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I use mostly baitcasters but I've got a few spinning setups. I'd recommend a technique specific rod for drop shotting. Personally I think it's better to have a little less backbone in a DS rod vs an all around finesse rod like tywithay said. If I were you I'd grab a LTB drop shot rod. I think you'll be pleased.

I've got an assorted mix of rods, but I'm in the process of slowly upgrading and as I do so I'm moving towards one brand.

I've never had an issue with any.

I always try to fish as fast as the fish will let me. If I can burn through water power fishing, there's really no need for me to slow down and try to coax one into biting. That doesn't mean that I won't have a rod with a more finesse presentation rigged up, but I'm only going to throw that in very high percentage areas. If they aren't hitting, I'll start slowing down and using a more finesse presentation.

Thanks for a definitive answer! Also it's a lot cheaper than going out and buying one to try since as far as I know everyone else I've fished with and around I've seen doing the same thing.

There's an article in Bassmasters March issue that goes pretty in depth. If you don't subscribe it's quite possible an area library would have it. Also, shad aren't a very hearty species. Both cold and lower oxygen levels affect them.

You need as many tackle boxes as it takes to hold all your stuff! Haha. I know that's a stupid answer but it's the truth. In my experiences, those who are into bass fishing tend to accumulate lots of baits as the years go by. As your collection grows, you'll need more boxes to put baits in. If you can get away with putting everything in 4 boxes, then that's great. If you need more, then get more. If you're concerned about not knowing where things are, then you need to get organized. Just as an example, I've got 4 trays just for my crankbaits. Each one is labeled and they are broken down by diving depth. I've got one tray for my wake baits and XL sized square bills, 1 for crankbaits that run from 2'-5', 1 from 6'-10', and finally one for those that run 10'+. Within each box I try to organize them by color and what water condition they are used for. Left column is for those best used in muddy water, the middle is for stained, and the right is for clearer water. That way I know exactly where everything is no matter how many boxes I have. If you start getting too much to take with you, go ahead and buy and extra box that you can use as a day box. That way you can mix and match from your other trays and fill it with baits that you know you will be using just that day.

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I'd go with the BPS PQ reel and the 7' Mojo in MH. I think you'll be very pleased with that setup. If you are having second thoughts about it though, I'd go down to your local Bass Pro and test them out. If you are set on that reel, go ahead and tell them you'll be buying one and you'd really like to feel it on the rod your looking at. They should be pretty accommodating, especially since they know you are planning to buy. See how they feel in your hand and make your decisions based on that.

Same here! Only God knows how much ice is left up here though :/

Awesome idea for what you're doing. From the sounds of what you said about talking to his mom, he really likes fishing! You might even want to consider letting him pick out his combo and then work towards that set amount. That way if he wants something more expensive, he can get it but he will have to work longer. Are you letting him keep doing lawn work after it's paid off or is he done when he's paid up on his gear?

I keep both hands on my gear when I set too even though 98% of the power is generated from the left, the right just kind of follows along. The worst is if you have a dink hit really close and slam him and that's what goes flying past your partners head haha.

I do, I've never been known to have a light hook set either....just ask those that have sat in the back of my boat when I haul water on one and the bait comes flying back whizzing past their head!

Right handed, cast right, reel right with a baitcaster. With a spinning I cast right and reel left. I've never had a problem doing either, so if it ain't broke don't fix it! lol Also, I palm my baitcasters, those of you that cast with the right and reel with the left do you do the same? Just wondering because to me not having used one it seems like it'd be hard to cast with the reel palmed.

About the baitcaster issue. Overfilling the spool will result in more backlashes. I've had that happen in the past as well and once you take a little line off it casts just fine.

It should work out well for you! 7' is a good length for a froggin' rod. It'll give you a little more accuracy over a longer one which really helps when you're trying to hit holes.

You've got to remember that even a so called "silent" bait is not silent under water. With the hooks, split rings, and hook hangers it's making a little bit of noise. You also have to remember a bass has a lateral line that picks up vibrations in the water. The silent lipless crankbait still gives off vibration it's just a different vibration than one with rattles.

I don't have them, but there's some guys in our bass club that do and they absolutely love them. At the moment I don't have the financial means to buy them, but if i did there's no doubt I'd have them because I can see the benefits of them!

When people refer to powers of rods, they use a generalize rating system that everyone knows (ie medium, medium heavy, etc) . Unfortunately, there is no industry standard for power ratings of rods, so a medium of one brand is not the same as a medium of another.Some feel that St. Croix rates them a little heavier than brands.

There's an awesome interlinked article on the *** website titled how to bass fish (just type it in their search box). It'll give you tons of information about bass fishing and then when you get specific questions you can come back and ask.

I fish because it's an amazing thing to do. It puts me in touch with nature. It's intensely relaxing and lets me unwind. It's one of the greatest activities in existence because you can do it at any age. You can do it the way you want to as well as make it as challenging as you want. If you want to sit out with live bait and a bobber you can do that and catch fish. If you want to spend $1000's of dollars on gear and go out and hunt fish down you can do that too. People can find enjoyment in either and that's what so great about it. Something else that's great about fishing is it's always a challenge. You are never assured to catch anything and we're always trying to figure out how to catch more. And finally, there's the anticipation factor. You have no idea what's going to happen on the next cast. The mystery of not knowing is what will keep you coming back time and time again.

St. Croix Mojo Bass "Wacky Style" would be right up your alley.

I'm a right dominant and right retrieve. I'm a reel palmer though, so it works for me.

I'd go with the St. Croix Mojo. As what was said about not being able to get them to stay buttoned up with a fast action, it can be done. You have to keep your drag looser than you normally would and actually play the fish a little more. It's not considered 100% ideal but it'll work for you until you get enough to get a crankbait rod.

I've heard some good things about the St. Croix Mojo Target Cranker. There's a review for it on ***, type in St. Croix in their search box and it'll be the first link.