Lead Head

Fair enough... I guess anything is possible even if not probable. Heck sounds like you got off easy, with my luck it would be the tip of my rod that flew away.

Just a thought... if your really wanting to try braid it don't have to be expensive. Last I checked you could get a 150 yard spool of kastking braid shipped for just under 5$. Haven't tried it on a baitcaster yet but do have some on a spinning reel and have no complaints.

Something to keep in mind... having a baitcaster "set up properly" and having one "set up properly for you" are two completely different things. I like to think of what is considered "proper setup" as a starting point, then tweak to suit your needs and or conditions from there. Having said all that, 10lb XL should be pretty manageable and the drastic twists and coils your describing suggest some sort of funky line problem.

Most people go 30lb and over on baitcasters.... that stuff isn't going to break off on a cast. I would suggest 50lb braid if it's your first time using it, you will have less "dig in" and backlashes will be easier to dig out. You are also far less likely to damage braid when picking it out. Braid probably isn't going to eliminate a backlash problem. If your spending half your fishing time digging out a backlash you would probably be better served tightening up your brakes a bit and losing some casting distance. It's a pain but it's better than being on the water and spending half your time doing things other than fishing.

I always use a uni for braid. Mostly because it's a much prettier knot than the Palomar and has never failed me.

I would recommend small spinnerbaits and beetle spins for moving baits. Ned rig, weightless senko (or your preferred knock off) and lightly weighted baby brush hogs for plastics. You might want to start her off keeping these moving to avoid gut hooked fish if your not eating them. Like mentioned earlier i would avoid trebbles as much as possible. Maybe only let her throw them when you can closely supervise. When that's the case the baits mentioned above are solid choices, especially square bills and whopper ploppers.

Are you rigging some of those menace grubs vertically? I haven't got around to it yet but it's on my to do list for swim jigs and chatter baits and was just wondering if they still kick properly if rigged vertically. Seems like that would give off a really good baitfish profile.

Up until recently I would have said reel. In the last few months I have spent a lot of time researching both performance and price of rods and reels on the internet (thanks Bass Resource). Performance is mostly relative, but price isn't. I have noticed that pretty much any reel (especially in my price range) can be grabbed off ebay for significantly cheaper than retail year round. Rods are different, good deals on rods are out there but are much harder to find and I'm guessing that's because of shipping. So, because it has been my personal experience that good deals are more common on reels, I would prefer to find/use 25% off on a rod.

Sounds like the problem is your just not experienced enough yet. If you are still setting up your reel tight enough you don't need to thumb it you are going to struggle with lighter baits. When you get better at controlling the spool with your thumb and can back off the breaks the lighter stuff (and everything else) will start getting more distance. If there is some magic reel or brake setting out there that will let you get good distance with light lures and no thumb... well, that would be interesting.

I can't say enough good things about the tournament mb. You can get them from retailers through eBay for $109.

I have a bb1 and like it a lot for cranks. I also have 2 Lews tournament mb that I like way more. If your looking at Lews I suggest you take a look at the mb as well, it might not be what your after but I assure you it's worth a look.

I am in agreement. You just said it better.

There is a reason pro athletes all the way down to high school athletes study hours of film. BUT All the knowledge in the world isn't helpful if you can't apply it. Almost no two bodies of water fish exactly the same. Nothing trumps experience.

My most recent reel purchases have been fuego ct from American Legacy Fishing through eBay. Of course 2 days after I buy one for $67.99 they put one up "buy it now" for $62.99 and it was eligible for 15% off. If I had waited 2 days I could have had one for $54.00... such is my luck. It looks like they still have one up for $62.99. Both bps and academy list them for $99.99 and I doubt they will ever run a sale that will get them down to $63. Sportsman Outfitters offers really good prices on Lews reels through eBay as well. I have stumbled across similar deals on rods, I can't remember who but I'm pretty sure I saw one of the "eBay retailers" that was accepting the 15% off code selling Dobyns Fury rods for $109 and free shipping. It's harder to find rods at super discounts because of shipping. So basically, I just shop around on the internet until I run across a deal that I know the big brands can't beat. For what it's worth, I would suggest grabbing the fuego ct I mentioned earlier for $63 (check the gear ratio, they might only be selling 8.1.1 at this price and that's not conducive to cranking) and using the gift card on a rod.

