NYWayfarer

My favorite Kastking Baitcaster under $100 is my Speed Demon. I paid $35 for it regular price is $69 The Assassin is a good reel. I know @Bluebasser86 and @J Francho have the Assassin as well. Mine still performs great. I don't know what the standard Pro Qualifier is like but the Pro Qualifier 2 is a nice reel. Got to use it while on vacation as my friend bought one. Well worth the $50 he spent on it. Reminds me of my Lew's LFS but $50 less and has dual brakes unlike my magnetic only LFS.

I have the Stealth for 2 years now. Mine is still going strong but keep in mind I don't use it every outing. Of all the Kastking baitcasters I have it's the only one that backlashes from time to time. I think it has to do with the extremely light spool. It does cast very far, probably farther than any other Kastking baitcaster I own. If you can get it on sale for under $40 I would say go for it. At full price there are much better reels on sale out there to consider. The BPS Pro Qualifier 2 normally $100 on sale for $50 comes to mind. Aluminum framed reel for less cost than the Stealth's graphite one. It amazes me the price on this reel is still $56 for $3 more you can get the Assassin or the Megajaws. Better reels IMO for just $3 more. Again I would not buy these at full price. Kastking stuff goes on sale all the time, you just have to be patient.

That's a genuine imitation line.

I agree. Nothing like dirt getting into those threads when setting the rod down while bank fishing. My favorite isn't mentioned. It's my Field and Stream Tec Spec Elite reel seat. Nut on top with another nut on top of that that locks it in place. Very little to no play in the reel seat when set. My friend zip-ties his reels down to the rod after tightening the nut.

So sorry to hear this. My thoughts and prayers go out to your son and family.

I love vacationing in Tennessee, the Smokies, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. Great state and people. My only complaint would be the "slower" pace of life there. Not the hustle and bustle I am used to. Had to get used to spending 20 minutes on line at the local grocery with only one person ahead of me. Cashier chatted up a storm about anything and everything. Honestly I was on vacation and need to slow down anyway.

Never hurts to try. I wouldn't lead with that rod has been there for three years though. As @LionHeart suggested say that you missed the sale and regret it.

I use straight 6-8# Kastking Flourokote line on my dropshot rigs. There is a great vid Mike Iaconelli did for Bass Resource on dropshotting. I use his method for setting the hook. Works well for me.

I keep track of the stocking reports in my area. When I see my local waters have been stocked I like to start with powerbait, both dough and nuggets. The freshly released trout are used to eating pellets of fish food. My thought is they have not yet adjusted to the wild and eating, insects and smaller fish. That's why the powerbait is a good choice at this time. A week after the trout have been released I switch to inline spinners, like the Mepps Aglia and Panther Martins. I also love Leland Trout Magnet jigs. Switching up lures for trout fishing helps my catch ratio. If I go to my local spots and everyone is throwing inline spinners I pick something else.

Very effective technique.

Kastking Flourokote 8# for spinning gear, 12# for baitcasters.

My suggestion would be the Bass Pro Shops Graphite series rod $39.99. My friend paired his Pro Qualifier 2 with this rod and they match up nicely. Honorable mention for the Kastking Perigee 2 One of the best $50 rods out there.

I have a regular Supreme 30 that I pair up with a medium rod. I would pair a 25 size with a medium light rod.

The North remembers! Those are the tough days indeed. Nothing like having a beautiful spring 50 degree day in April and then remembering that the only fishing available is ice fishing

Stren 8# clear blue fluorescent is still one of my go to choices for mono lines. Used it for many, many years faithfully.

Same here. A vacuum sealed stainless steel bottle filled with ice and water lasts all day. I like the peanut butter filled Clif bars the best.

When my son was in Cub Scouts we did 4 Pine Car derbies together. The first car his mother and I basically built for him as he was a Tiger Scout and at that age I didn't want him handling the tools. We did Ok but there was a lot we had to learn to do it better. The rest of the cars he built and decorated himself with only a little help from us. None of them looked professional or won any races but that wasn't the point. When my son asked me if I thought his design would win I asked him if he did any research into pine car derbies? Did he go to a test track and see what his time was and then work on getting that down? I told him be rest assured there were kids and dads out there that did. After that race he started to do some of those things I mentioned but like most kids his attention span was short. He got the message that a win does not come without effort and he had no excuses if he didn't want to put in the work. It was a teachable moment about competition that he took into the sporting, academic and eventually the working world. You get out of kids what you put into them. Doing all the work does them no favors IMO.

Simple answer, use both. Go with Stren 4-8# line on finesse spinning setups and Berkley Big Game 10# or greater for baitcasters.

Tiny Torpedo in Bullfrog color works great for me. Smallmouth love them.

I like the idea of the hidden hook. $6 for one soft plastic is a bit steep though. Hope they last more than a few catches.

This is my prop bait of choice right now. River2Sea Lane Changer in Perch pattern. I have also had great success last summer with the classic Heddon Torpedo.

It sure was. He kept us company while we fished. The three Bluegill I fed him helped keep him around. I asked the resort staff if it was alright to feed him and they said yes. They don't want guest feeding him people food, but freshly caught fish is Ok.

Let's go Met's

If you can't beat the Floridians, join them. Usually can't post the first fish of the year until sometime in late April around these parts. Had to plan a winter trip to Florida to make sure that didn't happen this year. First Bass of 2019 for me. Orlando Florida vacation. My son and I were able to steal away a few hours during the week to do some fishing. Caught this Bass on a Berkley Warpig lipless crankbait. The resort we stayed at had a resident Otter. We had fun catching Bluegill and feeding it to him.

Great knives. I have a Spyderco Co-pilot for years. Can't stand the thought of cutting bait with it so I bought a $5 Ozark Trail knife from Walmart for that duty. It has an orange handle, easy to find in the tackle bag and when I leave it on the ground.