12poundbass

T9's School of Bass Fishing! I'll work on getting a trade mark on that! You have a pretty good résumé so far.

So Wheeler is the one you took under your wing? I saw one of your posts a week ago or so about a touring pro you've worked with along the way. I figured it was him since you're both from Indiana but didn't want to ask. I think he's going to do big things in the next few years on the Elites. Side note still reading through what you sent me....pretty informative. Thanks!

Is that what Chris Lane was throwing? I've never seen one, but man he was smokin' them with whatever it was!

Weather condition,moon phase,wind direction,color of lure,depth,retrieval speed,barometric pressure if you're into that,water clarity, that should get you started.

4 more days to sign up!

Big sky country! Always wanted to visit Montana looks beautiful! Northwest Nebraska is as far as I've made it. Anything west of the Mississippi to the Rockies is where I should've been planted. Welcome aboard!

Those are the big box store prices aren't they Wayne? One could find them cheaper couldn't they?

24 degrees? I'm heading your way then! 16 in Michigan wind chill......drum roll please....3! Side note I work outside. ?

Welcome aboard! Plenty of great people on here. There's no end to the knowledge you can gain here!

The way I set mine up is similar to you. I read and it's worked for me... losen the tension knob enough that the lure descends to the floor just enough that when it hits the floor the spool stops without letting out more line. I'd go with one of these two methods and adjust from there as you get more comfortable with how your lure casts.

BOEmarine,GPS nation, digital oasis. From talking to the guys in the electronics forum these are reputable and authorized dealers. Don't hesitate to ask guys in the electronics forum.

Shop on-line fishing electronics stores for your Helix finders, you'll most likely safe enough to buy another reel even with the Bass Pro sale.

Good call A-Jay with the mono didn't think about losing line to backlash. Which reminds me I have a giant backlash I have to cut out sometime before the ice melts. Thanks for the reminder! That thing almost turned me off to them. Now I rarely ever use spinning gear. Thinking about finesse fishing this year so I just might use spinning gear again. I need to find some patience first.

Rhino was my first caster, $30 I think. Biggest piece of junk I ever bought! Lol

Tip: read the instructions or watch videos on how to best set it up (brake/tension) Tip: take a 1/4 3/8oz jig or weight and practice in your yard, by spring you'll be good to go, that's what I did anyways. Worked for me.

You wouldn't be disappointed with the Abu Garcia Black Max,Silver Max, or Pro Max. I have several of each. All are under your budget and all are easy to learn on. I wish I had gotten one to learn with. I went cheaper than these and almost gave up on baitcasters. I've never personally used the Diawa but several on here have and they sound pretty nice. If you go with either of these you won't be disappointed.Fluorocarbon line would work just fine (as long as you're not using top water) braid wouldn't be bad either. Good luck and enjoy your new baitcaster.

All I ever fish are small state land lakes or small public lakes with little to no boat traffic or fishing. The biggest I've caught so far is 5 lbs 8 oz. I couldn't imagine a bass double that size swimming around Michigan waters. I'm not saying there aren't but I'm thinking they're few and far between. I'm going to keep searching for them though.

Deer and spring turkey here in Michigan. There's nothing better than a big ole tom gobbling 15 yards away from you!

I fail horribly every year too so no worries! But there's always that chance!

9 days until the first Elite event. Still plenty of time to sign up! If you're interested in joining the BassResource league just ask or scroll through the thread and we'll help you out.

It makes sense for drop shotting. Fluorocarbon on spinning gear is a mess in my opinion.

I was watching the Bass Pros last night and Timmy Horton was drop shotting and was using braided main line then a 10' fluorocarbon leader. I understand not using braid for this, but why not just use fluoro and eliminate the braid all together? Did he do this simply because braid has no memory? I've also read/seen guys using a fluoro or mono leader with a braid main line for throwing frogs. In this instance they used a 65# main braid with a lighter leader. Is there an advantage to this? What are the advantages to using a leader other than possibly ease of use like in Hortons case? I know knots are strong especially the right one, but I look back to when I did plumbing and I learned the least amount of fitting the less the chance for a leak. Couldn't this apply to leaders?

It would be cool if it would get pinned, to try and get more people interested in fantasy fishing. It's free who wouldn't want to play? I'm no good at it, but that slim chance at a $2500 Bass Pro ($3k I'm a Bass member) is enough for me.

Just checked my pro-max and it does click. Never paid attention to it until now. I'm not taking it apart now. Did that before with a Skeet Reese W&M reel and the brake doesn't work right. Lol

I'm not a religious person by any means at all but everything happens for a reason! It may not be what you want but it's in your best interest.