DogBone_384

I feel your pain, but in the mean time my skis are ready and some of my reels are off to Mike @ DWT for upgrading. I got out on my motorcycle Tuesday when it was really nice out, but I'm in New England, so like NY - wait a bit and it'll be Winter again. Until Spring, we've got Bass Resource!

I tried using bait casters about 20 years ago but was too impatient to really learn, so it didn't work out very well. Two years ago I gave it another go with a BPS Pro Qualifier paired with a 7' MF Vendetta but took the time to read the instructions & recommendations you'll find within this forum, started slow and practiced and less than a Summer's time was casting as fat with my BCs as with my spinning gear. Now I'm hooked on BC reels and only use my spinning gear when it's too windy for my BC abilities. So, bait casters are great and are easily learned with time and practice, which is what I wished I'd done 20 years ago. Best of luck.

Pro Qualifier reel and $100 rod that feels good in your hand. If your waterways are frozen like mine, wait until Spring sales and you might do better. I don't own any other bait casters @$100 price point so I can't comment on any other brands at that price point. Though *** has Diawa T3 Ballistics on sale for $125 - which I own but haven't had the opportunity to fish with. I own Abu, Shimano, Lews, and Diawa at or above $150 price points and really like them all with my Revo SX and Core50 Mg being the smoothest, but for $100 I doubt you'll do better than the PQ. Best of luck with your search - this forum has beaucoup info to help you decide.

I keep pretty busy working 2 jobs, being home with my family, and am trying to finish my MBA by June. When I find time I ski and read Bassresource!

It's already tough, but I work two jobs, have a family, and am trying to finish my MBA by June..... That'll fill up most of my time. Thankfully I have plenty I want to learn, so I'll be reading Bassresource until thaw!

A++My boss, err - wife, isn't into fishing as much I am. She'll go a couple times per year if I take my nephews and hook the worm for her. Great that your fiancée is into it, gongrats, and enjoy your honeymoon. Add: I give your wife A+++ for finishing her Doctorate. I'm about done with my MBA while working two jobs... That'll be enough for me.

Are you planning on fishing on your honeymoon?

I might agree with your comment about your neighbors calling the cops if you lived in MA (we ARE called "Mass**les for a reason), like I do, but since you're in ME, I'd throw a bet that you'd be left alone or given positive reinforcement/congratulations. All the years I've travelled in ME I've never had a bad experience, which is why, I suppose, so many of us 'city folk' end up with 2nd/retirement homes in ME. Best of luck with your project... Now to answer this post: My main goal in 2014 is to match up the many reels & rods I bought in '13 (yep, Bassresource made me do it!) by trying each combination to see what works best. After I finish my MBA, I'm going to buy a 'Yak and get to all the spots at my regular spots that I've not been able to reach being shore bound. Lastly, try to go a season without buying another setup... yep, Bassresource made me do it.... Happy new year!

C'Mon..... this is BassResource....... NEED has nothing to do with it! a 9.0:1 satisfies a WANT.....

Sounds familiar... Before I started reading this forum seriously I fished with a Shakespeare Sigma spinning combo I've had at least 30 years. I know have Veritas', Vendettas, a Carbonlight, a BPS Extreme, and a Fenwick Silver Hawk casting rods. I'm still figuring out which of my baitcasters feels best with these rods, and that list includes PQ's, a Core 50, Diawa T3's, Abu SX, and a Lew's TP. WIth respect to baits, SENKO, SENKO, SENKO, a couple of jigs, and a handfull of Rapala cranks & DT's. Yep, BassResource made me do it....

Congratulations! Those are getting scarce these days. I have a Remington carbine my Dad bought when he was in the Air Force. Fun little gun; sits in my safe next to my Garand and A303...

A++ This is the first time in a few years I've not been on duty for the holidays. Agree completely.

Yeah, I got caught in the Christmas sale vortex @ *** and convinced myself I needed a Diawa T3 & Lews Team Pro because they were on sale. I also bought a Vexilar Sonar-phone out of pure curiosity, and that I don't have a boat.

I didn't really set out with any fishing resolutions for 2013, but I guess I unconsciously must have set some because I fished more, picked up baitcasting, and decided to learn worms/plastics, something I never did when a kid. Let's see if I can get through 2014 without buying a boat!

Good luck? What about the AMERICAN jobs, and families attached to them, that are going to be lost in the process? I guess yours isn't hanging in the balance, is it?Give Ardent's executives a call after these manufacturing jobs are gone and how they're doing...

1. Read bassresource.com 2. Read bassresource.com 3. Apply what you've learn from bassresource.com

I spent this season learning soft baits: 1. Zoom U-Tale in gourd green, T-rigged worked best. 2. 5" Watermelon w/copper& orange w/red (say that 5x fast) Senko, mostly T-rigged, sometimes whacky. 3. 6" Berkley Gulp pumpkinseed night crawler, T-rigged, weighted & weightless. 4. Berkley 7" electric blue Powerbait, T-rigged, weighted & weightless. 5. 4" watermelon w/red & green flake Senko, yep, you guessed it, weighed & weightless. It's snowing out now, so we'll see what I try in the Spring. Merry Christmas everyone!

I haven't heard of anyone using a jitterbug in 30 years... I think I have a couple in my tackle box that might be older than me... A++

Yeah, the thumbnail is upside down, but when I clicked on it it was right side up. Our house is up high, garage-under. I took the photo from the top of the stairs looking down. Oh well, regardless, no fishing today. The ocean's creek that comes into my street is also freezing over at low tide....Stuff happens.

No bank fishing up here today:

Gander Mountain is selling it for $129 now. I'm trying to rationalize it because I'm stuck on shore..... Hmmmm

I've got it good: wife is from Philippines. I do laundry because we both work 2 jobs....

Your wife has you trained like mine has me ?!?!?! The Horror!

For $99 a BPS Carbonlight or Abu Garcia Veritas are my choices. Go check them out in person because they feel very different from one another. I've never used a Lew's reel, but I have 3 BPS Pro Qualifiers that, for $99 (though they might be on sale right now) I feel are great values, especially after you give them a clean & lube job. Best of luck...

Question is, who's doing the laundry? Sounds like the washer is going in the background.....