Jrob78

I like to start the morning throwing a Yellow Magic.

That might be a River2Sea Bubble Popper. There are several companies that make that style of popper with the gill slits.

There are other stake out poles that will work but the PNP is the best for the job, IMO. To me, it's worth the money. I've heard rumors that a 10' telescopic PNP is in the works.

The KVD'S are great hooks. If you don't like EWG trebles, try the Gamakatsu short shank, round bend trebles with the "Magic Eye." I use the KVD'S most of the time but the Gami's are awesome hooks and sharper than the Mustads.

I own reels from many of the major brands, I like variety. I have more Daiwas and Shimanos than anything else though. I really like the Pflueger Patriarch and the XT is an awesome reel. I'm not a big fan of Revos but I do have a couple. All that said, Daiwa is by far my favorite with Shimano coming in 2nd.

I have to agree with you. I've never experienced a decrease in action or a loss of control with loop knots and topwater baits. I really like loop knots with small poppers. I like to fish them with a combination of pops and a tight walk the dog action, a loop knot really helps the bait come alive.

X2

I fish finesse worms t-rigged, weightless more often than weighted. I let the worm sink to the bottom and dead stick it or let sink down a foot or three and give it a few gentle twitches. Finesse worms really come alive with a light wire hook, light line and soft twitches. You have to be a vigilant line watcher for this technique but it's a great summertime option.

The Curado E Series reels are basically the exact same as the Chronarch E Series reels. They are great workhorse reels and $135 is a good price on a new one. I don't have any experience with the Lexa but all reports I've read have been favorable.

The Boomerang Tool is awesome!

I agree with you 100%. I've always wondered why you would fish one of those pre-made rigs. Not only would the fish feel the weight but it would also make bite detection that much harder. With a traditional c-rig you're still connected directly to your bait, via a small swivel and the weight is independent.

The main thing I would recommend when buying a casting reel is to get one with an aluminum frame. In my experience, graphite framed reels, (Black Max, Silver Max, Pro Max, Shimano Caenan, various Pinnacles...etc) won't last as long as one with an aluminum frame. I would get one combo now, casting or spinning, and save up for another later. Spending $250 on one combo will be cheaper in the long run because you won't have to replace it as quickly. Buy decent quality gear from the start instead of cheaper gear that you won't be happy with in a year.

Those are double foot guides. They should be a little tougher than single foot guides. They also might have larger rings than the single foot guides.

I prefer Fluke style baits on mine. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination though. They can be very productive baits.

A 10" worm with 1/4oz weight, weighs a heck of a lot more than 1/4oz.

I would email W&M and tell them exactly what rod you have. Often times, rod companies will send you a new tip top free of charge. Going through them will be the easiest way to get a matching guide in the right size. You can use a hot melt tip glue to put the new one on. You might have to look online to find the tip glue, it shouldn't cost more than a few dollars.

Skeet Reese and Brent Chapman both use the W&M rods and reels. Rick Clunn uses the rods but I think he still uses BPS reels. FWIW, Chapman won the AOY title last year......using W&M rods and reels.

X2 It's too easy (for me) to get lazy with snaps. You still need to retie the snap to keep your line fresh and strong.

Yeah, probably so. If I had to pick one rod, I probably could but it would be tough.

It's a great shaky head bait. You rig it from the skirted side. I use it on Picasso shaky head jigs, they have a very small diameter screw lock.

I had a similar issue last year when I put 20 lb fluoro on a rod and reel I was used to throwing braid with. It took more getting adjusted to than I had planned.

It's probably the result of throwing very wind resistant spinnerbaits in the wind with heavy line on a reel that is too full. Take a little of the line off and tighten your spool tension some. Heavier line will normally give you more issues than light line.

kylek is exactly right. I put oval split rings on all my baits that don't come with them.

I like the Super Fluke and Bass Assassin when I want to fish the bait quickly on top and the Caffeine Shad when I want to dead stick it and keep it closer to the bottom.

Don't try to change the spool bearings until you get proper spool pin pliers. Odds are, you will end up damaging something, or at the very least, scratching up the shaft. I use the Boca spool pin pliers and they work great. Congrats on a great reel, I would take an Alphas over a Core every time.