Backroad Angler

Yeah that line rating on the rod is referring to mono line test. For your 50 LB braid, that is compariable to about 12 lb mono

One of my most beautiful combos

Don't switch to baitcasting reels because then you'll be spending 3x the amount on them than spinning reels lol

Abu garcia silvermax, a little upgrade from the blackmax

I like the look of that, will take a look! Thanks For now I will just use the reel as a "hook keeper" for the time being, actually took it fishing yesterday to break the rod in and thats what I did. Thanks for everyones input!

Senkos for sure T rig- crawdad

I've always had decent luck with Shimano and Lews, but If you want generally the older reels were made more durable and last a life time, if you wanna pick out a older reel like the curado E series or something on those lines.

Yeah I think what this rod company said if they put a hook keeper on, it would mess up the blanks or something? lol

Or are the fish thinking insects/food hit the water when your line hit the water? Mabye they are looking for that, theres so many possiblities man lol I've heard the A rig comparision before and honestly that makes a lot of sense!

There ain't no big deal, I just would hate to blow more money on fishing related gear I may not really need, even if it's only 5 or so dollars, that adds up lol. But knowing me, I probably will... And if I did the guides, it would'nt be the actual guide, it would be the foot.

Hey guys, I know most rods have hook keepers nowadays but I ended up with a new one that doesnt have one. I know you can buy a hook keeper, but I don't really wanna go that route, only if I really need to. Would putting it on the reel or on the foot of one of the guides be my best bet? Thanks guys

Love the responses guys, appreciate it!

Yeah I think at the end of the day, it comes down to what type of waters you fish and the location where you live. I'm just trying to come to decision to use straight braid or not and so far I haven't decided lol. Thanks for your input!

I know I'm gonna get bashed for this because I know there is 40 million posts about this said topic lol. But the most recent I found was around the summertime and wanted to see yalls opinions in current time. So simply, do you use braid straight or do you attach a leader? And is the main reason if you use a leader, is it because of line visibility? I know people use leaders for visibility, line abrasion, benefits of mono/fluro, saves mainline, shock absorber, and I'm sure theres more, but I'm more interested to know if anyone still uses it because they think braid will scare away fish and affect their bite rate. Thanks guys

I've been using the Dobyns champion XP DC683SF for jigs/trigs, I absolutley love it great rod and I feel every little thing with it.

I think your friend is gonna win the classic one day, take tips from him ?

Good to know, appreciate you!

I read that somewhere too, the modern braids don't pick up sediment as the old ones did? Or not as much?

This is what I'm leaning towards, thanks for the advice!

I know most people that complained of braids damaging guides, were using braids that had kevlar in them. But I feel like its still a grey area and no ones really sure. Thanks for the input

Cheap or expensive, learning a baitcaster can take a whole season to fully know what your doing with it. Takes a ton of paitence, trust me I had 100's of backlashes starting out. STILL DO lol

This question popped into my head, does braided line damage guides? After snooping around the internet I see some people saying yes, it causes grooves and others saying no way, it's not harmful at all. Does anyone know the truth?

Shimano sienna combo 40-50 bucks, decent little spinning set up. You can also take a long at Ugly stik elite spinning, the rods are super durable and last forever. The rod itself is about 50, but you can get the combo for abouut 70ish-80. And for spincast, I would just grab a Zebco at walmart, they usually have them for 20-50 dollars. Also a Ugly stik GX2 combo at walmart, spinning set up, combo I've seen them for about 40 dollars a pop.

I love lipless cranks in lakes/big bodys of waters. But using them in a creek or pond with algae, and lots lots of grass? no sirrrr

I've been using braid such as powerpro/suffix on most of my combos but if I don't use braid, I use the good ol Trilene XL. It's easy to get 7 or 8 bucks at walmart, farily cheap, they got clear or a moss color. I started out with XL and I still love it, it does good for me and casts very well. The only thing I would say it lacks in is abrasion resistance compared to other monofilaments, but not by much. I use the 12lb and 14lb for baitcasters and 8lb and 10 lb for spinning.