fishnkamp

I use both right handed and left handed baitcasting reels. All of my rods that I chuck and wind a bait with like rattle traps, crankbaits, spinnerbaits or chatterbaits I like to use a right handed reel with. When I need to impart a dragging action or a jerking motion I prefer to hold the rod with my dominant hand and reel with my left hand. This means any topwater I walk the dog with, any jerkbait, carolina rigged baits or texas rigged worms and creature baits all get put on rods with left handed reels. I just always found I can work them better. It also means my pitching flipping setups are lefties as well. One big advantage is I can cast and am ready to follow my line and a bait down as it falls without having to change hands as most anglers do. I feel like I am more ready for reacting to a strike this way. I hope this sorta makes sense to you. I would recommend a brand new Daiwa Tatula CT in a 6.3 or 7.1 lefty for $130 just about anywhere.

I have owned a 20 foot fish & ski from Procraft. That boat was terrific. I loaded it up with good electronics, it had the walk thru windshield, rear ski pylon mounted in the back seat post hole and it was full of fun. I tournament fished with it, ski and tubes off of it, could run with 6 people, heck we even purchased the sun pads stereo,and bimini top for it, but make no mistake she ran 71 mph with the 200 Merc and when fishing time came the 24 volt trolling motor, and electronics front and at the console meant it worked fine. Do not sell that style boat short. I never found a con. The only advantage I see with a pontoon is more real estate. I stored all my tackle and rods the same as my bass boat does now. It was fun to ski and tube as well.

Bass Pro has the Pflueger President modela 6925 and 9630 and 6935 for $59.99. Dicks SportingGoods does as well. However if you go into Dicks and buy something cheap, a jig, a pack of gum etc. there will be a survey you can take on there website. Go to their website, enter your receipt info and answer a few question, then print off their $10 dollar off coupon and use it to save a few bucks off the reel. The coupon gives you $10 off any purchase over $50 so your reel will cost $49.99. Just an option I thought I would suggest.I have done this many times.

The current situation came mostly from the manufacturer requesting it be that way. Dollars, at least from the board members, has nothing to do with it. Please understand that we just "live" with the solution. There is no intent on behalf of the current members here to say anything bad about the brand, it is just the reality. Welcome to Bass Resources, I for one hope you come to enjoy this group as much as I do. There are some really terrific people that spend lots of time learning and sharing the sport of fishing here together. Welcome aboard. I own some Gander Mountain gear and really enjoy it. I freely admit though the bait monkey lives in my home, as both myself and my wife own too much gear! LOL. I have bank fished, fished from several canoes, and have owned 7 aluminum jon boats and bass boats as well as two fiberglass bass boats. The one rig I have never fished from is a kayak. I guess it presents it's own challenges. Good Luck fishing and let us Know how the new rod works out. We can talk "about it", we just can not mention it's brand name! It is strange I know.

Another thing I will say is sometimes the rod acts very differently than a manufacturer say it will. I have one 6'6" Quantum Escalade spinning rod that specs as a medium action fast tipped rod. It's suggested lure rating is 1/8 to 1/4, but it can easily handle a 5/8 ounce bait. The rod has plenty of backbone and a fast tip. Clearly the manufacturer mislabeled what the rod can do. I throw 1/2 ounce silver buddies on it a lot. It handles them perfectly. I also use it for Sencos, light texas rigs etc.

I own a Falcon Bucoo Micro series 7 foot "TrapMaster" rod. It is a great rod for throwing small to mid sized crankbaits and rattle traps. I use it for both bass and my fall striper fishing. It is paired with a Daiwa Tatula. It makes a great combo.

