garroyo130

That's the way to do it. A good amount of the stuff we here on the forum obsess about probably matters little to the fish but it makes us feel good.

What's wrong with regular ol Amazon? You can get most stuff there ...

I understood that to mean that he's lost some swimbaits too

With spinning reels all that matters is spool size. A Shimano Nasci 5000 does 41 IPT which is only one inch less than the KastKing Speed Demon Elite even though the gear ratio is 6.2:1. Of course, a 5000 reel is bigger than the norm for bass fishing. All said, faster does not equal better though

Ugly Stik USCA661H - $40 https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/ugly-stik-gx2-casting-rod same 1 1/2 upper limit as the Aird but on Ugly Stiks the upper limit is just a suggestion

YZH is thick for its diameter 6# manages like an 8# test. I run 4# YZH which breaks at about 8 lbs.

I thought it was deemed a non issue about 10 posts ago. Its that way by design.

Not gonna lie ... I like this big ugly thing sticking out the side of the reel. Do they make these for threaded handles vs hex shaft?

Yeah I've seen them before. I wonder why the spool style never caught on ... from my understanding it still outcasts many of the long cast spools today

Interesting recommendation. I don't hear about these a lot for bass.

Shimano Spheros - aluminum frame, worm gear, threaded handle

vs me ... jack of all trades master of none

For hardbaits, Academy's H2O Xpress are great for the price. If you look online prices tend to be higher than in-store for some reason

Best bet might be to hit up the auction site

Academy had a hell of a sale last week or two weeks ago one or the other ... that might have something to do with it.

I agree its stupid but keep in mind much of YouTube is fake. A lot of them are asking for permission then clickbaiting the video with "WE SNUCK INTO A PRIVATE POND!" crying laughing emoji crying laughing emoji

They get worn out after doing the dirty ... I see it more with bluegills than with bass but im guessing thats what it is. You can even nudge them with the tip of your rod and they don't swim away.

Agreed. Some stuff just feels better even if that's not necessarily the case. Old All Star rods are that way for me. Im sure high end rods are leaps and bounds lighter and more sensitive but I will have the guides rewrapped and handle redone before buying a new rod.

What youre describing is what's happening where I fish except there are lots of fingerling bass and larger bluegill as well. I can see the nests and they are empty and there are tons of fry near the shore. To me it seems like possibly the first wave of bass has already spawned and these fish came up to feed. They definitely are not guarding anything but will occasionally chase and eat the fry. Like with you, they refuse any artificials but we took some on live worms when I took the kids fishing.

If were talking white and not striped bass, the 2" Pins Minnow has been a solid producer. Its a small lure but casts well with spinning on 4 or 6lb line.

I too made the switch to braid for inline spinners last year but have since switched back. Maybe I just need more experience with braid and treble hooks but I lost too many fish using braid.

Like i said above, for a reel with 7lbs of drag, I'm not sure its an upgrade. The engineers designed it that way for a reason and I doubt cost cutting was the primary reason.

I believe the general rule is 1/8" from the spool lip but I usually run up to the edge of the spool lip and if any coils off I cut the excess This image courtesy of @Bass_Fishing_Socal is a good guide

What's in there currently? I've always heard that felt is smoother than carbon at lower drag settings.