jimmyjoe

Welcome to BR! What you have sounds like a musky rig. Use it for pike or musky, because musky rods are very, very stiff. In general, too stiff for bass fishing. If you're dead set on trying it for bass, remember one thing; to cast that rod (or any rod, for that matter) well, you need to load it up. Try 2 - 2 1/2 oz lures. jj

^^^^^ this ^^^^^. I firmly believe that when you use a crankbait, the fish hooks itself. And that's the way it should be! By the time you feel resistance, the barb is already set. All you do is hold, lift the rod tip, and reel. Otherwise, you get into the situation that some people describe as "pulling the lure away from the fish" or "pulling it out of their mouth". It sounds like that's what you're doing. Don't anticipate when you're using trebles. You'll get ahead of the fish. jj

Oh my, my ...... you opened the floodgates with that one! ??? I'd use the smallest topwater you can find, like maybe the smallest Rapala minnow or their ultralight popper, and use it when they're feeding in the evening. That'll give you a good idea of what's there, what size they really are and how hungry they are. Good luck! JJ

No, I don't think so. "Swing" sports generally use the whole arm and the upper torso, driven from the core muscles (or even the feet). Casting a freshwater rod mostly uses the wrists and forearm. Surf casting is different. Yes, I would consider that a swing sport. jj

No, I think he seems to be an alright guy, just like the rest of us. jj

What I'm trying to say is it's not a strong reel. I'd use lighter line, as in lighter techniques. jj

I have a Casitas 150 HG. I tried it with 15 mil line, and it seemed to do OK for about a month. Now it makes a not-so-faint "sh-sh-sh-sh" noise on both cast and retrieve. If it were my decision, I wouldn't put over 12 mil line on it. Of course, the trouble I'm having might be unique to my reel, too. You never know. jj

Try calling Lew's customer service. When I used Lew's reels, the help I got was fantastic. (They would install aftermarket bearings in the reels for you .... for a price, of course.) They knew which reels would benefit from which upgrades, and why. The company has changed hands since then, and I don't know for sure that the staff are as helpful and knowledgeable as they were then. I sure hope so; they were good people. Try them and see. jj

You may find you get the best results not from a shoe, but an insole or insert. Dr. Martens, Superfeet, Dr. Scholls and others make them, and the construction is about the same for all of them. The results, however, are or can be completely different. I spent a loooooong time going through the different brands. I also found out that most brands need to be trimmed just a little bit to fit individual users perfectly well. For me, the results were better than new shoes, and maybe you will find out the same thing. I also found out that it helped a whole lot to stretch my feet in the morning. Good luck! jj

No, I didn't. I was blessed with being able to watch 2 excellent local fishermen from 40 years ago. They were kind enough to answer my questions. Because I saw their results with my own eyes, I kept trying what they told me until I "got it". It took awhile for certain things, not long for others. All in all, I was very lucky to have known them. jj

At the top of the site are several links. One is "videos". Click on it. You'll learn lots of things. jj p.s. - "fishing articles" also. jj

You have a knack for making things crystal-clear. Congrats! jj

I would guess that what he meant was ensure that the line coming off the supply spool is coming off over the top of the spool, and not from under the bottom of the supply spool, which would twist your line. jj

I just went and pulled both my Curado reels to make sure. If you reduce the drag pressure on a Curado (and I believe, but am not absolutely sure, any modern baitcaster) the spool can have an erratic function, or even no function at all while the levelwind is unaffected.. Try this: reduce your drag to almost nothing. Put your thumb on the spool and crank the handle. You'll see the levelwind going back and forth even though the spool is being held motionless. You should be able to increase the drag to a point that it seems to have bite, but can still slip with a slight increase in drag resistance. This will do two things; 1) it will put the line take-up on the spool temporarily out of sync (like for a second) with the levelwind, resulting in either a slightly lower line level as the line comes across at a higher angle, or a buildup of line as the levelwind passes over the same point on the spool temporarily, before re-aligning itself. 2) With some lines, a friction point can build up at a certain spot on the spool. Every time the levelwind passes over that point, the drag will "stutter" or momentarily reduce effectiveness. It will slip a small bit, in other words. This can result in uneven line lay. The solution is to tighten the drag down to AT LEAST the level you're going to use on the water. With thick lines, or when I used braid (I don't anymore) I tightened the drag down VERY tight, then loosened it up to the level I wanted to use on the water. So the advice everyone such as @Logan S, @CrankFate, @rangerjockey, and @Russ E about line tension should be correct. And the point about getting to the complete supply of line on the spool like @JLewis134 said is important, too. You can't tell if there's not a buildup all the way at the inside of the spool supply. Try these things, and ..... Good luck! jj

Nothing like good ol' consumer blackmail to get results, eh? jj

I didn't know that there was a 14 lb. test Big Game. jj

Funny ...... that's what my relatives say! ??? jj

True, true. He's not the only one, though. ? jj

If I'm fishing the rivers, I might burn through lots of different lures. The river can be tough to figure out, with differing water levels day to day. If I'm fishing lakes, it's 2 spinnerbaits, 2 or 3 spoons, and 1 or 2 cranks, usually a squarebill and a jerkbait. Color is determined by sky conditions. H/MH/ML is determined by my mood; the grouchier I am that day, the heavier I'll go. It takes me about a whole season to go through everything in my lure collection. jj

You might want to check out the Bitty Bites 1/8 oz. spinnerbaits from Wahoo in Punta Gorda, Florida. http://www.wahoofpi.com/ jj

These are 6 must-haves for me. jj 1/2 oz. single-Colorado spinnerbait 3/4 oz. Dardevlet spoon #5 Mepps Aglia 1/2 oz. Cordell Super Spot Rapala CRR5 squarebill (I have a stash) Rapala Countdown CD11 jerkbait

I was wrong about that one, then. Things that happen as they should (like that) give my faith in humanity a much-needed renewal. jj

I betcha that the people that hoard toilet paper and fight over it are going to be the first 499 in line for this. Wanna bet? jj

The external adjustment is just a fine tune on the internal adjustment. No wear factor that I know of. As for the brakes, if you think you have wear, then set the "other" 2 on and the original 2 off. After that, look in the box for your reel. Do you not have a complete new set of brakes? I have a Citica 200i, and I did. Keep your reel clean, and by the time you go through all 8 brakes, you can probably visit my grave. As for the friction cap on the right hand side .... if you look inside it you'll see a small fiber pad, as thin as paper. Now THAT may have to be replaced someday. No bigee. I set my friction cap to the least effect possible that will still give me reliable casting performance. That way it lasts as long as possible. Like ..... years. Now go catch some fish! Have fun! jj

When you use the word "trophy", is your meaning "worthy of being mounted"? That would change things, as I had not taken it to be meant that way. I simply took it to mean something you could justifiably brag about. jj