Gaerith

You can probably get a Symetre for 20% off on Black Friday. Of the choices you presented that's the one I would go with.

Caroline rigged 4" pumpkin Senko dipped in JJ's magic Black/blue swim jig w/ single / twin tail trailer.

12' is optimal imo, and the extra 2 feet on the kayak is going to make 0 difference in portability. I think weight is more important than length when considering how portable a kayak is. I looked into the Ascend line when I was purchasing a kayak and 90% of the reviews I read were very positive. I did read a few that said some of them had seal problems. Check out the FS12T, it has a reasonable price/features. However, if money is tight try craigslist or purchase a non-angling specific SoT. You can add all the bells and whistles yourself for pennies on the dollar and it's really easy.

Yep, ordered from them and they shipped my order the same day and everything.

How many devices are connected to your router? Only thing I can think of is you are having IP address conflicts. If you have a lot, that is a strong possibility. I have an old router that started doing that for the last 6 months. If that's the case, you can fix it by setting static IP's. It could also be your ISP. Or it could just be a crap router. If you are non-tech savvy, my first step would be to return it, I guess. I've always used linksys, as they are a subsidiary of Cisco, and Cisco knows their stuff in terms of networking. ISP's generally don't offer help trouble shooting modems as they are 'not supported'. There's no reason why you should have to reset your modem that much. Good luck!

I own both the rod and reel you're interested in (although I don't use them in conjuction.) The ***'s an excellent rod for it's price point. I bought one recently to replace a MH/F rod I didn't like due to lack of sensitivity. I use it for bottom contact rigs like jigs/rigs. The *** handle is on the smaller side, so people with big hands have mentioned they don't like it as much. I can see where they are coming from, but it fits just right for me. Might want to hold one in person before purchasing. Food for thought.

Bass tackle depot has a 25% off sale on a lot of items right now for veterans day. You could grab a speed spool for 75 and then wait for black Friday sales for the rod. The rods Arv mentioned are all solid choices. Dunno if 13 omens will go on sale at all for black Friday, but they are worth keeping an eye out for too.

So I ordered a 6.3:1 speed spool for $75. I looked at the trolling rods, and I think I will keep those in the back of my head for a gift another time. That way I can find out if he has any interest in them. I think I might get a cranking rod. I have an extra MHF rod I have no use for, so if he doesn't like or want the crank rod he can have mine instead. Any suggestions for a crank rod less than 100?

I actually don't usually shop at BPS as it's 2 hours away, but I will make the trip if the price is right. Plus, I want to buy stuff for me and I want to go there for the fun of it, too. I have a pro qualifier and other than the weight I love it, which is another reason why I was leaning towards it. I had no idea they made reels specifically for trolling. Guess I should have known. Do they cast the same as low profile bcs? He already has spinning rods, so I don't realy want to get him another one. I planned on getting him a BC and showing him how it use it, because I overheard him talking to my gramps about how he should try using one of them when I was using my baitcaster. Hmmm let's see, more info. I have only fished with him twice, and when I did he just used a wire leader with either a spoon or minnow type crank on it. We were not targeting any specific fish, mainly caught pike. He's usually steering/driving and holding the pole in his other hand. I'll have to ask my mom if he ever uses a downrigger. How well do cranking rods work with other techniques, like spinners and worms? Since it will be his only BC it was would be nice if he could use it for more than just trolling. Wish I could just ask him but that would give it away.

Hey guys, I am planning on getting a baitcaster for my dad for Christmas and am looking for some input. He fishes all species, mainly in northern MN. His favorite thing to catch is walleye, and I think he mostly trolls for fish from what I've seen. Right now, he has 2 Quantum spinning rods that are pretty old. With that all in mind, I've been trying to figure out what setup would be best for him. I know almost nothing about trolling - I am guessing a cranking setup would be best for that. However, since he likes to do a bit of everything I am wondering if a MHF rod would be better. I am currently leaning towards going to BPS and buying a BPS PQ/ carbonlite combo MH/F, or speed spool + cranking rod. My budget is 180 or less. If I do end going the carbonlite/PQ route, does anyone know if they usually go on sale during Thanksgiving? What do you guys think?

$150 for the whole setup? If you also have to buy line, that doesn't leave much wiggle room. I would probably buy a $100 rod, and get a cheap reel as a placeholder. Something like a *** + Pfleuger Trion, or St. Croix Premier + Shimano Sedona. That way you'd have a nice, sensitive rod that should last.

