HoosierHawgs

Longer paddle maybe?

I use mono, Berkley Trilene XL is a good quality mono choice. The reasons being: 1) Berkley Trilene XL is about $6 for 300 yds and Berkley Trilene Fluoro is about $19 for 200 yds.. I buy all Berkley, so I get a rebate on all my line, but it still saves me money. 2) Stretch, Trilene XL is very forgiving in terms of treble baits. I rarely rip hooks out, and usually it's my own fault because I put too much pressure on the fish 3) Handling and Castability, There are fluoros that handle well, but even Berkley Trilene 100% Fluoro XL does not handle as well as regular XL This is just me, and I started my angling career use mono, and it's the most familiar to me. I use flouro and braid when warranted, but I use mono when I don't need the advantages offered by braid/fluoro because these 3 factors outweigh the negatives of mono in situations where I don't need sensitivity or abrasion resistance.

Depends on how light you need the reel to be. Both good reels, can't go wrong with either, but the Type R will be slightly heavier.

Depends on the size of the Jigs. I personally don't mind a little extra weight. I would go with the Tournament Pro, lots of Lew's pro staff cite that as being there favorite Lew's.

Send it hack to Lew's. You probably got a Lemon. They are good reels, including the new ones, but mass manufactured as most reels are, every once in a while there's a lemon. They should replace it or repair it for you

Reminds me of an article I read in Field and Stream a few issues ago: http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/fishing/2014/08/hat-tricks-find-your-next-lucky-fishing-lid

Forum hack... But what set ups do you guys fish bladed jigs on?

'Chatter', pun intended?

Milk Crate. One guy in another thread has a really sweet crate set up.

An FS128T is $750.. It's a little bit out of your range, but it is made to be very stable. If you get this, you will need to make some tweaks to it, like sealing the storage latches so they are waterproof and such. They are well built boats for the price. Also, Craigslist, like others said is good as well. Just be safe when you use it... If something looks to good to be true, it probably is. Good luck!

I always get a drink and a bag of chips at the gas station.. Usually a Powerade and Honey BBQ Fritos. Just my thing I guess.

This.. I found some Columbia PFG jackets like this on sale at Burlington Coat Factory. Not somewhere first on most list to buy fishing gear, but its good quality and saved me some $$

In Indiana? When/where? I'd love to go t some!

No, at this point I believe it is considered to be 'Tex-Posed'

Try this: http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/2014/08/bait-guide-how-to-catch-bass-in-any-pond

Rule is definitely garbage. But, by the ways the rules read it was a good call by the official. "He caught it, but he didn't caught it" kinda situation. Also, the Colts won, which was a surprise. I kinda wish the Broncos had won. I miss Peyton, and I think we really screwed him in my opinion. I would've liked to have seen them go all the way this year. His health just wasn't where he needed it to be this week.

Starting to go back up around here. It may have bottomed out, but I sure hope not. When it comes to being in highschool, I have a very limited budget, and would like to not have to blow it all on gas. I don't think the everyday American enjoys paying top dollar for it either.

It's definitely here, but less than you would think. I've been spending a lot of time reading articles and threads on here, and watching videos. I've been focusing on Swimming for the school, and have been getting more time in the water than I ever have which is great. I've been watching for sales, and have been letting a buddy know about the good deals online. Also, I've been spending a lot of time working on cars. I took the FJ Cruiser out and I have replaced the filters, battery, and plugs, as well as changing the oil. I also took it to the shop to get new brakes. I've spent more time in a NAPA auto parts store in the last 3 months than I ever have in my life.

What kind of cover is there?

Or do both as a one two punch, so to speak. First, use a few moving baits like a spinnerbait, crankbait, or jerkbait go find where fish... Then, once you catch a few, further dissect the area you caught them in.

I was about to say this! Yeah, Aaron Martens does at times cast and retrieve a drop shot rig pretty quickly, and pretty effectively as well. There is a few videos of him doing this on bassmaster.com... I've watched them and they've been pretty helpful.

I wouldn't say that's too small for shad. I fish a private 9 acre reservoir that has a large thriving shad population. I snagged a couple of 6"-8" shad throughout this season, so I know they are their.

There is some good crappie fishing at Eagle creek. Only smaller boats though... It's pretty far west, but Racccoon has some good bass and striper action. It's about an hour west of me though, and probably even farther west for you.

This seems about right. My dad caught an 8+ lb cat on a black Colorado blade spinnerbait one evening at a private lake we fish. He also thought it was the bass of a lifetime. His rid doubled over and I had to help him land it, he was only fishing a medium rod w/14# line... Bug we managed to land it.. She was huge.

Deep diving jerkbaits, large deep diving flat sided cranks.