Angry John

I dont think i would throw an 8.0 on 20 unless you want to go swimming! Most likely you will be using a heavier set up for that!

http://www.***.com/Lews_Tournament_Lite_Speed_Spool_Casting_Reel/descpage-TLS.html

What size square bill and how big are the bass in your area. The medium should be good if your pulling 1.5 size baits on 5lb or less bass. If you are tossing 2.5's and larger a medium-heavy would be better. How big are the fish in your area???

Clear colors like watermelon work better in clear waters. If you have murky water then use black or blueblack. Brown might also be a decent choice.

Fluorocarbon is not very forgiving of less than perfect casting. Kinks will cause brake offs which send lures on a comet trip. I use decent line from p-line and sunline which have not caused me a bunch of problems. If you want to try one more time, i would get the P-line 100% in 10 or 12 and see if you have the same issues. I use the KVD line conditioner and seem to have had some real good luck on not having a bunch of issues. Braid is much easier to manage and is what i would recommend any person learning to use a baitcaster get started with. The best handling flouro i have ever used is the seaguar invesx. It is not as hard so it is not as abrasion resistant and has more stretch.

I have kids that like to help. The 3 year old is terror on a lot of stuff. I dont let her handle my rods or reels.

I love my daiwa advantage htsl for this, even though its only 6.3 it has been a tank and still works like a champ.

http://www.brodin.com/stealth-float-tube.html This is the other net i have been considering!

The jig is a great option, you may also want to use a lipless or a dropshot without adding any extra motion. The jerkbait is also a great coldwater bait.

I've licked the plastic a few times and it tastes the same no matter if it's fresh or days old I dont know if thats a great test or not but it does show dedication. As the salt comes out of the lure it will change the fall rate. If you want a slower sink rate then the used plastic would be better. I end up swapping out my plastic because i dont want it to disappear into the the water forever. I change out trailers when a claw is missing.

I was looking for other items that might not be in the forefront like rods and reels. I get the best weapons for the fight that i can but there are things to improve the experience that are not always know. Right now i have my eyes on a net that looks super nice. I had been holding out to find just the right one and now i think i have found it. http://fishpondusa.com/product/detail/nomad-mid-length-net/227

I may be a little spendy for my wife but i feel it worth the extra money to buy quality stuff. One of the products that i got recently that i feel is at the mark for high quality equipment is a bass maffia 3700 box. I have dropped and broken so many boxes that getting a few of these has actually saved me some money. I wish they came out with a vented model as i still keep buying the plano vented 3700 boxes. I must have 5 of them laying around here with a shattered corner from drops. I would pay extra if plano made a quality hydroflow box and not bat an eye. What equipment have you found to be high value even if it costs more???

I would like to see a new and improved zillion R but i also really like the look of the new SOL baitcasters. A sucker for orange what can i say.

Most stock hooks suck but i like the originals on the xd baits. There no where near owner st-36 or 41's but those are big money. I have never cranked with that heavy of a braid i use 20 most of the time. You should get a hit and just crank faster. I dont even think you will need a hook set in the classic sense.

You can get a zillion 7.1 from tw for 191 out the door right now.

Now that got me laughing thanks for that

Check out some stuff from DUO. I just ordered my first lipless from them but i have some of there small cranks for trout and early spring bass and crappie. i also have a m65 that i like. There very detailed and so far they are holding up great. Jerkbait or 6 for winter or spring???

Why not change the question to best shimano reel less than 350

The boat rentals seem a lot more there. I fly in on the 18th and would be looking at the 19 or 20th. The 20th is my birthday so that would be cool!

Using flouro with a very small reel will lead to a lot of problems. I fish a 2000 size daiwa and will not go over 6lb due to coils and jumping off the reel. A good copoly will be the most manageable and have good stength for the diamiter. Some options that you may look at if you have a larger budget is the 1000 size daiwa certate or the presso line of reels. I love my 2004 certate for the smaller fish and it is so nice. Long rods with faster actions help on the hook set. The length will provide the ability to load up the rod as speed is relitive to length of the rod. I see a lot of very long crappie rods but i just use a 7' myself.

I fish in fresh water only and i have to make up my mind to ship a rod here in the next few days. I am thinking of renting a bass boat and fishing lake. http://lakewohlford.com/

I will be in long beach at some point, so maybe you could show me where to wet a line in that area!

Food for future projects. I have wanted to do this for about three years now!!!

Your friends live and fish in the same area you do, so their input would be more insitu than us here. There is always more than one way to skin a cat, you must choose which way is best for you.

I would not try doing it as you have found you will lose a ton. If your trying to get deep from the shore a swim jig or a dropshot will be a better option with a lot less losses.