blckshirt98

$250 will get you a ton of lures if it's spent efficiently and you use it on stuff youre going to actually use, just be sure to mix it up and not do something like buy 10 different colors of a 5" senko or 5 different colors of a KVD 2.5 squarebill because that'll chew up your budget really fast. Part of the fun is being able to use different lures/presentations to keep it interesting and fun. Also when people here say that $250 is a nice start, remember that I'd say the majority of bought tackle gets unused, or sees the water once or twice without catching anything, then gets put away. If armageddon came tomorrow I think I have enough tackle to catch fish to survive on for the next 20 years, which means 95% of the stuff I buy really doesn't see much use. Now I'm considering putting together an imaginary $250 lure cart at TW to see what I would get if I were starting from scratch. If everyone here did that it would stink to be the TW admins when they see a ton of $250 carts that never get checked out.

TBH in a blind test I bet most people can't tell the difference between a 4 bearing vs 10+ bearing reel if it's lubed and maintained properly.

You have the same mix of plastic at the low end and magnesium at the high end, but there's been a "trickle" down of sorts with features making their way down to some of the mid-budget reels (especially spool design). You can find a nice reel for 30-40 bucks like the Shimano Solstace or Diawa Crossfire that will last for years if you take care of it.

When I started buying rods and reels I usually bought what was on sale/clearance. I've read some pros recommend trying to stick to the same brand of rod or reel since each manufacturer has different actions/mechanics/feel etc.

I read that fluoro isn't as susceptible to UV ray damage as mono, so you should be able to get more mileage out of it...just how much, I haven't found any info on that yet.

I would dropshot the sh** out of a 4" Molix Sator Worm in Seducente or Watermeon Gold Shad.

Before this past summer I fished a dropshot from shore probably 90% of the time. Works great!

Just as a follow up look into the 4.5" Yum Sharpshooter. Those are a game changer for budget fisherman, $3 for 20 baits and they're killer on a dropshot.

Dropshot any plastic in the 2-3.5" size range.

I usually use no leader when fishing a reaction-strike bait only because I'm lazy and don't think the fish will notice the line when their instinct tells them to attack a prey. Some people will use a fluoro leader because braid floats, fluoro sinks, and their crankbait/swimbait/reaction bait will sink faster/run deeper when using a fluoro leader. When I'm using a slower/finesse technique I'll use a fluoro leader because it's basically invisible in the water, gets the bait down faster, and there's no bright line to spook the fish. Also if you get a snag you're more likely to lose just the leader and not a big chunk of your pricey braid.

I like how the eBay seller is from Salt Lake City and the OP's favorite lake is Trail Lake located...right next to Salt Lake City.

Yeah, unless you're a pro or fishing a tournament where you need to fish the bad times of the day, try to stick with the best times.

LOL YES the vacation packages! They hang out by the big display fish tank too so you have to kind of work to avoid them by waiting until they're looking the other way or walking past them with a quick nod.

I think TW sales are pretty standard "sitewide" with some brand exceptions. Their best sale IMO is the one they have during ther "x Days of Christmas" when I think they put their gift cards up at 10% off. Grab a stack of those, wait for their usual 20% off sitewide sale, apply the gift card, bam, 30% off.

Those small bass will destroy a 3-4" plastic on a dropshot. Use a size 4 hook and nosehook the plastic.

I'm right handed and lefty only for me. I used spinning reels when I was young and stuck with spinning reels until recently, so once I started using baitcasters, since there's so many left handed reels available now, stuck with lefty.

Always crack of dawn + about 3-4 hours until the sun comes up and it starts to get hot. I don't go out too often when the sun starts to go down, usually at home winding down with the TV or something.

I've only been to one BPS, and that's the one in Manteca, CA. It's in the central valley closer to the Sierra mountains than the coast. It's huge but they have a ton of floor space dedicated to clothing and hunting gear. Their fishing section is large and it's primarily freshwater stuff, a decent trout section too. Their saltwater section is an afterthought. They're probably targeting the people from the Bay Area passing through on their way to one of the bajillion places to fish in the Sierras. One thing I noticed is that their rods/reels/lures are stocked very heavy on their in-house, Strike King, Berkley/Pure Fishing, Zoom, and Rapala/VMC brands. I'd guess those companies make up probably 80% of their stock. Now if you're looking for something from those brands, their color selection can't be beat and you'll probably find something to your liking. If you're looking for something from a smaller regional or niche tackle company, you're probably out of luck. I'm assuming BPS buys in such huge volumes to stock all of their stores that they can get the best bulk deals from those big brands, which provide the biggest profit margins, so they focus on those. BPS also NEVER has sales/closeouts of any note, not even on their website. Maybe a dozen items on ine, or a small bookend rack at the end of an aisle in-store, and even then it's mostly their in-house brand items. One really odd thing I noticed was that I was looking to buy some barrel swivels (like the Spro Power Swivel style) and the BPS had NO barrel swivels of that style. There's a new BPS opening in San Jose in a month or two, so I'm curious to see how they stock that store. I'm guessing they'll have a larger saltwater selection. All of the local Sports Authority stores got rid of their fishing sections a couple of years back after BPS announced their plans. The local Wal Marts have an aisle for fishing, but it's the usual essentials with a little bit of everything freshwater/saltwater/trout/panfish/catfish/carp/etc so the typical family could get what they needed if they wanted to go fishing.

The day after it rains has always been tough for me. I've had the most 0 fish days on either the day after a heavy rain, or, a bright clear 90+ degree zero wind day. I've learned to just stay home and clean/organize tackle and do stuff around the house on those days.

Fishing from the bank during cold weather season with no electronics to locate the fish is like trying to hunt with a blindfold on!

6th Sense is an awesome lure company and their hardbaits are fairly priced! Buy with confidence!

I'm in Cali and just got a pack of these just a couple of months ago to try using on a dropshot. Will probalby try them in the springtime, but they are larger/bulkier than I normally like to use on a dropshot!

Better to have and never use than need to use and not have. I've lugged around a fire extinguisher to wherever I live for 15 years and wondered if I'd ever need it. Well a month ago there was a fire and without the extinguisher i could have been in some sh**. Well worth having one sitting around taking up space for so long.

I use 20lb Sniper FC for my crankbaits, works like a charm, same stuff one of the guys at the local tackle store uses and he fishes crankbaits almost exclusively.

The Strike King KVD 1.5 and 2.5 are pretty awesome for what you pay for them. They work and they're cheap enough where you won't be as afraid to throw them into structure. Also look at the Bandit 100 series. Something like a $15-20 LC or Megabass squarebill, I never have the courage to use them as intended.