Chris at Tech

I use both but lean towards spinning for the same wind reason a few above mentioned.

Cast iron works well for me when cooking indoors!

I've done a fair amount of saltwater fishing in the SE. Off the top of my head, the species that are caught from land or pier include redfish, trout, flounder, bluefish, bonita, grouper, tarpon, permit, sailfish, king mackerel, spanish mackerel, snook, jack crevalle, sharks, pompano, snapper, cobia, barracuda and I'm sure many more I'm not listing. Point is, they can run anywhere from a 1 to 100+ lbs. The beauty of saltwater is you just never know what's gonna swim by and inhale your lure, and some of these guys can and will spool you. If baitcasting is your comfort zone then go for it, but I would recommend you take a look at some spinning reels as well. To me, I feel they do the job better and are more effective at handling the variety of conditions you can find yourself in. And I'm more confident throwing on a spinning rod regardless of what the wind is doing, whereas I can't say the same for my baitcasters. Those reels that still come with spare spools are also nice so you can have a different size line ready to go, or a backup so getting spooled doesn't end your day. If I was starting from scratch in gathering gear to fish via wading, bank or pier in Florida, here's where I'd go: 7' ML/F spinning rod w/ ~3000 sized spinning reel w/ braid. Great for artificial shrimp, small plugs and jigheads w/ plastics 7' M/F spinning rod w/ 4000 sized spinning reel w/ braid. Great for bigger artificial plastics and plugs, popping corks, spoons and smaller live bait 7-7'6" MH/F spinning rod w/ 5000 sized spinning reel w/ braid. Great for bigger spoons, jerkbaits, bubble rigs, and heavier bait fishing If you really want to target the bigger tarpon, sharks, jacks, etc then an 8' H/F w/ 6-8000 spinning reel w/ braid will be a good choice I happen to like the St Croix Tidemaster series w/ Shimano Stradics, and either PowerPro or Sufix braid. I'm FAR from an expert, but happy to share some more info on what has worked for me.

One more than you currently have.

Anything that swims in the salt! Redfish, speckled trout, tarpon, kingfish, jack crevalle, bluefish, striped bass, amberjack, red snapper...

Take the job. If and when the jail thing becomes available, give at least 2 weeks notice and offer sincere help to make the transition to whoever will be taking your spot seamless.

Let's see if I can remember them all... I've been in a boat with Randall, senko77, Fishing Rhino, Scrutch, Topwaterspook, Glenn and Keri. Been on a fishing trip with but did not share a boat with 00mod, A-jay, Long Mike, Dinky and Dwight Edit: Crap, forgot two. I've also fished with George Welcome

Yeah, reds are addicting. If I lived closer to the salt, I wouldn't bother messing with bass anymore.

After seeing that stack of nsync CDs you brought with you to Baccarac a few years ago, I figured this would be the case

If you're throwing that big, then you'll be OK with these reels

What are you planning to throw when inshore? Usually I'm throwing smaller/lighter baits that may be challenging to throw on the reels mentioned above.

And for the love of all things holy -- choose a degree in a field with reasonable job prospects! It's great to say you're following your passion by getting your degree in Sanskrit (bonus points for those of you who recognize the movie reference), but it ain't a great life decision to go tens of thousands of dollars, or more, into debt only to work in a career field with low earnings potential If you feel that strongly about getting a degree in one of those areas, at least get a minor in something more useful so you have a plan B.

Your choice of backdrop practically ruins the picture.

My daughter started on friggin' August 1st. Don't ask me why as I don't have the foggiest idea why this county insists on starting so early.

I'd recommend no shorter than a 14' if you're looking for a boat to deck out, and no narrower than 48". 1548 or 1652 are even better Regarding trolling motors -- if you deck the front you'll absolutely want a bow-mount. Get as big a TM as you can. I'm sure the 36 or 45lb motors will feel fine on a calm day but the true test is when the wind kicks up a bit. Personally, I gave two 80lb transom mount TMs and another 80lb bow mount and some days that feels too slow

I guide I fished with on Baccarac a few years ago did it. I thought he was crazy...until he started catching fish.

Wait -- Dunkin Donuts is discretionary???

If it works for you, then go for it. You are referring to the Penn Fathom star-drag saltwater reel, correct? I'd certainly give it a look for a saltwater bait or jigging rig but to me it's too big and unwieldy to comfortably cast bass lures for any amount of time. I would think the brake settings would be tricky to dial in for the more typical 1/4 - 1 oz total weight of bass presentations. It's twice the weight of "normal" bass casting reels, and there's certainly no need for 200+ yards of line when going after largemouth, smallmouth or spotted bass. If you like it, then no need to stop using it. But if I were in the market for a bass reel, this one would not be on my list of candidates

There's multiple reasons that reel is not well suited for bass fishing...

Pay your balance in full each month. The "I'll pay it later" train of thought is what gets people in trouble.

Thanks for the input. Just seems so odd that the manufactures would both overstate the thinness of the braid AND overestimate how much you can realistically fit on the reel. Oh well -- like I said, zero issues or concerns for bass but I have this mental thing about my saltwater reels having as much line as possible since I'm landbound just about 95% of the time. You know, just in case

So while I like braid, I do get a bit cracked up on all the varying information on the line diameter equivalencies. If 20 lb braid is the diameter of 6 lb mono, then why does the manufacturer say that I'll get more 6 lb mono on the reel than 20 lb braid? For those of you who do use braid, do you find yourself getting as much braid on the reel as the reel specs say? I don't really care much about my baitcasting braid capacity, but I do pay closer attention to the line on my spinning reels since they get double duty for inshore saltwater as well. I just spooled by 4000 Stradic FIs with fresh braid for the salt and was quite surprised with how far off I *THINK* I was. The specs show i should get a little over 200 yards of 20 lb Power Pro on the 4000, but I only got 150 yards of new braid + another 10-15 yards of older 20 lb braid. I am spooling the reels with tension on the line, running the braid through a paper towel that I have held tight between my fingers. So how are you guys faring in this area? Getting close to the manufacturer-listen capacities, or are you getting a good amount less like I am?

If you're gonna park it on the water, I'd recommend an automatic bilge pump be part of that mod list.

I'm nowhere near the jig expert that some others on this board are but I made a conscious effort to not overwhelm myself with the all the options for jig and trailer colors. My jigs are green pumpkin, brown and black/blue, and I fish them with matching Rage Craws. About the only change I'll regularly make is downsizing to the smaller Rage Craw when fishing in lakes dominated by spotted bass. The options are certainly endless, but my tackle bag is already heavy enough

If you really want to get more proficient in a new technique, then go fishing with ONLY that tackle. Leave your other stuff at home so your only option is the new technique.