LCG

Amazon, Walmart, Dicks, Canadian Tire, Sails, Bass Pro, local tackle shops.

Have you caught any fish with the jig yet? Muddy bottom may not be the best place to fish a jig in general terms.

I just started using baitcasters late last year. Spent the winter practicing pitching. It's not near as intimidating as I examined it was. Still won't get rid of spinning gear yet. I do think that using a baitcaster has somehow made me a better caster with spinning as well. It's something about dissecting the casting motion that triggered it for me.

Fenwick and St Croix both fish on the heavy side, which I personally like. I would let the weight of the lure and the type of cover you fish on a regular basis dictate the power choice. Action depends on your preference but I would opt for at least a moderate fast - fast action.

Trokar tk130 5/0 flipping hooks $6 Havoc Pit Boss $4 1/4-1/2oz bullet weights $2 Berkley Fusion round bend worm hook 4/0 $4 Zoom trick worms $5 Ok $21 but you get the idea

Don't know that rod and reel but it's probably in the right ballpark

6'6"-7'6" MH-F / MH-MF rod. Length depends on personal preference and location of where you fish ie tree branches. Lots of good rods at the price point, I prefer st Croix and fenwick. BPS carbonlite looks like a nice rod as well. Dobyns gets good reviews. It's really about what feels comfortable to you. Go to a tackle shop and hold a few rods to see what you like. Cork vs Eva, regular guides vs micro, etc.

I would think a MH-F would be a good bet. I like st Croix personally, which fished a bit on the heavier side. Mojo bass is a nice rod at that price point. Don't know about Dobyns but hear good things.

Ned rig Drop shot Texas rigged trick worm Slow it down. Water is cold, fish won't chase anything down just yet. Slow and methodical.

6'6"-7'6", medium-medium heavy powered, fast action rod. Spinning or baitcasting. Length depends on your personal preference and if you have to deal with trees and walking through brush. Mid level reel.

I prefer one piece because I can leave it rigged up, the top portion does not twist or come apart when casting. Sensitivity is the same in my opinion, some say the one piece rods are stronger. I have a two piece spinning rod for travelling which I do like, it does not come apart when casting, but it does occasionally twist. I find when leaving the two piece rigged up the line gets all tangled and its a headache. Given the choice, one piece rods. Travelling with family, two piece is a necessity for me.

Chatterbaits Ned Rigs Curly tail grubs Worm hooks, ewg hooks, weights, etc

10lb yellow braid on spinning with 8lb fluorocarbon or mono leader. 50lb yellow braid on casting. 15lb mono leader or black sharpie.

I am a big fan of using Plano boxes for soft plastics. However two issues I ran into last year was 1) carrying way too Much and 2) using Berkley power bait scent dried out and caused this flaking in the plastics, not a huge deal rinsed off with some water. This year I am going to Plano 3601 thin boxes to force my self to carry less and not sure if I will presoak the baits before I put then in or just pour in some scent like I did last time. Probably just soak them in a Ziploc bag and then put them in the boxes.

I think I will head the advice given of basic strip down and cleaning. If it requires any further disassembly or maintenance then I will use a qualified technician. Thanks again.

Thanks guys. Appreciate the advice and resources.

Looking for some *** regarding disassembly of an Daiwa Tatula 100 HSL. Looking to clean it up, and then add grease and oil (assuming that's what I am supposed to use). This is my first baitcaster and first time cleaning a reel. Please be gentle

My go to colors are black and blue, junebug, watermelon, red and black, and white. Works in a variety of water, but then again I don't have water that is 40ft and for clarity either.

X2

Bass pro backpack with two Plano 3601 boxes. One for plastics, one for lures. More than enough for a day out. Bag holds lunch and water in top cooler part. Line in one side pocket and pliers, terminal tackle in a double sided Plano box, scale, and scissors in the other side pocket. Tons of space and easy to travel with. Whole pack weighs 8.3 lbs fully loaded.

Don't forget that the rod and reel act together to fight and ultimately land a fish. There should be enough bend in the rod to take your free hand and land the fish. If not, then there is no tension on the line hence loosing the fish. I generally use a net but I don't recall loosing too many fish due to having my hand off the reel. Don't take this wrong, but you may have room for improvements regarding technique or you have a solution looking for a problem. If you are loosing line tension due to adjusting your drag then something is off. Maybe you turned the drag too low or maybe the fish turned towards you, allowing slack in the line. Keep the bend in the rod, use the drag of the reel to tire the fish out and protect the line from breaking, and reel the handle to keep the line tight.

When I purchased my St Croix mojo 6'8 m-xf spinning rod I thought it was a little tip heavy. But when I actually fished with it I couldn't tell that it was tip heavy at all. Maybe it's perception, I don't know. I do know that so far, St Croix is my brand of choice. Also picked up a St Croix Avid X 6'6 Mh-f casting rod and it feels great with a Daiwa Tatula. I agree that the rod and reel need to be matched to achieve optimal balance, but I still want a reasonably light combo. For me personally it's not an issue.

A drop shot specific rod may not be the best all around rod for general bass fishing. I think your better off with an all around rod that you can drop shot with. Power of the rod depends on the cover you are fishing. But as a general rule a good all round rod would be 6'6"-7'6" medium fast. I really enjoy my st Croix mojo wacky 6'8 m-xf which is available in a two piece. I also use a fenwick hmg 6'9 ml-f if the cover is light. Both rods drop shot very well.

I drive a similar car, Ford Fusion and if you put one side of the back seat you can easily fit a one piece rod. Food for thought. But most quality rods that are two piece should do. I am personally fond of fenwick hmg and St Croix Mojo and above.

Mojo or above.