Jrob78

I use either 16-20lb fluoro or 50lb braid, I see no reason for leaders.

I get way more stickers from tackle shops than I do companies who make products. You generally have to place a decent order to get them though.

I will be on the look out. I think the Tackle Trap has them and Southwestern might too. I want to get a 50MG spool for one of my 100D's also.

Might want to try the Flea Market, you know, where people buy and sell stuff.

Ok, you meant our furthest casting reels, not the furthest casting reel ever made, sorry about that. Mine would probably be either my Fuego or Zillion, throwing 3/8- 1/2oz. Both have Orange Seals but otherwise stock. I think a lot of it has to do with the rod and bait in conjunction with the reel.

How could anybody possibly know that?

I think you're a couple of years late, the kid is in college now

Yep, I feel very confident my bases would be covered with my 5 rods.

I start with fat end and switch it around when the head gets torn. The benefit of rigging from the tail end, like Raul mentioned, is the bait falls away from you, back toward any fish following. It casts better backward too.

I was in the exact same position, I was originally going to buy the Elite 7 HDI but decided on the 798 instead. I've been using the 798 for about 6 months now and haven't regretted my decision once. The 5" screen does have some limitations that the bigger screens don't have but side imaging beats no side imaging every time. I would look hard for an 898 or 998 on sale.

I generally shift from dawn-afternoon to mid morning-dark this time of year and through the winter. It works out perfectly for me as I hate waking up at 4:00 to fish in the cold.

7'-7'3" MH/fast for general purpose, t-rigs, senkos, flukes, spinnerbaits, swim jigs, buzz baits...etc 7'-7'6" MH/Moderate glass rod for cranks 6'10" M/XF for topwater, jerkbaits, small cranks, darter heads 7'3" H/F for frogs, c-rigs, jigs, pitching/flipping heavy cover 7' M/F spinning for drop shot, shaky head, finesse This would be stretching it pretty thin but for a general purpose 5 rod line up, this would work for me.

Fishing and hunting are the original sports. That's where the term "sport" came from.

I've got a rod with almost those exact same specs, only difference is mine is 7'3". It's a very versatile rod. I bought it primarily for 5" hollow belly swimbaits and heavy spinnerbaits but I've used it for jigs, t-rigs, heavy swim jigs, bladed jigs, frogs and even my Bull Shad. It isn't perfect for all those techniques but it can handle more than just spinnerbaits. Space is at a premium on my kayak, rods have to be able to pull double duty or I'm wasting space.

Just smash the barb down with your needle nose pliers.

The quicker new bass fishermen learn this, the better off they'll be.

I've dealt with several Japanese sellers on reels and baits. I've never had any trouble. As long as you go through ebay and paypal, you should be covered if something goes wrong.

I think the graphite Powell you listed would be good for the stuff you want to do. Powell makes a good rod and a med-mh/mod fast graphite rod is pretty versatile. As long as you don't go with glass, a cranking rod should be good. Some people like a shorter rod for jerkbaits but that's personal preference.

Do a google search for those sites listed, they are all JDM parts or tackle sites. Also, check Ichiban and Plat, don't know the full extension but they are Japanese tackle stores that sell to the US. The JDM Revos are selling in the US now. Several US tackle sites have some of the models for sale now with more coming in the future.

I've only handled them in the store but they seem really nice. The build quality was good and the rods were very light. The reel seat looked to be the same one, or similar, to the seats Daiwa uses on many of their high end rods. If I needed a rod in the $150 range, the Tatula would be what I bought.

Hair jigs are great for largemouths too, especially in the cooler months. I don't see why they wouldn't work for spots a well.

Glass rods, at least all the ones I've ever used, are very whippy. They are good for crankbaits because they absorb the drag of the bait and because you just reel a crankbait in. Glass rods aren't stiff enough to properly work a jerkbait. "Swimbait" is a very broad term. The only "swimbaits" I might consider using a glass rod for would be the very small 3-4" jointed baits that don't weigh much, I don't throw those though. Anything else is going to require a faster action and a much stiffer blank.

I like glass for a lot of my cranking but I don't like it for much else. I wouldn't use a glass rod for jerkbaits or any kind of swimbaits.

Owner Hyper Wire Split Rings are definitely the way to go for quality split rings. Barlow's sales some heavy duty stainless steel split rings that would be great for adding weight to jerkbaits.

You're new to fishing, why make it more complicated than it needs to be? Spool up with mono and be done with it. You don't need to worry about tying good leader knots until you are at least experienced enough to know why you need a leader. Just fish and have fun, you can get into the minutia later.