Dave P

I'm planning on hitting it so I can spend money that I don't need to spend...

Mojo weights are better about going through rocks than the standard egg sinkers. If you are in an area that is not rocky, you can save yourself some money by getting the standard egg sinkers at walmart. The steel ones work just fine.

Snaps. No swivel. I only tie to traps.

Favorite? The Xcalibur XCS series. Second to the Luck E Strike RCs and the Strike King KVDs third.

Are they worth it? Yes. It keeps them buttoned up when they hit, IMO.

IMO, yes. No question.

10 lb mono. Usually Trilene.

If you're gonna eat them, go to a lake with a slot limit and get the little ones. Much better eating. Still, I haven't eaten one for a loooong time.

PQ is the best bang for the buck especially if you catch it on sale. I am also interested in trying a Lews. No comment on the Shimanos.

IMHO, find it from the console. Refine it from the front.

Welcome aboard!

To get a "good" reel with a graphite frame you will spend very close to the money that you will spend buying a PQ or something like it with an aluminum frame on sale. You will be spending that 70-100 dollars again within a few years if you buy a graphite framed reel because it will wear out quickly. Buy the aluminum framed reel. I learned on a reel magnetic brakes. My second and third reels had magnetic brakes. My fourth reel had centrifugal brakes. Big difference. If you are stuck with just one type of brake, I preferred the magnetics because it suited my style. More pitching and less heaving, if you get my drift. If you can, get the best of both worlds and get a reel with both. Mono is cheap. Use 12-14lb mono until you get where you can cast with few backlashes. Leave the braid and floro alone for now.

Always check clearance bins. You'd be suprised at what you can find in there occasionally. There are some off the rack lures at WalMart that have made me some money in the last few years. Just be patient and when you find what you want, stock up.

If you are going to change them (and I only do it for a reason like dull, broken or bent) I think you need to use the same size that came stock so you don't mess up the action of the bait.

Two primary color types I like. Something with chartreuse and something shad colored. Anything over and above that is bought on a one off basis for some special circumstances.

I have had a 500 combo for about 30 years. It has killed deer, ducks, pheasants, rabbit, quail, squirrel and various other assorted sundries. I have fired hundreds if not thousands of rounds through it. The recoil is not any worse than any other gun of that type because it's chambered for 2 3/4 and 3 inch shells. The foregrip developed a crack on the inside after being exposed to too much rain over the years. I fixed it with some carpenter's glue and a clamp (it also enabled me to turn that into a new Mossburg 835 because it was "broken" LOL). That's it in 30 years. Don't let people disuade you because it says Mossburg on it. It's no different than tackle. Check them out and make up your own mind.

Just to be different, Powell Diesel.

I can and do, do both. But, I just do not like reeling a casting reel with my left hand. It feels wierd to me.

Poo before you go. Preferably twice. Don't un-stow the net or fill the livewell until you have a fish to put in there. That's about it.

PQs and more PQs. Thinking about trying some Lews next. d**n you Bass Resource! Oh, and Rage Tail products. I plan on having a half dozen packs to start the year.

I plan on experimenting with these to find something they "like". They were out of M so I got two Heavies. Might not be bad for rigs since the bite isn't exactly subtle... come to think of it, the 7'6" pool cue might be decent for that.

In all honesty, I feel that smaller lakes have less of a problem than the bigger ones. Just my opinion, but I seldom feel like the released fish don't move out on the smaller lakes I fish, but on the big ones I have the sense of going "out there" and fishing in a desert. Maybe it's just all in my head.

Mine came in two seperate triangle tubes. One of which was a good eight and a half feet long. Both intact though.

I have the 7'6" deep cranking model and I don't care for it. It feels like a short handled pool cue with a whippy tip. I just never got comforatble with it. The 7 footers may be entirely different.

They make brackets you can buy to mount it to a canoe or yak. If you are handy, you can build your own too. Waveland in the spring can be pretty good!