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To confirm, my Shimano Solstace 2500 is fine for drop shotting right?? Are there any rods I can find at Bass Pro for around 50-60 that would be decent drop shot rods or should I wait till I can spend $100+? Flourocarbon 6 pound line?

I just spend over 200 dollars on bass fishing...I am new to bass fishing and use to trout fish a lot. I am thinking maybe I should just forget the drop shot for now and use all my other stuff I have for bass...I have spent enough in the past few weeks

Alright...well is there a rod you recommend that I can pick up at Bass Pro that isn't crazy expensive?? I am a college student so I am on a budget

Alright, so you think the Ugly Stick I have will work then? I can throw some 6 or 8 pound line on it and give it a shot.

I have an Ugly Stick Rod - 6 Foot, Medium Action - with a Shimano Solstace 2500 Spinning Reel...I am thinking of making it my drop shot rig. It is currently my trout fishing rod and reel, but I want to get an ultra light setup for trout anyways. I am just wondering if you guys think that is a good setup for a drop shot rod and reel or not? If it is...what lb line should I use?

I will check that out thanks!

Yea I think it was just one of those off days!

Yea you couldn't see a thing, it was as dirty as it gets. I imagine it was cold water since it was all snow run off from last weekend's snow storm. There are some rocks and areas where the current would definitely slow down, although they are on the other side of the river. I was casting to those spots, but still didn't have much luck...maybe it was just one of those days

I went and fished the Verde River today in Arizona...all the snow run off made its way to the Verde. Anyways...I tried a Rapala Husky Jerk and some 1/2 oz spinner baits but had no luck at all...the current was going fairly good...the spot I was fishing is normally a honey hole for bass. I was a little shocked....any tips, suggestions, etc??

Yea I suppose the way to fish for trout is fly fishing...but those setups just look really confusing and I just spent a lot of money on bass stuff...that is why I have been partial to staying with spinning gear. Even those fly fishing sort of setups using a spinning reel look a bit complicated.

hmm..well I will keep trying it and try some other stuff as well

Thanks guys! I actually have one of the Kast Master spoons, but the trout never seemed to like it, it seemed like it was too big and they got spooked. The trout here are pretty small. I will try out some of these suggestions though when I trout fish

I got myself a nice BPS baitcaster reel and rod combo and got myself a practice plug. I learned it within 10 minutes haha. I didn't find it hard at all and I actually really like the bait caster. Caught a big pike yesterday on it!

Thanks guys!

Thanks for all the help guys! I have a pair of smaller pliers, but I am going to pick up a longer set, maybe one of those jaw openers and maybe a few other things. I am almost 100% positive that is a pike...that is the main fish at Lake Mary and looking at AZ Game and Fish's website Pike, Bass, and Trout are the main fish in that lake Any suggestions on really weedless rigs besides the Texas Rig or Split Shot Rig? Should I be using a steel leader for pike? Set my drag to about 30 %?

Alright thanks!

Yes..?

** I know this isn't specifically about bass, but I wasn't really sure what I would catch out there. I went out to Lake Mary here in Flagstaff, AZ for a few hours this afternoon. I wasn't really expecting to catch anything, just wanted to try out my new baitcaster and try some different bass rigs for the hell of it (I am completely new to bass fishing, but have done a decent amount of small trout fishing). The lake is mostly frozen over right now, but there was a few hundred feet not frozen over on one section of the lake. It is VERY weedy, has tons of green algae crap on the bottom, and when fishing from the shore it is very shallow (maybe 1- 2 feet). First thing I threw out was a 3/8oz spinner bait...first cast got a pike on the line (ended up losing him about 3 feet from the shore). I have never hooked a pike so that was exciting. The spinner bait was collecting too much algae and weeds, so I tried a Texas rigged worm and a small bullet weight. This was a lot more "weedless", but I still noticed stuff was hanging up on it. I was slowly retrieving like I would a spinner bait or inline spinner. After casting out a while with the Texas Rig I thought I got it stuck on a rock...but it was no rock, it was a pike! This was the first big fish I have ever caught (relatively big compared to the tiny trout I am used to catching). It really fought! He was about 2 feet long. Anyways...after I caught that one I wasn't able to catch anything else, but it was fun. Anyways...I have some questions that arose from today: 1. How do you guys bring the fish to you when your trying to unhook it? (When I caught that big pike I reeled him all the way to the tip of my pole and tried to lift him towards me, but when I did that he came unhooked and splashed down into the water...this has happened to me before) 2. How do you get the hook out a pike's mouth? (Since they have teeth) 3. What are some other weedless alternatives besides Texas Rig that would be good for a really weedy and shallow lake like Lake Mary? Here is a pic of the pike after he splashed down into the water...looks small, but it was a decent size:

Spinnerbait or normal inline spinner? I have the exact spinner you are talking about...Panther Martin Black with gold Spots....but it is a normal spinner not a spinnerbait

Thanks for all the suggestions, I guess I will have to try out some of them!

Alright yea I will give that a shot...what size hook and rig it like a Texas Rig or just nose hook...? So these are my options so far for trout: - Spinners - Small jigs - Trout Worm - Small crank bait maybe?

ehh...I'm not sure I want to dive into fly fishing now...just spent a few hundred bucks on bass stuff because I decided to get into bass fishing...I am a college student so I would prefer to just save my money and stick with a spinning setup...maybe down the road I will try fly fishing I will try out some small jigs for trout though...seems basically like a spinner haha...do you work these like a spinner or like a normal jig?

I do a good bit of trout fishing in Northern Arizona. I use 4 lb line with usually very small 1/32 oz spinners from Panther Martin, Mepps, etc. This is all I have ever used for trout and I have been quite successful, but sometimes I do get no bites. Anyways...I thought I would add to my trout lure collection and see what you guys recommend. Keep in mind I fish for trout in smaller rivers, often times they are trout that are stocked, although there are some wild trout. They tend to be pretty small trout. I know real worms on a hook are great, but "bait" fishing like that tends to be boring to me...nonetheless I am open to all suggestions! Thanks

Alright thanks!

I guess I will just try without the trailer hook...I have watched the Advanced Spinner Baits video by the way