NYWayfarer

At $80 there are a ton of better options out there. Especially if you factor in $100+ reels that can be found on sale for $70-$80 (Fuego, Lew's LFS, etc) The paint job should help them sell quite a few. It will be interesting to see if The Googan Squad starts using these reels. They all seem to have Favorite rods paired with high end Shimano baitcasters.

The Kastking gloves are great. They are frequently on sale as well.

The fish are finally moving up the canal in my area. It is a Rock Bass honey hole this time of year. Got some nice sized specimens as well as my personal best Fallfish.

Grats on the win! Nice haul. I fished a local pond and canal Saturday and caught 1 Largemouth Bass. I was having too much fun multispecies fishing to just target Bass. Sunday was all canal fishing between thunderstorms. I found a Rock Bass honey hole that produced some fatties.

I am an admitted Lew's fanboy and agree that either will be fine. I am also a huge fan of the Winn Grips on both my baitcasters and spinning reels.

I love fishing, doesn't matter the species. While my favorite targets are Largemouth and Smallmouth I will try to catch any species available that's not a micro in the waters I fish. I am firmly in the quantity over quality section. Using ultralight setups with finesse techniques for smaller Bass, Sunfish and Trout is great fun and usually non-stop action.

You answered your own question. The baitcasting rod feels too long for you so downsize. in my experience bank fishing I base my rod size on the areas I will be fishing. No overhanging brush or trees = 7’+ If I am in an are with a lot of cover I try and stay closer to 6’

I tried a tiny Pop-R today. Saw a fish or two follow it but they wouldn’t commit. They had no problems inhaling a worm though.

Dicks Sporting Goods has a Memorial Day sale going on 5/19/19 - 6/1/19 $30 off the Lew’s Mach 2 spinning and baitcasting combos. That brings the cost of the spinning combo down to $100 Great deal for a aluminum framed spinning reel and a IM6 rod with microwave guide.

Even your handwriting is neat

Lew's Tournament MB in 5.2:1 gear ratio is what I use for crankbaits. The same reel comes in many gear ratios so you can find one with the speed you prefer. Great reel that can usually be found for $100-$110 on sale from its suggested retail price of $135 aluminum frame brass gears 10 bearing system dual cast control system tension adjustment with audible click 14lb max drag external lube port

Lew's Carbon Blue combo at Dick's Sporting Goods/Field and Stream is in your price range.

It is a nightmare. Especially if you buy one second hand.

The subject of finding parts for older Shimano reels came up in the Daiwa vs Lew's thread in this forum. This was the site that was recommended by @WRB for getting older Shimano parts: http://www.reel-ex.com/ They are closed until June 1st however.

No doubt about it. His motto is on his shirt.

I use and recommend any of the following budget lines: Sufix Siege mono Sufix ProMix mono Berkley Big Game mono Stren original mono Kastking mono Kastking Flourokote Kastking Superpower braid

It might be just me but I do not associate braid with Ned rigs or dropshotting. They are finesse techniques and work best with lighter line. I fish both with 6-8# mono or fluorocarbon line. If you insist on using braid I would suggest a leader of the lines I mentioned above.

The Lew’s brand is under the ownership of Peak Rock Capital (A middle market private equity firm) and longtime Childre family friend Lynn Reeves serves as the CEO. I agree the product is good. Their marketing is good as well as customer service. As far as product support, my experience has been great for getting spare spools. For those that want to keep their reels going for decades only time will tell if the parts will be available. I recall reading threads on these forums that some people were having problems finding parts for Shimano reels that were no longer in production. I assume the same would be true for most brands.

If you have an IPhone and an Apple Watch like I do it makes picture taking easier. You can use the watch to take a pic or set up a 3 sec timer.

The SPF rating on these fishing shirts makes me laugh. I can not recall every having gotten a sunburn on any body part covered by clothing no matter how long I was out on the water. That makes it SPF 100% in my book. Unless your wearing a light colored, fishnet shirt or something with a very loose knit where sunlight can bleed through any clothing is high SPF

Backup plans to a bad backlash: 1) Carry a bait pick. Use the hook to try and get the backlash out. I have one on a rapala line clipper that I carry with me in my tackle bag. 2) Fish with the spinning combo I bring. Most trips I bring 2 set-ups, 1 spinning one baitcasting. On the rare occasions I bring 1 set-up it would be spinning. 3) Cut the tangle and fish with what is left on the spool. This is the last resort.

I have purchased several spare spools for my reels both spinning and baitcasting. I did it over the winter months for the same reasons you mention. I like to fish different lines in different situations but I want to use the same reels. It's simple to pop off a spool and replace it with another filled with a different line between trips. Lew's customer service has been great for this purpose. I now know some of their support staff by name from ordering spools for $5 each. My last order was spare spools for my Mach 2, Mach Crush and Custom Pro spinning reels.

#4 or #6 Aberdeen hook on 4-6 pound mono small split shot 10-12 inches above the hook, float attached a foot above that. Perfect panfish setup in water 4-8 feet deep. The Aberdeen hooks have a long shank that are easier to extract from the small mouths of some sunfish.

Jeans, boots, T-shirt (Usually Carhartt) cap, sunglasses and buff. That's the extent of my fishing fashion.

Love my Daiwa and Lew's reels. I expect to have my reels from both companies for many years to come as they are well built and sturdy reels. Daiwa Vs Lew's = both winners in my book.