Hammer 4

Boy, ain't that the truth..

I would lean towards the Diawa Tatula 300. The old 301/300 Curado E7's were great reels, the new ones however do not impress me at all from the test's I've seen on them. I'm still on the fence about going back to the bigger swimbaits, if I do, the Tatula 300 will be my reel of choice.

Use to have spendy rigs, nowadays I go middle of the road. I don't baby my stuff, but I do take care of it. Tools will get scratched ect. but I don't abuse it.

If I were you, I'd seriously consider renting a boat to fish Castaic..So many good spots you will miss w/o a boat.

I think you will find towing with the HP your new truck has will be a dream. I'm keeping my old trusty 2003 Duramax, has the HP to play with some of the new so called high HP cars out there, not that I street race, but they do try and test me now and then..lol My truck tech has last years Denali, he also loves his. Oh re: my towing comment, I had to tow a friends 21' Ranger some years ago, and even on some steep grades, it felt like there was nothing being towed. Anywho, enjoy your truck, looks great, must say, I am a bit jealous.

I've never used, nor owned a gripper. haha.

Could be 1/8 oz and up to 1/2 oz depending on conditions, and which bait I'm using.

So Andy, how do you like the new rig vs your 2018 truck.?

This is good advice, and I totally agree with it. Accurate casting for distance is an art, take it slow, things will come together soon.

Depending on the lake/pond and time of year, I'll toss a lipless crank during the winter when the grass has died back. When the grass begins to grow, I'll toss my old Rapala balsa square bill. I've found that in most conditions and times of the year, I can catch fish using other baits that don't snag a bunch of weeds. Glide baits and weedless swimbaits being 2 of them.

Congratz Glenn on 25 years of having The best Bass fishing on the interwebs. Tom already listed some of my favorite lakes, so I'll list some more for Calif. Lake Wolhford in San Diego Lake Hodges in San Diego Castaic Diamond Valley Lake

Same for me..

As for not so swell employees, I could fill more than a page on the subject, having owned my own construction co. Guys would apply for a carpenter position, my first question is, what is it that you can not do, i.e. layout for framing, walk walls , ect. 99.99% of the time they could anything and things well beyond the job description. I hired 1 young guy, about 25 years old. I gave him a simple task, frame out for an extension fence on a block wall. He wound splicing the top of a bay in the middle of a bay, Never, never do that. I had to rebuild 16' of that framing. I told him here's what I owe you for an hours work, and told him what I had to do to correct his dumb move. I left out 10% of what he would have normally got, then he gets all upset cuz I kept the 10% for the time I had to redo his mess up. I've had many no shows, guys saying they were going to lunch and never came back, guys drinking on the job, ect , ect. I know how ya feel Koz. In the end, things will work out for the best. BTW, sorry for long winded reply.

Every time I waited to buy a rod or reel when stock was low, when I went to buy it, the item was Sold OUT...argh! This happened to me about 3 times. Now if TW has what I want, I buy it now.

^^^^^^^^ This is the answer to your ?. Get out there and fish, and have fun.

I agree with this ^^^^

Depends on which top water bait. Frogs, straight braid, same for buzzbaits. Anything with treble hooks, i.e. Zara spooks, glide baits, ect. I use mono to keep the fish pinned. I don't use any leaders, but you could to absorb some of the shock from straight braid

12 lb mono.

Swimbaits and Jigs..?

Ya'll know what a float tube is ? I'm a tad over 6' and sitting in a float tube I learned how to pitch a 7' and a 7'6" rod while sitting in that thing, which was fatcat with fairly high pontoons. I've also casted my old 8' swimbait rod while float tubing. Height imho has nada to do with rod length. Having the correct technique conquers all.

I like the T-Wing, so in my mind it's a Tiny bit better built...?

It could. I'd use the 2.8 and maybe cut off a portion of the nose end. Try it, if it works great, if not then try something else..

I use mid priced rods, i.e. about 150.00. I don't rely on the rod to detect bites, I use my eyes to watch the line and my finger is always touching the line no matter what bait I'm using.

Mine range from 6"10" to 7'4". Get a length that is comfy for You.

While the Fuego is a good reel, I'd opt for the Tatula CT 100. A little better built. I have both the Fuego and the 100.