Hammer 4

I only use the Sammy's and Pointers.

Love the sniper. I'd go 12 lb, although 10 would work, 12 just be safer..

Congratz on the new combo, don't have the same rod, but I do have several Tatula reels, including the Fuego, great reels, tough to beat for the $$..Fished my Fuego froggin for a day, held up great, no issues at all.

To many, I can't remember all of em..I know I have a Dark Sleeper, a spinnerbait, and a t rig..

Live target has a bad rap for some of the other baits they make. I took a chance and bought a few of their 65 frogs, bent the hooks out slightly, and trimmed the legs, and they work great. I'll be getting more of them and pad crasher's.

Maybe try some different baits, like a jig with a decent sized trailer. Those have caught many big bass, and while smaller bass will bit them, they attract bigger fish too for the most part.

What type of baits are you using..?

One of my go to, is a spinnerbait. In the city park ponds I fish which are no more than 8' deep at most, unless there's a thick mass of weeds, I fish it at all depths. One thing I like doing is fishing it almost on the surface with a double willow blade, I will stop it and let fall, mimicking a injured bait fish, gets bit a lot that way. So yeah anything from bouncing it off the bottom to the surface could work.

If you have a spinning reel, most will allow you to flip the handle to either side, I know it's not the same, but might give you an idea which side you prefer. I'm a righty, I cast with my right, and reel with my left, has worked for me for many, many years. But, everyone is different.

Great reel. Might just be the pic, but to me, the line looks to be a tad loose. Did you add some tension when you spooled it up.? And ditto on not dropping the spool in warm water.

Are you guys experiencing this using lighter baits, i.e. 3/4 oz and lower..? I've been using my 200 for throwing 2 oz. 6" swimbaits without any problems, but I haven't tried lighter baits so far.

IMHO, I think using both spinning and baitcasters makes for a well rounded angler. Some will disagree, and that's fine, use what your comfy with.

Having used older reels that were for the most part 5 speed, I find it easier to speed up rather than slow down. Also, I'm more of a power fisherman than a finesse guy, so faster is more in line with how I fish, or should I say my preferred way.

Yep, Diawa has the anti reverse on them, which I happen to like. Shimano use to have the anti reverse, but stopped for some reason.. BTW, welcome to BR. lots of good info here.

I can only imagine..

Looks like these guys, although some models are sold out, so click on it to see if the one you want is in stock. Oh, the price..under $ 70.00 https://www.sportsmansoutfitters.com/products/daiwa-fuego-ct-baitcast-reel

H = Heavy..I also use a H/F..Heavy Fast action, in a 7'4" mainly for frogging, but will work for other techniques as well. It would be helpful if you gave us an idea of the budget you have for a new rod.

Even though I use dirty jigs, I would highly recommend to have a look at our sponsors jigs. Super quality stuff. https://siebertoutdoors.com/products/ols/categories/swim-jigs BTW, welcome to BR..

Spinnerbait, swimjig, and a 2.8 to a 3.8 Kitech on a Owner Flashy Swimmer, which is fairly weedless. Also, a Megabass Dark Sleeper might work well too.

True. But I was addressing the OP's possible reason for gut hooking the fish. To me, it didn't sound like he was intending on keeping them, which would be legal.

Well, you know what FORD stands for don'tcha....? So Harold, sounds like your having fun with the new truck. I was the same way when I got my Duramax, and still am..

Not to belittle you, or offend, but in my mind 3 during a 2 month period is more than should have happened. Maybe a couple of things to check. Do you have constant contact with your line.? Do you watch your line all the time..? And lastly, could you be waiting to long to set the hook.? Most of these questions would apply if, your fishing plastic on the bottom, whacky rig fishing, and jig fishing. Could apply to other presentations as well. The reason I think that 3 is to many, is in the zillion years I've fished, I gut hooked 1 bass, and was lucky to know how to get her unhooked, let her go, and never saw her again, so hopefully she survived. I stay focused when fishing the above always..As others have said, it's gonna happen, all you can do is try your best to keep it to a minimum ..

Yeah, I'm thinking soft judge. Which is a shame for those 3 guys..

Unbelievable...Why was he allowed to be out on bail..?

Pad crasher, and live target hollow body..