CrustyMono

Is this a good reel?

i like them but you should sharpen the hook with a knife sharpener and cut the weed guard slightly

I received: 25 packs of Keitech and Kicker Fish Swimbaits a few packs of Gamakatsu 4/0 EWG s 12 Rugby jigs a spool of 15 pound seaguar invisx a few packs of Berkley Pit boss's a pack of Wave Worm Tiki Shaddocks Winn Grip Rod tape Daiwa Zillion Reel 2 Cabela's Tournament ZX Rods Shimano NASCI Fly fishing vest waders and boots a bunch of sun protection shirts and hats money, gift cards to a bunch of stores stuff for my boat stuff to rebuild my boat I am very pleased with my christmas gifts this year. I was only expecting the Zillion and a few baits, with some money from relatives and stuff. I was shocked. Some of the stuff was purchased with the gift cards and with my own money. also they stuff was bought well under 50% off too.

is this a good reel? I might get one

Here is a list of my current rods and reels: Rods 7'1" M Fast Casting 7'1" M Moderate Casting that I am trading in for a 7'6" H Fast 7'3" MH Fast Casting 7' M Spinning Reels Quantum Smoke PT 7.3:1 (large drag) Daiwa Zillion TWS 7.3:1 Cabela's Arachnid 6.3:1 Cabala's Tournament ZX Spinning (1500 size spool) My favorite techniques: Swim jigs, Soft Body Swimbaits, Senkos, Drop Shot, Wacky, Jigs, Topwater, Frogs, and Flippin'. I would like to get better at bottom contact fishing with jigs and shakey heads. I am not very good with spinnerbaits and crankbaits. I am ok with not having an ideal rod for those tactics. I have rods that will work with these baits if i need them to. I find myself using the spinning combo a lot. I am fond of braid to leader fishing. I am constantly tying on new lures. Every third time, the leader is too short and I need a new leader. I would , like to have a drop shot rod where I would only keep a drop shot tied on. The other spinning setup would be for my shakey heads, wacky rigs, swimbaits, poppers, and other techniques. As Christmas has ended, I have received several gift cards to bass pro and cabela's. The after-christmasy sales are going on now and it is a good time to buy. I want to buy a Cabala's Tournament ZX Spinning Rod for $50 after the gift card. As for the reel, I want the Shimano NASCI. It will also be 50$ from Bass Pro after the gift card. Am I better off with a 7' Fast or a 6'10 M XF? Is a 2500 or a 3000 best?

in fly fishing you are casting line attached to a fly and in spinning and casting fishing you are casting a bait attached with line.

7' M with a small handle it won't work with buzzbaits though

good time to buy good reels cheap.

6'8" MH Fast with a 6.3:1 - 7.3:1 reel lower for crankbaits and higher for spinnerbaits. if you buy a reel that can easily change spools, you can have one with 30 pound braid and one with 15 pound flouro. this would work with square bills, jigs, jerkbaits, anything you want, even soft plastic swimbaits like Keitechs. A Dobyns Fury 7'6" MH would be great as your "jack of all trades" rod. Take my advice and don't fish hard swimbaits with braid. they will snap if you back lash. use fluorocarbon or mono, because it will stretch.

anyone used these reels? Wondering if they are as good as it is made to look and the reviews.

Sounds like a great deal. I would buy from there if i didn't have a gift card for amazon. Thanks though

I am just realizing its a xh and duckett doesn't provide line and lure ratings. my bad

Anyone ever used these weights? They are sold on Amazon.com. A pack of 10 1/2 ounce averages $2.40 each. http://interwebzdistributing.com/tungsten-black-bullet-worm-weight-for-bass-fishing-pitching-and-flipping-sinker https://www.amazon.com/Interwebz-Tungsten-Fishing-Pitching-Flipping/dp/B01M01T6IP/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1482815015&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=tungsten%2Bweight&th=1&psc=1

I currently have a 7'1' M MOD TOURNAMENT ZX. am i better off with a 6'9" m fast?

Would a 7'6" XXH Duckett Ghost be a good choice for a heavy cover all around rod? Am I better off with a 7'3"? I like the ghosts because they are light and sensitive. Thanks

freshwater shark!

I live near several small lakes. I want to try ice fishing. I want to target bass and pickerel, but also want to catch perch crappie and bluegill. what is a good beginner rod and reel that i can get at dicks or a local store? braid, mono, or flouro? what baits? should i get tips too? without a flasher where are the best spots?

Nice, I'm glad to see someone who knows the difference between training really hard and losing a big match and fishing hard all day and catching nothing. It is like a paradox, because they are similar but very different sports.

pretty much sums up my philosophy!

I believe you. Losing a fish that big is heartbreaking. As you know, one can only guess how big a fish is. Its a shame when you get attacked because you can't prove something awesome happened, but theres only a few people who know the truth. You'll get her when she's grown to 9 lbs i hope!

haha, that's funny, unless you're not kidding...

