Help Please

[Champ188]

Hey Techo, what kind of running dog are we talking about and at what distance? Pretty sure I could nail a Saint Bernard or maybe a German Shepherd on a good day at 50 feet, but not sure about a Jack Russell. Also, I would imagine you might need to factor in dog speed and of course, wind speed and direction.

[Jay E]

The spring classic at BPS will start on the 26th of Feb. the Bass Pro Extremes will be on sale and the sale will beat the combo price, both rod and reel are on sale. Both Extreme and Pro Quals come in left handed retrieve.

The Carbon Light rod feels great and they compare the graphite quality to an IM9 blank, the reels are not in yet, but they will be on sale too and should be in by the Classic. I bought 2 spinning rods in the Carbon Light for my trips to the Rock and other clear water lakes.

If you can make it down to the store in Council Bluffs, I would recommend stopping by the store and if we don't have a combo put together, we will match up a rod and reel combo for your liking and you can get a good feel for whatever combo.

I have had Extremes for years, good outfits esp for the $$. All brands mentioned in this thread are good and like mentioned it is like Ford/Chevy.

I will not be in the store opening weekend of the Classic as I have a wilderness survival course out in the boonies, but grab any associate in Bass Pro if you make it down and they will be glad to help you.

if you are in the area any other time, shoot me a pm and i will meet you at the store and we can go over some options 1 on 1

Jason

[CaptainJoe]

Jeez you guys are so helpful, thanks to everyone, especially Captian Joe. Im going to hold off till BPS has their sale though. Do they usually have sale products online too or is it just in the store? No big deal I'd just have to travel a bit. Thanks again.

There are deals at the Spring Festival that are not available on line or in the catalog. The reel trade-in is also very good. I would suggest contacting BPS or go to their website and get all of the information.

As far as the left vs. right handed comments. If I had it to do all over again, I would teach myself to use a left handed reel just because of the comments posted here. Switching hands is a pain and I hate losing contact with the rod during the process, especially when I am flipping in close. But, I have too many right hand reels to make the change. But, if I was like you starting out fresh, I would go with a left hand baitcaster and force myself to use it.

Good luck

[CaptainJoe]

Jason,

I was typing while you were posting. Good post and info. Thanks for going out of your way to help a fellow angler.

[Gary Lange]

I used to have a wooden plug with no hooks that I made for practice casting in the yard. I would through it out and try to hit spots around the yard. One day my Keeshond was out and I through a cast and he grabbed it and the fight was on. Has anyone else ever landed a 40lb. Keeshond on 17lb. Trilene XT. That little dog put up a good fight.

[mrgungho]

I really like the Diawa Megaforce outfit...decent price for a great product. I personally opt for a 7' MH rod because I find it more versatile.

The Bass Pro Shops Extreme Baitcast combos are also really nice as well. I just think with the Diawa you get the same performance for $30 less.

The weight of your bait is definitely one of the most important factors in setting your reel up...the rule of thumb I have always used is this:

Hold your rod straight out in front of you level to the ground and press your spool release button. The bait/plug should fall about 1.5 feet per second or so...I use the Cast Control Knob to get into the general neighboorhood and then really fine tune it to my liking with the magnetic control knob.

As a beginner there is no way that you can have either the cast control knob or the magnetic control knob too tight. Your cast's won't go very far but you won't have to deal with any backlash either. You can slowly loosen up these settings as you begin to feel more and more comfortable with your reel. Have fun and don't get frustrated..I have been throwing a baitcaster for nearly 20 years and I still get a backlash or two everytime out. By the way, getting a backlash cleaned out is a whole other art all in itself!

[Sam]

I've never understood why bass fishermen use casting rigs for lures that don't work along the bottom - topwater, jerkbaits, Senkos, and spinnerbaits. I guess they're real good with casting tackle, which I admire. It's awkward for me, and I use a medium-heavy spinning outfit for lures that don't drag the bottom.

I feel so awkward with a casting rig that I've even tried, over and over, to use a spinning outfit for soft baits worked along the bottom, Texas rigs and so forth. That just doesn't work. I think the difference is the hookset - when I "cross their eyes" with a casting reel I put my thumb on the spool so there's no give. I can't do that with a spinning outfit, and I don't want to tighten the drag of the spinner so tight that it won't give any line on the hookset. If I did that, I'd have no drag operating and I'd probably break a rod if I got a big fish on.

Switching to a left-handed casting reel will help me a lot, I think. At least I'll be reeling with the same hand I use with a spinning outfit. I've got to say though, there's another thing I miss when using a casting reel. With spinning tackle, I back-reel a lot when playing a big fish. I use the drag too, but by back-reeling on hard runs when I have to, I can keep just the right pressure on the rod and the fish. I can't do that with a casting reel, and have to rely on the drag alone - so that's a feature I miss. But if I switch over to a lefty reel, at least I won't feel like I'm fighting the fish bass-ackwards as well.

[TRRANGER]

I have found that the Revo S by Abu to be a really well made dependable baitcaster. It casts light to heavy with ease, I also feel that matching the rod weight/action to the lure weight to be very important. I bought 4 revos last year and got a pfleuger president given to me as gift for fixing a guys truck. I like them both and was going to buy when another pfleuger when that friend turned me to the revos. I bough mine at Bass Pro, but have since found them at walmart for $40.00 less around $90.00 apiece at walmart. As far as rods go I like the Rick Clunn casting series and the bass pro graphite series, not super expensive but If you match the line lure and action closely they work just as well and are really sensitive. The easiest way to learn is with a heavy weight and the cast control tight and cast short distances then as your skill rises loosen the cat control and cast further, trying different styles of cast ie over hand side arm underhand pitch and flips. Hope this helps. tr

[TRRANGER]

As far as the right hand cast left hand reel thing, I too cast right handed and switch to reel in. I have been trying to learn to cast left handed so as not to have to change all my reels. If I was starting out I would cast with my left hand/arm and then not have to switch. The reason is right handed reels are easier to find and have a better selection.

[XRAY]

There are deals at the Spring Festival that are not available on line or in the catalog. The reel trade-in is also very good. I would suggest contacting BPS or go to their website and get all of the information.

As far as the left vs. right handed comments. If I had it to do all over again, I would teach myself to use a left handed reel just because of the comments posted here. Switching hands is a pain and I hate losing contact with the rod during the process, especially when I am flipping in close. But, I have too many right hand reels to make the change. But, if I was like you starting out fresh, I would go with a left hand baitcaster and force myself to use it.

Good luck

Thank you Captain Joe. The more I thought about it the more I wasnt sure if I should get Right vs. Left. I think ill try the left as it does make more sense. A local sportstore has a Revo STX 6:4:1 (I think)in left hand retrieve for $130 right now and as far as I can tell thats a pretty good deal. Thanks for all your help and I'll be in contact for a day out on the water we I hopefully make it back to The Rock this summer!