Texicans

This past Thursday, also at lunch hour. Started with same Texas rig worm as day before, but switch to spinner after seeing some bait fish breaking. Strike King Mini Spinner 1/8oz. Single fish of the day. My single fish from the prior day was much larger and probably a solid +4lbs. This guy was closer to 2-3lbs. I really try to play the fish quickly, land by lipping and keeping the fish from touching anything once out of the water. Consequently, I don't get photos next to my pole for scale. I'm not good taking photos solo. Any suggestions?

Dick's has 20% off entire purchase online or in store w/the rewards account. I'm picking up my second Lew's Mach 1 combo, for about $70.

That is an impressive anecdote! Like the Smallie catch to punctuate the point.

Very helpful! I'll double check and go to 2 pins ON and see how that works. I bank fishing public ponds, so no super long casts absolutely needed, but I'll take every little bit available. Tight Lines!

Quick tangent question... I have a Lews Mach 1 combo. Reel has 4 adjustable centrifugal brakes and externally adjustable magnetic braking. Can anyone comment in how the centrifugal brakes work and in conjunction with the magnetic brakes. I ask because 1) I don't know the answer and 2) why would the Pro G have these as non-adjustable? Should I be running all 4 centrifugal brakes ON all the time? Many thanks. Love this little combo. ?

Hard to tell what's bigger, your smile or the fish. Congrats!

I started working from home about three weeks ago and manage my day as needed. I decided I wanted to fish more and hone my skills to pass on to my 4yr old. My first LMB on a new combo I purchased last week. Small public pond in Richardson, TX. No secret. There's usually 1-2 guys casting during the lunch hour. Green Pumpkin trick work on a Texas rig. Sunny day with a good South breeze.

Thank you for the thoughtful response. I see your point regarding grip position. It appears that balance when casting and retrieving can be two related, but different sensations. I have medium hands and tend to palm the reel further forward such that my ring finger is in front of a casting rod's trigger. This allows me to have my index finger on the line when retrieving. I like having a finger on the line and it's a bit of a carry over from stripper clousers on my fly rod. I will keep your points in mind. After reading your 5th paragraph, I better understand how the lighter rods I sampled were relatively tip heavy while the heavier rods allowed for a balance point closer to the front of the reel. I understand your point that I need to be sure to consider the casting balance as well as the retrieve balance and my relative hand position. For now, I may just replicate my current set up and work with this through the Winter and Spring. Perhaps I'll look for something nicer if I can't catch any fish. That's got to be answer if I keep getting skunked.

Thanks for the feedback. I guess I am doing this all wrong after all. Maybe I can sell some of my fly fishing gear and get some of the good stuff. Anyone looking for a couple of 8wt? Crazy that a "cheap" 8wt is less anything less than $200. The "good" stuff starts around $400. Oh, wait you want to add a 7,8,9 wt reel? Let's open up that wallet for another $250-$400. Yep, $700 should get you a respectable set up plus another $80. Well, that's what the Orvis guy tells me. I'll go be happy with my sub budget combos. My 4yr old doesn't know the difference and neither do the bass. An inch from the line guide sounds like a good starting point and about where my current combo is and where the balance point was on rods that felt well balanced. By this logic, it seems you need a reasonably light reel to make a light weight rod balance well. This seems to be an important lesson to learned. Thanks guys for the feedback.

