MN Fisher

Up until this year, my UL rig was an old Pflueger 640 on a 5' Ugly Stick and never had an issue with setting the hook. One thing to make sure of - make sure they're quality hooks and touch them up with a sharpener to make sure they're needle-sharp.

Well, Amazon has the 30 with a 6'6" medium rod for $80 - so ya, that's not too much above the OP's price limit. https://www.amazon.com/Pflueger-PRESSP-President-Spinning-Fishing/dp/B074WJF1CF/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=pflueger%2Bpresident%2Bcombo&qid=1558882625&s=gateway&sr=8-3&th=1

1/2 oz and less spinners - on my President with 20# braid Heavier spinners - on my Fuego with 50# braid I don't use leaders.

Spinner with Colorado or Willow/Colorado blades, Chatterbait - dark colors with dark single or twin-tail grub trailers Noisy lipless crankbaits in darker colors

After my last trip out, I knew I needed a couple things. So a small TW order was finagled from the wife. 1) The 'super sharp' scissors I was using to cut line for re-ties wasn't cutting it (yes, I know - sue me) on the braid - so a Boomerang snip was needed. 2) My crank/jerkbaits were getting too tangled - 4 packs of Owner treble safety caps will fix that issue. 3) The 12# FC on my Trion was not working well - 1 spool of 10# Yo-Zuri should work better. 4) After seeing how well the 4# Yo-Zuri that had been treated with KVD behaved on my Pres-25 (which was a gift...yes, the treated line came with it) I decided that YES, I do need Line Conditioner - so a bottle of KVD was added. No lures this time, just things to help me fish better and easier.

That one going home to the freezer?

I've got 10# Yo-Zuri on mine. Cranks/Jerks/T-Rigs 1/2 oz and under as well as Wacky.

Your choices in finish are pretty much Flat, Matt and Gloss - so that's easily done. Once dry, enamel paint is pretty much indestructible unless you hit it with Mineral Spirits...I'm pretty sure it's what they use in the factory though they might bake it on which increases it's durability - not something you can do at home.

First choice: if it's an rod from someone like Dobyns, St. Croix or other reputable manufacturer - especially if it's a higher end rod...contact them for a replacement. Most of them are happy to 'fix' issues like this. Second choice: If you want to fix it yourself...Testor's or Model Master Enamel paint (not the Acrylic) - available from your local hobby shop. Dab on and let dry for at LEAST 2 days.

Which is why I have a freezer thermometer tied to a length of line and a weight at the bottom. Knots every foot lets me drop it to a specific depth, let it sit for a minute or so, then haul it up and get a reading at that depth.

I don't see an issue - I use the GPS/Google Map function in my phone to locate catches. Over time, you can build up a profile of 'this time of year, the bass are here'. This can do nothing but help your fishing and you don't have to share them.

The Pflueger Trion is a decent reel, I have one and use it for multiple techniques on a Medium Power rod. Cabela's has either a 6'6" or 7' medium combo for $60 https://www.cabelas.com/product/PFLUEGER-TRION-SPIN-COMBO/1720832.uts

Bet he won't forget the kill switch again. Could have been much worse than just a dunking.

The Regal and Fuego are significantly faster than the President, but in the sub $100 category I'd go with a Pflueger Supreme-30. 1) It's not much slower than the Diawas (31.8IPT vs 34.5IPT) 2) Setting a drag to max is a good way to break line - I set mine to 1/3 to 1/2 the line test...play the fish, don't horse it in 3) Fuego and Regal are carbon based bodies, the Supreme is a Magnesium body...I'll take a metal body over a 'plastic' one any day 4) Weight difference across all three reels is 0.3 oz - so it's not an issue.

Luck

After having been out and tried my new setups - 3 of my rigs are new this year - I have to say that you can find some fairly good combos for well under $200. Saying that, having more than one rig that's nearly the same is something I won't do. I don't mind swapping lures on a rig, it's not THAT much time out of my fishing. I've caught bass on everything from my Pres-25 rig (Ultra-light) to the Fuego (Heavy). It's finding where they are and what they want that makes the difference...not that you have two-dozen rigs that cost $400-$500-whatever each. My five rigs cost under $400 total, and I'm catching bass on them.

That'd give you more torque, making it easier to reel the lure in. Sounds like a reel that'd work for just about any crankbait that the rod is capable of handling.

Step it down to a 5.2 to 5.4 - at 35IPT on your Smoke you're trading power for speed. Look at the manufacturers sites to find one that's in the 25-29IPT range with the previously mentioned gear ratio. My Trion is a 5.2:1 with 25.9IPT and I have no issues with crankbaits up to 1/2 ounce...which is what my Rattlin' Rap 07s are.

Personally? I toss any crank 1/2oz to 3/4 on my President BC...anything heavier than that goes on the Fuego. BUT...if you want spinning. Then a 2500 to 3000 size reel on an MH rod - 5/8 is about the middle of an MH rod's rating, and from experience that's where you get your best cast/control.

One thing I do know - you don't have to have dozens of setups so long as you're willing to change lures. The 5 rigs I have cover everything except heavy swimbaits/topwaters and deep-diving crankbaits. Sure I have to change lures to try a new technique, but as I'm on a limited budget it's worth it.

You've got some duplication in there, but if you're tying on different lures to each it's not a bad thing. Depending on what you want to learn, there's a few options 6.?:1 baitcaster on a M to MH rod for deep-diving crankbaits 6.6:1 to 7.1:1 baitcaster on swimbait rod for those heavy lures L to ML spinning rig for finesse applications - drop-shot, Ned-rig, etc The Fury looks to be a good rod - I'd put an aluminum frame baitcaster on the new BC rig (I'm partial to Diawa and Pflueger for my BCs- so Fuego, Tatula, Supreme or Supreme-XT would be my choices) Spinning reel - Again with a Supreme or Supreme-XT, but Mitchell is my other brand for spinners...so a 300-Pro or a Mag-Pro would be my options. That's all I can think of off the top of my head - I'm sure others will have other suggestions.

Dunno why some people have issues with spinning gear...'fairy wand?'...really? I've caught plenty of bass on spinners and it's still my go-to for lighter crank/jerkbaits, wacky rigs, light/weightless T-Rigs and all my finesse applications.

Okay...most of the difference is in how the lures work. As someone who goes after trout occasionally I know. There IS going to be flex on the rod when retrieving crankbaits...it's unavoidable. Bass lures have a 'pull' because of how they move through the water. The bill on a crankbait causes resistance...much more than an inline spinner does. As long as you can retrieve the lure, I'd put up with it. All depends - I use my spinning reel for crankbaits up to an 07 and jerkbaits up to an 11 (Rapala sizes)...3/16 oz and less weight.

6:1 on a spinning reel is fast - my fastest one is a 5.4:1 and it's my finesse rig. The spinner I use for smaller crankbaits is a 5.2:1. If it's fairly new, I'd consider trading it in for a slower reel...or just putting up with it.

What's the gear ratio of your reel? The higher it is, the less torque it applies and the more force it takes to reel in lures.