Lately I've been using gift cards from big brand stores (bps, academy) to buy line, terminal tackle, and lures. I can usually find rods and reels so much cheaper from other sources that I feel like I'm wasting money to pay msrp at a big brand store. Don't let me talk you out of getting something you want, it's just my approach on gift cards.

Lews tournament mb. Can get one for $109 on ebay. 14# max drag, comes in 8.3.1., and has really good distance. My absolute favorite reel for frogs. Been using one on my frog rod for about 3 years now and I have nothing but good things to say about it. I keep the drag locked down and it will slip a bit on the set with a good fish. I have never failed to hookup on a fish that made my drag slip.

Yes! I'm all in on the siebert brush jig. Grid iron version if you use braid, standard version if not. I throw them at everything without any major issue. They aren't perfect, but they are as close to it as I have found. Spend the extra change to get them wire tied.

Another quick question. When you use baby brush hogs, are you getting the kickers ripped off any? Bluegill/sunfish love to grab the kickers and will pop them off if you set while they are holding them.

Goggle eye (rock bass, warmouth) will hit like a truck at times, but you can usually get a hook in them if they are persistent. It really sounds like bluegill or really small bass. I fished near a hatchery one time and 6" bass were so abundant that a T-rig was almost impossible. It went from fun, to funny, to frustrating really quick.

I fish mostly dirty water so it's all baitcasting for me. I don't even own a functional spinning rig right now. This site and all the great information/stories/people make me want to get into finesse fishing more, but for me it is only applicable for 2 weeks (+ maybe 2-4 random trips) out of the year. The bait monkey insists I need a finesse setup. I keep telling him I'll never use it but he just won't shut up. I'm holding strong for now, but we all know who wins out in the end.

Wait... fishing gear fulfillment... I don't understand. It's inconceivable.

Try tightening the spool tension a bit and then using the magnetic brake to fine tune if your having too many backlashes. It's been my experience that the external magnetic brake control on Lews reels is pretty weak. When internal brakes aren't present (this is the case with the mach2) most of your control is thumb and spool tension.

Another vote for a popping frog here. I also find them easier to walk than standard pointed frogs. They are the best of both worlds for me.

Over time you will learn the difference between what is likely a bluegill "tap" and a bass "tap". When I'm in a area that I know is loaded with bluegill (or any other small fish that will harass a bottom contact bait) I tend to wait a bit longer and see if I can feel the fish or see my bait being moved before I set. Some people here will say I'm missing fish and I'm sure sometimes I do, but I can't afford to replace my soft plastic every cast because a bluegill ripped the appendages off when I set. I would suggest you treat all taps like it's the bass your looking for until you are confident it's small fish harassing your bait, then slow your set a bit. I have had people tell me that a bass will often grab and crunch a bait then spit it out to "kill" it, then pick it up and eat it. This lines up perfectly with the majority my experience. There are many, MANY, different types of "hit" on soft plastics and jigs but most often a bass will hang on to it for a bit (again this is just my personal experience). This is all stuff that is not easily explained but with experience you will slowly begin to understand. Having said all that, I'll tell you this... After years of soft plastic fishing and thinking I pretty much had the whole "tap tap" figured out, I had a "tap tap" that I would have bet my paycheck was a bluegill end up being a 4+ pound bass. My line slightly moved down the bank after the taps so I set...

A Beetlespin has the potential to catch pretty much anything that swims. When I was younger it was my "don't get skunked" bait. If the day was tough I would throw one for the last hour before I had to go. I have caught bass (every local species), crappie, bream, pickeral, goggle eye (rock bass or warmouth), catfish, drum, and even a bullfrog. I didn't always catch bass, but almost never got skunked.