My question today is how do you assess a rod and reel's balance? I'm looking for a second combo. I have the Lew Mach 1 Speed Spool combo (Speed Stick 6'10" MH/F IM8). I've been out to a few local ponds and decided I want a second set up. With this in mind, I went to Cabelas, located the same Lew's combo I have. By chance, the combo did not have the reel secured with zip ties. So, I wandered to the rod section and started comparing rods. I took the Mach 1 reel and put it on several rods. What I noticed is that the Speed Stick rod that came with the combo transmitted a lot of feel, even through the reel. I put the reel on some nicer lighter rods, TFO Professional, G. Loomis GLX, and other rods from $100 to $200. What stood out was how the rod did not balance well with the lighter more expensive rods. It was my impression that the lighter the rod, the further the balance point was from the front of the reel. While several rods felt lighter off the rack, when the reel went on the rod the rod felt heavier in hand. It was my impression that the Mach 1 reel (presumably >7oz) did not balance well with lighter more expensive rods. Rods that felt good with the Mach 1 Speed Spool: Duckett Ghost 7' Medium Heavy, Abu Garcia Vendeta 7' MH/Fast, and Shimano Selus 6'8" MH. There were several other rods that felt very nice in hand, but did not seem to balance well with the Mach 1 speed spool reel. Please share your thoughts on the importance of balance in the fishing experience. I am only fishing for 1-2hrs tops, but how does balance impact you after a full day of fishing. Am I right to think that a decent rod and reel that are well balanced would be better than a nicer rod and reel that don't feel balanced in hand. I know this is a bit subjective, but I welcome your views and experiences.

I posted a week ago asking for input on three combos I was considering. I ended up buying a Lew's Mach 1 Speed Spool combo with a 6'10" MH Fast rod for $99. I went to the Allen Cabelas to see what was in house. The rod selection at $100 price point is mind boggling. The reel selection below is $150 is pretty extensive as well. The Lews combos were at the front of the Fishing department and I was happy that Cabelas had a good selection of what i was considering. I wanted to make sure I was able to inspect the finish of the reel, rod, and guides. I like TFO rods in general from my fly fishing experience. I gave strong consideration to getting a $100 TFO casting rod and as nice of a reel as I could find for <$100. The TFO replacement warranty is pretty decent. You need $40-$50 plus shipping to replace a broken TFO casting rod. However, my lack of experience and ability to differentiate among the brands was a primary concern. So I asked if Cabelas would price match Dicks Sporting Goods, which they did. They also spooled me with Cabela's brand of green 12lb mono. So I was out the door with my combo spooked for $110 with tax. I've not connected with any fish yet, but amy happy with my selection. I wanted to thank those that replied to my post. I am sure I'll ask for more input. My quick thoughts about this combo is that at $99 it's very nice. If nothing else, the reel is feels smooth, has a nice dual braking system, quick 7.1:1 retrieve, a bunch of bearings, and just enough bling. The 6'10" MH Fast rod is IM8 for whatever that's worth. It's rated at a min of 3/8oz, but the rod will load up and cast my 1/8oz spinning baits just fine. I was pleasantly surprised. I figure getting the hang of these be successful if the bite is on. After walking a couple of small ponds, I think I want a second combo so I can switch between spinner baits and texas rig on a whim. I'm thinking I'd like to walk a bank, throw a spinner baits to an area and if no bites, switch setups and throw plastics on a Texas rig. An ease to alternating seems to be a good way to walk the shore and cover ground without losing too much time to change lures and rigging. Any suggestions on whether I really need to have a different rod/reel set up? Or can I be well served by just picking up an identical rig? With the Dick's current sale, I can pick up the combo for $80 and then use a $10 coupon for taking the survey as suggested on a different thread before. I don't know that I can get as nice of a set up for $70. At that price, it's like getting a free rod. I can always go with a different rod as my skills develop. Appreciate any feedback on second combo to carry with me. Thanks!

Howdy from Dallas, TX... or more specifically Richardson, TX. I've decided to devote time regularly fishing and developing my skills to pass on to my 4yr old son. A recent change in my work allows me to work from home 95% of the time. With a couple of North Dallas metro ponds less than 10min away, I can't see why now is not the time to start making time during the day to work on my goal. My fishing experience was mostly kayak fishing 2002-2004 in the Galveston Bay system with bait for Redfish and flounder. I started urban fly fishing for a couple years in the D.C. metro 2012-2015. The Potomac is a surprisingly fishy tidal body of water with nice large mouth, small mouth, schoolie strippers, and crappie. Never connected with a snakehead, but they're all over. Now, my attention and energy will be bank fishing for bass on a weekly basis. Maybe if time and money allow and when my son is a few years older, I'll get a hole to float on and throw money into. Tight lines. -John