JediAmoeba

Yeah, the cult following, to me here, is kistler and g loomis.

I will tell you what isn't a cool sound - fluoro line snapping. It's the loudest snap ever. Yesterday I forgot I had 8 pound test leader attached to 15# braid and set the hook like it was a jig fish in a mat with 50# test. The line snapped about 3 inches below my leader knot and it was the loudest snap ever. The only good news...my knots held.

I have 12 daiwa reels and cant say I have this problem.

DSG and Cabela's are really pricing themselves out of the market. If I have a coupon or something i will shop there, otherwise I can go to my local shop or buy what I want online for cheaper anyway. The only reason I shop at DSG is because my kids are in athletics and we don't have any other sporting goods retailers in NE Pa.

Pretty sure that label comes off, but I could be wrong.

Just like 813basstard is eluding to, you need to simplify! It sounds like you have too much information in your head and are flopping around with techniques and lures. Pick 1 shallow, 1 mid depth and 1 deep approach and fish only those until you get confidence. You could fish that orange worm in all those depths just rigging it differently. Think simple, catch some fish and then start tweaking and adding more techniques!

I am going tomorrow to try and catch a state record pickerel - I am taking everything from little 2" jerkbaits up to 8" swimbaits. The fish will hopefully tell me what's going on.

Actually, the frame is an aluminum alloy on this one...

Purdy!

There is your answer. In the future keep them in their original packaging and don't mix them with other baits.

Were any of them Elaztech? Zman products are mostly this and some strike king. They do not go together - they fuse together with any plastisol or PVC bait.

When I was 18 or 19 we were fishing out of an old aluminum boat and it was raining really hard - the boat was filling up and my friend removed the plug to let the water "out". Getting an aluminum boat to shore that is filled with water and emptying it is not fun or easy!

I just got a new rod and reel. I wasn't about to let a little rain and 40 mile an hour winds get in my way.

I used to to empty the individual bags into plano boxes but lost too many to rust. Now I leave all the hooks in their original packaging and put them in large divided plano boxes. Depending on what type of fishing I am doing I throw a few packs into small 3700 boxes I am taking with me.

Where does one acquire Blue? Paint my own?

I want some of the blue ones! I don't know how well they would work for fish, but I know they would catch me...

That is a lot of bladed jigs. Jeez, I need to get with the program!

Daiwa Tatula 150 paired with a Dobyns Fury - 7' MH. Come black Friday this should fall nicely into your price range. I also have 2 Kastking Speed Demon pro Tournament series rods I really like in that 100 dollar range - but I hate the color.

Have my Tatula Elite Rod (7' ml) and a Tatula LT 3000-CXH ready to roll with 15# braid and a 10' fluoro leader! Really excited to use this for some ned rigging and drop shotting. I have loads of higher end casting combos but this is the first Spinning combo I have spent more than 200 dollars on....

You should email Kastking.

I have never liked a single fluoro as a main line. To me its benefits as a leader are mainly being able to sink and its durability against pickerel teeth compared to mono. Any 40 dollar line people are telling me is the end all but I need to go out and get 10 dollar line conditioner just isn't worth it.

What? Most tournament fisherman reel their bass to the boat at high speed. I usually try and get the bass on as quick as possible to avoid jumps and such unless I am finesse fishing.

Neither one of these applications really require an ultra sensitive rod so why not buy two rods for about the same price - ~200 dollars per rod? To me there is really only a huge jump in the more expensive rods when fishing contact baits. Sounds like you will have a lot of time to fish so you may as well have technique specific rods.

It's a reel they are overcharging you for bushings. In that price range you can do better...

In that price range get yourself a Daiwa or Shimano and you will be happy. I have always had luck with Daiwa so I stick with those but Shimano are good too. Put one in your hand, at a shop, and see which one you like more. You can't go wrong either way.