loudcherokee

I have a 4 box bag by Plano. in one box I have all my terminal stuff and weights. Hooks, bullet weights, drop shot weights, split shot, etc all organized by size. I also keep band aids and various tools in this box. My second box is all my crank baits, poppers, jitterbugs, rapalas, etc. my third box is all jigs and frogs, and lastly I replaced one of the standard boxes with a spinnerbait box from Plano. its the same size as the others and holds all my spinnerbaits and buzz baits. I keep my plastics in a worm binder and in various pouches throughout the bag. LC

The only thing with the longer rod is that i *THINK* that ive read that shorter rods are more accurate, but i could have that backwards. But i also read that longer rods are better for flipping/pitching, so pick your poison, lol. LC

I'm probably not the best to suggest a rod type for a specific fishing technique, as I'm pretty new to this myself. I'm personally going to go with a lightning rod shock in 7' mh action, as soon as I decide on a spinning reel. I suggested the lightning rods due to my satisfaction with my current shock series rod in 7' MH for my baitcaster. Ive also had success with lightning rods in the past. I can feel every turn of a spinnerbait blade or wobble of a lipless crank (rattlin rap) through the water on my current rod. I really don't think they can be beat for only $40 at Walmart. LC

Baahahahaha!

Berkley lightning rod shock series. And please report back on that reel after you try it out if you don't mind. I've been eying one up and not sure if I want it or not. LC

yeah, I've read the same thing about the pressure. I was more curious as to if those holes close up and if they don't, if it affects being able to catch that fish later on if the hook happens to hit the same hole. LC

Just wondering if that thin white membrane on a bass mouth between the outer lip and the jaws ever heals up after getting a hook stuck through it, especially after a large hole is created by a heavily fighting fish. Is it like our ear lobes if you take a piercing out? LC

LMAO. Its actually girlfriends daughters new rod. She's 3, and caught her first fish yesterday. It was a bluegill, but she was still excited. LC

Finally got a hookup on a frog. I was using a Koppers live target black n yellow 55 size frog. As soon as it hit the water the bass inhaled it. I didn't even get a chance to try and work the lure. she came in around 2 pounds, slightly under. It was a pretty productive day all together. nothing huge, but the numbers were there. I also caught my first chatterbait fish. And this one too - I didn't get pics of all of them. Nothing bigger than the frog fish all day. LC

was messing around trying to get this thing to cast right and had a nightcrawler with a bobber on. this little LM latched on. just thought it was funny. LC

I have a Lews tournament MG and my next baitcaster will be a Lews tournament pro. I love my MG. My next spinning reel is either going to be a Lews speed spin or the Mitchell 300PRO that's coming out. I can't see myself going with any other brand of baitcaster. My only possible complaint would be the color. I'm not a big fan of that olive drab green the tourney pro comes in. It just looks out of place on the rods I like. LC

Hi there! Welcome to the board! I'm in SW PA too. If you're close you should check out Leopold park lake on route 30 in Imperial. Its a good little spot to practice. If you're not afraid to go a tad over your budget, I would suggest a Lews speed spool for 99 bucks, paired up with a berkley lightning rod shock series for $40. Spool up with some power pro in 30# test and you're good to go. If you're strict on your budget, check out the Abu Garcia promax combo, or even cheaper, the silvermax or blackmax combos. ETA - sorry, I just realized you wanted spinning. The above combos are baitcasters. For spinning, my rod reccomendation remains the same. Berkley lightning rod shock series. As for a reel, I use a Mitchell 300xe found at Walmart for $50. I love the reel, although I have been considering something newer like a Lews speed spin or the yet to arrive Mitchell 300PRO. My girlfriend has kind of taken over my 300xe when we go together. Good luck! LC

Not sure what kind of a drive it would be, but check out Lake Arthur at moraine state park. They rent boats. a bit pricey, but theres lots of shore fishing i hear. LC