My wife and I use a lot of FireLine. Currently it is spooled on at least 6 reels that get used all of the time. I use both 10 pound and 14 pound all of the time. This past April we fished Dale Hollow Lake for big smallies. We caught the big females back out on main lake just after spawning. They were in a foul mood and not eating yet, All they would respond to was a Ned Rig. We were throwing the TRD bodies on 1/10 oz Shroom heads on G Loomis 6 foot light action rods using 10 pound FireLine. It helped us land bass up to 7 pounds and a big 8 pound channel cat. That took a while. I agree with an earlier poster, the line really softens and smoothes out after being used. You will not experience any line memory at all. It plays very nicely. In really clear water we fish with a 4 foot leader made of P LIne CXX 10# line in moss green. It works terrific, If I was setting my next rig up for your use, I would use 10 pound test Original or Fused FireLine. It measures .008 in diameter. For a standard I compare all lines to Stren Original Clear Blue Mono. Their 6 pound test mono measures .009. We use 2500,3000 and 3500 size Pflueger President reels. I always load half the spool with good quality mono in 12 or 14 pound test. For this I like Stren mono. It tightens well on the spool, lays flat and smooth and cuts the cost of filling a reel in half. Tie a good double uni knot and then spool the FireLine. You will find it will work well for you.

I always use Stren Original in 14 pound test to half fill my reels. It tightens down well on the reel ( sp no slipping ) and lays nice and flat giving a good surface to fill either braid,fluoro or copolymer lines. For rods that i throw jiggs plastics, frogs etc I really like Power Pro Spectra braid but for some reason I do really well using Suffix 832 in 20 pound test with crankbaits, and rattle traps. If I am in really deep clear water I either add a 4 foot leader made of P Line CXX moss green line in 10 pound test. My other rig for deep clear water and treble baits has P Line FloroClear in 12 pound test.

Poolshark had the system down right. First make sure you own a 6'6 to 7' medium spinning rod. That will handle a ton of baits from unweighted to lightly weighted plastics, worms, creature baits, tubes, grubs, Ned Rigs and even lures like floating Rapala minnows. Then a baitcasting rod like a 6'9 to 7'3" MH fast action will handle a ton of medium to heavier lures like jigs, spinnerbaits,chatterbaits, tx rigged plastics (1/4 to 3/4) or even up to an ounce weight like a carolina rig may use. All Abu Garcia rods run a bit heavier than they call them, but their lure and line ratings are very close to correct, so in a Veritas I would look at the Veritas 2 micro series 7 foot medium, It runs $99 and can often be found cheaper online. Another super rod to consider here is a Dobyns Fury FR703C. That is a very well built rod for its $110 price. For your next rod look at several rods that will handle you rattle traps, crankbaits etc, just about anything with a treble hook. My first suggestion is on the lower priced end. This would be a 6'6" Berkley Lightning Shock rod in the medium moderate spec. That rod only costs about $40 but can often be found for less. Dobyns makes a great rod called a FR 705CB which again costs $110. And lastly is my favorite. Look at the Irod Genesis II IRG703CC, It called the Gabe's Rip Rap Special and is great for treble baits. It costs $149, so not too much above your budget, All of the rods I have suggested I own, so I am familiar with how they will fish, If you set yourself up with rods fitting into these categories you will be able to fish almost anything for bass you want to. You may add another rod down the line, like one specifically for frogs or Punching but you can catch lots of fish with these 3 rods. If I owned your two reels, and I was spending my money, the Lews 7.5-1 would be on a Dobyns FR703C. It would have 30 pound test Power Pro Spectra braid and I would add a 4 foot leader made of P LIne CXX moss green 10 pound test line. This would have a 1/2 a spool of 14 pound cheap mono under the braid for backing. Stren original mono in 14 # works great for this. My other reel would be on an Irod Genesis II IRG703CC (remember this is me spending my money based on my experience with all of the rods I mentioned). This reel would have been filled up with either 12 pound mono or 1/2 a spool of 14 pound Stren mono and the rest with 20 pound Suffix 832 braid.and i would tie directly to the lure. In really clear water I might add the same leader.

