NathanW

The gears, cast control and drag. The gears wearing out did not affect performance but it was noisy and not smooth. The cast control and the drag both lost their tolerances. Adjusting the drag while fighting a fish became a dangerous game, and the cast control became way too touchy.

If you are going straight Wacky, no need for that heavy of Braid, but it wont hurt much either (i would go no more than 20). We are not penetrating any plastic to get that hook set. I fish all my spinning setups with braid mainlines but a 6-8lbs Fluoro main would work fine too. If you like a braid mainline I would highly recommend a 10-14lbs Nanofil or Power Pro. I really like Nanofil because of how well it handles. Also, just like Power Pro it will last you all season.

I have had BPS pro qualifiers, I consistantly got about two good seasons out of them before they wear out. Great reels out of the box. Cannot compare to that Lews real but If it was me I would try my luck at them, I love their look and feel but have not owned one. I wont be buying BPS Pro Qulifiers anymore as my standards have been set higher.

Agree with most Lews speed spool. But it would be even better if you could find a Curado G for your price range.

I learned how to pitch with a spinning reel last winter in my backyard. It really paid dividends last season because it essentially allows you to power fish a dropshot rig. The basic idea is that you use your index or middle finger on you right hand to stop and release the line by pressing down on the spool. Use your left hand to release the bail and to grab your bait when you are making your pitch. I found the key is to use a 2500 spinning real as the spool sits closer to the rod and is easier to reach with your finger. If you learn this you will become considerably more efficient with spinning gear. I still think you ought to go find a baitcasting setup with a left hand retrieve and learn how to use it. Most guys that grow up with spinning reels in their hand will feel more comfortable with a Lefty. I know I sure do.

It must turn over really easy. Thats great. I cant even get combo batteries to start my Merc consistantly. I go with a starting battery but if the previous owner didnt have issues you might be alright.

I agree. A few reasons, 1) If you want to get into this sport you must learn how to use a baitcaster, might as well start now, practice at home. 2) If you only have a baitcaster you may get extreamly frustrated and want to quit, it can be a hassle while learning. You will find yourself useing the spinnig rod much more often at first while the bite is on. 3) BPS pro qualifier is a decent reel and could last a couple years. The President real is a great reel the ones I own I still use, they are the cheapest piece of gear I own that I still use often. Typically you would use all those baits mentioned above on casting gear, with the exception of soft plastics which would vary. But there is nothing to say cant use it all spinning as well.

I have E's, G's and D's. All great reels. I promise you that the G's cast control does not stay put the way the D's and E's do. Why? no idea. But it slips a bit while chucking and winding. Not a big deal. I wouldnt hesitate to pick one up!

I like Seagar Red Label 10 or 12 lbs for crankbait fishing. It has a little bit of stretch to it and casts really well. Its cheap so I do not use a backer and I replace it often. Its not the best fluoro out there but I prefer it over anything I have tried for cranking and jerkbait fishing.

Could be a fun little starter boat. The first Pro I can see is that it is a Mercury so it might actually still run well. Do a cold start while on the water and check compression once you get it back to the dock. If it runs, pumps water well, and does not bog down on the hole shot, the only other item I would be concerned with on an older outboard is the lower unit seals. For a buyer, the best way to check if they are leaking badly is to do a "I'll come back tomorrow with the money" deal. This allows the water to settle to the bottom of the gear case and before you buy unscrew the bottom gear case screw (bring a flathead) and if you get water they are bad. This is not the end of the world but you will instantly have a moderately difficult project on your hands if they are letting water in. I have never been on one of those older little glass bass boats, maybe someone come chime in as to how they ride and fish.

Pretty sure Bill Siementel wrote a book that touches hard on this topic.

Would be interested to hear what people think about the action of the Ghost rods...The Ducket rods I have owned (all broken now) have been pretty moderate action and great backbone, which I loved for certain things. I would probably pick one up if they have that same, not-so-fast action as the Micro/Macro Magics.

Yep. You will get around quicker and be more comfortable while doing it. I fish some brutal waters and have never felt unsafe in my tracker, maybe just had to slow down more than I liked. Jon's are uncomfortable and your going to get wet but can manage chop safely, if you are dealing with rollers on the other-hand its plain dangerous.

