Angry John

Mine used a spinning reel athe five and we spent a lot of time in the front yard. He had a practice pole for the house and uses my stuff on the water. I use smaller spinning reels. At his age a 1000 or 1500 would be best. Crappy kids gear is fustrating to them and has tons of issues which sucks for you. The first rod is disposable so get an ugly stick, they have one like 4/6 or 5 foot. This is there learning rod and will put up with a ton of abuse. After the basics upgrade them as you feel they are ready. My sons current rod is a st Croix avid x 68mxf. He has a week Hookset so I went xf. Great for 5" wacky worms which he does well on. He is now 9 but I only fought trying to find quality kids gar for a year and gave up. For kicks megabass makes kids gear.

I love the big hawgs but if i could choose ill take some of those 40 3 to 4 pound days most often. Those are really fun and if your combat fishing in the junk your just beat afterward.

Just means you dont have to deal with someone else problem. I was and still am looking for something like that to swimbait in small ponds with. A 24v ultrex will get that little boat crusing and depending on your state laws you may be able to stay below the required registration point if you run TM only. Each state is different and you should read your local laws.

Pick the one you really want and then spend the next two months hunting down the best deal.

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Phenix_X-Series_Composite_Crankbait_Casting_Rods/descpage-PCBC.html http://www.tackletour.com/reviewphenixx10.html

That is a newer version. The early 2000's version was just soooo sweet but the new is not in the same league.

The daiwa caldia 2506 might be right in your ball park. Its a great reel but JDM. Get into the dark side early.... https://www.ebay.com/p/Daiwa-14-CALDIA-2004-Fishing-Spinning-Reel-From-Japan/1530473585?iid=272659558709 or make an offer of 150 on this one https://www.ebay.com/p/Daiwa-11-CALDIA-2506h-Spinning-Reel-High-Speed-Gear-F-s-From-Japan-585/1840332476?iid=162485843826

6. Upgrade your reel with a high speed level wind. Some reels have a version that is made for braid and have a faster level wind worm gear available. You might not be able to afford that special edition but you can get some of the parts which will make your life much easier. The daiwa alphas and the zillion have a million models and all parts cross within the same line. This may not apply to all but if you fish daiwa or shimano a little bit of research could save a lot of money an heartache.

I fish team tournament style and my boater considers my input. Sometimes we do what I suggest and sometimes not. The best part from my point is my input is herd and considered. His boat his choice.

I use 6.3 for just about everthing. I have a 5 ratio luna for huge swim baits and a 7.9 that sits in the box. The other 17 are 6.3 and around that speed. 6.8 on alphas because the spool is so small. Do you fish like a pro with the TM on high blazing down a bank trying to find active fish? If covering water is a huge goal then a higher ratio may fit your style. One speed is no better than any other, and a mid speed can be cranked fast or slow. I personally hate creaping a fast reel, while trying to keep up on a 5 is a lot of work for jigs and frogs. How do you like to fish, and what fits your style....

Most of the lakes I fish we fished last season. We have some spots picked out and we check those first. If the are not playing then we motor around looking to see where they went. If a cold front hits we look for the first dropout or deeper spot next to where we were catching them. Most of the time their mood is off and they are a little harder to convince. I will dropshot, downshot a 3 or 4" easy shiner, or drag a jig or carolina. I start small and if I catch I will increase size depending on the quality of the fish.

If you had a cold front downsize and fish slower. If I can see them I'll dropshot.

For that size 15lb would be enough imo.

Pushed back one stage. If they were in the back of the cove now there at the first transition.

We need weights and sizes. Are we talking a hudd 6" or a mag. Size matters a lot here when advising you what you need.

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/P-Line_Technical_Snap/descpage-TPBB.html Got one of theses on a Matt lures meat head and been using it on my big baits. Seems like it's a great clip. I normally use an owner welded snap but my fear is if it's not clipped while fishing in the dark. This style is right if the bait is on and seems fool proof. Any users of these clips provide any feedback or horror stories.

This feels like what Glenn told his wife because there is no way your going to convince me he only has that many.

I did not have shad in the CT and WA waters I fished. Now in TN I have bought a ton of shad baits and they work great. Perch is also on the menu and that does no make any sense to me as there gill places are sharp along with the top spines. I do well with both but here in TN I would take a shad pattern every time.

Use a caliper or micrometer for a diameter and that will give you a solid answer. If you have a good scale that might put you in the ball park. Should weigh 240 grains ish.

Well if you hook one it will feel like the fish of a lifetime

This to me is a 308 vs 30-06 discussion. The round reels have heavier internals that fit well for me in swimbaiting. My ryoga 1016 uses the same spool as my steez but the round reel internals will not get beat to trash throwing umbrella rigs and 3-5 Oz swim baits. They now have reels like the trankx that are designed for it, but they are new.

Worth it to me is a calculated level between what I have to spend and how much I use it. If you spend all your time fishing jigs it's worth bing a high quality jig rod and a good reel to go with it. Multiplied by the fact that you fish 4 days a week means a 1000 dollar setup has value and i's worth it. If you fish one day a week and never crank baits, that 30 dollar crank bait rod is worthless even if you make 600k a year.

Maybe the easiest and simple answer is to upsize the presentations that are already working for you. Killing it on a 7" worm throw a 10. Simple is key in my book.

Are you a team or single angler. We fish team format, my boater fishes for big bites and I fill out the limit. Just curious

A lot of the lucky craft square bills have been on sale and are cheaper than the kvd. My personal favorite is the copper shad in 1.5