the only in-water cover in the entire lake (it's a crystal clear old gravel pit).

Thank you! Another reason it is a personal accomplishment is because my dad and I spent ALL last weekend on this lake and got nothing more than sunburnt. Sure, it's a new (to us) spot, but I could visually see the fish all day but couldn't buy a bite. So what have I done all week? Watch videos and read web articles. Then watched some more. That's how I found this site. The info here has proven invaluable. I wouldn't have even known about wacky rigging OR senko style baits had I not done my research. Yes, I am still excited. I can't sleep and I have to get up in a few hours to go back out lol.

Nice fish bud. I've been trying my darndest to find a worthwhile hollow frog, but EVERYWHERE around me is sold out of everything that even resembles a decent one. I broke down and bought one anyway and it has zero action no matter what I do, no matter which way I jerk my rod.

Oh, and some of the local yokels asked if I caught anything. When I affirmed, they asked if I kept it. When I said no, I could hear them calling me an idiot in the distance after they walked away. What am I going to do with a 2-3 lb bass? 6 is the state minimum to keep for largemouth.

If you read my introduction, you'll see why this is a HUGE milestone for me. Not only did I catch my personal best, but did so by a looooong shot. The only other day I've (edit: successfully) spent fishing was covering a spawn bed one early spring. Maybe 5-6 small LM's. I say small..I mean it. But, we were catching fish and it was on some poppers so it was fun nonetheless. I've been stoked to try out some of the methods I've learned throughout the week (I can only fish on the weekends). And by gum, I did. I had a spot in mind on the lake: a fallen tree, the only one in the ENTIRE lake. I hadn't fully checked the spot out on our previous adventures, so you could imagine my joy when I got there only to find..... it was surrounded by a wondrous bed of WEEDS! Bluegill a plenty and a few fish nearby breaching the surface. Then, to my right, right close to shore but in the thick of the weeds, a good size splash. I said to myself "that fish is MINE". Tossed my watermelon 5" Senko wacky rigged and BAM first cast. By job I about had a heart attack. My adrenaline was pumping so hard I could barely handle the fish! The only person with me was my 4 year old son and my camera was tucked in my backpack. And the batteries? In my pocket. So I fumbled with my phone (stupidly, right at waters edge.) with my rod under my arm and the fish in the other hand. And to top it off, it was a beautiful time to fish, if a bit muggy. Sun was setting and I had my boy with me. This was the first time EVER using a senko OR a wacky rig. Tomorrow morning ought to be a blast. edit: There is no camera trickery here folks. I was darn near kissing that fish I had it so close to me while taking the picture. If anything seems askew, it is because I was using the front facing camera while my heart was pounding and I was more concerned about getting him back in the water. HAD to get a pic though.

Delavan here. Being landlocked makes fishing near impossible. Nearly all the lakes around here (Delavan, Comus, Lake Geneva, Browns in Burlington) are littered with houses. On my way home from work the other night, I scoped out Eagle Lake in Union Grove only to find that the entire shoreline is someone's backyard and for the 1 or 2 places that aren't, there is no parking on the street I need to make friends with a boat owner......

Thanks for the advice all.

Sorry if this has been discussed, but I didn't immediately see anything in search directly discussing this. To put it short: is it worth it for someone on somewhat of a budget to get a few tungsten weights? Or is it another thing that is nice if you can afford it, but doesn't make a big enough difference for a weekend warrior who can't outfit themselves with a whole slew of em (and is prone to losing bait/lures)? I ask because I am in the process of learning how to use plastic baits effectively and if tungsten is the way to go, so be it.

Check out lake-link for fishing reports in your area.

Funny thing about that: in the process of scouring the web in search of ways to fish my newfound lake near my dads house, I kept coming across Gene's videos and he seemed to have a video for nearly every question I was having. Then (wholly unrelated as I either didn't hear, or didn't watch til the end) I found bassresource.com. What an odd coincidence it was when I found out he is a mod here. So there you have it Gene (if you happen to read this): your videos are doing their job.

As the title says, I am getting back into fishing. I used to fish a lot when I was younger, but I lost all of my tackle; rods, reels, tackle box...EVERYTHING in a fire shortly after joining the Army. Suffice to say, losing all that money in one fell swoop killed my ambition. My dad just recently got us back into it. He's been my one and only fishing partner forever. We've never owned a boat and have always shore fished. But that is soon to change! We are both sick and tired of not being where the fish are...(well that's the excuse we use for not ever catching anything) and so are in the market of something.....ANYTHING to get out on the water. Love the site. You guys/gals seem like an extremely helpful bunch. Glad to be around.