Marty

Another vote for the amber.

I use 15# braid, but that works for my circumstances, maybe it's not the right size for you. Braid is very strong, has little or no stretch, and is incredibly abrasion-resistant to wood and vegetation. Try it if these things are important to you. I fish mostly weedy water and it's that abrasion resistance that has such great appeal. Too often my mono was intermittently frayed the full length of a cast. Braid can wrap around the rod tip and get incredibly tangled around hooks and other places, but the advantages greatly outweigh the minuses for me.

A lock isn't only because of a dam. For example, locks on the Erie Canal are there because of changes in the terrain. At the lock just two miles from my home the upstream elevation is 513' and the downstream 487'. Here's a picture of a boat that entered from the low side and is waiting for the lock chamber to fill up to the upstream level so the gates can open and he can proceed upstream.

On a couple of occasions I've scouted some places without gear, but that's the exception. If I'm out I want to fish. But I don't think you're nuts; whatever you feel will gain you the best results is fine with me.

I've used Regals for years. It's arbitrary, but I don't use anything larger than 8# on the 2000 size. For 10# mono and 15# braid I use 2500s. All other things equal, better line performance is gotten from larger spools. For bass fishing, line capacity shouldn't be an issue.

Pike will readily hit any lure there is. If you have to start somewhere, a spinnerbait is a good choice. Expect biteoffs if you don't use a metal leader.

"Put a Burke where they lurk." That's a phrase I seem to recall.

I haven't used this particular scale. None of these scales can be counted on to be reliable, yet they can also be very accurate until they go bad. I've used both Rapala and Berkley and they've both been accurate and both went bad. The best advice I can give--whatever scale you buy--is to test it a few times during the season. I test mine by weighing items on it that have already been weighed on a certified scale at the supermarket.

I have no answer, but the appeal isn't limited to early spring. I use the original balsa non-rattle Shad Raps and they're effective spring-through-fall lures

Zoom's website is still under construction and they have been a company at least as long as I have been alive! I've had Internet access for nine years now and Zoom's website has been a permanent future event.

Cordell Wally Divers are excellent cranks, for bass as well as walleyes.

As far as I know, Bomber is alive and well. However, I think manufacturers' sites are too often horribly out of date and I don't trust any of them.

Something like these? http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_81749____SearchResults

I never had any problems with the Eagle Claw Lazer hooks.

I agree than a spinning rod, 6-1/2', medium power, fast action, would be an excellent general-purpose rod. Personally, I don't have much brand loyalty to rods; if it has the specs I went and feels good, I'll buy it. And if you want to save some $$$, you can get many rods under $100 that'll do very well, such as a Gander Mountain private brand. I do have a reel brand preference, but if enough people reply, you'll get recommendations for Shimano, Daiwa, Pflueger, Garcia, Okuma and others, including private brands. At any rate, have fun with your new hobby, it's a great way to connect with the outdoors.

I don't know what fishing is like in NC, winter or otherwise, but I use the same assortment of lures in a pond that I might use in a larger lake. Same goes for shore vs. boat. Just choose lures that you have confidence in and that seem appropriate for the conditions and you should catch fish if they're there.

I'd use ultralight spinning with 4# test. The lures can be be used with small jigheads such as 1/16 or 1/8. I'd probably use internal heads with the tubes. Even if your baitcasting rig could cast these, you wouldn't have nearly as much fun as you would with ultralight.

Here's another vote for Speed Traps. However, Jeff Coble notwithstanding, there are many other good plastic cranks as far as I'm concerned.

My personal guideline is to use a hook with a gap at least double the diameter of the plastic. This will allow room for the hook to get through the plastic and into the fish's jaw.

Everyone has their favorites, but the question is very broad. There are poppers, chuggers, prop baits, walkers, wobblers, buzzbaits, hollow-bodied frogs, solid plastic toads/frogs and probably others I forgot to mention. They all work and there are multiple techniques for each one.

I've had some spools for years with no problems.

I wouldn't trust any filament when it goes up against a pike's teeth. I've had 15" pike or pickerel cut 15# braid like a hot knife through butter. Maybe 65# would be resistant, I don't know. I've also never seen any evidence that a thin 6" steel leader deters strikes from bass.

I'd be confident that bass see braid extremely well. However, whether that deters strikes is another question. I use braid without a leader under all conditions. Would I catch more if I used a leader? I have no idea. Ultimately, you will have to decide what makes sense to you and do what you have confidence in. I have confidence in leaderless fishing even though I don't know for sure what effect it has and I know that if I tried it both ways I'd be unable to draw a valid conclusion.

I don't know about those cards. But there are many length-weight tables, such as this one for New York: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/9222.html You could always write down or type out the information you want on a small piece of paper and have it laminated to carry with you.

I have read, and I believe it, that a quality spring scale is the most reliable. Having said that, I've always used those $2530 digital scales from Rapala and Berkley. What might be the best value for you depends on what degree of accuracy and reliability you really need (or want). For a recreational fisherman like me it doesn't matter a whole lot if the scale is off by a couple of ounces. Whatever you get, I strongly recommend testing it a few times per year by weighing stuff that's already been weighed on a certified scale at your supermarket or elsewhere.