Spinning reel. You will bird-nest a baitcaster.

Great post! I love it! Really sets the mood. As a kid I ran catfish lines at night on the Comite River(called them trout lines for some reason). Caught many a cat.

I prefer mono. Trilene XL is really good. Sufix has a new one I want try called “Advance.” They also have a new flouro under the same name. In my opinion, flouro has the worst handling qualities of all. I don’t know if its benefits are worth the additional aggravation.

Spray some line butter on it. Helps with line memory.

Bought some from China. MUCH cheaper. Don't know where the name brands are made. I do own one name brand.

I feel your pain. I have fished in trees a couple of times myself...

YouTube. Several good videos. Try Debo's fishing (a 3 part series), The Informative Fisherman (a really good teacher), Flukemaster, TackleJunky81. There are others. Kastking has a good one in the Captains Corner. Then just get out and try it with just a weight on your line. You WILL backlash some, but pretty soon you will be casting like you have been doing it all your life. AND, a baitcaster is more fun (IMHO) than a spinning reel. You can even make a game out of learning it. Keep in mind that occasionally everyone backlashes, so don't get discouraged.

Dad-gum! What you have sounds like a great set-up to me!

There is an app for your phone. Bought it, but haven’t used it yet (not the subscription app, but the $4-5 app). The $5 version had better reviews than the guys app that wanted to be in your pocket every month

I own a selection of products from low cost to expensive. Driving a Cadillac is not the same as driving a Chevy, but both are good products and will get you where you want to go. For money you are talking about, go to a shop and handle a few. Get the one that “feels” right. You really can’t go wrong.

Found’em guys. Thanks! Eagle Claw LO42 Lazer Sharp. Just the same as I used as a kid pretty much. For some reason bending hooks doesn’t work the same. Had that idea myself. Thanks for the suggestions though!

I hope someone can answer this question: When I was a kid and we were fishing for sacalait, we used a hook for shiners that had the point of the hook off-set from the shank by about 5 degrees or so. It might also have been a little wider, I really can't remember. Anyway, it was easier to bait the shiners and seemed to be less likely to tear the fish's mouth. Does anyone know what kind of hooks those were? I would like to buy some but haven't seen any in the store, or at least didn't identify them if I did. If anyone could help I would appreciate it. Thanks!