NYWayfarer

Can't speak about Kastking braid as I haven't purchased any. However I have used their Masters mono and Fluorokote lines. Both are excellent quality and I highly recommend them. As far as their reels go I own several. Sharky II, Mela II, Spartacus, Stealth, Assassin and Speed Demon. My two favorite are the Sharky II and the Assassin. For the price these reels, rebranded or not, can't be beat. They are not Stradics or Steez' but they are not marketed to be. When I first handled my Sharky II I thought for $30 it would be pretty flimsy. I was surprised as I would compare this reel to my Pflueger President as far as quality and performance.

I I agree. The one difference is I can't motor or paddle over to a stuck lure to get it undone. I am not wading or swimming in to get a lure so I stick with inexpensive baits when shore fishing. My go to pond bait is the Yum Dinger in 3, 4 and 5 inch sizes. They sink slowly and are ideal for shallow ponds.

My story is similar to yours. I much prefer baitcasters now. My spinning gear is being used for ned rigs and drop shots only. I like throwing unweighted wacky rigs on a 6' or 6'6" medium power fast action Baitcaster rod. I caught my PB largemouth of the year casting a 4" Yum Dinger wacky style on this kind of set-up. My current favorite is my Kastking Speed Demon on a 6'6" med/fast Abu Garcia Vengeance rod. The whole set-up cost me less than $100

I would replace the spool. Unless its an old model reel you should be able to find a new spool. You might even find and older model reel's spool on ebay. Shoot, if it's cheap enough there, buy the whole reel just for the spool. I can see myself doing something like that for some of my favorite older reels like my Shimano Symetre.

I agree with the charter. A party boat is no party. Between the overcrowding and the drinkers you get a lot of people that have no regards for their fellow anglers. Some horror party boat stories: Once we had to go back to port as soon as the action started for a medical emergency because someone thought it was Ok to put his hand in a bluefishes mouth to get his hook out. My friend had to do the under & over other anglers lines once and the last guy in the row cut his line. When my friend confronted him about it all he could say was "Was that your line buddy, sorry" When He saw how mad my friend was he offered to let him reel his catch. My friend declined as he told me if he took that guys rod he would have thrown it overboard.

This year alone I have caught 12 different species of fish in freshwater. Over my lifetime I couldn't tell you. I just started keeping a fishing log this year.

I agree with Tom. I like to cast my Hula Popper out and let all the ripples die out then give it a short pop. Bull frog and Cricket frog are my favorite colors.

I know I would appreciate a Tacklewarehouse gift card for my birthday. I will most likely get a tie...

I take trips to target Trout and Lakers from time to time. I mostly fish for Bass though. If the Bass aren't biting I might tie on some panfish lures and go for Sunfish. Saltwater fishing is also fun when I get the chance. Bluefish, Fluke and Flounder are my usual targets.

On the kayak, once a week. Twice if I am lucky. I can pond fish a few days a week. I got skunked there twice last week and have not been back since. I have had 44 outings since I started fishing this year on 4/15/17 That's the outings that produced fish. I don't count the ones where I catch nothing or you could add about 10 more to the list.

Zebco Bullet, Bone colored Whopper Plopper. Nice combo and awesome Smallie. Makes me think of the Golden Earring song, Twilight Zone, when the bullet hits the bone.

Since I like the hybrid line does that leave me with Mrs Howell?? Oh well at least she is rich. I can get a Bass Boat and Daiwa Steez from my sugar mama.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/263106475217?chn=ps&dispItem=1 There is also Ebay. When I am looking for anything Kastking related I check Amazon, Walmart and Ebay in that order.

I fish from shore, my kayak and as a guest on my Father-in laws' boat. I bring 1 rod and a small tackle bag to fish from shore. On my kayak I take 2 rods and a shower caddy basket full of baits for easy access. On my Father-in laws' boat I take 3 rods and a milk crate full of baits.

I have used straight fluorocarbon and hybrid lines like Kastking Fluorokote and I prefer the hybrid line. It really seems to be the best of both worlds. With straight fluorocarbon I do have knot and line breakage at weird times and spots. I have experienced none of these issues with the hybrid line. The Fluorokote has been a godsend for trout fishing as I have been able to use heavier line and still catch them.

When I do catch a fish on the WP it usually has a face and mouth full of hooks. They are razor sharp and I often get hooked when trying to unhook a fish. I do have a lot of swirls and misses so it has become a great locator like @Swbass15 mentioned. I have a second rod ready with a wacky rigged Dinger to throw at those fish. I have been successful with the follow up bait on a number of occasions.

I only have the WP 90 size so far. I have had success with it using a Medium Heavy casting rod and a baitcaster spooled with 12 to 14 lb mono. I am thinking about getting the other 2 sizes. I am curious what rods and lines you guys are using for the various sized WP's?

Plopper Power!! They are pretty durable as well. I have bounced mine off of rocks and tree limbs when casting towards shore. My WP keeps chugging along.

Some videos of the big Sunfish I caught recently

My wife has only fished a handful of times, mostly saltwater. She has a fear of water when she can't see the bottom. Won't swim in the ocean or lakes that are not crystal clear. The funniest thing she said to me was recently when she found out I bought a Whopper Plopper. She complained about how much it cost for one lure. I had to remind her I just worked 21 hours of overtime at time and a half so in the grand scheme of things that lure was not so expensive.

I love trying new baits. I always bring an assortment on new stuff and old favorites with me. That being said I do have confidence baits that are always with me. Senko or Dinger and a Z-man finesse TRD. Rarely a fishing session goes by where I don't throw these 2 types of baits

I love Fall fishing for Sunfish. Technically not Fall yet but the big Pumpkinseed and Bluegill think it is.

Great weekend! Sept. 15th was my son's 14th birthday and my wife and my 16th wedding anniversary (He was born on my 2 year wedding anniversary, best present ever) I Partied on the 16th and went fishing on the 17th and caught my PB Largemouth Bass of the year, a 3 pound 10 ounce river monster. I was using my Kastking Speed Demon on a Medium/Fast action Daiwa rod to cast weightless 4" green pumpkin Yum Dingers. I found an overhanging tree that was dropping leaves 3 feet off the shoreline. I was about 30' out on my kayak casting towards shore under the tree limbs. I had caught a big Bluegill (I will post in the other species thread) earlier in the day so I came back to the same spot to try again. I kept getting pulls that felt like a sunfish grabbing the end of the worm. Then the Bass hit the Dinger and I knew it was something special. Rod was bent but the Speed Demon burned him out of cover. The drag was perfect and I was able to land the fish. Here is a video of the release. My son and I recently watched the original Clash of the Titan's so I was thinking of him when I recorded and sent him this. That's the reason for the title.

I wacky rig Yum Dingers and Bio Spawn Exosticks

Kastking Speed Demons are back in stock. I got one for an insane price since I signed up for the Kastking inner circle. I have had had it out twice already and I like it so far. Same backlash proof casting like my other Kastking baitcasters. Solid smooth, crazy fast retrieve. I used it for casting into cover so I can get the Bass out of vegetation quickly when I hooked them.