Could a modified V work in your shallow rivers? aka Tracker pro team? Tracker 17 pro teams can be found used at reasonable prices ($3500-$5500) if you are patient. The advantages of a boat like this are endless when compared to a Jon Boat in my opinion. Great storage, more stability, usually quieter hull due to false bottom and foam, creature comforts at the dash like bilge, gauges, livewell, they have dryboxes, My tracker can store about 14 rods in the box up to 8', larger platform front and back. Just as easy to load/unload on your own, can be towed by a midsized SUV, Just all around more comfortable. 60 HP two stroke is a pretty good size for that boat. It will close off some waters on your shallow river but it will open up even more on you bigger lakes and reservoirs (trust me on this). Maintenance wise you still are dealing with an outboard and that requires the most maintenance. To be quite honest, there will be minor outboard / trailer repairs/service every year but they are inexpensive and easy to perform on your own on this sized motor.

yep the 30. Great real for the money!

Mike McClelland uses mono. Said he had the worst jerkbait season ever one year when he switched to fluoro. I use Flouro 10# redlable. It's got some stretch to it but is still pretty durable as long as it's somewhat fresh. I probably would use mono if lc pointers were cheaper because mono doesn't hold up well around rocky bottoms and we've got tons of rock in our lakes.

I was referring more to the Teserra line of rods. They have a pretty bad rap in some crowds... but I love my Jerkbait/Topwater Teserra. I have owned one for 3 seasons and a second one for 2 seasons and have not had any problems. They cast the light baits so well, with so much pep.

Drop Shot= Haybasa penetrate and hold really well. I use them when the fish are biting funny or in the colder months when bites are few and far between. They bend but have never broke on me. Otherwise size 1 Gama DS hook all the way. Treble: I love plain old Gama round bend bronze hooks. They arent so heavy that they impact action, they penetrate well and stay sharp. If the fish are behaving extremely aggressive I always have duplicates of the same bait with Gamakatsu EWGs bronze to keep those smallies pinned. Beyond that I don't have major preference I just make sure there is enough gap and keep them sharp. I bought sharpener off ebay called Military Army Surplus Knife Sharpener. It works flawlessly and hasn't worn much over the last couple years.. I Highly recommend this 6 dollar purchase.

I may get harassed by saying this but I absolutely love my 6'10" Jerkbait/Topwater Skeet Reese Teresa Rod. I do a lot of jerkbait fishing and have found it to be the perfect action. It casts like a dream and is easy to work. I also use it to swim grubs, throw some topwater and some crankbait fishing as well. Couldn't be happier. It wont set the hook on anything T-rigged so if you are looking to fish soft jerkbaits with it as well look elsewhere.

***'s are pretty fast. I would have to be pretty desperate to throw a crankbait on an *** ( except maybe ripping lipless baits through grass). I have never seen an MF *** other their cranking rod... I have been in your position before though and quite honestly it has worked great. You want to find a graphite cranking rod in about the 7-2 to 7-6 range. Use Mono when you crank, then, when you need to fish jigs/t-rig use braided line. For instance I used to have Ducket Micro Magic 7-6" cranking rod that I could do this with, and it worked great.

Can I ask you this. Are there a lot of guys catching them punching in your area? How much of the year are you actually going to get to fish matted vegetation? I live in Washington and some years we get a lot of matting in fishable waters and some years we don't. I would opt against the punching rod just basing it on the fact I don't see much punching going on. It does look like a really fun way to catch them though. But on the other hand if you get like a 7-6+ Heavy rod you can also use that rod for pitching jigs, T-rig and c-rig.

You still got to find them but... Drop shot will catch them any day of the year in ANY weather conditions. Which bait? Roboworm. I don't love throwing it, but that's the truth.

Shimano Curado or Daiwa Tatula. I have retired Abu, BPS and Pfluegar reels due to worn gears but never a Curado, I have 2 D series Curados still in the lineup that are nearly 8 years old. Best of all, if you ever want to sell, no mater how beat up they are they have really good resale, unlike Abu. You will find Curados are pretty generic, nothing flashy, but they are easy to tune your bait in and they stay tuned in. Not to mention they are workhorses. The Tatula seems great so far but I cannot attest to their on the water reliability like I can with Shimano.

Find and watch video's of Greg Hackney fishing a worm or Jig. The guy is pretty talented. Great technique and fundamentals. His focus is top tier for fishing slow moving baits. What you will notice is that his patients and consistency while "setting up" the hookset is what's most impressive. For C-Rig, its been covered pretty well already but, It also needs to be noted that the guys who fish a lot C-rig (I am not one of them) typically like longer rods to pick up all that line, like 7-6+. They also tend take a few steps backwards while they are setting the hook to pick up even more line.

Dont buy a 10XD unless you have a rod that can handle them, same goes for 5xd and 6xd. It would be a waste of money. I have not thrown the 10XD yet but I prefer to throw the 5 and 6XDs on a 7'11" MH glass rod. The 10XD might require a rod of the same length but with less bend like possibly a swimbait rod or a graphite crankbait rod.