Halnerd

Based on the description you gave, I would probably use the 7" shakespeare spinning setup for crankbaits, inline spinners, finesse plastics, drop shots (even lighter weight/short leader Carolina rigs). Just run some 6-10# low-viz Mono line and have fun. I do not have a lot of experience with entry level baitcasting combos. I learned to fish exclusively on spinners, and was an experienced fisherman before I ever touched a baitcast. So, I waited until I could buy a solid bait casting setup that I knew would have the features that I would want. As Chuck D alluded, I would try a 6'6" Medium Heavy rod with a 6.4:1 ratio reel for your first baitcaster. I would suggest stringing it with 14-18# Flourocarbon for several reasons. First, that line will feel familiar to your standard mono when casting, though Flouro is much stiffer and more sensitive. Second, Flouro is still heavy enough to fish most cover that a novice is going to feel comfortable attempting anyway, though not as tough as braid. You can always try braid later, but I find it to be a niche line that is not as versatile as Flouro. On this setup you can fish offset spinners, texas rigs, jigs, and really any lure with a large single hook or rigs that are heavy or require sensitivity. I took a quick look around the net and found a few solid baitcasting setups for under 80 bucks that might work, such as this one on sale: http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=GSX-Tournament-Reel-RH-Vortex-Casting-Rod-Combo-66-Med-Heavy-1-pc&i=97166&aID=504AC2&merchID=4006 I have also heard a few people say that these are decent for the money: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Abu-Garcia-Black-Max-Baitcast-Combo/19716434 Also, my brother-in-law swears by the pfluegar templar baitcasting reels, which he picks up on ebay for under 35 bucks. He pairs that reel with an IM6 graphite MH rod from Gander Mountain ($40) for one combo, and another templar with a 6'6" cheap Abu Garcia rod for his second. Of course, you could pair that reel with any rod you choose. If you know anyone that could let you borrow a baitcaster you might want to try a few out before you decide which one to buy. I found that centrifugal vs. magnetic braking systems are really the most make or break feature for my personal casting experience and style. I like centrifugal breaking systems and many inexpensive combos are magnetic only (the pfluegar templar is one of the cheapest centrifugal braking reels I have seen). Try reels with both braking types before you buy, if you can. Further, if you find a reel you think you like, try it on a different rod length and power. You may find that what you are really feeling is the rod and not the reel. A MH power baitcasting combo feels way different than a med power spinning combo. Expect that. Good luck, have fun. Give yourself time to learn with a baitcaster. They can be frustrating at first, but are well worth the learning curve. Kyle

I do fish HPCL regularly, though I usually go there when all I wanna do is throw the trolling motor in the trunk and rent a boat. HP city lake is closed during the winters months I believe. During the warm weather season we fish Randleman, Townsend, HPC lake, and sometimes Brandt. I think Townsend is also open year round like Oak Hollow. Honestly, we are complete newbs to winter fishing in any of these lakes. Also, I really don't have any honey holes in any of these lakes. We just fish where we think bass and panfish will be at any given time and condition. Usually that means the right depth, structure and cover. We caught most of our fish this year on Jigs w/chunk trailers, Texas Rig soft plastics, weedless plastics top-water, In-Line Spinners (Mepps for Largemouth and Rooster Tails for panfish), and Storm perch swimbaits. No luck with offset spinners or crankbaits at all. I just can't wrap my head around these funky weather conditions. I guess we picked a tough year to start learning winter fishing. Kyle

Hello All, I live in Greensboro N.C. We have had a really warm winter so far this year. My fishing partner and I took the boat out yesterday on Oak Hollow Lake. The air temp was in the low 50's in the afternoon, and the surface water temps stayed around 45-48F. We did not have any luck locating largemouth bass. We did find a few schools of crappie hovering around 17-18 feet deep in 22-25 feet of water, but didn't really have the gear or experience to catch them. There is very little easily detectable cover or structure on the bottom of Oak Hollow (At least that we can find with our low-end depth finder and probing jig/texas rig fishing). So... This coming weekend we are going to have another crazy warm front come through with 60-70F weather all weekend, and lows in the upper 40's and 50's. My question is: Where should we expect the bass to be in these conditions? Is the surface temp of the lake going to end up being higher than the deeper waters and draw the bass up to surface structure? Should we expect the water temps to remain low, unaffected by the ambient air temp? Are the bass going to stay low and slow, sticking to the bottom structure that we are failing to locate? The local fisheries say that Largemouth in Oak Hollow eat Perch and Shad as their primary forage. Where could we expect the forage to be in these kind of conditions? I have no idea what to expect. I am new to fishing Oak Hollow, but it is one of the only lakes open year round in the Greensboro area. We are also completely new to winter fishing in general. We have been reading up and gearing up since Christmas to learn how to winter fish, but these conditions are throwing us for loops. I would like to add that the water in Oak Hollow right now is Stained to Muddy, if that makes any difference. 1-2 foot visibility at best, and green/brown. I would greatly appreciate some pointers on how to locate bass in these conditions. Kyle

I catch the vast majority of fish any size, any species, on in-line spinners. From roooster tails to larger Mepps, I will never hit the water without throwing an in-line at least a few times. Jigs would be my second choice.