My wife and I own a total of 7 Presidents. They range from 25 to 35s. Two are on G Loomis 6 foot light action sjr721s (1/16 to 5/16 ) and they are used for Ned rigs, lightly weighted grubs, tubes and other plastics. Two are on G Loomis 6 foot SJR722s ( 1/8 to 3/8) medium action rods used for heavier plastics like creature baits. One is on a G Loomis SR843 It is a 7 foot medium that is perfect for dropshotting and shakeyheads.. Next i have an Okuma Reflections 6' 6" I cut down the rear area between the split grip. It is now a 6'3" and works light jerkbaits like floating Rapalas and just about any light weight jig perfectly. Lastly I have one on a Quantum Escalade 6'9" medium that throws a Senco perfectly. It does a lot more but excels at that. Obviously I like these reels a lot. Sime of mine are less than a year or two old, and some are over 19 ears old. All of them require little maintenance and keep working perfectly. The only other spinning reels we use for bass is a Shimano Symetre 3000 that sits on an her Irod Genesis II 7 foot MH Fred Roumbanis signature rod which she throws hollow bodied frogs with. I got her that reel for its lpi rate. It matches my tatula Type R 8.1 lpi retrieve.

I know Joe said he is interested in getting his first baitcaster and that is fine, but I have always leaned toward a medium action spinning outfit, matched up with a good quality size 2500 or 3000 reel, as the best " all purpose" rod. I find this to be especially true when crawling around smaller creeks, rivers, and ponds. Joe if you have one then ignore my suggestion. A medium spinning rod around 6'6" can throw everything from unweighted plastics all the way to a bass jigs , small to midsized crankbaits or spinnerbaits and minnow baits like Rapalas if needed. I would suggest a Pflueger President reel and something like the Berkley Lightning Shock rod. That would cost him only a little more than a BlackMax combo. If you have your own spinning rod then by all means the BlackMax will serve you well. The BlackMax combo will be best suited to baits that weigh from 1/4 to 5/8. The Berkley 6'6" medium Lightning Shock rod will throw baits from 1/8 to 3/4. I would go with a spinning rod first then my second rod would be a 6'6" to 7" MH baitcaster.

The first two are located right next to Gilligan's. Coming south on the river Capt. Billy's and Capt Robertson's were 1 and 2 and Gilligan's was third in line. Gilligan's had the best pier punch and "swamp water" I believe they called it. Drunk is what you could be if you had a bit too much of either. LOL

I purchased an Abu Garcia Ike series jerkbait rod. He designed it to be like a typical 6'6" or 6'9" but made it with a bit of a shorter split grip but section. It measures 6'4" so it does not hit your arm as you set up the typical jerking motion. The Ike rods in general are a lot nicer than I expected.

Nothing beats putting some lefty and right handed baitcasters as well as some spinning reels in your hands. In my case I can make that happen as well as give you a chance to throw an Omega as well. Do not spend your money or make a decision till you get to throw them for yourself. Let meet up soon.

crypt you were correct, but I was not trying to out him. LOL! I met and talked to him every year he came to Baltimore for the big fishing show in Timonium. He was a super guy. In fact I even have a video he did years ago. I am glad to hear he is still kicking it above ground.

