Mike Z

I enjoyed reading the first post and especiallty liked the take on sites like Facebook. It used to be that communication not in writing was frowned upon and considered non professional. With the internet these days I guess it is a good thing to be hooked up to these sites because customers and fans alike can easily reach someone with questions and comments. This is probably one of the biggest things that can be said. if you don't belive in the products and use the products you are asking to be involved with, don't expect much. If the people who are responsible for the products you use see you talking up the product and helping others in any way you can, all while not being paid, they take notice. They will start to watch you and see how you do and when the time is right, a relationship can be formed. This is not based on the fishing industry, but with a hobby I had many years ago in which I became very good at what I did. Anyway, thanks for the post.

Thanks guys. I'll go sit on it now so I can see if it gets any thinner. IIRC it was somewhere around 55* or so (maybe 50) when I pulled it out and tried to us it yesterday for the first time. I just know I had to squeeze relatively hard to get even the smallest amount out. Still working on catching my first bass using a Senko and Megastrike. Got to make about 20 casts yesterday but no bites that I could tell. I know there are bass in that lake because it is advertised as being stocked with bass. Might try more on the way home from work a few times this week.

Just a quick question. Don't care how well it works or anything like that. Just wondering if the tubes of standard Megastrike are hard to squeeze out. I would have assumed that it would squeeze out like toothpaste but I had to squeeze the tube pretty hard to get a small amount out. And this was a new tube that I purchased from the sporting goods place this past week. Also, what color should it be? The stuff that came from my tube was a yellowish color while the stuff I see on their website is near white looking. Thanks

Sorry about the confusion. I learned on a spincast reel with a nice bright yellow Eagle Claw rod. lol I remember that thing like it was yesterday. I then got a spinning reel for the birthday and that is all I have used since. I hadn't even thought that the bait cast reel put the line on flat vs winding and that it would probably lay smoother once you cast. Also, after taking the kids fishing today and having to cast for them, I now realize how easy the one thumb operation is. Since I already have a spinning reel and rod, I'm thinking of going the direction of a bait cast so I can have one of each. One nice rod for fishing by myself or out on a boat and the old one for fishing with the kids where they tend to step on everything, knock into stuff, and generally create havoc on evrything around them.

I apologize if this was covered elsewhere I tried searching some key words and didn't really find what I needed. I learned to fish on a Zebco style reel and then I got a spincast Mitchell 300a for my birthday one year. Never used a baitcast in my life. What I am wondering is, what are the difference between the two styles of reels besides the obvious looks and the way the line winds? Do the baitcast reels offer more power? Better drag? Or do they just normally last longer? Second, from reading here I have found two specific reels mentioned that would probably be in my pricerange if I was to buy. The Revo SX on the net for $120 and the BPS Pro Qualifier. I reel with my left hand and do not want to change and both of those are available in LH crank. Are these similar, or night and day in terms of quality and performance. I have also seen a lot of talk about a specific Shimano spincast reel that I believe is sold at my local Dick's for $80 or so. Either a Sahara, or Sedona or similar name. Are spincast reels in the $100 range very high quality? Last, if you were spending $~100-$120 on a reel would you go spinner or baitcast? I love my old Mitchell, but if I am going to be spending what I consider a lot of money on equipment it will need to last and be the best possible thing I can get for what I am paying dollar wise. (I could care less about brand name as long as it does what I need) Thanks for any opinions and I am open to all options right now.

Ok following the advice of a few here, I picked up a few packs of the Gamakatsu hooks in the 4/0 as well as a few packs of the Yamamoto 5" worms in Watermelon and Red Shad. They were on sale for 2 packs/$10. Also found another store with the Fat Ika lures so I had them set aside their last pack for me. Also grabbed some Berkley Powerbait crawdads in green pumpkin since they were all 20% off and got some 1/8oz bullet weights just in case. Found the Dick's version of the Strike King spinner baits but they were $4 each and I figured I would get the cheap plastic first and then slowly add the more expensive stuff. Thanks all so far for the recommendations. I figure I'll lose most of this new stuff in a few hours when I get out either this weekend or next. lol

Roadwarrior, thanks for the link. I see you recommend maybe $20 worth of stuff and as you said, even if you don't catch anything, you learned a lot. I also looked a few posts down and someone described how to look/watch at the line and pay attention. That is great info. Looking forward to reading the rest of the pages I also like how you advocate a lighter line. When my dad taught me, he taught me to use the lightest possible line for the fish you are going to catch. Over the years I caught a whole lot of 3-6lb Walleye, Medium sized crappie, catfish, etc on the 4lb line he always filled my reel with. Maybe 4lb test was rated low 25 years ago, but when I bought some Stren original for my rod the other day I bought 6 and 8lb test. I'm not looking to catch some saltwater monsters. ;D

D4u2s0t and sqhertz, I limit or like to limit some of my purchases to local stores because I am very hands on and don't know a whole lot about bass and the tackle yet. I don't have anything, so if I can go to the store, see it in person and see true color and texture, then I can better understand what it is you guys are talking about. I see lots of talk about such and such a color bait in pumpkinseed, but until I see it in person I really don't know what you are even talking about. Or as another example, some of the baits I see talked about here might be the same as I see with the Gulp or Berkely brand name in a similar color. Plus there is so much more available now than when I fished last and the stuff looks d**n realistic. (one package of plastic I looked at I thought were actual minnows somehow cured to be able to withstand shelf packaging.) As to ordering over the internet, some people fish so much that they might place a $200 order and fill half their box and go through that stuff in the next month and a half. I need to buy like 1 or 2 packs of something at a time and see what works. I might buy 2 packs of the hooks mentioned here and a few packs of worms. If I spend $30 on stuff, I doubt I am going to save more by ordering over the net when I have to pay shipping. Thanks everyone though so far for the recommendations. I have learned a lot and some of what has been mentioned I remember seeing yesterday looking around, so I am starting to get a feel for what I should be looking for, so when I come across a different brand name, I'll know what I am looking at. -Mike

For my first question here I need help outfitting my tackle box with some low cost essentials to get e started. A little background... I have fished for bass maybe once or twice in my life, once with a borrowed rod and once with my own and caught maybe 3-4 fish. All other fishing has been catfish, Walleye, or Crappie. (catfish in pond by house, and the others on Lake Erie) Anyway, I want to have some adult fun now. My selection is limited to products sold at Dick's Sporting Goods or perhaps Walmart. I have a Dick's within walking distance and 4 or 5 within 20 minutes of my house. BPS and Cabelas are literally 2-3 hours away or more. I am on a somewhat limited budget, so buying $6 and $8 jigs won't work. At that rate I'll get to fish for 10 minutes a month. lol So if you can all suggest some necessary items stocked at Dicks that won't bust my wallet i would appreciate it. Also looking at a new reel and rod and have found some great ideas in the reel section here. Looks like a BPS Pro Qualifier might be in my future if they go on sale.-so thanks guys.

Hello all. Name is Mike and live in the Cleveland area. After a long absence from any fishing, I bought my kids a few rods and we plan on doing some fishing. My dad taught me when I was 4 and I fished pretty regularly for 10 years, then took a break, got back into it for a few years, then took a break for about the last 15 years. Now that my kids want to try fishing I am clueless again as to even how to hook a minnow. Si I figured I would check out the forums out there and figure out how to do all this stuff yet again so that both me and my kids would have an enjoyable time. I am going to have lots of questions, and while I know that the search bar is my friend, it doesn't always spit out what one may be looking for. Anyway, thanks to those who made this site for such a great place and I hope to one day become a productive member with answers for other first timers.