J Francho

Used little #6 to #10 Matzuo hooks for salmon and steelheading for years. I don't recall breaking any, though that fishing relies a lot on drag, lots of line, and lighter, stretchy line. What I liked was that the sickle design hooked well, and kept the bait on the hook well. That hook design would be great on a wacky/flick shake jig, ball heads, even tube jigs.

Revo Toro, The big Lexa, Cardiff, Calcutta, Curado 300, Ambassadeur Rocord, Morrum, Luna, Millionaire,....all work for this. Low pro/round, I don't really care which, so long as the spool diameter is large, and there's enough thumb access to let me get the leverage I need to hold the spool when casting big baits. Line capacity is a secondary consideration. I use a Calcutta 200B on my 2-5 oz. swimbait rod. With 25# CXX, I can nearly spool it on a long cast. The 300 would be a better choice, though the 200 works for me.

I don't buy into it either, though I will always call spinning rods "sissy sticks." Fly rods are "fairy wands," lol. There's another part I didn't get into, and that's deep drop fishing and slack line presentations. It's much simpler to simply open the bait, and let your drop shot plummet to the bottom in 30+ FOW than it is to keep your eye on a baitcast spool. Super light wacky rigs, and light jigs can be allowed to fall unimpeded without peeling line off the spool to avoid having the bait swing back at you. This is an especially good technique when using floating braid and a leader. Let the line gently uncoil off the spool, while your left hand is ready to flip the bail back, all the while watching the line. See something, feel something, or is just stops long before it should, flip the bail, and set the hook.

Yep, chipped a tooth on one once, lol.

Like a quick connector. They snap together. Tie up a bunch of leaders with it at the end, and tie one up to your main line. C-rigs, wacky rigs, drop shots, etc. my buddy uses them for drop shots.

I've had 30# Laker brand snap swivels open up on me. That's why I went to Dou Locks.

Speedbead

Those are for snapping leaders together. Crestliner uses them for quick rigging drop shots.

1/16 oz. jigs with litle Keitech spiders are deadly, right now. A little Chaumont Bay smallie:

Not a pro, but I generally lay the smackdown fishing smallies wherever they are present. My partner Jordon, showing off two nice ones, from a win on Erie:

I find even my local grocery store chain (Wegman's) has better prices on food, supplies, etc. Plus you don't have to bag your groceries.

A quick search turned up this list: http://www.cartographersguild.com/software-discussion/1407-list-mapping-software.html And yes, I know it's for D&D/fantasy gaming, but that will probably get you close.

Do that again, Kevin and I suspend you, lol. Chipmunks are the devil's spawn. (I'm kidding, of course....about the banning, not the devil)

They use TLAs in grown-up land. (Three Letter Acronym) That's what we call a CLM. (Career Limiting Move)

The Cell Block is a cool product, though I'd rather the battery be somewhere else. Pretty sure he's got a TD arm that will fit his track system. The Mad Frog is a product I've evaluated, and it's pretty good, too.

There has to be a VERY good reason for me to go into that place, let alone pick up a gift card. Luckily, I live in an area that has a variety of stores that carry the same stuff for the same price, if not lower, and has better service. I might change my tune for $100 gift cards at ten cents on the dollar, lol.

That's ok, I think a post flew in there before I finished typing.

I would get in touch with Luther at Yakattack. If he doesn't have what you need, then he'll invent it.

Unless you're cross-eyed, lol.

The OP asked what is a "lake" and and what is a "pond." There's no official metric.

Let's see, in casting I have: 1x 6-2 M/XF, spinnerbaits, spooks, poppers, jerkbaits 2x 6-8 M/XF, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits 1x 6-10 M/F, jig/worm, traps, squarebills 3x 7-0 M/F, jig/worm, traps, squarebills Each casts the bait I primarily use on them farther, or more accurately than any other I own, save for the 6-2 topwater/jerkbait rod. That actually outcasts most others, but it has more to do with what reel is on it. Distance is secondary to accuracy, and has more to do with matching the right rod and reel to the weight and type of bait your throwing.

Spinning for line < 8 lb. diameter, casting for >= 10 lb. diameter line. It's really got more to do with that than any particular bait.

Dramamine.

It's a pond....if all the bass are one side, what side would be on, if you were a baitfish, lol. Ponds kind of break the rules. What's a pond and whats a lake? I'd call 150 acres the cutoff.

Ever try picking a backlash in 20# braid where a loop is buried in the spool? I'd go up to at least 40# diameter, or 14-17# mono. Peel off a casts worth of line (30 yards or so), tape the spool, and wind the line back up. Start working on setting the reel up properly, and casting.