J Francho

Oh, you're the NEW GUY. I know what fourscore is, it's something I put on every thread dug up from the grave.

The new GoDaddy tools are the bomb. Nice job with the site!

Fourscore and eight years ago, UL was fun for bass. Still is.

I like a different rod from most cranking sticks for square bills (and traps, too) - a 7' m/f stick. I like to be able to react quickly when the bait contacts wood or dock pilings, etc., and the fast rod helps with that, but the m power and length keep steady pressure on the fish when you get bit, without being to stiff.

All three of my boats have a sacrificial keel guard at the stern, for dragging. The only one close to wearing out is on the Coosa. Just loading the boats into my pickup causes scratches. Not worried enough about it to add duct tape to the hulls. Might look pretty cool, tho

Three years worth of opinions in something you don't participate in? That's interesting.

Nah, mine spin on the clevis.

Fixed.

I don't recommend a keel guard on a kayak. It'll just add unnecessary weight, and possibly affect performance. Plastic patch kits are cheap, and easy to apply, if you actually compromise the hull.

50, 65, and 80 cover all my bass fishing bases.

For years, we used mono because that's all we had. There were times when it wasn't the best. For those times, we other choices. For times when those other choices in line types aren't better, I keep using what always worked.

You can always do a little test. Spool up with mono, and tie a hook on. Hold the hook in your hand, like a bass might in it's mouth. Let out 20 yards or so of line, and have a friend set the hook. Do you think it will hook your hand? Or, you can trust that for 30 years, mono was the best we had and it works just fine.

Can't catch bass with quinoa or yoga!

Move to the equator.

I'm confused. It ends before winter starts. What don't you like - sleeping in on a Sunday in fall?

Me too. I remember trying it year round, and it was dark too late for the bus. I definitely don't need sunrise to be any earlier in June/July, and enjoy it getting dark later.

No idea. I use five hooked baits, but the center bait is usually a little different - either size, profile, and/or color. They often grab that different bait, but not always.

The Rapidfire is a pack canoe. The hull on the Native Ultimate or Wildy Commander are very different (it's a kayak) than any pack canoe I've been in. Two different classes of craft, each with their own pros and cons.

I only use two colors of senkos, so I might have 30 bags of them. Seriously. When I had my boat, I pretty much carried everything that I was currently using. I'm not one to have all the colors of a specific crank, more like one - MS Am. Shad, lol - so I might have six or more of a specific bait. It comes down to your fishing style and the baits you *sometimes* use, opposed to the baits you *never* use. Otherwise, I can't see you suffering because you are "weighed down by baits."

Not sure about "using bait as structure" as much as I'd call it following schooling bait, like a pelagic trout, but I'd be looking at the structure below the bait, or near it, and fish the bottom. Your other recourse is to throw an umbrella rig, instead of trying to drop baits to them. They are predators, and not looking to eat the school, but find the wayward, disoriented, or sick bait. That school an umbrella rig represents mimics this quite well, and this is why it works in that situation.

There's actually some truth to that.

Haven't seen that advice very often, or at all. Imagine, you're running 50# braid (12# mono equiv) and want to use a heavy leader because your fishing around docks. I would not want to be limited to just 12# leader, and in fact might use 25-40# leader. That's a heavy line application, here's a lighter line application. I like to stick to straight 6# fluoro for most of my open water finesse, but I'll go to braid/leader if I'm fishing cover. I'll use 15# braid on a spinning rig, and anywhere from 8 to 20# leader, depending on conditions. In both cases, the leader is much bigger than the main line. Again, I can't think of any time the leader is smaller than the main line when using braid. I can when I'm trout fishing, but the main line is usually mono, and I'm stepping down in line diameter.

@Brad Reid that's a really nice hull you got! I think you'll be fine without the rudder. The double tunnel style hull tracks well, and is similar to my Commander. You'll just have to dust off your paddling skills. Congrats!

You guys are like 30 seconds ahead of me! Spoiler alert! COngrats JP!