Boomstick

Exactly. I mean I don't think a $500 reel on a $500 rod is going to make me a better angler. Learning what to throw, where to throw it and when to throw it is much more important at the end of the day. The rod and reel is just the tools that I use to throw it. Now if I was insanely skilled and could basically land 20 bass every fishing trip consistently, perhaps better gear may be in order and maybe I could guarantee 21 or 22 every trip. But I'm not even close to that. The other thing is I could afford super expensive gear but I'd be afraid of breaking it or getting it stolen. And replacing it would cost me a few fishing trips for sure.

Braid casts further, and is not prone to line twist issues so it casts the best on spinning gear too. On casting gear, mono birds nests the least and is easiest to pull a birds nest out, although braid still casts further.

My shortest drive is around 30-40 minutes to find bass. There's a larger lake in NY with tons of shore access that I like fishing at which is around a 90 mile and two hour drive one way.

I would definitely go with braid to leader. You can remove the leader for topwater and add a mono leader or fish straight braid, and add a fluorocarbon leader of the appropriate size for the lake for soft plastics so they will sink. If you are trying to save money, you could put mono on one for topwater, and fluorocarbon on the other and use the one with braid for whatever. However do consider that braid does tend to last a long time and has no memory, so you'll only be saving money up front.

$119 to ship UPS? A few months ago, the UPS driver kicked in my door! I returned a cheaper trout rod I picked up because they sent me one with a broken tip (the tip wasn't even in the box, which tells me something). Fortunately that was paid for by the seller I guess...

I would respool it with what I wanted regardless, but if you can tie a knot that holds, it's probably mono.

I will second what CroakHunter said about the Tatula CT. If you find you throw baits around 3/8oz and under, go for the SV but if you're generally throwing 1/2oz+, the CT is a little cheaper and will actually cast further but won't brake as well, especially with lighter lures. You also might want to check out the brand new Tatula 150, which was designed for heavier applications like flipping, pitching, frogging etc. The Tatula SV will be slightly larger than the Curado 70 in size and maybe an ounce heavier.

I'm not that familiar with the Bass X rods, but I am a fan of the Mojo bass series of rods. Great rods for the price and they should be a little more sensitive than the Bass X, and generally speaking at that price point, the extra $30 can often be a noticeable upgrade (when it gets a little more than that, maybe not as much).

The Tatula frogging rod will be added to my collection in the future. I have two other Tatula rods and have been very happy with both of them, but I often hear the frogging rod is the best of the lineup.

The 70 should be adequate with 50lb braid. With 65, it would be a little short of line if you ever cast. That said, I wouldn't worry about a Shimano reel not holding up, they have a great track record.

I think it depends if you use 10 or 12lb line or 14lb to be honest. If you use 14+, I too would skip the 70 for the same reason.Of course for flipping and pitching, it will still work.

I wouldn't say I prefer the cheaper reels but I would say I prefer not spending over around $200 on a reel as I feel I don't need to.

Remember when iTunes became popular so Apple bought out competing websites like lala.com and shut them all down? By removing the competition, you put people onto your offerings. Similarly, if tackle manufacturers keep the tackle around, they have to keep paying to manufacture it which costs them money. It's often more profitable to remove competitors and get everyone buying your offerings, sadly.

There are two advantages to using a braid to fluoro/copoly/mono leader: #1) Braid does not twist like other lines, so you will likely not have any line twist isues. #2) You can change out your leader with something appropriate for where you are fishing. This takes a bit of time to change so I usually put on an appropriate leaders for where I am fishing in the morning or the night before and use them until they break off or you need to change it. There are two major disadvanages: #1) Line cost. You now have to buy braid and a leader, and braid and fluorocarbon tends to be a more expensive line as well. #2) You will ultimately be tying more knots. Personally, I prefer braid to leader but occasionally I will skip the braid and throw on straight fluorocarbon or mono if I expect to be changing the line out again for something else.

The Trion 20 should do you fine unless you are simply looking to upgrade to a better reel. Presidents are solid reels for the money, and a Daiwa BG 1500 should also do you nicely.

For what it's worth, I've only heard good things from owners on here. For $48, fish it, enjoy it and if you have any issues, maybe try a Berkley Shock next time or whatever, and you'll still come out a head of paying retail.

I would go with some 15lb fluorocarbon or copoly or 40lb braid to a fluorocarbon leader that fits what you're fishing for the day. Your preference really.

I used a President combo for shaky heads and drop shots all last year with 8lb line. The combo I have is one with a size 35 reel and M/F rod. It's a surprisingly good combo for around the $60 or less I got it for. Everyone knows it's a decent reel, but the rod was surprisingly decent and it barely costs anymore than the reel itself, so should you upgrade the rod someday, you'll have a backup. Feel free to try copoly as well, but the fluorocarbon sinks, which will help your finesse techniques if you fish in deeper water. Braid to leader is probably the best because it doesn't twist like other lines and you can attach a 6 or 8lb leader depending on where you're fishing.

Yeah by no means don't give up your plan b.

Don't give up on fly fishing! I haven't learned it yet either, but it's a bit different than conventional. My friends who are good at it absolutely love it.

I generally go with cheaper light or ideally ultra light rods and reels for trout, so I have no recommendations for you but I would definitely go with an ultra light rod and a size 1000 reel with 4lb test for trout. That puts up the best fight and you can still feel the tap tap tap from the little ones.

The Major Craft rods seem to also have a deeper handle, which I prefer as well.

The Fat Boy is one of my favorite cranks. They have their own unique uses, as they have a wide wobble and move a lot of water which attract a lot of larger fish but don't seem to do as good with dinks as a KVD 1.5 for example. They're also well priced.

I didn't get the Tatula finesse drop shot rod because I gather the tip is super light and not extremely durable. Now, it's a ML rod, but the number of complaints where people broke the tip on a 2lb fish, sent it back, broke it again, sent it back and broke it again raised a red flag with me. People just don't have that problem with say the Avid X (what I'll be buying instead once the money comes in) If I could get my hands on one, that might change my mind. The Brent Ehrler Dropshot rod however might work, but living up north, I'm looking more for a ML and it's a little more than I wanted to spend.

I always go with a M/F spinning rod with 8lb test, but this sounds like a decent setup for casting gear. Might even try a 10lb leader.