PennBass

+1 for St. Croix. Not sure how they would hold up to abuse, but if you do manage to break one of their rods, their warranty service is unbeatable. For your price point, I'd suggest the either the new 2016 model Mojo or the Avid. Both are great performance-wise, too. For a casting reel, I know that Lew's reels are great, especially for the price point. For a spinning reel, highly suggest anything Pflueger (great company with great reputation). Hope this helps!

I'm guessing that as a beginner, you're probably starting off with monofilament (stretchy, nylon line). I used to have the same problem as you because I didn't tie a proper knot. A good knot to know is the improved clinch knot http://www.animatedknots.com/improvedclinch/#ScrollPoint The reason you may not have had problems before is, like the other mentioned above, your line could've degraded from both the cold/heat and UV rays: the combination of the two greatly decreases monofilament's tensile strength. Another possible factor is abrasion from structure/the bass's teeth. If you get hung up over a branch or fish in a rocky area, it's a good idea to retie often. Welcome to the forums!

Topwater frog. Twitch. Twitch. Twitch. SPLASH

I've found that the original trailer works fine, but sometimes switching it up can produce more fish. Try a fluke, trickworm, swimbait, grub, craw, basically any soft plastic and see what works best on your body of water. I'd personally recommend the Zman Razor Shadz: it's incredibly durable (still using the same one I put on months ago) and since it's segmented it's action is crazy.

Love the quality of their lures, and they've always produced for me (esp. the Open Water Assassin). I've had some issues with the skirt band falling off after a while, so I usually get some braid/wire and hand-tie it so it stays on better. If the $1 Walmart spinners are working fine, then I don't really see a need to change: it's not like the fish can tell that much of a difference.

Why are Roman Made swimbaits so expensive? I get that they're handcrafted and imported from some foreign country and individually tested etc. etc. etc., but what makes them so expensive? After all, it's just a block of wood, some weights, and paint. Do you guys think it's worth it at all?

Berkley Big Game is a widely used backer since it's both strong and cheap - I would stick with that if you're not having any problems. If you're looking for a good braid for a cheap price, I highly recommend Tufline XP - its almost 2x cheaper than 832 per yard. One advantage of 832 is that its coated, though, so the noise of the line running through the guides is minimized, while the Tufline is uncoated and is quite noisy.

I would suggest something like 8 or 10 lbs. braid. Very thin, great for casting distance.

For soft plastics like the Yum Dinger, you probably want some slack in the line - even though you might not be able to be directly connected to the bait per say, having tight line will make the lure move towards you and ruin the action. The slow sink of the worm is what catches the fish - you want that! If you have trouble detecting bites, pay attention to your line. If you see a jump, twitch, or your line moving - reel in the slack and set the hook! With the techniques you want to cover, it's my opinion that you could cover all those bases with a good spinning rod for finesse (soft plastics, drop shot, worms, etc.) and a Medium Heavy Power, Fast Action baitcaster for jigs, frogs, spinners, and chatterbaits paired with a decent reel. What's your budget like? I'm sure we could point you in the right direction.

What are some good flatsided cranks? Looking for a good search bait in the cold water.

Weightless trick worm

I would normally suggest 10/15 lbs. for spinning setups, but if you use an uncoated line like Tufline XP then you could bump it up to 20. On casting rods I like 30 - 40 lbs. depending on what the rod's going to be used for. The extra breaking strength saves me a lot of money in the long run because I can usually pull lures out of snags without breaking off. If you're going to use braid, remember to have a good pair of cutters on you - the stuff just won't break. Nothing worse than forgetting your scissors and trying to cut 40 lbs. test by sawing at it with a rock.

I love the Daiwa Tatula 6'10" MH F for jigs. Uncoated blank means it's not tip heavy at all, and it weighs in at below 4 oz. Sensitivity is also great and I think that for the price it's hard to beat.

Nothing makes my day like seeing a week full of sunshine to look forward to

+1 for FG. Has been tested at almost 100% breaking strength and it's basically the thinnest knot around. Works well on both casting and spinning

If you're gonna service it yourself, I have several suggestions: 1. Have the schematic so you don't mess things up 2. Take multiple pictures at different angles whenever you take something off (you'll thank yourself later) 3. Line the pieces up in the order you take them off so reassembly is much easier 4. Try to make your workspace as clean as possible so you don't lose track of any small parts

Either you spooled it up with the spool in a wrong position (it should be laying flat on the ground, unwinding in the direction your reel winds line on) or you got an old spool. I have 10 lbs. InvisX on my spinning setup and it handles beautifully. I've also found that line conditioner, specifically KVD's Line and Lure, works wonders on mono/fluoro.

That was the problem. Thanks guys!

Took apart my Lews Speed Spool LFS today to fix a problem with the clutch not engaging consistently. Fixed that problem by adjusting the ratchet so it was level with the kick lever, but after putting it back together, it's difficult to turn the handle when the drag is tightened. I thought it was the drag spring washers at first, but after reversing them over and over to no avail, I'm out of ideas. Taking out the spool/the side plate has no effect on the problem. I took off the drag star and drag clicker + drag spring washers and the handle was able to spin normally then, so it's something with those pieces I think. What do you guys think?

Dang aren't they on sale at TW for less?

Nice! How much did you get it for?

There's a fine line between too little grease and too much grease on my reel for some reason. Had to find the sweet spot. I'll call Daiwa today to see what I can do. Thanks!

Welp fixed the gear noise and reoiled bearings, so freespool time is fixed. I would be a happy camper except when I was putting the reel back together I actually broke the plastic bushing that's inside the bearings. Anybody have any idea where to buy one of them from?

I've seen no difference between fluoro leader vs. straight braid, and I guess the fish don't either. But because braid is so limp, I sometimes tie a fluoro leader when using jerks or treble hook baits so the hooks don't get fouled up. I found the FG Knot works best for me, but it's a bit complicated to tie at first.

Hm I took out the spool and the sound is still the same. i'll post pictures of the inside tonight