NYWayfarer

IMO the best spinning setup for the money right now is the Lew's Mach II metal speed spin combo. It's on sale at Dick's for $99 down from $140 IM8 rod with Winn Grips 10 bearing drive, aluminum framed reel, with Winn Grip knob.

Wish we had one near here. Those of you that have several of the big names (BPS, Academy, DSG, F&S, Cabelas) consider yourselves lucky. I have DSG and that's about it besides Walmart. a F&S (Basically a larger Dick's) is an hour away and BPS 5 hours away from me.

I am normally not a snitch, but I have no tolerance for poachers. You did the right thing.

Thanks for posting this. My son had a bout of this yesterday, here in NY. Last week we were in 100+ heat index Florida and he was Ok because I made sure he stayed cool and hydrated.

I had to go buy the combo in store as it was no longer in stock online. The website said available to buy in store only. When I got to my local DSG they only had 4 combos left. 2 were left-handed baitcasters and one of the right-handed combos had the tension knob missing. I was lucky enough that the last one was perfect.

Took a Disney guided fishing excursion with my son and good friend while on vacation last week. The Captain put us on some nice Bass. I caught 12 during the two hour trip.

20% of your order for F&S or $20 off a purchase of $100 or more at Dick's Neither offer was valid for the Lew's Mach II combos that are currently on clearance. I was hoping to snag the Baitcaster combo for $80 which is less than half the original retail price of $169.99 Offers like that are too good to pass up.

I fish alone most of the time. My Dad is too old and unsteady to fish. He is too vain to use a cane or wheelchair to fish handicap accessible ponds. My son is a teenager I ask him if he wants to go fishing every time I go but he has other things to do. My friends live far enough away that we usually see each other on a yearly basis. Then there are times like last week when it all comes together. Family vacation visiting friends. My good friend, my son and I all landing Bass at the same time. Priceless!

Thanks for the help! Greatly appreciated!

I caught some species I need help identifying. I think these are Warmouth? I have no idea what this fish is.

I am on our summer Disney vacation. So close to ICast yet so far away... Caught some nice Shellcracker Redear Sunfish this week.

My pliers have line cutters built in. They work with no issues. At home I have a pair of Kastking scissors.

I would use a round head jig in a pinch but I prefer the mushroom head ones. They help the bait sit straight up on the bottom when dead sticking. I have been using Berkley halfhead jigs lately. Cheaper than Z-Man and the TRD actually stay on the jig with no glue.

I used to buy my sneakers at Payless or the bargain bin of the box stores. Now my 15 year old son picks out my sneakers. This is so I won’t embarrass him when we are walking around together. I am paying way more than I ever imagined but they are comfortable. He is a cross country runner and track and field. I usually close my eyes when I pay for his sneakers and don’t look at the price tag When I am on a boat I usually wear Crocs.

I have the spinning and baitcaster combos. I love them both, however nothing in life is perfect and neither are these combos. Things I like: Microwave guide (bottom guide) on the rods. Winn grip knobs (baitcaster has oversized ones) metal frame (spinning reel only) Cast great. The caster is the farthest casting reel I own. At a local dam I have hit the wall on the far side casting a Whopper Plopper. I can’t do that with any other reel. Things I don’t like: Graphite frame on the baitcaster. If bought separate the reel is $160 I can’t see paying that much for a plastic baitcaster. The guides are cheap. If you are looking to see where they cut costs to make the combo reasonably priced it is the guides. I would have overlooked the casting combo but I couldn’t pass it up when I found it for half price $100 around X-mas time. I do find myself grabbing it over my MB, LFS and Mach 1 combos simply for the distance I get from it.

There be days like that. A lot of my misses are something other than Bass. Usually a follow up cast a minute or two late produces a Sunfish or Rock Bass.

Exactly. $35 for the Googan Bass Mafia lime green box. $30 for the exact same Bass Mafia box in red. The Googans have a good video on how “indestructible” these boxes are. They roll over it with cars, blast it with buckshot and shoot an arrow into it.

I would spend less than half of the $200 on a rod and save the rest for something else. The chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In my case that is rods. I. consider myself a careful guy but in the past few years alone I have broken or damaged rods in doorways, hitting trees, ceilings or the ground. If the rod were more than $100 I would have had a stroke.

I fish the Ned Rig sometimes on my Lew’s Mach 1 combo spooled with 10lb mono or It’s really effective for heavier mushroom jigheads and Z-Man’s big TRD

Did you get the purple rod or the granite gray one? For some reason when purchased separately (not a combo) the gray rod costs more than the purple.

None of my Lew’s baitcasters (Mach 1, Mach Crush, LFS, Tournament MB and Mark Rose) have markings on the side cover. Just “Free” and “Max” with indents for the adjustment spots. I assume your reel had had painted on numbers? I have reels like that. My Kastking Spartacus comes to mind. The numbers and logo wore off on that reel after a short time.

First topwater fish of the year. Caught another Smallmouth then a Pumpkinseed swiped and foul hooked itself. Switched to the Ned when the bite died down.

Ditto. Tried all the advice on these forums including nose hooking them. Nothing, nada, zilch. The only way they work for me is when they are the trailer on a Z-man Chatterbait.

Still waiting on the Lew’s Mach tie-dye combo. I called it last year with The Lew’s Custom Black combo best in show win. I thought they would call it the Mach Blackout though.

Love it!