Missourifishin

Great advice! And hooksets don't cost a nickel.

This is why I plan to use mine for MANY years, so I will at least know I got my money's worth when I sell them for next to nothing some day

Very cool! I didn't know about the Jitterbug. But they changed the composition of pennies and nickels during the war too,

I'd consider looking at St Croix's Avid. A brand new one is only a few dollars above your budget.

I don't remember. But the first one that stands out in my mind is a yellow jitterbug I found at a lake when I was a kid. I still have it too.

I used to fish cranks and various other kinds of bass lures with spinning gear. I had no problems with it at all. I wouldn't want to go back though, now that I've been using baitcasters for a while.

one line FOREVER. Mono, fluoro, braid, copoly? What pound test? Feel free to include a specific brand of choice. Also, braid with a leader is NOT an option. Just one type of line, including the weight of the line, forever.

I have the 6'10" MM Mojo Glass. I fish from the bank, so I don't fish a lot of deeper cranks. I love it. But it's the only crankbait rod I have much experience with, so I can't compare it to the others. I've held the Ghost at Bass Pro 7 or 8 times and love the feel of it so much that I have been very tempted to buy one.

No closed season here.

These and SK KVD squarebills are my favorite cranks.

I love my Patriarch. I haven't used a Stradic though, so I can't give an opinion on which I like more.

I started playing around age 11 or so. Played for my high school's team. I was decent. I LOVED playing it, but I can't really get into watching it on tv. I do still watch a lot of the world cup every 4 years. U.S.A. and Germany are my teams, and to a lesser extent Italy. I don't really get into it enough to have a favorite player though. I'm a huge NFL football fan though.

Welcome!

I have the 300 Pro. And I have fished with a President. Yes, the Mitchell is very smooth, but so is the Plueger. It is kind of a toss up between the 2 to me. I'm not sure if the Mitchell is beter. But it's nice, and only slightly more expensive. So if you want a new spinning reel it might be worth it to give the Mitchell a try and see if you like it better than your Presidents. I would recommend either one though.

I was wondering too.

Anyone remember the movie Ace Ventura Pet Detective? "Laces out". I can't believe he missed that kick though. I personally would have liked to see Seattle lose (sorry Seahawks fans)

Go Chiefs!

I don't play online. But I have friends and acquaintances who play, and I get a few in person games in per month on average. I like to think I'm pretty good. But there is something about the perspective of how you see the board and pieces on a computer screen that seems to throw me off. It's like I can visualize and plan better when I'm looking at the board in person.

Thanks guys.

I wasn't even aware of those. You may have just sicked the baitmonkey on me.

...or two. The top one is the one I really need help with. It has no markings and I don't know what it is. The bottom one is a Matzuo, and I'm fairly certain it's a Hayate crank shad.

There are a lot of fans of the Strike King KVD squarebills around here. And I am one of those fans. They are within your price range. Throw squarebills in shallow water. They are good at deflecting off of rocks and logs, which is a good thing as it often triggers a reaction bite. I am usually fishing from the bank too. Try throwing them more parallel to the bank rather than out into deeper water. I do well with them, especially in spring and fall.

I received a $30 gift card to Bass Pro as a Christmas gift. So a couple of days later I was looking at their website, and saw a number of items listed as new. Just in the casting rod section there are about 10, 8 of which are BPS brand. A. Most of these are just updates of older models, aren't they? B. Does anyone have experience with any of these "new" BPS rods? C. In particular I'm interested in there Pro Comp Casting Rod. After a week of thinking about it, and going down the street to handle them in person twice, I went ahead and ordered one. They only had 1-pieces in stock here, so I had them ship to store a 2 -piece as the purpose of this rod is to have a cheap, but decent, casting rod to keep in my vehicle. I don't recall ever seeing a Pro Comp before, so I think this is a truly new item. If no one else has any experience, I'll give you guys my reviews when it comes in (if the lakes aren't frozen). My impression from picking the rod up in store is that it feels great for a 30 dollar rod. Anyway, I was just wanting others' thoughts/experience with any of the new BPS rods or other items marked as "new" for that matter. Thanks.

I think you made the right choice. My brother has a MH Veritas and it seems like a heavy to me.

I also got the Mettle on sale for 29.99 at that time. Great deal. It truly has been a workhorse. It was my first baitcaster. And it is more dependable in my opinion than some more expensive ones that I've bought since then. I can't give an opinion on the PQ, as I've never owned one .