blckshirt98

6 foot leader is overkill - braid to a ~24 inch(give or take a few inches, since I just eyeball how much I pull off, but try to error on the longer side) leader, the knot should never even touch the tip guide.

I might grab a Spiralite when the local tackle shop has their huge annual sale next month. I have a Phenix glass casting rod with normal guides and the same blank with spiral guides, and prefer the spiral guides. The benefit of a spiral wrap isn't a casting distance thing for me, it's the retrieve, especially if you're using large or heavy baits, because the rod doesn't want to twist one way or the other, so it's more comfortable and there's less fatigue when you're making hundreds of casts.

I'm right-handed but reel with my left for both spinning and casting. I got a late start with baitcasters and there were many left-side handle models available. Most right-handed people I know that use right-side handle casting reels did it out of necessity since many years ago the model they wanted didn't have a left-side option. An added bonus to reeling with my left hand is that being right-handed, I like to control the rod, and hence the fish, with my dominant arm.

"open-assist" is what I prefer and have on my knives, though I don't get the high end stuff. Just a collection of sub-$50 knives I found on woot.com (SOGs and Kershaws) that I don't mind getting grimy and dirty.

I have a 9'6" Legend Elite salmon/steelhead version and it's amazing. I use it mainly in the surf, but, did hook onto a river king salmon with it once - didn't land it but the pull on the rod is so perfect.

Nice fish! Bass are in that grass year-round, kiss the top and edges and they'll come chewing!

I'm a shore guy and carry a Boomerang snip attached to a belt loop via keychain carabiner, an assist-release Kershaw knife that I clip onto my backpack, surgical type pliers in the backpack in case a fish swallows a hook, and a Bogagrip in the backpack to hold/weigh any big fish.

These will change your life. Amazing for storing lures as well because they don't get tangled up as you move them around.

Definitely overkill for freshwater unless you're looking for some bling and a conversation piece.

Best budget reel I've ever used. I bought a couple to use in the surf because I figured the saltwater would corrode the reel quickly and it would need to be replaced, and a $30 replacement would be relatively painless. 5 years later and I'm still on the original reel. Catches fish just as well as my Stradic and Sahara.

Phenix all day long in that price range - M1/Feather/Recon Elite - take your pick.

If I could only pick one dropshot hook for the rest of my life I'd go with the Trokars. They're razor sharp and strong as nails. They're also one of the more expensive options. For a budget everyday dropshot hook I use the Owner Mosquitos in the bulk Pro Packs. They do the job but if you get snagged and work them loose the smaller ones tend to bend. Gamakatsu (blue pack, not the Aaron Marten green pack) drop shot hooks are also fine but wouldn't be my first choice, I've had issues with these bending as well. They get a mention because if you need hooks in a pinch every tackle store will carry these. Trapper drop shot hooks I would avoid. They do exactly what they say they will, once a fish is hooked on it won't become unbuttoned, but that same 90 degree angle and shape of the hook that keeps the fish from throwing the hook makes the hook a huge pain in the a$$ to remove, where oftentimes you'll need to bend/break the hook to just get it off. I have some of the VMC spin shots, but just having to tie that extra knot deters me from ever really using them consistently.

Mom and pop tackle shops live and die by customer service and their ability to bring the local fishing community together. The ones with great customer service are the ones that survive where people will pay a couple of extra bucks. The ones with snobby elitist owners all eventually die a slow death.

If you're trying to specifically present a dying baitfish you could always just go with a Lake Fork Flutter Spoon.

Sorry to necro this thread but Elaztech is too finicky for me to risk anymore with anything so I stopped using those altogether and gave most of em away!

I used the smaller drop shot hooks and *hated* them. The funky 90 degree angle that keeps the fish from throwing the hook also keeps the hook from being removed easily, and often results in bent/broken hooks.

Zoom Trick Worm, less than $5 for a bag of 20 (closer to $4 when on sale, and under $4 if you game TW). You won't find a cheaper worm that will rig any way you want, in every color imaginable, and works, anywhere.

The FX colors have a unique "shimmer" to them especially when in the water reflecting sunlight. I prefer them to the normal straight tails on sunny days!

The Plano crankbait storage boxes for me work the best, especially when used with hook bonnets. The hook bonnets stay tucked down into the box and you can move crankbaits in/out/around like toys.

Also set the right expectations. The large swimbait people are chucking them all day long from dusk to dawn looking for 1-2 big trophy bites. If you're expecting 50 fish days because you're throwing $30-400 swimbaits around you're going to be disappointed. It can be highly rewarding, but also may not be for everyone.

We have a great mom n' pop tackle shop (Coyote Bait and Tackle) in the South Bay Area but in the past few years I've been watching them close down. Ly's Fishing Goods in San Jose run by Ly and his wife was the first casualty when the owner got into machining work full time because it's what paid the bills. Bass Tackle Depot up in Oroville was a place a friend of mine grew up near, and I bought from them online all the time, they closed shop as well. Walton's Pond had an owner (John Walton) that knew the SF Bay and Delta areas like the back of his hand, but he closed shop for greener pastures and went to work for the mosquito fleet out of La Paz. Angler's Choice in Capitola I never had the chance to visit, but they shuttered their doors a couple of years back. In more recent news does anyone know why Precision Tackle on the northern tip of Chesapeake Bay closed down? They were another online shop I'd check out, but they recently sold everything off and shut their doors as well.

Preaching to the choir my friend.

You can lose your mind with all of the braid brands/variations. I messed around with a few then ended the madness and now stick with either original PowerPro, or Sufix 832, whichever I can find on sale when I need to re-stock. Both are widely available at almost every small or big box tackle shop, and therefore you can usually find them on sale. Use mono backing to fill up the bottom of your spool to both avoid line-slippage and so you don't have to waste money on braid that'll never touch the water. As for knots I used to use a double-uni but ran into breakage issues (there are better knots out there that I've been too lazy to learn) so now I just use the smallest Spro Power Swivel to connect my braid to fluoro.

Dang, sad to hear. They're a West Coast (Huntington Beach) USA-made rod manufacturer that was primarily a saltwater rod company that just started to get into freshwater rods the last few years. I always wanted to get a couple of their rods but they were higher priced and hard to find on sale. If anyone has a link to an online clearance sale, PM me!

I rinse my spinning reels when I use them in the surf under a faucet and let them air dry on the rod rack with no ill effects so rain shouldn't be a problem. Only thing I would be worried about is if the reels are dusty and haven't been wiped down in a while and you get that early morning fog/dew and that dust starts to turn to sludge.