You never mentioned what you spooled it on. Is it a spinning reel and if so what size reel? If it is a baitcaster that is totally different of course. With most lines it may not make a difference but copolymers and fluorocarbons it can make a huge difference. Any of the copolymer and fluoro lines that have great abrasion resistance come with a harder or tougher body. so it will automatically come with more memory. which makes it hard to deal with. I use a lot of braid / leader setups. I like P Line CXX copolymer in their moss green for leaders. That line, along with P Line Halo, have terrible memory issues, but it is tough as nails so here is some things that help. First I own a Berkley line station. I recommend you do too. That tool only costs $20 from Cabelas and other places. This allows me to mount my reel solidly, and hold the spool under tension, now I have both hands free to carefully control the line as I spool my reel. You must add line conditioner as you spool the reel, it helps a lot. I use Reelsnot, or KVDs line conditioner, there are other good ones as well. Lastly, another great trick is to mount your reel on the line station. Boil some water in the old tea kettle. Pour the hot water in a bowl and drop your new filler spool of line in it for several minutes before you spool up your reel. It is amazing how much less memory issues you will have. For a 2500 or 3000 size spinning reel the heaviest P Line or similar line I use is 8. For baitcaster try the hot water/ line conditioner and I go all the way up to 17 pound test for some jigs and carolina rigs. If your 15 pound test is on a baitcaster try this. Find a nice grassy field like a ball field. Lay your rod against some support. Release the line and walk it out to its end. Take a cloth ( I use a terrycloth towel) and starting at the rod end hold the line in the towel and walk down the line holding it under some tension in order to straighten out the line. Now check the towel often to make sure it is clean. If a bunch of dirt and gunk comes off just move the towel around a bit. Next do it again but this time add some line conditioner to the line and towell and sort buff the line. As I would reel my line in I would stop every so often and add new line conditioner. Go fish that reel after a day to dry and see if it plays different before you change it out. You might be amazed the way it handles.

For topwaters I would use mono still. For your live bait I would change one rig to Power Pro Spectra Braid say 50 pound test ( it is the same diameter as 15 pound mono) and then i would tie on a 10 to 15 pound leader made of P Line CXX in moss green. I specifically state that line because it is a very tough copolymer with a high resistance to abrasion (that also means a lot of memory which makes it a bit too much trouble as a main line). For some reason their moss green CXX has a much higher breaking strength than their other lines. In tests the 10 pound test broke closer to 22 pounds. I would use the 15 pound test probably but experiment with all three. There is only .002 in diameter between 10 and 15 pound line. I use a lot of 20 and 30 pound Power Pro Spectra in my bass fishing here on the tidal rivers around the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries like the Potomac and upper bay. I encounter crab traps, rebar, sunken old boats, and plenty of barnacles on docks, rocks etc. I should also add anything the military "shot" in the waters since I often fish around a military munitions base that live fire test periodically. For some of the other presentations like the plastics try doing this as an experiment. I assume you are setting up larger size spinning equipment for the plastics , worms, flukes etc. i do have a friend that "lives with" the memory issues of the P Line. Here is what he does and what i would try. Take a brand new spool of 10 pound or 12 pound test P Line CXX in moss green. I use a Berkley line station which makes spooling my reels super easy. It only cost $20 from Cabelas and other places. Attach your reel. Next boil some water on the stove pour it in a bowl and drop your spool of line in it for say 5 minutes. Dump the water out and attach the spool to the line station. Spool the reel. Getting a line warm helps it adapt to the smaller diameter on the reel so you have less line memory issues. This helps a lot with abrasion resistant fluoro line as well. I also suggest a good line conditioner. Experiment with this on one reel and see how it plays for you. I would try doing it with a 300 yard filler spool (cheaper) if it works out go to the big 3000 yard spool to save more money. I keep a 300 yard spool of 10 pound test on my boat for leaders all the time. I hope this works out for you. Let us know. By the way I also use some of the P Line Floroclear and like it for crankbaits and a few other things, but I only deal with big blue catfish, bass, stripers, perch, panfish and the occasional pickerel. Those are my nemesis with teeth here at home.

It is interesting you say that. I have turned wrenches as a mechanic for my whole career. If i use one type reel for too long my hands will cramp up. So my solution has been to use both right and left handed reels. My system is simple, I use righties for lures that I chuck and wind such as crankbait, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits,etc. All of the baits that I impart action to such as jerkbaits, jigs, carolina rigs, texas rigged plastics and frogs I use lefties so my right hand can get a break. It also means I have my dominate hand on the rod for things like flipping and pitching which help me because the fish often hit right when the lure first enters the water. I can react a little quicker. I taught myself to get very comfortable using both hands so I am sure you can do it as well. It used to be that there was only a few reels made in a lefty version. Today Daiwa, Lews and others make most of their reels in both left and right handed models in all of the gear ratios.

