Marty

I'd return them. You have the right to expect quality and consistency when you shell out your money. And the more that people do this the more efforts that will be made to improve products. If enough people have complaints about Stik-O's (or anything else) you can be sure that BPS will have a few words with their supplier.

This is what I did when I bought my canoe, got a Yakima system. It's very expensive, but I knew at the time that I was going to need something that would allow me to load and unload with a minimum of time and effort, else it wasn't going to work for me.

I disagree with the notion that 50-65# line is needed. I've been using 15# braid for years and have successfully set the hook plenty of times. I assume you're talking about the solid plastic buzzers, such as Horny Toads and Ribbits. In addition to using the proper technique (which I can't discipline myself to do) I can't stress enough the importance of hook size. My guideline is that the hook gap needs to be at least double the diameter of the lure so as to allow the hook enough room to get through the plastic and into the fish.

Sure. In theory, if you put on a line too light, the line could break before the rod loaded up and too heavy a line could break the rod. But 10# is so close to 12# it shouldn't present any problems.

I don't understand it either. But I don't think infinite anti-reverse is the be-all and end-all of reels, because when there's play it's usually a small fraction of an inch which I don't think makes a difference.

I've both caught a lot and foul-hooked a lot of carp. And, as Mad Fisherman mentioned, they seem to fight harder when hooked in the tail.

Yes, the same rod. I'd throw them anywhere, but keep in mind that every so often the fish will shun a curly tail in favor of a straight tail and vice versa. I learned that the hard way many years ago.

There are countless crankbaits that work well and trying to pick some can be a daunting task. I usually recommend deciding on the depth you want to cover and buying a brand you've heard of. Some reasonably priced lines are Rebel, Bomber, Norman, Heddon, Bandit, and others. Rapalas are a couple of bucks steeper but still under $10. I recommend that you start cranking more because these baits are great fish attractors.

I know what the conventional wisdom is, but I've seen so many exceptions that I don't know if it means anything at all. One example is I used to fish parts of the Erie Canal from shore very frequently. The water was murky with perhaps 12-18" of visibility at its clearest. One of my most effective lures was the original Shad Rap. That lure is rattleless and has a narrow wobble, but the conventional wisdom says use a wide-wobbling lure with rattles in those conditions. Some say rattles can spook a fish, others say it attracts them. Like everything else, for any given day fish behavior cannot be reliably predicted so you have to do different things on the water to see what works while you're out there.

Conclusions certainly can't be drawn from two fish. Many years ago I read an analysis on the effectiveness of hooks and the conclusion was that single hooks were the most effective, trebles next and double hooks the least. Take that for what it's worth and remember that was decades ago.

A friend fishes for trout during the colder months when he's not bass fishing and his boat is winterized. His success rate shot up dramatically after he started using Floating Rapalas.

Yes and yes. That doesn't mean it WILL be, but anything that is overdone has the potential to be a problem.

I don't think so. I've had knots tied for years on rods that I only use every so often. If the rod is stored where it's not harmful to line, you should be fine.

Not only would I do that, I'd have enough mono backing such that there was room left for 50 yards so I could get two spoolings out of it.

Nice fish. I've always considered it a real treat when I've had the opportunity to fight a carp.

Braid shouldn't be tied directly to a spool. I don't think you need 80 yards. I use 50-60 yards and that's for bass. You didn't ask for my opinion, but I've always used 4# mono for ultralight panfishing and never felt the need for heavier.

I don't know what it is and I don't have any personal experience with Golden Shiners, but it doesn't resemble that species as illustrated in my field guide.

I haven't gone after them in years. But some time ago I used to go to this place where there was a possibility of encountering schools of them. I was fortunate to find such schools from time to time and it was a blast with them hitting on almost every cast. The light outfit with 4# line made it even more fun. These schools were mixed white bass and white perch.

Might you be referring to Doug Hannon's Fishing Snake? http://bassprofessor.com/BassBlog/fishing-snake/

Not trying to tell you what to do, so go ahead and get that baitcaster if you want to. However, the point I wanted to make is that you can do just fine with those baits on spinning equipment if you decide not to make a purchase. Regardless, good luck and hope you end up at some of the best ones of those 10,000 lakes.

All my experience is with Common Carp and I don't know if they behave like Grass Carp. Our first carp was when people were throwing bread in and the carp were coming in for it. I had a bobber on and put some bread on the hook and caught a carp immediately. So I wouldn't rule out a bobber if the fish is high in the water column. Normally I fish corn on the bottom. I have an egg or slip sinker about 12–18" up the line and a BB shot just below it to keep it from slipping down. I keep the bail open so the fish doesn't feel resistance when it picks up the bait and starts moving away. So I need to be a line watcher. Often all I need to do is close the bail to set the hook. Good luck, hope you hook into this thing.

I can't answer your specific questions. However, since it's a small pond, that should give you the opportunity to explore it thoroughly and learn its characteristics. You've already learned something, that your best fishing has been under or near the algae. But just because fish are caught near algae shouldn't mean you don't fish other areas. In time you'll have a pretty good idea of what you should be doing there. I don't know why one would assume that the bass are on the other side than the perch. Maybe there's a reason, but I don't know it.

As a generality, smallmouth are found in cooler, clearer and deeper water than largemouth. I consider them pugnacious fish that will take a wide variety of lures, basically anything that a largie will take. Locating them will be job #1, harder and more critical than lure selection. I've caught smallies on grubs on jigheads, soft plastics, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, topwaters and probably other stuff that I've forgotten about. Good luck. If you hook into some you'll definitely notice a difference in the fight.

I use a 2/0 with my buzzbaits and 1/4 oz. spinnerbaits, but it's hard for me to see a significant difference between 2/0 and 3/0.

I'm in my 6th year of canoe ownership and I like it. For various reasons a canoe was my only option for a boat and it gets me places where I couldn't otherwise fish. It's not tricked out. There are some inconveniences, but I've been able to get out and catch some nice fish that I wouldn't have had another opportunity for. I fish a few ponds and the shallow, weedy ends of some large lakes. If I had it to do over again I'd have made the same purchase.