TedderX

1. Why are fly fishing rods so long? Like 9 foot and such. Especially in the east, where there are so many trees on rivers. 2. Fly fishing rods used to be made of cane. Are they as good as modern graphite and such? Better? Worse? 3. Why do fly fishing reels have a drag on them, if "typically" you pull a fish in by the line? 4. How important is floating fly line vs. sinking fly line?

Why did baitcaster rods used to be short (about 5 foot or so) and also inset into the handle?

What are wire leader and snells? What are they used for? When are they good to use? Are they necessary?

The Ambassadeur reel has gained and retained it's prestige throughout the years for it's quality and (I think) being affordable to the average fisherman. I read some stories now that question the new reels due to quality issues and multiple company changes, etc. Is there any kid of baitcast reel on the market today that is considered prestigious and timeless?

Is there anything "wrong" with just your standard monofilament companies that you see? Like are they considered poorer quality or anything? Talking Stren, Suffix, Trilene, etc. Can fish se the hi-vis and clear? Or should you go with the low-vis stuff? Does anyone make black monofilament?

I bought both. I'm using crawfish on the skirted ones and worms on the shakey heads. For some reason I can't visualize this description. Do you have a picture of what you're talking about?

I bought War Eagle Shakey Head, 3/8 oz and tried using them for the first time today. I tried texas rigging them like I do with my EWG hooks and realized it just simply doesn't work the same. What are other ways I can attach the worm? I'm using Zoom Original Trick Worm (Okeechobee craw).

Wanted to say thank you for all of the replies. Gives me a different insight and courage.

I know there are many variables but from what I gather and you can even had one rod for each specific fishing. However, I realistically can only afford (and only want) two types of set ups. GENERALLY it goes like this (correct?): Baitcaster is for "heavier" fishing. 15+ lbs line. Crank baits, swim baits, lipless crank baits, top water, frogs, swim jigs. Spinning real is for "finesse" fishing. 8-12 lbs line. worms, shakey heads, craw-type jigs, drop shot rigs, etc. What other "types" of fishing fits into these categories? where do jerk baits fall? where do chatterbaits fall? etc, etc.

I've been fishing for about three weeks solid. I've only caught four blue gill; no bass. I'm getting a little disheartened by it. For a bank fisherman, how often "should" you be catching fish? I know there are TONS of variables, but I feel I am giving it a decent effort and good go at it but seeing no results. Is it really that much of an advantage that a "consistent" bass fisherman needs a boat and radar/scanner thing to see fish and under water structures? You watch youtube and it seems they're picking fish out of the water every five minutes. I know that's not reality, but I feel I should be some better by now. For me, this has been a double whammy. Baitcasting rod is totally new to me (I'm getting decent at it). But also lure fishing is new to me as well. Before now, I fished occasionally only with worms/crickets on a bobber. I don't have any buddies to learn from. What more can I do?

I figure the rod pretty much takes care of itself unless you bust an eye off. Reel- How often should you take it apart and clean, oil, and grease it? Once a year? Once a week? I have an Abu Garcia Revo SX. Line- How often should you change your line? Is there a way to tell when it's time? I'm strictly using monofilament. Scenario I had: I fished three-four hours a day for about three weeks. After about a week of not fishing, I went today. I noticed the "top" layer of line on my spool was fairly dark in color (not your typical clear/see through). I assume this was the amount of line I had been using and was actually in the water. Until several casts, and it getting wet again, it had ALOT of memory in it. It also was somewhat stiffer. I had several backlashes because of this. Once decently wet, it seemed to perform normally again. Should I just cut this section of line off and use what's underneath? Or is it ok to use?

Thank you everyone for your help! I bought a bunch today. I'm still keeping an eye out for some of these I wasn't able to find (whopper popper, live target sunfish, jackal pompadour, a few others). "Unfortunately", I still have plenty of room in two of those plano boxes. Lol! I'm having a hard time fitting all the soft plastics in my tackle box, but I do think I want to leave them in the original packaging. Here is everything I got: -Strike King 1.5 (black/chartreuse (2), Neon Bluegill, Blue Gill, Chartreuse Sexy Sad, DB Craw, -Yum Crawbug (Green pumpkin, watermelon red flake) -Zoom Z Craw (black sapphire -Zoom Swimmin Super Fluke Jr (white ice) -Zoom Super Fluke (Midnite Chartreuse) -Zoom Ol Monster 10.5" (green pumpkin) -Zoom Ultravibe Speed Worm (red shad) -Zoom Original Trick Worm (Okeechobee craw) -Strike King Swimming Jig, 3/8 oz (white/silver sparkes, and a multicolor one) -Strike King Premier Pro-Model Jig, 1/2 oz (black/blue) -War Eagle Shakey Head, 3/8 oz (black and green pumpkin) -Eagle Claw Bobber Stops -Eagle Claw Wacky Worm Hooks, 2/0 -Cabelas Dropp Shot sinkers, 1/4 oz -Jitterbug (black) -Rat-l-trap 1/2 oz (kinda of a bloody shad/blue) -Original Dardevle 1/4 oz

Is there fishing line considered a quality line? Specifically I'm looking at their monofilament. Also, what is the purpose of their "EZ" series that they have in all the types of line?

The chatterbaits I've bought so far come with a two-tailed trailer. I guess it's a type of tube. Is that the best trailer to be using with it?

Alright, I'll try the original trick worm them. So far I've used them wacky rigged and texas rigged with those 1/2 oz worm weights.