You know what is funny, years ago (back in the nineties) I met a pro from Virginia that never used a baitcaster. He always used spinning and some big Zebco 808s. He almost won the BassMasters classic here on the Chesapeake Bay and finished high in lots of other tournaments. It was not till near the end of his career he started using them.

Warming up the line helps eliminate the line memory or relax he coils before you spool it onto a spinning reel.It is useful as I said when spooling very abrasion resistant fluorocarbon like P Line Halo. The line is very strong and abrasion resistant but can be difficult to manage when used on a spinning reel. In our tidal waters around here on the Chesapeake Bay we have to deal with bass, big cats and stripers that live near dock, rocks, old boat wrecks and god know what our military has shot into our waters. Lots of times we encounter this stuff covered with barnacles which can wreck havoc with your baits, and lines. I forgot to add crab traps to that list of nightmares. Anyway that line works well it just needs a little settling down and the hot water helps.

Doing as DVT says works really nice when spooling very abrasion resistant fluorocarbon line on spinning reels. I have several friends that do it when they spool 8 pound P Line Halo on their 2500 and 3000 size spinning reels. I also coat it with Reelsnot as it goes on. It takes a better set on the reel and does not try to unspool when you flip the bail.

Lets start with what is your budget for each combo. I never suggest purchasing equipment that you "can afford now" with the intent of upgrading later. I als will suggest some equipment in the moderate price range. If you can afford much higher my suggestions can be amended easily. For most anglers getting started I always suggest the following: 1. A light to medium action spinning rod/reel combo- check you have that covered. Your second rod help fill in some other baits that makes it handy, like light weight jerkbaits and spinnerbaits,chatterbaits, 1/8 to 1/2 ounce texas rigged worms etc. 2. Look for a 6'6" to 7'3" (depends a lot about your preference and personal height) baitcasting rod that specs as 1/4 to 3/4 ounce lures with a medium heavy power and a fast action tip. This rod will handle all of your heavier plastics, jigs, even some topwaters, bigger heavier spinnerbaits. If your budget is less than $100 look at rods from Diawa like a Tatula. You could go to Dicks and look at an Quantum Escalade, or a Fenwick HMG series rod. If you can afford over $100 look at a Dobyns Fury FR 703C, for the $110 there are very nice. In this range an Abu Garcia Veritas will work well too. For a little more consider an Irod Genesis II they will run $149, 3. For your crankbaits consider a Berkley Lightning Shock in a 6'6"med mod for around $50. If you can afford more I recommend an Irod Genesis II Gabes Rip Rap Special, an IRG 703CC. Again, it sells for $149. Both Shimano and G Loomis make some good rods, but most of them are more money. Dobyns also has some nice rods that fit the bill also. I would pair them up with a Diawa Tatula CT. It is a workhorse of a reel, although I like the Daiwa Exceler and all of the Daiwa Tatula and Tatula Type Rs as well.

I sent you a direct e-mail message. The Omega is a good option if you intend to continue with spincasting equipment. I have one you can try out. I would also suggest you spend some time with a good spinning rod and reel. For unweighted plastics, and lightly weighted lures they can not be beat. For heavier baits I really suggest you get a chance to practice with a good baitcasting rod and a good quality baitcasting reel. These reels are available for around $100 and up "retail" which means often for much less on the internet.

Well if you would like I could meet you somewhere down there. Perhaps there is a school ball field to cast some rods. If so I would consider meeting you down there . Then after I would probably stop back at my old stomping grounds Goose Bay Campgrounds to see some old friends. I wonder if Captain Billy's, Capt Robertson's, and they used to be called Gilligan's restaurants are still offering some great crabs?

Where are you located in southern Md?