Darren.

Welcome aboard! W/o a weight, a hooked but not landed fish is a legend I know, I've caught a bunch of DD bass!!

Good question! Depending on where your sonar is located, of course! But that doesn't answer where to cast, methinks. I've wondered the same. Haven't used my Garmin in almost a year since I know my waters pretty well. But the thought has gone through my head when I've watched fishing shows where they ID a spot, and then fish it. How did they know the exact spot? Or is it guesswork, estimate of where to cast? Probably exposing my ignorance of sonar here... LOL

I'm with @J Francho, I just rig thru the worm and that's it. I've messed with shrink wrap, etc. but I just don't feel the tradeoff is worth the effort. Strange coming from a recent Ned rigging convert, and drop shot with bobber stops... We all have quirks and idiosyncrasies, LOL.

I don't get ESPN anymore (TV), but may listen to the first few picks on ESPN radio. Curious if Lakers will get a last-min deal and trade out of #2...my guess is not, but with the Paul George possibility out there, who knows.

Welcome aboard!

Holy guacamole! That's a BEAST! Ok, she's a GIANT!

Welcome aboard! Afraid things like this happen. What I'd do is report it to the local Sheriff and see if they have recovered any fishing equipment. You can file a report if you wish. More than likely, the stuff is gone and not going to be found easily, if ever. Sorry for the loss, hang in there.

I would suggest upping another $20 if you can and get a St. Croix Legend Tournament rod - if they carry them. I like my 6'3" MLXF Legend Tournament Walleye rod (identical to the Bass series, they just didn't offer the length I wanted in it). Great for senkos, etc.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard, Chris!

Welcome aboard! Congrats on the win.

Welcome aboard, Gianni!

Wow. There are a ton of various shoes to wear when shore fishing. Depending on what you want to spend, a nice pair of hiking sandals during the summer are great. Teva, Keen, make some of the best. There are other excellent brands, though. Fall/winter? Pretty much the same around my neck of the woods.

Congrats! Nice water ride!

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard! Not really sure what sub-species, but it's a green bass.

Welcome aboard, Mike!

Welcome aboard, Josh!

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard!

Excellent choices, either. Since you're looking at a bigger yak, the new Native Titan is right around the corner, and is more of a boat, like the Hobie Pro Angler. It is also priced closer to the Hobie. But it is a beast of a yak. So many great yaks out there. If you can, see if a local kayak place will let you demo different models. Then you will get a good taste for what each offers, which one feels better, and so on. If no demos, at least get some sit-in time in a store.

My older brother (by 13 years) was a die-hard amateur herpetologist, and back in the 70s and 80s and had a great collection of venomous snakes, many from the surrounding area south of Rochester, NY and PA mountains. He had Canebrakes (was bitten by one), Timber rattlers, Massasauga, Cottonmouths, copperheads, among a collection of 40+ venomous and non-venomous. It all started here in VA, where he'd go snake hunting for all the species we have in SE VA, including ventures into the Dismal Swamp. Saw rattlesnake roundups when I lived in Texas. Crazy stuff. I never went the venomous route. Stuck to colubrids, ball pythons, etc.

Welcome aboard, NJ Fishing... I don't care who or where it was invented, I just like that it works.

Good responses above. Dick's Sporting Goods has good starter combos, as does Bass Pro Shops. What I like at Bass Pro is the ability to put different reels with different rods that they offer in combos. These will definitely keep your costs down. In terms of rods, I meant to include a Medium power with a Fast or Extra Fast rating (extra is a little stiffer, but not as stiff a backbone as a Medium Heavy power). For Bass Pro, I like their Carbonlite series ($100 range), but they offer great rods down into the $30 range depending on your budget. Another brand at Bass Pro is the Berkeley Lightning Rod Shock. These are just below the $50 range and offer a good quality for the money. Cheaper still are the Berkeley Cherrywood sticks you can find at Walmart, on Amazon, at Bass Pro, etc. You don't need to drop a ton of money starting out. In fact, I'd recommend the opposite. Start simple, become proficient in the simple, then move up if you feel the need to.