Thanks for all the advice! Here is my short story. My family is not wealthy, my parents are both teachers. my mom came from a large family that was supported from only her father, and my dad had parents with very good economical skills, but they were also teachers too. They value education very much. it has helped me become a better angler, by being observant and willing to learn. this forum and youtube is where i come to learn. I got into fishing seriously about 18 months ago. Until then, I have saved up all my money. I am an avid coin collector, I hit the jackpot once at the bank and made around $10,000 worth of coins. I am saving those for a long time. My grandparents are very generous. they invested in a boat with me, gave me $100 for xmas and my birthdays. I had about four thousand dollars before i bought a boat and a nice computer for school and now fishing. I also find random ways to make money, like raking a neighbor's leaves. I have always followed the philosophy of buying quality things that don't break easily. Im not buying luxury items. For example, i would rather buy a newer truck that can handle snow and will last long, then a sports car that is too expensive. I wouldn't buy an old truck that needs to be fixed every month. i hope that helps to explain my source of income and my philosophies. I sold some toys that i don't use anymore for 150$. i bought a $100 duckett ghost and a 45$ reel from dick's. The combo worked great until it got stolen. I had no clue what i was buying prior to that incident in late november. The coming winter gave me time to research and learn a ton. I knew what rods to get to restart my arsenal. i got one combo for xmas, and the other for my birthday in february. By then, i knew a little bit about the various techniques that there were and what gear they were best for. I wanted a spinning setup for finesse, a heavy rod for frogs and flipping, and a mh for all the other lures. Now that I am starting to fish competitively, and spend more time on the water, I find myself requiring rods and reels that will stand up to the abuse and help me land more fish. my idea is to get the necessary rods and reels to effectively cover each tactic, and then acquire a few more baits, but enough to catch fish almost every time, which i only catch a fish 25% of the time. I know rods and reels and fancy stuff don't make you a better fisherman, but they certainly help. Also you can't catch fish if you don't have the right lures. I also have to rebuild my boat, which will cost money. I fish several bodies of water with thick vegetation and heavy cover, it is pretty important that i have a rod to fish that stuff.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I already have all the small water craft i need. a paddle board, kayak, inflatable canoe, 10' jon, and a 14' vhull. my friend also has 2 kayaks and a12' jon that we use a lot.

Some of those coins you have found are really expensive. If you sold them, you would probably make your money back that you put out to get the metal detector. Those 1914 D Wheaties are a really great find. Keep up the great work! I would hang on to those coins, they'll be worth a fortune in a few years. As for me, I do this:

I have a... 7' M Fast w/ a 1500 size spinning 100 + 80 = $180 7'1" M Mod w/ a 6.3:1 casting 100 + 180 = $280 7'3" MH Fast w/ a 7.3:1 casting $130 + 180 = $310 broken casting rod that I can send in for a new model $130 7.3:1 casting reel $300 I am on a budget, because I buy all my own fishing gear (only 15). I want to get nicer gear that will be effective and last, but not be way too expensive. I know most of the people on this forum have really expensive gear. I am not trying to show off or boast. I wanted to include the price of my combos, so that it is easier to understand my limited budget. Most of the rods and reels were bought on sale or with a deal. I am looking to add 3 more combos within the near future. 2 casting and 1 spinning. I need a m power casting combo for jerk baits, topwater, and lipless cranks. I can get away with what i have now, if i trade in my broken rod for a 7'1" mh. That can delay the purchase of that setup. I need a rod to use for heavy cover stuff like frogging, and fishing through lily pads. I would put my Quantum Smoke on that rod and buy another reel for the rod that lost the Smoke. I don't need this rod until late spring early summer. I am looking at spinning rods. Spinning Rods I currently have a 7' M Fast Cabela's Tournament ZX rod and 1500 size ZX reel. This is a great all around finesse setup for me. I fish mainly keitechs, wacky rigs, and drop shot. I want another spinning rod so that I can keep two finesse rigs on at once. one would be only drop shot, the other would be able to change applications often. I am looking at either another Tournament ZX combo (http://www.cabelas.com/product/fishing/rod-reel-combos/spinning-combos|/pc/104793480/c/104762880/sc/105791580/cabela-s-tournament-zx-spinning-combo/1937866.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fspinning-combos%2F_%2FN-1102843%2FNo-48%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_105791580%3FWTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNP%26recordsPerPage%3D48) or a nicer Stadic Ci4+ and $100 rod setup. not sure which i will get. The stradic is a reel that i "reely" want. It is outstanding, but very expensive. the economical ZX is great, and would allow mr to get the casting combos quicker. My question is: which setups would be best for my arsenal? What rods could I use a wider range of techniques on?