Darren.

I believe so, but in years past certain brands (Shimano comes to mind) did not participate in the event. Might have been sales only, and not trade-ins, come to think of it.

Harambe!! Another good one, Hootie. Keep em comin'!

Boy did I practice with my Chronarch 50e reels and a ML Carbonlite rod, loaded with a 5" Senko (and other baits). Was able to skip it pretty well and 9 out of 10 times w/o backlash. My 50e was upgraded with Hawgtech bearings and a 7.1:1 gearset. She can sing beautiful music for many a technique. Anyhoo, after months of practicing on my waters I came to the conclusion that for all the awesomeness of the reel, I preferred the simplicity, (less thinking about it, less worry of conditions, bait weight, rod load and all that to make sure everything would work properly) -- that I decided my spinning setups were more fun and simpler to get what I wanted where I wanted it.

Pfft. Why let details get in the way.

Posted on this the other day in another thread with a link to the Motley Fool article on the topic. Will be good if it falls thru IMO so long as Cabela's can stay in business... Here ya go, for reference (same article)

Don't know squiddly as far as fishing one, but they are some nice looking rods. I haven't bought Shimano rods since they dropped the lifetime warranty...but moreso, the rods I like were no longer offered in lengths like 5'9", 6'3", etc. Now the Crucial spinning rods (older cork) I've handled them, the drop shot models, specifically, and they are sweet.

I can't speak for Florida, but I live in the Tidewater area of Virginia, surrounded by salt and brackish water. My boys fish salt more often than I do, and all our gear gets rinsed in freshwater after their outings. So far, no issues. So when I look for gear, I look for fresh/salt capable, which is one of the reasons I use Shimano. One of my boys uses Daiwa Lexa spinning and Lexa casting reels in both fresh/salt all the time (has a friend who lives on the water). Those are holding up great, too. I'd think your gear is fully capable for salt.

Well, 3 beats a skunk any day of the week! Except for your son ... hope he has better luck on the next trip.

Well...workout, not really. More that I show the boys how to punch properly. I really really should use it to work out. Need to drop pounds.

All good points and true to Gander Mtns I've visited. My sons much rather BPS and Cabelas for the aquarium.

While I don't punch much other than our punching bag at home, I do use bobber stops for various techniques. Normally get the ones you slip your line into and thread the rubber stop on.

Welcome aboard, Kevin! Sounds like you're well on your way to setting up a fine fishing machine. As for trolling motor, you may enjoy a bow mount (front) especially if you get one with foot control. Would keep your hands relatively free to fish and guide the boat with full view of the territory in front of you. As for rudders, you may be able to buy one for a kayak and DIY mount it. But I'm not aware of any specifically for Bass Raiders.

Fair enough. As to the OP question, yeah, I know. I did provide a specific answer to that, too, the other was in response to @fishnkamp Since I have no idea of the "Daiwa claims that it is related to", with respect to T-Wing, your Daiwa question, to me, came out of nowhere and left me scratching my head. All good. Carry on and catch big bass. Leader or not!

Welcome aboard, David! Kudos on the Zebco!

What does the OP question have to do with a Daiwa T-Wing? Never used a Daiwa reel with that feature, and I specifically mentioned my spinning rod and MY experience. Bull for no measurable gain to you? But no bull in my comments. I was relating my experience and I stand by it. I also qualified the braid and leader sizes I'm using. All small diameter.

Welcome aboard! Unfortunately I am stuck with a plain and simple Garmin unit. I don't even use it much. But I've eyed those HDI and side imaging units with envy. I suppose if I had the opportunity I'd pick the Lowrance since I prefer a larger screen though the side imaging is a nice feature in the Humminbird.

Wow! Great view, awesome spot! If I had the wherewithal, I'd certainly put in a dock, launch. And assuming it is permissible. And welcome aboard!

Man, that stinks! And I just posted in the BPS/Cabelas thread that their deal is on shaky ground, which I would like to see fail, honestly. But I hope it doesn't mean bankruptcy for Cabelas either.

I used to have an Avid spinning rod and though it was very sensitive, I was not happy with the tip-heaviness when paired with a Stradic 1000. The Avid was a 6'3" MXF model. A 2500 size would have balanced better. Now with the BPS trade-in coming up, I would strongly recommend you look at the BPS Carbonlite models. Lighter than the Avid, and equally as sensitive by my sense of feel. I've got 3 Carbonlites now. I still like St. Croix, but I upgraded from Avid to a Legend Tourn rod which is super sweet. But honestly, you do not need to spend the money on a high-end rod thinking it will make you a better fisherman. Plenty of the $100 range rods (like the Carbonlite) are equally as sensitive.

I second the uni-to-uni which I've been using more lately even over my other fave, the Mod'd Albright/ Alberto. My Legend Tournament spinning rod has micro guides and the uni-to-uni flows fine through them. No issue with reduced casting distance (as compared to a short leader being cast w/o being past first guide). Realize I'm using 10# and 15# Power Pro and SuperSlick8 which is very thin. Fluoro leaders in 6, 8, and 10# test does not increase the knot size enough to cause issue with the micro guides either (with uni-to-uni).

Zeeter, as yours and other experiences prove, you can catch fish with straight braid, no leader. My reason for always using a leader, and I've stated this numerous times in other threads, is because braid is an expensive line (at least for me) and I prefer to keep as much of it on my spool as possible for as long as possible. That said, a leader allows me to make numerous lure/hook changes during an outing before I have to cut in to my braided mainline to tie on another leader.

I'll bet your kayak tourneys require the Hawg Trough? Though I don't fish 'em, I believe some locally do. I use one and though awesome, it can break easily. Have had to use zip ties and super glue to keep it together.

I'm tellin' ya, Blue. Ya need a longer bump board!

I don't need to use no casting reel to be a good bass fisherman. Spinning gear gets the job done. Period. Disclaimer: I have and use casting gear, and am quite proficient in said gear. But my blasphemous statement stands.

I lived in Texas for 9 years. Got my BA degree in Texas. I was granted citizenship thereby and to this day say, "don't mess with Texas".