New England, other than Mass has some beautiful places. OK, so does Mass but I spent to much time going into Boston years ago, hated it!

Little trick I learned fishing for trout in a lake like that in Montana years ago. Get the bait up above the weed's! Used these bugs we called itchy bugs we got under the rocks in the lake. Used a Carolina rig with about 19" of leader. Put a small marshmellow on the hook and the bug on top of the marshmallow. Then some years ago did pretty much the same here in Oregon but this time used Power bait. Didn't need the marshellow as the power bait floats on it's own, killed the fish! Carolina rig with hook about 18" below the sinker and something to float the bait off the bottom.

Go head and eat it. It's a trout that was given a covid shot!

Wouldn't surprise me it's a marketing gimic. About like the camo catfish special reel. 6500 with a new paint job and raised the price a bunch!

Ya know, I really like casting reels and something I've wondered about for a long time is if the number is the size of the reel, why are my ABU 5000 and ABU 6500 the same size?

I'm not convinced the line makes that big a difference setting the hook. Ever stick your finger with a hook? I doubt it takes much to set it in the fish's mouth. matter of fact sounds like using circle hooks on cats, the cats set the hook themselves! Don't use a circle and sounds like the cat swallows hook and all but then somehow sspits it out of way inside without hooking itself. Now I think back over the years and I pretty much always used mono line, it caught fish! Using braid on a few casting reels these days, catch fish with it. Sometimes I miss the bite and come up mty, probably to slow setting the hook!

Billy Chinook is about 40 miles from the house and I've fished it six or seven times over the years. Have never caught the first fish of any kind in it and every time I launch a boar on it I have boat trouble. Took a friend there a week or so ago, launched at Perry South and did the Metolius arm. Cost an extra $14 to fish one day and saw a lot of fish on the fish finder, Neither of us got the first fish and went to leave and the starting battery was dead so had to paddle a long way looking for a jump! That Metolius arm is really nice looking though! Think for me it's just best to stay away from there!

Well I was reading some stuff from Oregon fish and game and they claim you can generally catch 100 small mouth bass a day from the John Day river but, I've been fishing that river about 30 yrs and have never come close! Most of them in the river are pretty small but from over crowding I think. Fish and game took size limit off them few years ago and took off bag limit, get all ya want. But then a guy can only eat so many 6" fish without getting frustrated!

Ya know, I've been fishing about 70 some years now and I haven't a clue what those reel size number's mean. A 4000 reel, what is that?

I used to get bass on plugs some years ago, even hooked a big trout on one one time. Don't fish for bass much anymore though and haven't fished for trout in years. Fish for small mouth now and then in a river close to home and got on to plastic jigs and simply stayed with them. Also use small jig's for crappie, work great. Tried a couple small plugs on crappie year or so ago and all I got was small small mouth bass! Never tried a drop shot, sound's to me like a whole new learning curve. Haven't used worms a lot in recent years either, used to though. Thing about worms is pretty much all fish eat them so ya never know what will bite. Tried some on cats couple weeks ago and didn't get the first cat. Worms hit bottom and a ton of small ass were on them right now, couldn't keep them on the hook. I think all this simply goes to show you catch fish with what you believe in! I got a bunch of neat plugs, gotta start trying them on something again! Used to really like spinner's like rooster tail ect for trout and seldom ever fish for trout anymore, need to start again. My favorite trout spinner was an Indiana Spinner trailing a worm. Don't know why I quit on them but notices the other day I still have some. So I haven't answered your question, probably don't have an answer other than simply learn how and when to use them!

I started in with bait caster's about 1966, old Zebco direct drive. Terrible time learning to cast it but use my newer reels about the same way. It's probably just a personal thing really, I look good casting a level wind reel! But for cats I simply have this feeling that the round level wind reels are tuffer and probably handle bigger fish better. Then along come my stupid son and catch's fish with a spinning rod! Kid has a lot of nerve! If I were the OP I'd give a level wind a shot just to suit myself, never know unless you try! I've seen some pretty big salt water spinning reels that might catch a big cat, well maybe, they have caught some big sharks with them! End of the day it's all about preference, mostly I prefer casting reels and UL spinning reels. I prefer round casting reels but have a couple low profile reels set op on light rods and 4# line I like for smaller fish. Matter of fact I have about ten different round casting reels and only two low profiles. So needing to get some new low profiles so I don't appear to be practicing favoritism! That's easy for me, no wife!

I just recently tried braid on reels, casting reels only. Put 20# braid on and use up to 10# mono for leader. My experience is that the braid lays on the reel much better and actually cast's better. Probably will change all my casting reels to braid in time. Also have to say, soft as the stuff is I hope I never get a backlash!

I've had several of the old 300's. Couple were 300 half bails. My mind I want to think they were the best ever but in reality I have to believe some of the newer reels are maybe better reels. Need to admit to a personal attachment to old Mitchell's!

I've got an old reel like that. Garcia Mitchel 606. Put it on a broken rod trying to make an down rigger out of it. Have five or six other old reels also. Have a few other old reels beside these. Can't find my old Zebco Direct drive, got it in 1965. Around here somewhere.

https://i.imgur.com/4sTPS0ml.jpg

Don't know what the top left is and no idea where I got it. Top center is a Daiwa J-25, not a clue where it came from. Top right is my Mitchell 300, had it many many years. Bottom left is a Pflueger Rocket # 1855 and bottom right is a Shakespeare Direct drive mod ED. All of them still work very well!

I have a Shamino 2000. Just went and looked and difference between mine and picture above is mine has the drag adjust on the spool face.