Gator in TN

Yeah, I'm going to pick up some 20-30 before the next time I go out. I almost picked up the same reel but as a baitcaster but I'm not so sure about it yet. I want to get a little more fishing and techniques under my belt before I tackle using that type of setup. I love to fish but bass fishing where I used to live was a hassle because of gated communities and the distances I'd have to drive to find good bass fishing so after the kids were born I gave it up for a while. I haven't had much time to use anything other than spinning reels so far. Now that I'm up in Tenn and there's a wealth of lakes nearby I'm getting back into the swing of things. At some point I'm definitely going to make the jump over to using baitcasters more but I'm just trying to get a lot of fishing in first before making the switch. Thanks for the recommendations I'll be on the lookout for suffix and good to know about Kastking. I don't mind spending the extra money, it's just getting the wife to not be naggy about it thats the kicker.

To be honest, rookie mistake. I've been watching youtube videos and reading stuff that says while frogging you use high braid line, never really researched that much about what line to use with what reel. Now that I see how granular it needs to be, I know a little better. I didn't really think that there would be that much difference between 50lb and 20lb braid regardless of which reel it goes on. I see that I have a lot more to learn about this. However, I'm a nerd at anything I do, so I like to read up and figure out my mistakes and correct them. I'm not hard headed and I can follow advice from people more knowledgeable than I am. I appreciate all of the info you guys are providing. Thanks for the tips!

If I stand in the yard with a weight on it or really if I just consistently reel with no action, it will reel fine. The problem comes when I walk the frog or if I'm reeling in a worm by pulling up on the rod without reeling and then reeling in the slack while tilting the rod back down. If I swim the worm there is no issue. All the problems come if I'm trying to finesse the lure as opposed to straight up reeling it in. By the way, I was working earlier and forgot... GO GATORS!

I thought that may be the case but when a decent amount of line is off the spool, it will still do it. Thanks for the recommendation though, I will go out and get new line before the next time I fish and report back with the results. I appreciate everyone's responses and advice.

Thanks for the advice, I'll give this a shot. Have you seen what I experienced before? I don't mind working a little harder to keep it from happening if this is the norm but I also would be fine with exchanging the reel for another either the same model if its defective or by getting a whole new reel. Thanks, I'll give that line a try. I really love the sensitivity of the braided line. Anyone have a good recommendation of a good leader line? Old Hickory lake is where I do most of my fishing and its a little murky, has a slight green/brown tint to it.

Thanks for the tip. Is what I'm experiencing normal I just have to learn to adjust so it doesnt happen or is this something out of the ordinary? 6 ft Ugly Stik Lite Pro and a Quantum Escalade 30 (was on clearance at Dicks for 20 bucks) See picture attached below, its being spooled where the red lines are. Not all of them go down there, only a couple when I reel it in without a lot of tension, but it's still enough to annoy me and I know it will cause problems at some point.

No, only if I throw something out and just reel in. I like frog fishing and when I walk it, that's when the biggest issues come up. Didn't happen as much with a worm but it was happening a little.

I got a new rig the other day and bought some 50lb spiderwire. I spooled it last night and I thought I spooled it pretty tight. I used a couple layers of mono to prevent slipping on the reel (spinning reel, btw) and then tied on a double uni knot to connect the braided line. So I go out to fish today and noticed immediately that the reel was spooling the line loose. I thought it may be because I filled the reel maybe a little too much (it's not to the edge or anything though) but I noticed even with a long cast, it was doing the same thing while I reeled it in. It's spooling below where it should be and looping a bit sometimes if there isn't enough tension on the line. Is there something I'm missing.. did I do something wrong? Does it need to be spooled on tighter? I never had this issue with mono. I really liked the braided line but It's super annoying even though I was able to manage to fish, I feel like it's going to be a problem.

Thanks, Go Gators! Hopefully Mullen can bring us back to where we belong. ___________________________ You can tell it's that time again lol Seems like SEC Country around here! Nothing like Saturdays in the south. Good luck to everyone's team (unless you're playing the Gators of course )

Caught this guy a little after 7pm on a green frog at Nat Caldwell Park in Hendersonville, TN. Got him by those trees you see in the background just over my right shoulder. Using 20lb mono and pulled him out of the sticks. He was 15 in, didn't have a scale though but maybe 1-2 lbs. After seeing where I hooked him, I'm lucky he didn't come off. Set the hook a little too early on another in the same spot. Can't wait for another couple weeks for the action to start picking up.

Thank you guys for all the information! It's extremely helpful. I'm working now so I'll have to look at the links later but I really appreciate the info.

I posted this in another sub-forum but not getting any responses so far. Just wondering what are the best Middle TN fishing holes (preferably less than an hour from Nashville) and what are the best lures/bait to use? I tried Drakes Creek park off Main St in Hendersonville and it seemed like a ghost town. Very shallow water and no hits in sight. I'm pretty sure I saw ducks walking in the water in the middle of the creek. Looking at Google maps seems like all the ponds are behind fences around here so not sure if I'll be able to get to those. Currently my only option is bank fishing unless I rent a boat. Also, I have an 11 and 5 year old I have with me so ideally no ledges and less trees would be best as they will be fishing with bobbers and not skilled at casting just yet. Thoughts, tips? Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the warm welcome guys!

Hey everyone, just moved to Tennessee from Ft. Myers Florida and looking for nice spots, tips and tricks around Sumner County but also Middle Tennessee. What kind of bait has worked best for you guys? What are some good spots? Thanks in advance! (Btw, I'm a Tier 2 tech with a managed service provider so will trade PC knowledge for fishing knowledge) ?