Lews has the, I think it is called "hack attack" combo. Academy carries them so you can look it over before you buy. Their combos are solid. I am not a great fan of their rods, but that is just a preference. I like St. Croix and 13 Fishing. Also, Favorite and Daiwa AirdX for my budget rods. For my budget reels I like the Shimano SLX and 13 Origin C. Also, the Piscifun Phantoms are good budget reels. I haven't used mine as much as some others, so I can't attest to their longevity. If I was to pick from those mentioned, I would pair up the Origin C (you can get it for less than $99 if you shop around) and a Daiwa Aird X rod. I think Academy has a sale on right now. The combo will be slightly more than your $150, but only by a few dollars.

Trilene XL, maybe 12 lb. You can use a Fluorocarbon leader but probably not necessary. Inexpensive compared to braid or fluorocarbon as well since you are new to fishing. It is a nice, soft line.

I was watching an Ike video, and the fishing was tough. They decided to slow down, and he caught a big'un. That struck me because I tend to fish too fast.

Yes, I read that one thing that infuriated the Texans was the Comanche practice of cutting the noses off captives. They were not aware of the impact that practice would have on the Texans. Failure to understand the culture you are dealing with has resulted in many violent encounters in history.

I have heard people say, "I don't use swivels because they fail if the weight is too much." Using that logic you should not use line and hooks either! I use swivels. Never had a problem. I have never thought they may effect lure action. That is something to think about. I don't worry about fish seeing them. The lure has hooks, line, blades and all. As a kid we even caught fish with hooks and string. That isn't to say that less things to distract the fish is not better. I do believe that is true, but I don't think swivels will make much of a difference. I may be wrong.

Welcome, from Fort Worth! I fish Weatherford often.

When I first started fishing, all we had was some sort of braid. Not the high tech stuff we have today, but some sort of braid, and we caught fish. Occasionally,we set line with just string, and we still caught fish. When mono came out, we thought it was the cat's meow. The first colors I remember were blue or green, and we caught fish. Now I might fish with any color. I do usually use a leader (fluorocarbon usually, but some fluorocarbon seems a little brittle, so occasionally I use clear mono). And, I have a couple of reels spooled up with bright yellowish gold looking mono, and sometimes fish it without a leader, and I still catch fish. I am sure sometimes the line color makes a little difference, but not as much as we might think.

I will retire next Spring.

Randydelsack "Mostly an ultralight guy, but got the kayak this year and started with med. and heavy rigs in deeper water. Catch and release only. Trying to post some pics but something's not cooperating."

Could I ask what kayak? I am a year younger than you and plan to retire next year. My agility and balance are not what they were, so I have been think a kayak might not be the ticket for me, but several people have said the "fishing kayaks" are more stable and the seats are high enough your knees are bent. What is you opinion?

Yep. I grew up in Louisiana and started fishing at about 4. Somebody handed me a worn our bait caster and taught me how to get out backlashes, and that was my first fishing experience (fished with a cane pole too for bream). The H&H spin jig was our go to lure in yellow and black. At about 8 I graduated to a Zebco and was in hog heaven. They were heavy plastic and well designed in those days. I fished until I went to college, and fished only a couple of times in 47 years until last year (even once in South America....DON'T lip a fish in South America!!). In the 47 years I didn't really fish much things have sure changed. The equipment is FAR better than the old days as a whole. And, soft plastics are a whole new world!

I live in the DFW area of Texas and the lakes around here are HEAVILY pressured. I think overall there are fewer fish, at least they are harder to catch. A lot of people don't catch and release. I didn't growing up but always do now. I really can't compare Texas to Louisiana. Water everywhere there, and lots of opportunity to fish. If you are bank fishing here you are extremely limited. I am eventually going to get a boat, but am waiting until I retire next Spring.

13 Fishing Fate Black is an excellent rod for around $80.

Try out the 13 Fishing Origin C for less than $100. Turn half the brakes off and use the spool tension to control backlash and it will cast great.

Also, Piscifun makes some good casting reels for significantly under $100. Their Phantom series are the ones I am familiar with. Don't know about durability but they cast great.

If you are willing to spend more, try the Shimano Curado. It is a great reel. They also have the SLX for about $99. I have one but haven't fished it much. Some people swear by it though. I will be using it more in the future.

We are all super frustrated, and the lakes I fish are under a lot of pressure year round. Not many places you can bank fish. The shoreline is mainly taken up with lake houses, and where it isn't, the water is shallow. I guess I am going to have to buy some kind of boat.

I feel your pain!

I have the very cheapest one Deeper makes. It does what I need it to, tells me that there is something that looks like fish down there. Also depth of water. Easy to read and rechargeable. The more expensive models give you a lot more information and the screen pics look like a regular fish finder. I like the cheap one as the graphic shows something it takes as a fish to be a fish. Better than I could I am sure. I just want to know if there are fish present so I won't waste my time. I can recommend the product I have. It is a lot of fun just casting it out there and seeing what it finds.

Crappie freshwater
Snapper or flounder salt water