Plottman1974

Kastking is the only reel I have ever purchased in 30+ years of fishing that I sent back. There are some tried and true, inexpensive reels out there. Abu Black Max bait caster or Pfleuger President spinning are one of many

.

5.35 pound largemouth from the bank. Ned rig TRD. peanut butter and jelly color

I used one for years and it was great...Unfortunately I shut it up in a car door a year or two ago and broke the rod

You can catch bass on a budget... Pflüeger Trion medium spinning combo if you need to upgrade to something a little more hefty. Scumfrogs...the regular ones will catch as many or more than $10 frogs and they cost around $3 at Walmart and nothing is more exciting than topwater frog fishing. The frogs are also light and ok for spinning rod/reel application compared to heavier frogs. A good pack of EWG hooks along with Yum Dingers and white pearl Zoom Flukes will catch anything in the lake/pond H2O lures from academy are good and inexpensive. they run sales often My most productive crankbait in the last 5 years has been a cheapo bass pro version of a bait that dives no more than 1 foot...I don't know the name of it but it is an awesome lure for around $3. It isn't the one called "the egg" but the regular one... bomber cranks are good and inexpensive...the 1.5 bomber crank is a bass catcher Jitterbug for topwater is fun, cheap and catch fish H and H spinnerbaits...around $2 at academy. I caught a nice one today on an H and H.

yes... Think about hollow bodied frogs for instance. You pay $10+ for one with perfectly painted eyes, perfect painted bodies...none of which fish can even see. the only thing they can see if the frogs plain belly...all that detail on the top of the frog is for fisherman and birds that are flying over.

I have a 7 foot MH Viper. I have used it about 5-6 trips. I love it. It was a great deal at full price, TW has them on sale right now. It is sensitive, light, well balanced...thus far I love it.

I have been using McCoy's Mean Green lately and I am beyond impressed. It is so smooth it can be used with a spinning reel yet it is very abrasion resistant and doesn't have too much stretch. Knot strength seems to be outstanding.

I got a Johnny Morris Signature Platinum baitcaster a few weeks ago and I am in love with it. Without question, it is the best reel I have ever owned. Whoever made it, so far so good....

Tacklewarehouse has a sale on ARK rods right now. You can get a darn good rod for $55 bucks....

I have tried a bunch of mono lines;I am addicted to trying different ones. I won't trash lines I haven't liked and I have tried a dozen or so in the last couple years, but I will say that Triline XL for spinning, Big Game for Baitcasting, and P-Line CXX for big swimbaits are my go to lines. I just ordered two spools of McCoy Mean Green to try. One 6lb for spinning and a 12lb for baitcasting...

Have fun....don't get caught up in the "keeping up with the jones's"... put 6-8 pound mono on that spinning reel. Invest in good extra wide gap worm hooks (4/0 gamakatsu). Get a pack of Yum Dingers of the green variety for 3-4 bucks and a pack of of zoom super fluke white color for 3-4 bucks. When bank fishing, don't automatically walk up to the bank. Often, you are scaring fish away. While standing 10 feet or so from the water, throw in the area you expect to stand a few times then walk up to the water. While standing at the water, throw your bait to the left, left center, center, right, right center, and then right. Then move on down the bank a little and repeat that process...you will catch fish. Fish those baits slow with little twitches....then real a crank or two, twitch twitch, repeat and make sure to set your hook very good...bass have a tough jaw! That will get you catching fish any season on any pond that i have ever fished and all I fish is from the bank. good luck and the main thing is to have fun. it's not a competition, it's a good way to relax and enjoy this short life. Using those simple baits and techniques you will catch fish, learn about habitat, and have fun...then you can branch out to other techniques but always keep it simple...

I bought the Johnny Morris platinum. It’s regularly $200 & was on sale for $125. I may regret it, but I read tons of reviews online as well as the feedback here. thank you for your help.

Thanks for your help. I appreciate it.

Hello I am pretty sure this is my first post. I am a die hard bank/pond fisherman on a limited budget. I have always had $50 max reels. I have roughly $125 to spend on a reel and I am torn between the Johnny Morris Platinum (which is on sale right now) or the Shimano Slx.. Any advice is appreciated more than you know as this is a rather large purchase for me. Thank you

Yum Dinger 5 inch. It seems to catch fish when nothing else will.

Booyah pad crasher generally. I have a Lunker Hunt pocket frog that is really working the last several weeks though. The larger Lunker hunts fill up with water

The booyahs are the most durable I've fished. Both the regular and small versions. Let us know how it works out.