Arv

Sweet set up mayne

Bump up the budget 10-20 bucks and get a Phenix.

12# Yo Zuri Hybrid

Nice grab. I picked up 2 for Christmas and I am really impressed with them. For $100 I think they're a steal.

BPS Pro Qualifier. Hands down. If you can bump up the budget a little more, get a Shimano Citica or Abu Revo S. You should be happy with any of those reels.

Sweetness.

I love the 50e. If you don't go with the G6 over the SX, IMO.

Throw me in with the bargain hunters as well. I am, however, more inclined to drop a larger portion of my money on a rod though.

I throw senkos and flukes all the time on a baitcaster. It depends on the rod but I think they handle well on a M and a MH power rod.

I haven't used it but I've only ever heard good things about it. It looks pretty sweet too.

If I was you I'd get a BPS Pro Qualifier, 6.4:1 gear ratio, and a BPS Carbonlite, 7' MH/F. There is a combo that you can get for 160 online. That will leave you about 40 bucks for line and some other bait and tackle.

Not the spinning version, but I have used my M1 7'2 H. Definitely worth the money from my experience so far.

4/0 or 4/0, 1/8oz keel weight. I mostly use Caffeine Shads.

IMO, not that there is anything wrong with a $100 rod (I have several), but with a $300 budget, I would buy a more expensive rod. Especially if this set up will be used for bottom contact presentations. I feel that the 150-200 range is the best bang for your buck when it comes to rods. I would strongly urge you to looking into a Powell Endurance or Phenix Recon/M1. I haven't used the Dobyns Savvy or Duckett Magic but I've pretty much only heard good things about them as well. If you pair any one of those rods with a Citica, Revo S or Pro Qualifier you will be right around $300 and have a GREAT set up. Not knocking the Veritas (I have 2), but when comparing them to a Powell Endurance and Phenix M1, the latter 2 are much better from my point of view. In general, when I am looking for a new set up, I will spend 100-150 on a reel and 150 - 200 on a rod. I think most people, including me, will tell you that the rod is more important than the reel, so thats where I'm putting my money.

Powell Endurance, Phenix M1 or Recon for rods. Shimano Citica, Abu Garcia Revo S, BPS PQ for reels.

It depends on the price range. $100 - BPS PQ Anything over that, get a Citica or a Curado, especially a used E if you can get your hands on one.

Same as spinners and swim jigs, 7'MH/F

Gotta agree with everyone here. I would never cast a swivel through the guides.

Thanks for the tips guys

What I do in these situations... buy more lures, go out and get skunked again. Getting skunked is all part of the game. Just keep at it and you'll be fine. I don't know anyone that has caught at least one fish every outing.

You already mentioned most of the presentations I throw when everything gets tough on the water. A wacky senko, weightless t rigged senko, shakey head are go to in my aresnal. I will say a mojo rig/finesse carolina rig can work well in tough situations. I've also started throwing a dropshot and its produced some decent fish. Another presentation I rediscovered and had success with recently are flukes, either weightless or with a keel weighted hook. SK Caffeine Shad has a really nice action on the fall. Anyways, sometimes you wind up throwing everything plus the kitchen sink in the water and still walk away with nothing to show for it. Its happened to me plenty of times, after several hours of fishing. Also, like mentioned above, just being out at this time of year deserves some props. IMO, any fish right now is a good fish. So, don't get discouraged and keep on pluggin away. You'll start hookin into them again soon enough and remember why its so fun to be out there.

I want one if that counts for anything

I'd look for a rod around the 100 dollar mark. The Abu Garcia Veritas, Shimano Compre, BPS Carbonlite and *** *** would all be worth a look. Going under the 100 dollar mark, I'd suggest looking at the Powell Diesel. I have higher end Powell rods and I like them a lot and I have heard nothing but good things about the Diesel for the price point. Also keep your eyes on the flea market. You can find some smokin deals in there. I have some Vertias' I'm selling for 70 bucks and about to put up a St. Croix Mojo Bass for 70 bucks. PM me if you're interested. As far as the specifications of a rod, I'd look for a MH/F rod around 7'. This will allow you to cover just about every application well, aside from crankbait lures.

Sunline Sniper + KVD L&L.

So, I finally tried out a drop shot rig a couple of weeks ago. Admittadly, I was suprised at how productive it is. Since then I've landed several decent fish with it, but I am having trouble picking up the actual bite. A few times I thought I was hung up on the bottom and other times I would just see my line swimming away but I really don't feel anything when I get a fish on. This has led to several missed fish. I don't have a designated drop shot rod since I do not have a wide array of rods but I feel like the set ups I have used should do a good enough job. I use a 6'6 Shimano Compre spinning set up with 8# fluoro and a 702c Dobyns Champion with 10# fluoro. My question is, from your point of view, what does a fish feel like on a dropshot? And is there anything you do to pick up on bites using this rig? Thanks in advance.