Marty

I can't give you a specific recommendation other than to just go out and buy something that meets your specific storage needs and your budget needs.

Sounds like great fun. A feeding frenzy of any species comes around all too infrequently for this angler.

I think Dwight Hottle nailed down a bunch or desirable qualities, but in the end, it's someone you want to fish with and whose company you enjoy for whatever reasons.

I'd check with your DNR or a person or company that knows pond management before doing weed control.

I think crankbaits are fabulous fish attractors and there are dozens upon dozens that would qualify as very good lures. Shad Raps are probably my all-time confidence crank, but that doesn't mean they're better than others. You probably can't go wrong if you buy brands you've heard of, making sure that they cover the depths you want to fish.

I think personal preference is a major factor. My ultralight fishing has always been done with 4# mono. I felt that putting on equivalent diameter braid, like 15#, would mean it's no longer an ultralight, but that's just an opinion that others might not share.

Oh my goodness, didn't know that. I think he was in his mid- to late-90s.

They don't look that skinny to me either. Nice fish.

I doubt that the manufacturing place has changed as it's all one big company with many different brands. The Image lures and Fat Free lures were originally sold under the Excalibur brand. At some point they were re-branded to Heddon and Bomber, respectively. As far as I know they sometimes sell assorted lures, including the ones mentioned, under the Excalibur name. They are half price or less and usually are offered in non-standard colors.

You might be using a very small bait or very large rattle. As to the vegetation, in addition to what you usually do, let the bait sink into holes and at the edges if you don't already do so.

Jitterbug.

Getting quality hard baits for $2.99 is an excellent deal. As far as I'm concerned, the entire Fat Free series is excellent; I've used the FF Shad, Fingerling and Guppy.

I don't concern myself with brands. White and white/chartreuse are popular colors and you can't go wrong with them. Colorado blades have more lift so you can keep them high in the water column more easily and more easily get deeper with willow. I can't remember his entire statement, but I remember reading Kevin Van Dam saying that a tandem (one willow and one Colorado blade) will cover 90% of your spinnerbaiting needs.

I would interpret that to mean until 2019. There's a big difference between extending "for" seven years and extending "to" seven years. But I wouldn't do a thing until that's on paper with 100% clarity.

Agree with Sam, learn everything you can. As to the experience you described, it's not enough to draw any conclusions. You can start out by employing the conventional wisdom for the conditions, but remember, bass are always breaking the rules. I've been at this 43 years and still am asking the same question.

I have a smaller bag in that Advanced Angler series and am very pleased. If that larger bag has the size and pocket configuration that you want I wouldn't hesitate one second to recommend it. Just a small story. Shortly after I bought the bag I broke a zipper on one of the side pockets. I stopped in to a tailor to get an estimate and then called Cabela's. They said they'd get a check to me immediately. They didn't need proof of the estimate or anything else, just my word was good enough. They've always had outstanding service in my experience.

Crankbaits are fine if the cover will allow them to be used, but I wouldn't rule out any type of lure.

Topwaters, spinnerbaits, shallow cranks, soft plastics.

"Cheap" can mean different things to different people. I've generally used rods and reels that many would consider to be cheap, but my equipment does what I ask it to do. I'm having difficulty understanding how changing rods can get you from just an occasional crankbait bite to a lot of bites. Your new rod might have some qualities that make it a better rod than the old one, but a $10 rod can move a crankbait through the water at the same depth and speed than more expensive rods, even though the rod may lack other qualities that you want.

I don't fish tournaments, but I never want to miss a fish, so I always use trailer hooks. I haven't seen them in stores locally. (Note, I haven't been in a BPS store, just Wal-Mart, Dick's and Gander).

There's an article here at: http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/buying_first_boat.html You may want additional information. I'd recommend Googling "how buy used bass boat", but don't use the quotes.

I don't see anything odd about the prices. Like just about everything else, there are cheaper and more expensive versions. When I started fishing I used a spincast and that was my equipment for the first 10 years. I enjoyed using it, but realized after that time it was time to move on.

Agree with John. Your withholding could be affected but the actual taxes paid after all is said and done would be the same.

It's hard to prevent those things from rolling over, but so what. A friend uses a Horny Toad a huge amount of the time, it runs upside down and it doesn't seem to affect his catch rate. I use Ribbits and they run upside down some of the time, but I can't seem to do anything about it, even though I'd greatly prefer for it to run with the hook point up.

Conventional wisdom says low light conditions are best for topwaters. I fish topwaters all the time and have had excellent results in mid-day under bluebird skies. I never rule out topwaters except in cold water. This one went 4-3/4 and was caught about 3:00 on a black Jitterbug a week and one-half ago.