CrashVector

I think the majority of the hard hook sets on yt are just to make it look good on camera to get views. I've NEVER set the hook like an Olympic weightlifter trying clean and jerk a 10lb fish out the water. I feel the fish bite, and just quickly sweep my rod. I use mono lots. In fact, only two of my setups have braid on them, everything else has mono.

Lol pretty much. I've gotten to the point where I'm getting highly specialized stuff now lol!

Because I already have 10-15 of those lol

Welcome aboard!

So, I just went out and bought an Abu Garcia Max Pro 20 spinning reel. First impression: it's a nice looking reel. Seams are very tight with no gaps or unevenness. Attached the handle and gave it a spin. Felt tighter than I expected. Took it down. There was minimal grease on the gears, so I lubed em up to my standards, greased the bearings and race, etc. Muuuuch smoother now. I swapped my Revo S spinning reel over to the Revo S rod, and put the new Max Pro on a Veritas PLX rod. Spooled it up with 8lb Trilene Sensation from a partial spool I had left over, which may be a mistake. Sensation is a tad wirey, and this a 20 size reel. I noticed the line jumping off the spool as I tried to string the rod. Ordered some 6lb Sensation which is coming in later today, and I'll swap it out. Gonna rig it up for stocker trout in a couple weeks, which I'm REALLY looking forward to, and I'll give a better review once I use it. So far, it seems to be well worth the $40 from what I've seen so far.

I love getting other people's ideas :). Makes it more fun somehow I use the powerbait dough on a kind of a Carolina rig I guess you'd call it. I spool up with 6lb Trilene Sensation, put on a 1/4 Oz worm weight, the tie off to a plain barrel swivel. I tie a 12-18 inch leader of 6lb sensation to the leader, then tie to a light wire, long-shanked #6 offset cricket hook. First ever fish she caught in her life lol

They stock rainbows once a year here...something I LOVE catching. Drop some suggestions for a good trout spinning combo that's not TOO expensive, as it'll only get used once a year.

I still use old boron pistol grip rod on occasion.

Yes. I've seen quite a few comical things in the last couple years of the "pandemic fisherman" epidemic. I cant count how many people I've seen with spinning reels on casting rods or on top of the rod instead of underneath, etc

The color options are what I like. Yes, I'm "that guy". Fishing to ME is much more than just catching fish. It's also enjoying my equipment, the setup, and putting the thought into it. I also like "matching" stuff....so....I know it serves no tangible purpose, but it gives me intangible pleasure.

Mt dad has some OLD stuff. I'll take pictures next time I visit him. He said some of them are "the first ones they sold in the United States"

My dad has NUMEROUS old Shakespeare and Abu Garcia reels from the 50s and 60s. Some are so old the left plate is literally just a sheet of metal. It's cool to see people still using vintage equipment.

To ME, a "workhorse" combo tends to be a less expensive, but solid, rod and reel. Not junk, but ones you don't mind getting dirty. My current workhorses are a set of Abu Garcia SilverMax combos in 7' mh/fast. I've used them to catch everything, including a 50+lb channel catfish on video while spooled up with 20lb Trilene big game. In the winter, they tend to be spooled with the Big Game in 20lb coastal brown for catfishing. Come spring, they get re-strung with 15lb braid for bass duty. All in all, workhorse combos to me are the backbone of my fishing collection...the ones I reach for most when I'm not sure what I'm after, but just heading out to the water for whatever is biting.

...and that Abu Garcia is better than all of them

Well, it's widely known that you cannot use lethal force to defend property....or should be.

Which is why I always have at LEAST a Ruger 22 pistol in my kayak at all times. The fact that some people think it's okay to KILL someone for floating on the water in a boat *IS* insane.

I've no reason to be deceptive. I've gotten two backlashes in the last month or so...both because I dialed back my spool tension too far. I quit using braid years ago because of line dig. It got annoying and mono was just easier. I can honestly say I haven't had any line dig issues with the 15lb pro mix. Maybe it's my setup...maybe it's luck...or maybe the roundness of the line helps.

Pure Fishing has a habit of doing that imo....which is highly annoying. They buy up nameplates then "tier" them. Presidents used to be the cat's meow...along with Garcia. But under pure Fishing, they kind of ruined the namesake by outsourcing everything to China.

X4

Ive seen some reviews saying the white is less visible in water than one would assume...guess there's only one way to find out. Bought some today. Put it on a SilverMax combo for spinner baits.

WooHOO!! /Fingers crossed they put some Abu Garcia MaxPro combos on sale lol

I don't know what to tell you, I use the suffix Pro mix 15 on my Revo s combo and have for some time. I haven't had any issues at all with line dig. Using something like 50 or 65 lb braid for bass negates one of the major benefits of braided line anyhow, so you might as well use 20lb monofilament...at least it would be less visible. Never understood why people will use super heavy braids, when the main benefit of braid is that it's thin per lb/test. Besides, you get snagged, and you're either cutting off a lot of line, or running the risk of breaking a rod while trying to straighten a hook.

I just use it to keep my plastics lubricated because I store them in boxes.

Mine got the best of me today ?? Went over to BPS and got a spool of 20lb gray seaguar smackdown, a pack of tiny brush hogs, bang spray in pure craw and shad scents, and more Ned heads to clip to make more of my finesse rigs.