What is the purpose of coloring the line? I've never done this. LC

HaHa, Yes! that's my "fishing" shirt and the boonies hat is my "fishing" hat. I wear them every time I go out. LC

Finally, after almost 10 years, I topped my old personal best. I started around 1:30 today, and caught this dink off a war eagle black n blue spinnerbait. Fished for another 5 hours and didn't catch a darn thing. I threw everything I had in the arsenal. I was packing up to go and decided to try out my spinning rod with a black neon kriet kreature. Threw it on there with a 1/8 bullet weight and a 2/0 worm hook, Texas rigged. Cast out over a fallen tree, let it sink, then began my retrieve. Felt a strong tug, and drove the hook home. She come up and tail danced for me twice. I must have looked like a fool running back and forth on the bank to keep her out of the tree. She was pulling drag all over the place. Finally got her up out of the water and weighed her in at 5 pounds. I haven't stopped grinning since I landed her. I set her free to grow some more! I know 5 pounds isn't much, but she's certainly the biggest I've ever seen in person! LC

Well, this order should calm him down for awhile. He's still over in the corner muttering something about more color selection, extra hooks, and swim baits though. He's just gonna have to wait. When my fish hound order gets here, I should be set for awhile. LC

Do you have a Michael's or Hobby Lobby in your area? If so, check your Sunday paper for a Michael's coupon that is 40% off one item. They carry Badger airbrushes, and with the coupon you should be able to get something decent. If its a hobby lobby, you can pull up their 40% off coupon on their website, even on your smart phone. they carry some nice Iwata stuff....I just got an eclipse from there not long ago. LC

Absolutely. I'm planning on getting one for my spinning reel next. ALL of the lightning rods I've ever used have been great. Even my dads 20 year old pro series lightning rod is sensitive as all get out. LC

LMAO. I don't think I'm one either at 30, but I sure do feel like it sometimes! LC

Lol, I didn't know the correct terminology for the parts. the sprocket piece looks like a sprocket. Its definitely not a gear. the ratchet piece is the one that the sprocket makes contact with to engage the spool when you turn the handle. This ratchet piece is worn where the sprocket teeth make contact, so when you go to engage the spool with the reel, it will slip and not catch to engage. You have to manually raise the thumb bar. None of these parts popped out, and I got the reel all put back together fine. By practice reel I meant that its the reel I used to practice tearing it apart and putting it back together before messing with my more expensive reels. LC

Lol, I didn't know the correct terminology for the parts. the sprocket piece looks like a sprocket. Its definitely not a gear. the ratchet piece is the one that the sprocket makes contact with to engage the spool when you turn the handle. This ratchet piece is worn where the sprocket teeth make contact, so when you go to engage the spool with the reel, it will slip and not catch to engage. You have to manually raise the thumb bar. None of these parts popped out, and I got the reel all put back together fine. By practice reel I meant that its the reel I used to practice tearing it apart and putting it back together before messing with my more expensive reels. LC

If its only been a week im sure you could exchange it. they were the same price at my Walmart. I used one of the regular lightning rods in IM6 for years. I found nothing wrong with it until I closed the tip in the car door. :-( LC

Hello folks, was tinkering with an old quantum ultra this weekend that has an issue with the reel engaging. I tore the whole thing down to the smallest bits. Turns out I need a new ratchet piece as this one is worn and the little toothy sprocket won't engage it. It was the baitcaster I learned on. Anyways, not worried about that one. That was my "practice" reel. I do want to break down my Lews Mg and clean all the factory gunk out and re-grease/re-oil all the internals. I have superclean (purple power) and simple green to degrease with. My question is, what parts get oil, what parts get grease, and what parts should stay dry? LC

Yowza! That 300PRO looks NICE! I may have to rethink my Lews speed spin idea. Thanks for that link. I can find nothing wrong with my current 300xe. It has performed well for me with no issues. I definitely grew up in a different generation than you guys. My first spinning reel was a shimano with a quickfire 2 trigger cast system. I used it for years before I got something a little more serious. LC