Michael DiNardo

I hate to do this, but does your Gander still have those "orange rods" on sale for $75? Mike

First off, I would take her out for a nice dinner. : ) Mike

Same as jKarol24. Mike

If you are trying to learn how to fish a lure, then you fish that type of lure. If you are trying to learn to catch fish, than you use whatever it takes. It all depends on the mission. Beginners should learn to catch fish. Mike

Fish in the evening, use a black Jitterbug and reel it slowly around the shoreline, near wood, near weeds, near any cover. If this fails find new water. Mike

Why does your height have anything to do with the length of rod you are going to buy??? Mike

If you are just starting don't worry, what is happening is normal. The tape suggestion that someone made is a good one. Also don't just use a heavy lure it will accelerate too quickly. When this happens your thumb will not "learn" to control the spool. Use a big heavy spinnerbait. Start with learning to control shorter easy casts. Most of all just keep practicing, you will get it. Mike

An Abu Garcia 5600 Plus followed shortly with a Shimano Bantam Black Magnum 100 GT: I still have both and still fish with them. Mike

Fight the fish with the rod to your side, with the rod parallel to the water, it will keep more tension on the fish. Also, make sure your hooks are sharp. Mike

When putting line on a reel, I always tighten the drag to the max. Make sure you have a tight knot to the spool. I always leave about 20 yds of line on the reel and tie my line to it. I string my line through my rod as if I was fishing. Keep tension on the line spool so it doesn't spin too quickly. The very first wraps of the new line must be very tight to the spool. Wet a very soft cloth with warm water and reel the line through the cloth keeping it tight between your fingers. Only slightly and I mean very slightly loosen the tension when the spool is almost full. This has always worked well for me. Mike

Thanks Gotfishyfingers, that will be easy to pack. Mike

Talk to DVT look to the right of your post and see the company link. Mike

I don't know to be truthful. I guess I am thinking it to be the same as when toleramces between two moving parts are to0 large. There would be excess movement causing the spool to wear incorrectly or something along those lines. I don't know that is why I was asking. Mike

Thanks SouthFLA, we are staying on property, so I might give it a try. I have been wanting a 7'6" heavy rod with a retractable butt section, great excuse to get one. If I were to bring only a few lures in a small bag with me what would you suggest? I was thinking buzzbaits, Rage Shads, paddle tail swimbaits, and of course some plastics probably worms and beavers. Mike

Posted March 15 2012 - 11:00 PM Btw I normally only had 1 break set on my 50es but set 3-4 on my Core50. I also have the spool set loose enough it has a bit of play side to side. Would this not be bad for the reel to have side to side play in the spool? Mike

I may give them a call. I am just afraid ten different people will give me ten different answers. Mike

Oh well, spending enough going to Disney. I'm not paying big dollar for an afternoon of fishing. Thanks for the replies. Gambler, I would avoid that at all costs. Mike

I am going to Disney World the last week of March for a family vacation. I know there are lakes on the property. Does anyone have any advise or suggestions on fishing these lakes. Are they free to fish, do I need a FL license? Is it worth it? Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I may be free for a day to fish. Mike

I never considered a PQ until I read all the positive recommendations on this site. I recently fondled one in the Harrisburgh BPS and was quite impressed. I know I was not fishing with it, but it felt right, especially for the money. Mike

Love the Citica. Haven't fished with a Veritas yet, but I like them. For arguments sake, check out the St. Croix Avid series, my favorite rods. Mike

Yes, my mistake, I meant mono compared to Flouro. Mike

I tried the chair caps and they didn't fit nearly as well as the rod balancer. they are also not as long and kept trying to tip before being taped. For the couple of extra dollars I would get the rod balancer. Mike

I have not tested personally, but I have read in some reputable mags that the stretch is the same between mono and braid. The sink rate is only an advantage when using sinking lures. It is a negative factor when using surface lures. Mike

Fish the heck out of it!!! The fish don't know what it is. I have an old Mitchell baitcast reel that nust be 20 years old, still works fine. Goof Luck Mike

Where's the pics of the gator? That is a great story. Mike