HoosierHawgs

At that price range they are all pretty good. A Lew's Tourney Pro is a good option, so is a Chronarch (The Silver One) or a Curado, I'm not a fan of Abu's, but I like the look of the Revo STX as well. A Daiwa Tatula is a little cheaper but a very solid reel for the $150 price tag as well. It's all about the features you are looking for. (Plamability, power and torque, or another feature) Would this reel be for all around use?

True... Evinrude does the motors that come stock on the Rangers and they are both sponsors of the Walmart FLW Tour. It'll be interesting to see how things pls out.

The Nitro boats seem nice enough to me.. They are affordable also. You saw Triton just came out w/a new 22 and 20 ft model. They are still higher end boats. Also, you can get your boats worked on at local shops. One by me does full boat repair work.

My two front teeth! Just kidding, I'd like to get a Lew's Tournament MB Casting Reel, Some gift cards to TW or BPS, and maybe a few nice baits in my stocking. Also, I'm buying myself a kayak! Merry Christmas! Jakob

Usable gear. It is not too complicated and can be easy to use. Also, it will still be decent. If he doesn't like it, then who cares, he can give the stuff to charity. If he likes it, then he can get the tip shelf stuff

Cost of living in Indy is low (for the most part) but my dad and I still look for good value when it comes to fishing stuff. There is a point where price and quality meet, and certain lures do that. Other sits are cheap but bad quality or good quality but too much $$ to justify.

Buzzbaits- Black is a great color at night, White/Chart during the day. Work it just fast enough to keep it gurgling on the surface, so it says in the strike zone longer Walker-White/Shad colors are good most of the time. I like the Savage Gear ones because they are easy to work, they have better actions than original spooks. Popper- I like the original Rebel Pop-R in white, chrome/blue, and other shad colors. I like a 3 pop pause cadence. Change it up throughout the retrieve. These are good for targeting specific areas, and can left in place for a long time, while spooks aee good for covering water I fish all of these on a 6'6" medium casting w/a 6.3:1 reel (lo pro, because palmability is key) w/12# mono

Shallow cranking was huge this year. So was topwater at night.

Big Bite Baits Kriet Tail Worms are my favorite. They have a good tail w/lots of action and water displacement. It's what I would call a 'stick worm on steroids'. It's also a great bait.

Any type of 'contact bait' (jigs, soft plastics of any type) give off no negative cues. They look natural, act erratic, and feel/taste natural. On the other hand, a moving lure w/a built in action is not as erratic, and generally do not taste/feel like the real thing.

My setup is a 6'6" Medium Berkley Lightning Rod w/a 4.9:1 Reel, and I think 10-12# is fine. I wouldn't go bigger.

Prespawn- Bomber Switchback Shad in either a Shad or Craw Pattern (switch the bearings to silent) Spawn-LOUD Square Bill Postspawn) Depends on Water Depth and Style of Fishing Fall-Back to Squarebills, but silent this time

Like I said, not a bad reel, but there are better reels at that price IMO. Also, I've had other BPS reels, and they are better quality. I have used the ProLite and the Johnny Morris aeries and they have smoother drags and better casting. The PQ is a workhorse though, and its a tank of a reel.

My Picks would be: 1)Lew's Speed Spool (People have been fighting about these in the tread below, but the vase model SS is a great value) 2) Pflueger Supreme (Pflueger makes some darn Good reels, especially for the money) 3) Daiwa Tatula (feature packed, looks sexy, the t wing is cool too) I would stay away from: 1)Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier (some love it, some hate it, I just think there are better reels for 100 bucks) 2)Lower end Shimanos (Shimano makes good high end reels, but they're low cost reels just don't have the features of others in the price rafe) Just my 2 cents the best advice I can give is go out and feel reels. Put them in your hand, wind em to feel for smoothness, put them on your rods and feel it for comfort. Then pick the one you like the best.

I feel you! It's starting to get cold! Lless snow than usual though.. Hmm.. But yes, a black jitterbug is a killer bait on a hot summer night!

My XPS stuff is pretty durable. For the price of $2.50 that's a steal!

The old ones are sturdy. I still have one. The new ones I've seen feel nice as well. You couldn't go wrong w/a Shimano Round reel either. There is another thread about those... But I still use my old Shimano Corsair. They are good reels.

Actually, a heavier reel will probably feel 'sturdier' than a lighter model. A light model just wont feel like its as 'solid' so to speak.

Mine is a walker. It looks like the forage (shad), has good injured action, and I can cover all kinds of water w/it.

Bass hit frogs w/legs, so there is your answer.

I have heard the Lexa's feel pretty sturdy. I think that my Lew's feel sturdier than the Abu reels, but that is my opinions. My original speed spool feels really "sturdy" for its price point. But a Daiwa Lexa or Tatula may be worth a look. The tat gets my vote over the lexa just because of looks.

Watch the guy on the right http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7r53/straight-talk-wireless-anglers

He never tried a stiffer spinning rod? Berkley Lightning Rod Shock makes some good heavy spinning rods.

You are not fishing slow enough or I heavy enough cover until you start losing tackle

Lot of people like the Seagur Kenzen or Smacdown lines. I'm trying Spiderwire Stealth braid in #50 this upcoming year for flipping, frogging, A rigs and swimbaits. I'll let you know how it is and whether I decide to stay w/it or change brands.