That's a trolling setup. You will have a lot of trouble trying to cast that. don't make that mistake.

Also I'm kind of fussy about the color I try to use the brown for the spinning and the green for the bait casting with a black dry marker coated 5' to 10' leader( just a tip from KVD) don't know if it makes a difference or not but I get fish so I keep doing it.

I've tried 6 different braids and the one I like best for my spinning I use 15# power pro Slick For my bait casters general like jigs or open topwater 30-40# power pro slick and for frogs I use the power pro 65# power pro slick. I have had the best luck with that braid for everything except crankbaits which I would go to fluorocarbon. Hope that helps you out.

Although I am first and foremost a bass pro guy I would recommend a 7' med heavy combo by Lews. It's not the most expensive or cheapest but I think that combo will serve you the best in the long run whether your a newbie or a grizzled old vet like some of us on this site. Don't make price your #1 consideration the most expensive doesn't always mean the best choice for your needs and the cheapest probably will not do the job for a long time . Get a good piece of equipment and clean and lubricate it and it will last many , many years. Hope this helps

Try a braid like power pro slick or other brands that have a coating on them that will allow them to flow thru the guides with ease. I use either 10# or 15# for most everything like wacky worms and small jigs without any problems.

I use the Johnny Morris Signature Series rods and reels and the Pro Select Series the pro select are probably the best buy for your money that you can get you see guys like Ott Defoe who's sponsored by bps uses the pro select series. I'd suggest a 6'6" to 7' med heavy fast action with a 7.5 :1 ratio reel that pro select combo when it's on sale goes for $99.00 and it will match in my opinion anything I've tried and I've got 40 combos of 9 different manufacturers. I like them as much as my curados. just my opinion.

Very simple. You have your downrigger weight below the release and you take your lure set back ( what ever distance you choose to make it ) you would loop that line once around the moveable mushroom like projectile that extends out of the middle of the release and you lower the downrigger weight and your lure to your preferred depth. Now the front of the mushroom like projectile that should be able to be turned to adjust the tightness of the release of the line with the lure attached to it. You don't want it too loose so that it comes free from the water resistance but you don't want it too tight so that a strike doesn't release it . Hope this helps form a 15 year charter Capt.

That's my kind of meal great catch

usually when the water is much cooler it's better to wait till the sun is up for several hours and warms the water a little and that usually helps the bite this time of the year they should be feeding heavy to put on some winter (fat) to help them survive the lean months coming up.

Fist bend the hooks open just a little bit and second (I know it's hard) WAIT till you feel the resistance (pull) of the fish and set the hook as hard as you can and your catch ratio will improve dramatically.

There is no completely right answer here. I have and use Abu Garcia , Lew's , Shimano , Daiwa , Bass Pro Shop reels. When I took some of my Johnny Morris Signature series reel to a Shimano reel service teck ( he repairs and replaces parts for 6,000 to 8,000 reels per year and has 4 guys working for him) to have ceramic bearings put in them He told me the Johnny Morris signatures are made in the same factory as the Revos but he gets at least 75 to 1 Revos to repair as the Johnny Morris reels. Before I accumulated the equipment I now have when ever I bought something I would buy 6 of them and The best buy for the money for the average guy in my opinion has been the Pro Qualifier series Reels by Bass Pro and I say today they are half price at $50.00 If you need to spend more money I suggest The Signature series or the Shimano lines but for my money The signature Series is my best bet. Hope I gave you some information that's helpful.

if you use any hard lures be sure to use black on top gold on the side gold is a magic color in florida and try chatter baits black with a black and blue swim bait trailer you will catch a lot of fish

Spinning reels are either left or right handed and switchable. The reel should be on the bottom of the rod and the handle depending on which hand you want to use should be changed it's a very simple adjustment.

If it's a new reel your drag should be good and if you tried to turn it up all the way and the opposite way and still have no movement of the spool you probably have a lever or switch to engage the spool Some of my reels have that.

I work part time at tracker marine as a boat sales consultant and have fished bass tournaments for 17 years and before that a charter captain on Lake Michigan for 15 years. The best advice I could offer if he likes bait casters is (the most expensive) Johnny Morris signature series combos
I would suggest the Carbon lite combos they are exceptionally great and the price is reasonable. I have 4 of each of the combos I've mentioned and can't really notice much of a difference in performance between the two. Go with the lower price and enjoy for many many years.