Well I do also have both the Pflueger President spin casting and spinning reels and am also very pleased with both. I can’t believe a high dollar reel could be any better than the Pflueger or KastKing reels I have.

My son and I just bought a 14 foot Jon Boat with trailer and trolling motor for $450.00. Not sure about the trolling motor so I sprung for a new Minn Kota 55 off Amazon for $226.95. The trailer needs some attention but the boat is in good condition with no damage but could use a good cleaning and a coat of paint. All in all it was a bargain.

I wondered about that also. In other words they edit a week of footage down to 15-20 minutes of actually catching a fish. I do know of one YouTube person that salts a fishing area before he actually fishes it. He is a lawyer when not fishing so that makes sense. 😊 Thanks for the input BTW. It could be the only honest fisherman on YouTube is the guy and girl on the vids titled “Hook Line & Chill”: They run trot lines on a river in Kentucky and at times never get anything and on occasion pull in some nice catfish even if only 2 or 3 on the complete trot line.

I watch a lot of fishing videos on YouTube and it seems these fishermen pull in a monster fish with each cast. I do well to get a nibble using the the very same bait and technique as the ones used on the videos. The only explanation that comes to mind is what I did as a kid was to salt or chum the areas where they are fishing a day or two beforehand. Any other explanation from the fishermen in the forum?

I have a vintage 5 foot, 6 inch Ugly Stick casting rod with a Pflueger President spin caster reel that is my go to rod and reel and the rod has been my favorite rod for more years than I can remember.

Try crickets. I think I have had better luck reeling in pan fish with crickets and grasshoppers than anything over the years.

I also recommend the KastKing Crixus. I have 2 of them and they are exceptionally smooth. In fact I got my second KastKing Crixus today to replace the next to worthless reel that came with my Ugly Stick Catfish rod and reel combination.

Any kind of alcoholic beverage should never be on a boat while it is the water. Of course there is that large percentage of foolish individuals that have no regard for their life or that of others.

Other than catfish and salmon I would have to say trout is the only fish I am partial to. I am not sure I have actually ever eaten anything other than the prior three kinds of fish I listed as my favorites.

You are lucky there are so many ways and means to learn about fishing as well as the hundreds of different types of equipment available. I am 80 years old and started fishing when I was around 10 years old. My fishing equipment consisted of a 15 or 20 foot length of string, a rock for a sinker, a 6 or 7 foot sapling or tree branch for a pole, a piece of wood for a float and a safety pin for a hook. I used crickets, grasshoppers and crawfish for bait most of the time but night crawlers were used after a rain. Many times I would just tie my line around my wrist so I wouldn’t lose it if I did catch a fish. I put fish on the table more often than not using what these days would be considered primitive but it by golly worked. Take advantage of YouTube for equipment, setups and procedures by the many learned fishermen, then go out and have fun even if you don’t catch fish on any given day and it is going to happen. My son and I go out nearly every weekend and even if we don’t land any fish we are having fun just being with each other and it is a plus if we do.

Nice to have when handling cat because those suckers can tear your hands to pieces, especially when you get to be my age and your skin is much more tender than it was years ago. I keep a pair in my tackle backpack just for cat but otherwise don't bother with them.

Why would anybody spend over 50-60 dollars for a reel unless they are drunk or mentally deficient? The same goes for a rod. Buy an Ugly Stick and be set for life. One of my Ugly Sticks is a casting rod from the day they were born and hands down my favorite rod. I have a KastKing Crixus reel for less than $33.00 and it is without a doubt the smoothest reel I have ever owned. The problem being when you spend high dollars for most things all you are doing is buying a name and not necessarily a better product. Not only that many products are built by the same people with a different name attached and small differences. In particular Chinese made products. Of course you pay your nickel and takes your chances.

I watch this guy all the time and I finally got him figured out. He is a lawyer to start with and he salts the places he fishes with boiled corn a day or so before he does these videos showing him catching the monster cat and carp. Works cause I did the same thing in my youth. I will give him credit for one thing though, he does throw them back. He is also very knowledgeable about fishing gear and what to use when and where as well as types of bait, etc.

While in the Army and my ship trip to Germany I spent 30 days eating regular old soda crackers and staying on deck as much as possible. You ain’t lived till you cross the North Atlantic in the spring. Actually you ain’t lived but you feel like you have to get better to die.

Interesting, I crewed a H-21 (Flying Banana) 62-63 in Nam. I was also an inspector with Bell Helicopter when they went from the round or bubble cockpit to the more square cockpit and beefed up cockpit protection on the Cobra. I was also in Nam from 67-69 as a civilian with Lockheed aircraft repairing crash and battle damaged aircraft. Then again 6 months in 72 and then to Korea in 73 to inspect a hard landing Air Force Learjet and subsequent repairs based on my inspection experience with Learjets at Learjet in Wichita, Kansas. Sorry I got off the subject of fishing considering this is a fishing forum so I will shut up for now.