NavyToad

Good luck with that. LOL!

Omnia has the Custom Pro on sale and I went out of my normal price range and picked one up last week. Almost identical to the Custom lite, but 1 oz heavier due to different materials. I really like the Custom Pro and can see why you would like the Custom Lite. My last 6 reels have been Lew’s and if I needed another reel today, I’d buy another Tournament Pro or Custom Pro. Sure makes shopping easy. Thanks for your comparison.

Dobyns xp704cb for jerkbaits is about it. I have 3 or 4 M/H 7’+/- rods that all do spinnerbait/chatterbait/swim jig/fluke duty. A couple old BPS Crankin’ Sticks (m/h & m) for crankbaits and spooks etc… Dobyns xp735 for frogs and pitchin’ jigs. Without gettin’ up to go look I think that’s about it. 3 spinning rods for spinning rod stuff. Not much “technique specific” stuff in my line-up, it all does double and triple duty.

Solder or butt splice with environmental sleeve. I prefer butt splices - if they’re good enough for passenger airlines, they’re good enough for me.

As long as you keep 6’ seperation between spools you’re safe. Couldn’t resist.

I think UV light is much more harmful than heat. Air temp. isn’t something I’ve ever worried about.

Did you get video? I could use a good laugh.

I’ve never fished them on a float and I don’t use a bobber/float for anything really, other than live minnows. I can fish a grub 6” under the surface or 3’ under the surface by changing my retrieve speed. If you have 3 feet of water you shouldn’t have too much trouble keeping it off the bottom.

Unless you’re one of the old men.

Set truss a sheeted alot of roofs years ago. Hottest place on the job site. I didn’t mind way back then, but circumstances changed and I ended up fixing radios/radars etc.. in the A/C for 38 years. No regrets.

I think we’d all be richer and and blissfully catching fish with our old gear if not for the internet.

1/8 - 1/4oz jighead with a 3-4” white or smoke grub. Simple - cast and slow to moderate retrieve. If you have a muck bottom keep it off the bottom. You might have to adjust the weight for depth/retrieve speed. Best done with spinning gear and is also easy for kids.

Never and even less likely now that I’m retired. Pocket Knife monkey? After 30 or 40 fixes, I shot that S.O.B.. No new knives in years. Bought a $600 Curtis one time and luckily it was flawed so I sent it back. $50 re-stocking fee was worth it. Wanna buy a knife or 20? LOL!

All the time, but it’s an itch I don’t scratch as often or easily nowadays. Reels only get my attention when there’s a bargain to be had, but rods are a different story and can send me on an hours long dive into YouTube and reading everything I can find. Being retired has changed how readily I spend my money, but my old habits haven’t entirely gone away.

I follow 2 small town Sheriff’s departments on Fbook. Times have surely changed EVERYWHERE. I’d opine further, but I’d probably end up on someone’s watch list.

In the $200 range the world is your oyster. Stick with a name brand and you won’t be disappointed. IMO the trick is finding them on sale as @txchaser mentioned. The internet is good for something once in a while.

I’d say no, but a stranger looking at my gear would probably wonder why I have so many Lews reels. Rods are more varied, but in the last 5 years all my rods and reels have come from a total of 3 manufacturers. In my childhood Shimano made bicycle parts - I’ve never got on board with them. I know, I know.

A helgramite climb in there? LOL!

Take the reel to Bass Pro or a local tackle shop and ask them for a rod to fit that reel. The feet on your reel look the same as most reels I’ve seen and I think there might be plenty of modern rods that will fit your reel. Or….proceed as planned. Either way, good luck.

Omnia has $50 off Lews Signature Series rods. I already have a $22 credit - tempting.

He parlayed his personality into one heck of a gig. I like him. He and my nephew could pass for twins.

Do you do any fishing around Falling Waters? I used to fish there regularly and I’m wondering how the river’s doing. I grew up in Frederick.

We have a legitimate reason for optimism! For the first time in a long time the future looks bright. I liked what Buck Showalter was able to do, but this time around I think we have a farm system to sustain us for a while. September and heading into next year will be fun.

Welcome. I grew up in Frederick. Where are you in MD? Were you at PAX?

So?