Hudson McLean

Agreed. The dobyns will definitely by higher quality than the lews kvd. Not to say that the lews isn't a good rod, will just definitely get better bang for your dollar.

I've got a Lews Super Duty G that i use for that exact thing. Ive got the 8:1 gear ratio reel, which comes with a flipping switch to make short flips a lot quicker, as you don't have to engage the drag by reeling.

I own a curado dc and i love it. however, i personally don't see me purchasing another one while this one is still working. i've got 6 different baitcast combos and one dc is perfect for me. I feel like regular baitcasters are adequate enough for me to not need another one. it excels when its windy out or if i'm gonna be skipping for long period of time but other than that, casting distance is pretty much on par with a normal baitcaster.

Sure it would work, but I would recommend the 5 power rod. I think it would be able to double as a flipping rod, or really any heavy cover technique better than the 4 powered while still being light enough to fish a football jig, or whatever in open water.

I enjoy using balloons to help bring my bait farther out and keep it in the middle of the water column. I just have a penn senator 6/0 and it's not easy to get it out there any good distance so allowing the bait to drift out there while having a visual indicator of where its at is nice. Plus I believe that the scent travels better in the middle of the water column rather than the bottom. Big mullet, ladyfish and spanish mackerel have been my go to baits.

One of my favorite techniques is just swimming a speed worm around the grass. If there is grass around the entire lake, pay attention to the bottom composition. Most of the time, gravel bottom holds more fish then the "mushy" bottom.

I would definitely test yourself on some saltwater fish, its a whole different ball game. Fall in the Gulf is a one of the best times of year to fish. Get yourself a penn senator 6/0 or 9/0 with some 80 pound mono and you've got yourself a fine yet budget friendly reel that can handle some BIG fish.

Yeah, yeah yeah. its always the best day when you don't have a phone to take pictures.....

Here is a nice snook I got last night using a big mullet head

So, how has the shark fishing been going?

I just went there for the first time in July and it was tough, but figuring out the lake for myself is half the fun. It probably would be a good idea to get a guide the first time, but if your stubborn like me, you can save some money and still catch some fish.

It was a tough day of fishing. Ended up catching 7 bass using chatterbaits and swimjigs. All the bass were between 1 and 2 pounds. heading back in october and january though so hoping for better luck then

Thank you all so much for all of this feedback. You have no idea how much this helps, I had no clue where to even start. Ill keep you posted next week on how it goes. Tight lines!

I'm going to be fishing lake okeechobee this coming Wednesday (August 12). This will be my first time fishing the lake and we are going to be renting a boat near roland martin marina. Would anyone have any tips on how and where to fish out there? Much obliged

I always pay more attention to the line diameter