Darren.

It will serve you fine. If and when you want to upgrade to a higher-sensitivity rod, then do so.

Just be wise and try not to spend beyond your means. My wife and I are also becoming wary of BoA, haven't cut ties as slonezp did...yet.

Nice deal! As an owner of two Stradic FI 1000's, I highly recommend them.

Assuming here that you are set on a baitcaster, despite fact you mentioned it in your second post? Comments spot-on that the Pro Qualifier + a Berkely Lightning (or Shock) rod would make for a really nice, affordable combo to learn on. You could do a lot worse. If you have an old, still working reel you could trade it in toward the PQ. Same with an old rod trading in toward a new one. Bassfinder is right that you could even up the rod to a Compre and come in right around your price point. Compre is a nice couple steps up from the lightning rods.

All I fish now are lakes, so that'd have to be my choice. But watching that Bill Dance 2 part series where he fished a river deep in the woods was awesome. Took me back to when I used to explore rivers (and streams) as a kid. If I had rivers like that around my area I'd probably enjoy that a lot too.

That last sentence is hilarious. I suppose you're talking about the corpses in The Walking Dead and not I Am Legend?

Sierra Nevada Torpedo

Dang! I'll take Avalonjohn44 for $500, Alex! You'd be the emergency call on Who Wants to be a Millionaire!

First, welcome to the forums. Agree with new2BC4bass on rod action. If your budget allows, get a decent combo from Bass Pro, either their house brand, a Shimano, Daiwa, or other combo. Personally, I have tried cheap combos ($100 on down) and found them to be awful to learn on. Knowing what I know now, I'd have chosen a Daiwa Lexa 100, Pro Qualifier, etc., and a decent rod between $60-110. That'll put you around $200, but the quality of the Lexa makes baitcasting almost effortless. Few, if any backlashes. Great reel all around.

Man! Great stuff!

Have to agree with the warnings, have had plenty of plastics melt to tackle boxes. But also agree with using some sort of insulated carrier like a cooler. That'll help a lot.

Wish I could say the same here in Virginia. Not been a great winter bite. I need to diversify in the winter and go back to fishing for panfish - in addition to bass - if for nothing else than to feel fish at the other end of my line. And to return home not skunked for the day. Being in Florida would help, though!

I'll echo the comments suggesting braid - and Red Earth's comment to focus. All great advice. The more you fish, the better sense you'll get at what's happening at the terminal end of your line.

We bought a short kid's kayak at Dick's Sporting Goods. My youngest uses it now, although he prefers the stability of the larger models. They work well to get kids adapted to the sport!

I've only handled both in-store. I felt that the Vendetta was tip-heavy, didn't like the balance much. The convergence is in the same ball-park for the price. Fan of Shimano rods myself, just don't feel same way about Abu rods. Not slamming them, just my opinion - the Veritas is nice, though!

My boys purposefully dump in the warm weather, LOL. Looks like y'all had some great fun.

Caught mostly pickerel on jerks. Haven't had much bass success, but RW, sounds like a fantastic outing.

I like both brands. I've had two Compre's (previous gen spinning with the cork handle), and now own a Premier casting rod. Both are incredible rods, great sensitivity. I have used the ML Premier spinning rod that a buddy has and it's more like my M Compres in stiffness. But a fantastic rod for the money. One thing Shimano has over St. Croix is their over the counter lifetime (limited) warranty.

They were pretty funny today. Great show. Heck, ESPN has some great radio talent, period!

FYI, Mike and Mike are interviewing Cliff Pace on ESPN 2. They'll probably post the audio later here: http://search.espn.go.com/mike-and-mike/ Good stuff from Cliff.

Well done!

Hi Adrian, and welcome to the forums. Maybe a little more insight on tactics you used (lures, etc) would help us help you more. Winter fishing can be a tough time for a lot of bass fishermen, so it isn't unheard of to get skunked this time of year.

Have you tried to put them on sideways, without squeezing them open? I saw someone do that and the Norman snaps are super easy to put on or take off now.

My Lexa is paired with a Premier and fits beautifully. And Goose, it is an amazing reel for the money. Hanover, I assume you were talking about the casting reel, right? Or were you referring to the spinning reel?

Most fishing knots look daunting at first, but the Palomar is one of the easier knots. You basically double the line, thread the doubled line through the eye of the hook and then tie a loose overhand knot and stick the hook through the looped side of the overhand knot. Slowly start pulling it tight and use a bit of saliva to moisten the knot as you pull it tight. Then clip the tag end leaving maybe a 1/4" tag.