NYWayfarer

Same goes for me when Kayak fishing. When I find a spot that's productive I throw my anchor and stay put for a bit.

I rig it the same way. It resembles a Ned Rig when hopped on the bottom yet the hook is facing up not down like the Ned. Don't know why just know that it works. I have been having better action as well using a worm with a paddle tail.

Assassin and Stealth have dual brakes, centrifugal and magnetic. Speed Demon has magnetic only. Stealth backlashes the most for me. It has a crazy light spool which might be part of the cause. Speed Demon backlashes the least. When brakes and cast control knob are set properly its like fishing a spincaster. Almost impossible to backlash.

For the record I drive a Hyundai Elantra. Third one I have owned. Last one was still running fine when I traded it in at 160,000 miles. I guess my best bang for the buck attitude doesn't just apply to reels. Born in 1965, old dog as well right here.

They are missing out then IMO. If I were a budget angler (and I am) I would compare what I could get for my money. For example $60 will get me a Lew's American Hero baitcaster or a Kastking Assassin. Lew's AH specs: Graphite body and sideplates weighs 7.2oz, 5 bearing system, rulon drag 10lbs, magnetic brakes. Kastking Assassin specs: Carbon fiber body and sideplates weighs 5.7oz, 12 bearing system, carbon fiber drag 16.5lbs, centrifugal and magnetic brakes. The Assassin is lighter, with dual brakes, 7 more bearings and a better drag. For the budget angler I think it is clearly the better deal. You can stick with your more established name brands though that are sold in box stores. Kastking has been around for 2 years with more positive reviews than negative. How long before we can consider them established?

I fish "bigger" tubes with heavier internal jigheads on a bait caster with 10 to 12lb mono. Zoom Salty Tubes and Berkley Havoc Smash tubes are prime examples.

Can't speak about Kastking braid as I haven't purchased any. However I have used their Masters mono and Fluorokote lines. Both are excellent quality and I highly recommend them. As far as their reels go I own several. Sharky II, Mela II, Spartacus, Stealth, Assassin and Speed Demon. My two favorite are the Sharky II and the Assassin. For the price these reels, rebranded or not, can't be beat. They are not Stradics or Steez' but they are not marketed to be. When I first handled my Sharky II I thought for $30 it would be pretty flimsy. I was surprised as I would compare this reel to my Pflueger President as far as quality and performance.

I I agree. The one difference is I can't motor or paddle over to a stuck lure to get it undone. I am not wading or swimming in to get a lure so I stick with inexpensive baits when shore fishing. My go to pond bait is the Yum Dinger in 3, 4 and 5 inch sizes. They sink slowly and are ideal for shallow ponds.

My story is similar to yours. I much prefer baitcasters now. My spinning gear is being used for ned rigs and drop shots only. I like throwing unweighted wacky rigs on a 6' or 6'6" medium power fast action Baitcaster rod. I caught my PB largemouth of the year casting a 4" Yum Dinger wacky style on this kind of set-up. My current favorite is my Kastking Speed Demon on a 6'6" med/fast Abu Garcia Vengeance rod. The whole set-up cost me less than $100

I would replace the spool. Unless its an old model reel you should be able to find a new spool. You might even find and older model reel's spool on ebay. Shoot, if it's cheap enough there, buy the whole reel just for the spool. I can see myself doing something like that for some of my favorite older reels like my Shimano Symetre.

I agree with the charter. A party boat is no party. Between the overcrowding and the drinkers you get a lot of people that have no regards for their fellow anglers. Some horror party boat stories: Once we had to go back to port as soon as the action started for a medical emergency because someone thought it was Ok to put his hand in a bluefishes mouth to get his hook out. My friend had to do the under & over other anglers lines once and the last guy in the row cut his line. When my friend confronted him about it all he could say was "Was that your line buddy, sorry" When He saw how mad my friend was he offered to let him reel his catch. My friend declined as he told me if he took that guys rod he would have thrown it overboard.

This year alone I have caught 12 different species of fish in freshwater. Over my lifetime I couldn't tell you. I just started keeping a fishing log this year.

I agree with Tom. I like to cast my Hula Popper out and let all the ripples die out then give it a short pop. Bull frog and Cricket frog are my favorite colors.

I know I would appreciate a Tacklewarehouse gift card for my birthday. I will most likely get a tie...

I take trips to target Trout and Lakers from time to time. I mostly fish for Bass though. If the Bass aren't biting I might tie on some panfish lures and go for Sunfish. Saltwater fishing is also fun when I get the chance. Bluefish, Fluke and Flounder are my usual targets.

On the kayak, once a week. Twice if I am lucky. I can pond fish a few days a week. I got skunked there twice last week and have not been back since. I have had 44 outings since I started fishing this year on 4/15/17 That's the outings that produced fish. I don't count the ones where I catch nothing or you could add about 10 more to the list.

Zebco Bullet, Bone colored Whopper Plopper. Nice combo and awesome Smallie. Makes me think of the Golden Earring song, Twilight Zone, when the bullet hits the bone.

Since I like the hybrid line does that leave me with Mrs Howell?? Oh well at least she is rich. I can get a Bass Boat and Daiwa Steez from my sugar mama.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/263106475217?chn=ps&dispItem=1 There is also Ebay. When I am looking for anything Kastking related I check Amazon, Walmart and Ebay in that order.

I fish from shore, my kayak and as a guest on my Father-in laws' boat. I bring 1 rod and a small tackle bag to fish from shore. On my kayak I take 2 rods and a shower caddy basket full of baits for easy access. On my Father-in laws' boat I take 3 rods and a milk crate full of baits.

I have used straight fluorocarbon and hybrid lines like Kastking Fluorokote and I prefer the hybrid line. It really seems to be the best of both worlds. With straight fluorocarbon I do have knot and line breakage at weird times and spots. I have experienced none of these issues with the hybrid line. The Fluorokote has been a godsend for trout fishing as I have been able to use heavier line and still catch them.

When I do catch a fish on the WP it usually has a face and mouth full of hooks. They are razor sharp and I often get hooked when trying to unhook a fish. I do have a lot of swirls and misses so it has become a great locator like @Swbass15 mentioned. I have a second rod ready with a wacky rigged Dinger to throw at those fish. I have been successful with the follow up bait on a number of occasions.

I only have the WP 90 size so far. I have had success with it using a Medium Heavy casting rod and a baitcaster spooled with 12 to 14 lb mono. I am thinking about getting the other 2 sizes. I am curious what rods and lines you guys are using for the various sized WP's?

Plopper Power!! They are pretty durable as well. I have bounced mine off of rocks and tree limbs when casting towards shore. My WP keeps chugging along.

Some videos of the big Sunfish I caught recently