rcg703

Anything from the Stealth up is quite a bang for your buck. I love my Stealth and getting another Assassin for this spring.

I did the exact same thing this past weekend at a lake here in Northern VA. I was walking the bank and saw the bass feeding on gills in the shallows. I threw the chatterbait with a paddle tail trailer about 10 yards past the swirls and killed it when I got to the middle of the feeding frenzy. As soon as I ripped it to get it vibrating again, I got bit. Got a solid 3lb'er on my first cast.

I'm on the Kastking bandwagon myself. I bought and used the Stealth last year and loved it. That prompted me to get the Royale which I just got in the mail last week and plan to fish in the morning. You can't beat them for the price!

I just changed up this year and went with Big Game and XL. 15lb Big Game on the jig rod and 8lb XL on the spinning rod.

another vote for the SA Fishing shields....I have at least 10 of them!

I definitely recommend KastKing. I have the stealth and just bought another one yesterday.

If that breaking strength of 12lb is upwards of 15, I may just go with the 12lb line. Maybe it'll be easier to cast, assuming it's a little more limp.

I wonder what the difference in breaking strength is?

I was thinking the 15 would be the better option to get the added break strength and durability, but that the 12 would be better for manageability (i.e. limpness) and I'd get more line. I also think I'm going to try the Lo-Vis Green for the first time and see if line color matters at all. Most waters I'm fishing are stained to slightly murky.

I'm going to give some Berkley Big Game a shot this season and am trying to decide if I should get the 1175YD spool of 12lb or the 900YD spool of 15lb. This is going on a multi-purpose setup for spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, jigs and T-rigs. I don't fish too much heavy cover but when I do, I have another setup with braid for that. 12lb is .014 diameter and the 15lb is .015 and wonder if that .001 will have any real affect on castability/stiffness, strength, etc. They're both the same price but I'd get an extra 275yds of 12lb. Help me choose guys....thanks in advance.

I'm still looking for a permanent rod for it but grabbed a Jawbone 6'6" MH rod while at Dick's. I'm heading out of town and needed something to throw it on so I could take it with me. Believe it or not it's a decent cheap rod. Graphite, lightweight, and decent backbone.

I'll second the Lew's American Hero. I just picked one up yesterday!

BOOM!

So I took you guys' advice and started looking for a separate rod/reel rather than strictly a combo. I originally tried to order an Abu Silver Max combo but it turned out to be a one piece rod and I need two. Today I picked up a Lew's Carbon Fire baitcaster on sale for $49. Cheapest regular price was $80 so I figured that was a good deal. Can't wait to hit the water this weekend!

I need a two piece rod and it doesn't look like the Berkley Lightning comes in 2 piece.

I was all in for a combo for the price, and the fact that they are aesthetically pleasing with matched colors. Now I'm considering getting the pieces separate if it will be a better overall setup. I'm doing 50lb braid on my baitcaster and was going to either use the 12lb Trilene XL I already have, or try some 10-12lb Flouoclear on this spinning setup. I wasn't considering braid on this for mostly worm fishing.

The Sienna is that nice huh? I saw it in stock at my local store but didn't think it could be that good for $20. I just might do that.....I'll look for a 6'6'-7' medium rod in the $30 range and see what I can find.

I'd gladly welcome separates if I can stay within my budget. I actually thought a $50 combo would be cheaper than buying a separate rod/reel.

I'm looking for a combo as opposed to rod/reel separate.

I did see those when I went in there. They were actually on sale 2 for $30 for the 6' and 2 for $35 for the 7'. The other two felt a bit smoother. Can't beat that price though. If you guys don't think there is much difference, I'd consider that. I have a 7' Daiwa saltwater setup.

I've already purchased an Abu Silver Max baitcasting combo and now I'm looking for a cheap backup spinning combo. I've done some pricing locally and I can get either an Ugly Stick GX2 combo or a Shakespeare Agility combo for at or under $50 which is my limit on this cheap setup. This will just be used for soft plastics and both combos come in 6'6" and 7' M rods. Which would you choose?

I think I'll try braid with a leader. I'll test some different knots to see what I'm comfortable tying. Are Pinnacle bait casters any good? I saw one in a local store for $45 but waited to find something nicer.

thanks for the info dude

Thanks IndianaFinesse, this is exactly the info I'm looking to get! I've never fished with braid/leader before just for fear of the leader breaking off and losing a monster. And forgive me for being a noob, but what's FFO?

Im trying to stay under $100 for each combo. Im more so looking for suggestions on what type of rod/reel/line to match up and be able to fish multiple conditions with multiple lure types. For example, how versatile is a spinning setup with 6-6'6" MH rod and 8lb copolymer line and a bait casting setup with 6-6'6" MH rod and 50lb braid? That's what I have in mind but looking for some opinions from some more experienced anglers.