Missourifishin

I'd use the 6.4:1 Revo, and use the Lews for a different application.

I've never really used a rod under 6'6" for bass fishing. But I could see a 6'3" being a little easier to work with, especially for jerkbaits.

I can't really add anything else useful that hasn't already been said, but I'll throw my 2 cents in anyway. Basically, as others have already said, it depends on what you can afford. If you can afford to spend $250 and not be too bummed out when you lose lures, then I think you should. However, being on a budget, I have never spent that much unless a rod and reel was involved. I bought my lures and terminal tackle a little bit at a time, usually spending anywhere from $20-$70 each time when I had the money, and despite losing plenty of lures I've managed to build up a pretty impressive arsenal. If budget is an issue at all, looking for used stuff for sale here and elsewhere is a great option. I have a friend who has accumulated a lot of good fishing gear buying it used from people in his fishing club.

Sounds like I'm probably a couple hours directly west of you. I fished a new lake these evening. 200 acres. I bank fished a point with the wind and waves coming directly towards me. I threw a lot of lures. I did quite well on squarebills and rattletraps. I probably caught 8. None of them were monsters, but they weren't babies either. So all in all a good day. The reason I mentioned the wind blowing directly towards me is because I have had some of my best fall and spring days when the wind and waves are coming directly in towards the bank I'm fishing from. It makes casting more difficult, of course, but it has worked out so far.

I threw a bunch of different lures this evening and a lipless and a squarebill were the only 2 that caught fish. I had a pretty good day too. I kinda just let the fish tell me what they wanted and I guess both were good options today. If it helps, I was bank fishing off a point on a 200 acre man made lake with the wind and waves coming directly toward me.

.These 2 sentences basically sum it up the whole topic in my opinion. You can play it safe and buy something you know you like. Or you can gamble on something new. Gambling on something new could be a letdown or you could find something you like better. The choice is yours.

Water temps will be dropping of course, as we move deeper into fall. How do you change your approach, specifically in regards to the type of lures you tie on at the beginning of your day of fishing? Also, this will be my first season giving A-rigs a try, at what point do you guys break those out? Thanks.

On the rare occasion I see one of the live bait fishermen out at one of my spots catch a bass I would have been thrilled to catch, photograph and release and they throw it in a bucket, do I cringe? ABSOLUTELY. I don't like seeing that at all. But to go as far as saying I'm mad? No. If they're not breaking the law and they are taking it home for dinner, I don't think I really have the right to be mad.

I'd like to squeeze a question of my own into this topic. Does anyone else have major problems getting snagged finesse fishing from shore? It seems like every time I go to reel a texas rigged worm, for example, in towards the bank I'm hung up on something.

If you really love 1 of the 3 brands of reels you have, or 1 of the 3 brands of rods you have, then I wouldn't blame you for looking to those brands first next time you shop for gear. On the other hand, if you try different things you could possibly find one you like more. I've done a mix of buying brands I already enjoy and trying new things. For example, I really liked my first Lews baitcaster, so I bought a second. I really liked my first St Croix rod, so I bought a second. Several other companies are represented in my arsenal though. My last reel purchase was a Pleuger baitcaster. I had only used their spinning reels previously. But I'm glad I tried something new, and it's very smooth.

The title explains it all. To my fellow mid-westerners, moving into the second half of October, if you had to ATTEMPT to predict the top 2 (or 3 at most) lures that are going to produce for you, what would they be?

This has been my experience as well. My local bass pro blows my local walmart supercenter away. However, one of the things I used to love about the bass pro here was the whole shopping experience. There were several guys in the fishing department who were truly passionate about fishing and seemed to thoroughly enjoy answering any questions you had. Unfortunately, at least 2 of them seem to be gone now, so it has gotten harder to find someone who is both knowledgeable and excited about fishing. Also, the people selling timeshares and/or vacation packages have really decreased how much I enjoy shopping there.

The first decent rod I ever bought (In other words, not just a dirt cheap combo) was a Bass Pro Tourney Special spinning rod. I think they charge $50 for them. I've probably done just as well with that rod as I have with My St Croix Avid spinning rod. And this is coming from a big St Croix fan. The fish don't care how much money you spent

Thanks for all the quick responses. I'll respond to all of them in one post. raoka, I can definitely see how it might be possible that I just haven't adjusted. Kyle46N, I was thinking the same thing about a possible defect which the lack of smoothness would be a symptom of. Junyer, no I can't say I am positive it's a reel problem. That's what I'm trying to determine. But it is spooled with the same new mono I use on every other reel, I've thrown a fairly wide variety of lures on it, and I've used on 2 or 3 different rods which I have also used with my Tournament. So I'm pretty convinced those things are not the problem. ABW, I do the same thing with the brakes. But with my Tournament, I don't have to turn the mag brakes up much at all. While on my Tournament Pro I often have to crank them up really high just to make it not be a pain in the *** to fish.

Let me start by saying I'm open to input from anyone, of course. But this question can probably best be answered by people who have used both the Tournament and the Tournament Pro. A year or two ago, I bought a Tournament. It was my second baitcaster, and I immediately fell in love with it. So, when it came time to add another reel I figured I would just stick with Lews and step up to the Tournament Pro. Now, here's my problem: The Tournament Pro hasn't worked out as well for me as the Tournament. Obviously this surprises me since it is basically supposed to be the better and more expensive version of the Tournament. It doesn't feel quite as smooth and I'm backlashing a fair amount. I know backlashes are usually operator error. But it doesn't make sense to me that I was able to get the Tournament dialed in so well and not the Tournament Pro. Does anyone have any ideas for me? Is there possibly some kind of servicing that I should have had done on it when I got it? I assumed it would be fine right out of the box. Thanks in advance for your replies.

It's hard to tell from any picture. And that picture isn't the best. But I'd say it's maybe a 2 pounder, maaybe a few ounces more.

Lews Tournament Pro is $200 retail. But last time I checked, they could be found on ebay for around $150. I love my Lews baitcasters.

Nice!

Exactly.

Exactly. If I catch a nice fish and I decide to take the time to photograph it, I try to make it a good picture. But when someone sees the picture and ask me how much it weighed, I tell them the truth.

Yeah, I don't think that one weighs 3 either. The guys who said 2.5 are probably pretty close in my opinion. Still, that's a nice bass.

I just bought my third brand new reel on ebay. I checked the feedback of the sellers to make sure they had a good track record and didn't have any problems. The 3 reels I've purchased there have been excellent deals that I couldn't find anywhere else.

I got a glass rod for cranks, but have ended up using it for just about anything with treble hooks. I would fish any of the lures you mentioned with glass, especially if the cover isn't too heavy.

I love my Lews reels.

I think you'll like it.