the bad thing is that people are stealing the reels off combos, leaving just the rods that have to be written off. if they are quitting selling reels due to theft, they will have to do the same with combos, too.
you don't want the drag to break the line, just give more resistance to the fish to tire it out.
yeah, it's not worth a 700 mile drive.
which one was the bullet? i had a red and black one that i loved. it had an extra "power drag" thumb lever that you pushed up for instant extra drag. it was kind of bullet shaped.
i cut my teeth on the zebco 202, but have owned 404s, 33s and others. the 33 is a classic.
the spincast reel is the best of both worlds for casual fishing or teaching a newbie.
you can concentrate more on fishing and observation when alone.
my parents had a place there from the mid 70's to about 1999. they bought at around 70,000 and sold for over 200,000. i used to go almost every weekend and weeks in the summer as my parents never went. the lake is huge and it's full of numerous fishes. a long time ago the bass were mostly small due to the lack of nutrients as the water was so clean. now, after the construction boom and urbanization. the bass are bigger, although there aren't any more of the big stripers. i hear there are nice hybrids, though. i haven't been down since i visited a friend who lives on the lake around 15 years ago and it had changed a lot already. the place has it all for fishing though, from casting at piers to jigging deep structure.
you might try a stiffer rod to put more backbone in your set. you might also be setting too soon. i know with my carolinarigs the bass like to gum the bait and swim with it a while. i just slowly reel in any slack while i watch the line move. when i feel the weight of the fish pulling, i set hard. good luck and i hope this helps.
i finally went fishing for the first time in at least 3 years. the last time was surf and pier fishing at north myrtle beach 3-4 years ago. we just got back from beaufort, nc where i fished for about an hour off a dock on taylors creek on front street and caught a small croaker, a small black sea bass (my first of these) and numerous pin fish. it was fun. now, to fish freshwater again for the first time in over ten years.
you can get a decent new kayak for $200 but be limited to being alone on the craft and warmer weather. you can probably find a used jon boat w/ motor for 1,000 dollars and find a roof top carrier for your car within that thousand or for only 100 more. a 10' jon boat (or preferably bigger) will keep you dry in the winter. start looking at craigslist, yard sells and pawn shops.
how close is the nearest walmart?
thank you all. i'm in north carolina and plan on wetting a line real soon.
on pier 60 use a small, cheap walmart spinning rod, a 2 hook drop rig with really small hooks and a really small pinch of fresh shrimp on each hook with a smallish to medium sized pyramid sinker. drop this straight down near one of the support posts of the pier, reel all slack out of the line, hold line between index finger and thumb and wait to feel the tap-tap-tap. next just reel in any slack, if any, set the hook and reel in the fish. this ought to work.