lecisnith

If you're sticking to mainly chatterbaits and spinnerbaits i'd stay with the mono. Especially if you're going with the one combo, monofilament is probably the best multi-purpose line. I might go with 10-12#, though.

Very nice. I did the same thing on a white spinnerbait last year, about the same size, just probably not quite as girthy. I still can't bring myself to go with the steel leader, though. I've only lost a couple jerkbaits and I'm not a good enough angler to not give myself as many advantages as possible in presentation. Nice set-up on the boat, too. Gives me plenty of ideas...

All present and accounted for, sir.

Also went and got a Gander Mountain Elite 6'9" M/L and put a Pflueger President on it. That's one big part of revamping my dropshot. Not using a $20 Daiwa 6'0 M/L anymore. Always looks like the rod is going to bend completely in half whenever there's anything bigger than two pounds on it.

Advice taken

When using a craw imitation do you use a shorter leader for the sinker? Or is that irrelevant?

I grew up on a healthy mix of my parents' music and contemporary rock music. Into my 30's im still a devotee of Buddy Holly, Jim Croce, Simon and Garfunkel, The Moody Blues, Janis Joplin, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and the likes to go along with my Metallica, Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Cannibal Corpse. Two of my big memories of music from my childhood were wearing my Megadeth T-shirt into music class in the third grade and hearing Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt for the first time and becoming obsessed with Classical music for a long time. So I'm pretty well-rounded...

Saw Metallica and Chili Peppers at Orion fest a couple years ago. Saw Tool in '06, and saw Black Sabbath in '05. Its pretty much a toss-up amongst them.

If you can tell me the difference between house, techno, dubstep, and EDM, you should probably just go to rehab-Daniel Tosh

Btw, I pretty much exclusively use a 7' MH with a fast tip.

Frog fishing is fun, but really tough. Even top pros don't have spectacular hookup ratios on them. Last time I used a frog I had my skirt trimmed quite a bit and the hooks bent up a little and caught 3 out of 4. The one I missed had a good hookup but came off as soon as I got him out of the pads. So there are things you can do to improve your chances. It's just something that you have to learn to live with the frustration. Otherwise you'll hate it. And it's much too fun to hate.

I am picking up a new rod and reel pretty much exclusively for dropshotting. My question is: what baits are the best for use with the technique? Can I use plastic jerks, worms, craws, toads? I've only ever caught them on worms and only ever used worms and tubes.

It helps if you and your fishing buddy are like-minded. The guy I fish with all the time is all about the hunt, which is how I am. Every cast is an opportunity. And, even if you are fishing with someone, when you have a friend like that, you can still be alone with your thoughts.

The same.

Not that big. 28-30" or so.

My buddy caught a musky on a 3.5" tube earlier this year.

I've caught my share on Strike Kings and Spros, both popping and walking. I have one of the ***s and I like the action when it's twitched but when I try to walk it, which I prefer, it's not worth the money. I have read that the hook-up ratio is nearly perfect on the ***, though not ever having a single strike on it I can't attest to that.

I've been using a $60 Black Max combo for two years. Still serves me well in the rotation. None of my combos cost me more than $130.

I caught my first fish on the dropshot yesterday. 2# LM. Got me pretty excited. Didn't get another one on it after that, but they were hitting a T-rigged Pit Boss pretty hard. Hopefully it stays on the cool side of 80 for a while after our inland hurricane on Sunday. How'd you fare in the center?

Last Sunday I went to a local pond to try and get a nemesis smallie that I had seen cruising the bank the last three times I had been there. Got there at 6:45, caught her 2.5 pound butt on my second cast (on a black cavitron), fished for about 15 more minutes and said, "screw it, that made my week." So one 2-3 pound fish is enough to make me call it a good WEEK, let alone day. At least I was out there...

I've got one in the 7.1:1 and another in the 4.9:1. No complaints on either one. They can pull bass out of the pads very easily and they can throw 5/16 oz scatter raps just as well. I figure they're a steal for $60.

What naysayers don't ever think about when they bash on inexpensive baitcasters is the fact that those combos are going to serve one of two purposes. The first is that it's an ENTRY LEVEL purchase, which means you buy it to use on a trial basis. The second is you buy it if you don't plan on using it a whole lot. True, while a $40 Black Max might not perform as well as a $200 Revo, its exactly what some people are looking for. I still have and get a lot of good use out of mine, even though I have four others. I highly recommend checking it out.

TW has them listed for $129.99.

Went garage saling today, pretty standard Friday before the 4th. Always on the lookout for fishing gear. Found a Falcon Bucoo 7'0" med casting rod for $30. Then talked the lady down to $25. I'm so happy!

I'm not saying you should make the trade or not. What I will say is that the President is one of the most highly recommended spinning reels on the forum and one of the most highly rated on the market. I love mine and will be getting another one or two shortly. So there's that.