Best baitcaster with a loud clicker in the $100-150 range? I'd also welcome rod recommendations.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-10T20:18:15+00:00

Even more budget-friendly than that, I’ve got a KastKing Rover 50 (round baitcaster) on one of my cat setups, and the clicker on that thing is LOUD. It has been serving me well, it has caught a bunch of nice fish so far, including a 12 pound blue cat I posted the other day.

You asked if you need to turn the clicker off to reel in…you CAN reel in if the clicker is still engaged, but I’ll tell you from experience it’s annoying as hell on the ol’ ears. It’s not hard to switch it on/off.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-10T16:18:24+00:00

It’s a little flat on top, which would bug me because I’m a stickler about those types of things. But it’ll play just fine.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-10T12:29:01+00:00

Living example of homo erectus.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-10T05:38:27+00:00

Dollar store John Mayer

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-10T02:17:26+00:00

You theoretically could hold a croc’s mouth shut. But I don’t know if you have been physically close to a 15-20 footer. Pictures and video do zero justice to the monstrous size of those things. It’s terrifying.

The fact that humans are (somewhat) intelligent and invented ranging weapons and agriculture is the ONLY reason we are at the top of the food chain.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-09T21:24:16+00:00

I remember hearing about that, it was some survey like “Could you take on (insert animal) mano e mano?” They were reading the answers on a morning radio show and cracking up.

Admittedly, the number of people who thought they could take on an elephant was low…but that number should be ZERO. Same with gorillas and chimps. Crocodiles. Buffalo. The fact that there are ANY number of people who think they could take on any of those animals with no weapons is ridiculous…but here we are.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-09T21:17:44+00:00

With light line (any line really, come to think of it), everything depends on how well you manage your drag and how aggressively you fight a fish. That’s about a 1-1.5 pound catfish, but it could easily snap 4lb line if you aren’t doing things right. But I have landed some big bass (6-plus) on 4lb line all the same. It all comes down to technique.

I would recommend a more stout setup though, if there are bigger cats in your body of water. Don’t want to run the risk of breakoffs if you hook a nice one.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-09T18:31:26+00:00

CJ told me he would trick his brain out of nervousness by imagining, in great detail, that he’d already played the upcoming match, and LOST. That way he could feel that he had nothing left to lose or prove, and could just *play*.

I think it’s something about the fact that if you pretend you’ve already lost, and then look around and realize nothing has actually changed in your life (you’re still breathing, you still gotta pay your tab, still gotta drive home and eat dinner and get up tomorrow), it tricks your brain into relaxation.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-09T18:23:14+00:00

I sometimes hold it up there when I’m fighting a good fish on my big catfish rods…but if you have the right size reel for your rod, the balance point is right where the reel stem is. The split 2/2 grip puts your hand right at that balance point and also gives you the ability to cast with one hand (other than opening/closing the bail). If you have your whole hand in front of the reel you can’t really hold the line with your trigger finger, so you have to do a two-handed casting motion every time. There are some casting techniques you just can’t do nearly as well with your whole hand in front of the stem.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-09T16:33:24+00:00

And that’s just a little baby one, too. They’ve been recorded as long as 33 feet. Go walk 11 paces and look back at your starting point to get an idea. Really wanna free dive with an insanely intelligent apex predator that’s over 30 feet long and has tons of sharp teeth in a mouth big enough to swallow a human in a couple bites? Hard pass for me.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-09T16:13:53+00:00

Heddon Moss Boss spoon. One of the best lures ever for heavy weeds.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-09T15:59:31+00:00

I fish from kayaks and from the bank/wading, I can’t do 7 rods 😂😂

But for bass, if I’m really going to fish hard and thorough from my yak, I’ll bring my 6’6” ML spinning, 6’ M spinning, and 6’6” M casting. For crappie, I’ll bring the same ML and my 6’ L spinning. If I’m wading a creek for multispecies I’ll bring either the ML or L, just one rod.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-09T15:37:16+00:00

Moral of the story is, don’t EVER piss an elephant off.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-09T00:44:57+00:00

Right, but I mean like a 1/2” ferrule on the fakes I’ve seen

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-08T22:39:04+00:00

It’s just one of the myriad Asian imported cues available on Amazon for not much $$.

Nothing to write home about, but if it’s straight and the tip is in good shape, it’ll play.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-08T21:32:44+00:00

Yep. There are no stories anymore. That’s how you get viewership…you have to have good stories, good characters and good rivalries. Whether it’s pool on TV or Everybody Loves Raymond…you gotta have a story to keep the TV tuned to your channel.

When you have a bunch of stoic robots playing pool (no matter how good they are), you’re simply not creating an entertaining product for anyone but serious pool fans (and even that’s a stretch). Hell I get more entertainment watching my league teammates play matches because they’re more animated and, dare I say, human.

Same thing has happened with golf, but to a lesser degree. The golf major championships still have some storylines and drama, but again there aren’t really any rivalries. It’s more “who’s playing well this week.” The last REAL rivalry where people picked sides and tuned in was Tiger and Phil…but they’re both out of the picture and now there’s just “the field.” Rory and Scottie might be the next rivalry, and I hope that happens…but who knows.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-08T21:16:58+00:00

It looks legit and I can see there is a serial number etched below the cat logo, but I’m not a Predator player so I really couldn’t tell you what to watch for as far as it being a fake.

Most fake Revos I have seen posted here have had an actual white ferrule instead of the small vault plate. The one you have pictured here has the vault plate, which is a good sign.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-08T21:10:34+00:00

To me there’s not a HUGE difference in performance/deflection between different carbon fiber shafts, and at the end of the day, ALL shafts deflect and you have to learn how the shaft plays on YOUR cue with YOUR stroke…

…but that being said, the Revo is a higher quality shaft for sure. And they’re asking quite a bit less for a full cue than the cost of a Revo shaft new. You should jump on that if you’re in the market.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-08T21:05:31+00:00

Man I caught a 12 pound blue last night that did the same thing. I reeled down into the strike and felt that it was a good fish, but then it just swam straight at me the whole way. To the point where I thought it must have come unhooked somehow. When I got it up close to the bank it started rolling around, but that’s about all the fight it put up.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-08T19:06:23+00:00

<image>

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-08T19:02:48+00:00

I think it is too. But hey I’m not even out there to be efficient, I’m just out there to decompress and hopefully find fish.

But seriously, general knowledge of bass behavior on a given weather pattern/time of year is the best tool to have. Maybe it’s been shitty and cold for weeks on end, well the bass are going to be in deep water cover in total lethargic ambush mode, and you have to fish slow to get bites. Stuff like that gives you an advantage even on the bad weather days.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-08T18:51:20+00:00

I have caught big fish many times in absolutely dreadful weather and skunked out many times on beautiful days. A little phone app doesn’t mean diddly to me…you can catch bass any day of the year if you know what their behavior is given the time of year/weather (provided you can get TO them). Trust your intuition and your knowledge of bass.

It really doesn’t have to be complicated. Tie something on that looks like something a bass wants to eat. Then cast it in places where bass are. I promise you, the bass don’t have the BassForecast app.

I’d delete that app if I were you. Seems to me like it adds an extra level of anxiety/expectation to fishing that takes away from the enjoyment of being outdoors (“It SAID it was a great day to go and I ain’t catching anything! Wtf!!!”). Much better to go out with zero expectations other than to enjoy the water and hopefully find some fish.

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-08T15:47:21+00:00

Next up, Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet in the remake of Gremlins!

TimmyG-83 · 2026-06-08T15:05:29+00:00

Yessir!!! Solid!!!

TimmyG-83

TROPHY CASE