At that price point, try keeping an eye out on Craigslist. Go with a non 'fishing' kayak, they are a much better value. The features they add at the sub 400 range are not worth the extra price. For most kayaks in that range it will just get 2 rod holders built in and you can just add them to your fishing crate with PVC pipe for a few bucks. I recommend 12' Sit on Top, no shorter. I bought a 10' one off Craigslist a while ago, and my only complaint is it's too short/cramped (price was right tho). Brands to watch for are Perception or Old Town. Jackson, Wilderness Systems, and Hobie also make good kayaks, but are most likely out of your price range, even used.

If you end up getting a different rod, I recommend the *** Black. It seems to be one of the best rods at the $100 price point. Alternatives to that would be St. Croix Premier or Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth if you can find one on sale. Sorry to hear about your rod woes. Abu does have good CS, so hopefully they take care of you. My cardinal reel handle broke, and they sent a new handle without me having to show any proof of purchase or sending anything in. Hopefully they take good care you of you too!

I have 10 lb seaguar red label -I only use it for leader material. I feel like it is too stiff and tends to have more knot breakage than it should. I use yo zuri on my reel that doesn't have braid and I like it a lot more. Technically it's a copoly, but it's what I would recommend and will end up getting again. It has great strength and isn't as stiff as red label, plus it's cheaper. Both have KVD line conditioner applied to them.

I think the fml models are more aimed at trout type fishing on a light/ ultralight rod.

If I were you, my only concern would be if you had no rods with high# braid tied on and wanted to walk a frog. Braid makes it much easier - but if you have no interest in frogging, then stick with what you're using.

Yep, its on a spinning reel. I'm using 3/8 oz weights. For bottom setups I use my spinning rod because the rod is waaaay more sensitive than the rod on my baitcaster (which has 12 lb yo zuri fluoro on it). I can't feel a thing on my baitcaster rod. Thank you for all the feedback! I have always been curious about the Carolina keepers so I might play with those first.

I went finish today and ran into this problem. I have never broken off on a Carolina rig before and I did it 3x today on some big rocks, once at the leader and twice I lost everything. Has anyone else experienced this? I am thinking either I should T rig around big rocks or my swivels/knots are weak. I had it set up like this: bullet weight, bead, swivel on 10 lb braid, then 10 lb fluoro to hook. Knots were Palomar, imp clinch, palomar. I hope there is a work around because I seem to have better luck Carolina rigging bank fishing over Texas rigging.

Generally the higher the gear ratio, the more line that gets reeled in per turn. Many people recommend a 7.1:1 type ratio for bottom contact baits, and 5.4:1 for cranking for example. There are two types of brakes - centrifugal and magnetic. Most B/Cs have a removable plate that let's you access the centrifugal brakes. Some B/Cs also have magnetic brakes that let you fine tune your braking.

I too think the BPS Pro Qualifier would be a good reel to learn off of. It has all the gear ratios you'd want to choose from, casts great, and it has centri + mag brakes. I think having both types of braking on your 1st BC is nice because then you get the chance to work with and understand both, which is helpful in making future decisions.

I have the ci4 and it doesn't make any noise. If you really like that reel try exchanging for the same model, probably just defective models. Ironically, I bought my ci4 for the same reason!

One thing I'd like to add that hasn't been mentioned: when using in-line spinners you can cast them upstream and straight retrieve them, jerk/twich them, and also work them like a jig along the bottom. Jigging them works pretty good if there's not a ton of foliage to hang up on. The stream's current will push it down stream as up twitch your rod. I used to use nightcrawlers 100% of the time. Now I just stick with in-line spinners and dough ball type baits. I feel like those 3 are the most effective baits for stream fishing trout. Also always work upstream, and consider the clothing you wear. Wear anything bright and you won't get a bite!

Duckett and Fenwick (Elite Tech Smallmouth or Aetos) rods are great alternatives to an Avid. I was looking for a rod in the same price range a few months back and my initial thought was to get an Avid, as St. Croix rods have a stellar reputation. However, I was convinced by suggestions on this board to get a Fenwick, partly due to their limited lifetime warranty. Very happy with it! Shimano Crucial rods also get a lot of mention here, and would be good if you don't like cork handles.

I agree with the folks that said buy a more expensive reel used. Imo going cheap on a baitcaster is a gamble, and it's not worth the extra frustration of wrestling with a bad (or even low quality) reel.

I set my brakes to 0 while setting it up, then set it to 6 or 7 while fishing. Never opened the side plate to look at the internal tabs. Thanks! I can do this with my spinning rod, but I suck so bad when I switch to b/c. Do you lower your tension or brakes when pitching?