J Francho

Hmmmm. You will have to pay 1/2 the entry fee. Pay for 1/2 the gas used in the boat. And if you carpool to the tournament, you'll want to kick in for fuel for that too. Hardly "almost nothing." Looking at about $100-150 minimum for most small club events. I've heard of this, I can't think of any club that allow this in my area. There at least half a dozen, and it isn't the norm to let a non boater run at the front. I've heard of it in some sanctioned events, but not at the club level. I know if my club implemented this rule, I'd quit. I'm all for teaching, but I'm not going to be compelled to let a rookie run the front of my boat for half the day. That's why I bought a boat, lol. This is generally the biggest point, since most tournaments are catch and release. Livewells and liability insurance are usually all that any trails ask for. Kill switches get checked at some as well.

I'm confused. You don't throw swimbaits, don't use baitcasters for bass, and don't know how much the bait in question weighs. Why are we debating Volfan's rod again? LOL, he asked about the reel.

Complete specs are here: http://www.lews.com/reels.htm Tournament has dual brakes, the other two are magnetic. Bearing counts go up as you go up in price. The Tournament and MG adds a metal drag star.

Doesn't sound like the rod is an issue, Snook. The question was really whether the 200 size reel was as strong internally as the 200. It is. The 300 is just a bit wider, for more capicity. Move up to a 400, and you deal with a non disengaging levelwind. Vol, congrats on the success with the slammer. I haven't thrown mine in weeks...might have to get out of the HPH/Hudd/Hard Gill rut I'm in.

Smooth Drags sells a very good, steel shield (not sealed) ceramic hybrid replacement bearing for most reels. I have them in a few reels. The best? I'm not sure the "best" bearings would be the best for fishing. 9/10 of the time, a good flushing and proper oil does the trick.

Braid doesn't work great with swimbaits. I use a 200 size Calcutta for my 2-4 oz. baits. I can come pretty close to spooling 25# CXX with the right bait and conditions. I don't generally worry about those long casts. Otherwise, the brakes and internals are the same as the 300, so no worries there either.

The swimming shad has a groove in the back.

It keeps the hook hidden and provides a guide for dead center rigging, so yes, I find it useful.

Congrats!

One I could see easily.

I've been using Cavitron for years. No reason to try anything else.

I fish for bass, but also fish many other species present here. I use spinning, casting, conventional, centrepin, fly, and even spincast reels. Some work better for certain things. As you said, lighter lines and baits suit spinning gear. I wouldn't replace one with the other; rather build a collection of tools.

Bucktail jigs were about the only artificial bait, besides spoons and crankbaits, I recall working when I was a kid. They really don't have to be that fancy, if you tie your own. One tip - never trim the ends of real bucktail. It ruins the action.

The higher end SC rods have some tip. Not a total broomstick. Lots of power behind that tip, though!

Nope. Like this: Or this:

Between those two, at MSRP, it's a push. I'll toss in a couple more: Daiwa Lexa 100 Pinnacle Optimus X Okuma Citrix

It's all in the way you prepare it. Some yummy pike fillets... A smallie that didn't make it through a weigh in. Very tasty - surprised me. Some delicious springtime brown trout: Baked steelhead fillets:

Since Power Pro boxes have a swatch of line tied to them, it should be pretty easy to take the reel to the store, and match it up.

I don't use any spool tension. I'm not sure whether my thumb is on the spool before or after, though It's probably before.

Confidence Baits Little Tubes: http://confidencebaits.3dcartstores.com/Little-Tube_c_8.html

Micro guide spinners fit in my boat's rod tubes easier. Have to be VERY careful with them, though.

I'm going to assume everyone with issues is rigging the T-rig properly. There's plenty of articles and videos here to show proper rigging. Some weeds are just a pain. Eel grass is one. If your bait comes within 10 feet of it, it will stick to it, lol. Problem is, on some lakes, that's the best cover. The advantage of a Texas rig is that the hook point will not pick up weeds. Therefore, you can hook bass in weeds without worrying about filling the hook up with grass and not get a hook set. That's the problem the T-rig solved. Thread a worm onto a ballhead jig. Fish it in the weeds. That's how we used to fish. Not much fun, and you'll stay to outside of the weeds with an exposed hook. Then the T-rig changed all that. It opened the door to a whole new world of spots for me when I leaned about it. Don't worry if you get a few weeds stuck to the bait - you'll eventually learn to feel them, and how to use finesse to shake them off. That also generates strikes, btw. Fish don't care of there's a bit of plant stuck to the bait.

Yep, and that lake is in my back yard, with many others that are very similar. We've been doing the heavy weight dock thing, along with the complete opposite (unweighted plastics) for years. You'll be fine unpegged. Just give the rod a back and forth, slow shake, and the you'll come out of the cover.

The only time I peg is fishing pads, fallen wood, or punching really heavy, heavy cover. Otherwise, let it slip.

Don't let them come up and head shake. That's the #1 way they come loose, regardless of hook or bait. I do have to ask you this: why pegged fishing docks? There isn't usually enough cover near a dock to require pegging the weight. Get rid of the peg, and let the sinker slide up the line. A pegged weight, or heavy jighead for that matter, will give the fish more leverage to shake the bait free.