hey, here is a suggestion. dont take this the wrong way or anything, but have u thought about joining a local club? if u are wanting to learn how to become a better angler, a club will gain you many years of experience. my club is out of soddy/red bank. there is a club out of hwy 58. there is a club out of nearly every area of the city and also nearly all the surrounding cities. if u are wanting to learn, u need to join a club that draws different partners for each tournament so u can learn something new from everyone. the cost is not that high (ours is around $222 per year and thats all your entry fees and your insurance). thats for 10 tournaments a year. so the only additional cost is that u split gas with the boater or if u take your boat the non-boater splits the cost of your gas. there is a huge learning curve that can be shortened by learning from guys in a club. i learned a ton from the other club members and made some great friends also. u might want to look into it. but again thats just my opinion.