Darren.

Welcome aboard!

Wings, pizza, guacamole, french onion dip, chips, wine. WOOT!

Sweet smallie, and congrats on your new PB!

Welcome aboard! You could get by with an inexpensive kayak that can be strapped to the roof of your mother's vehicle.

Got my preferred rewards notification today for the Spring Fishing Classic. Small flyer in mail. Basic stuff, BPS products featured as usual... Rod/reel trade-ins, door prizes, etc. Hopefully when the main flyer is released there will be some good discounts this year on soft plastics so I can restock.

Will be checking Hampton store soon, but I was never a big fan of this particular series, though they're good blanks. Oh, and welcome to the forums, @Tres Tuttle!

Sweet, Blue. Need a Hawg Trough bump board now

I foul hooked a 6+ pound bass (don't recall specific weight, but was over 6) on her side about 4" above her ?anal fin? I believe it is called. Took me for a nice ride in my kayak before I landed her. Got a pic somewhere, but after the hook was out...

Agree. Niche. And they're pretty cool, to boot. Not my idea of what I'd want, but someone will find them an attractive offering.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard and thanks for your service!

There are a lot of great products out there, but some are so much better than the rest, which is of course, my opinion. I use Megastrike, JJ's Magic, Bang spray, and a Spike-it pen. They all mask scent with JJ's the most robust of all, IMO. Megastrike covers the bait and will help it come through some rough areas since it is so slick. Bang spray only lasts for about 11 casts, maybe, but is good. Overall, my supply of Megastrike is out, and JJ's is almost depleted. Bang sits next to me in my kayak and I use it the most lately, if I use a scent at all. As far as whether bass mind the rubber smell or not, that's up to the bass. I've used baits like that without scent and caught bass, so take it FWIW. YMMV.

Welcome aboard! I second the suggestions to take your rod to a local store and try different reels out. You'll know when one feels right. I did this and fell in love with 1000 size Shimano Stradic reels. But I don't use rods over 6'6" for bass fishing, so might've had a different take if I did.

Welcome back!

Congrats! Nice, healthy bass there at a nice weight, too!

I looked at the waterline on my yak before I made my arm mount. I put it a few inches below that. But you may need it lower to take advantage of the side scan and so on. @Wayne P. would know.

Yeah... hurts. That's why I haven't sent it in for several months still...

Tip. I bought mine off of ebay and *I think* I paid $160 for them. Was waaaaay less than full retail, and they were from a reputable seller, and official, not knock off. Gotta beware those. I want to say it will cost me $11.95 for the warranty send-in and all that, then $80 for the lens.

Well, seeing this is the second time, the first was excellent! Simple replacement for a broken temple arm. I had kept them safe for years, then after I got that fixed literally like 2 weeks later I sat on them in my kayak and broke the lens. Grrr. This fix is a bit more expensive, but their service is top notch, no doubt.

Never heard of 'em. Costa is my choice, but yeah, they are $$. Had to save up for a pair, and now they're waiting to be sent in for lens replacement...

Welcome aboard! Pro Angler, eh! Sweet ride. A side-arm mount is not really a big deal, at least not to me. I've used one on my Native Ultimate with no issues. Is there any way you can DIY a way to mount it in the Lowrance Ready port?

No experience with nanofil, but I've read enough reviews that have kept me at bay. I'm also a spinning angler (mostly) and use 10# regular Power Pro and 15# Power Pro Super Slick 8. Casting is great with both. And for the leader question, I always use one and have mentioned my reasons in numerous threads. Here's one not common (i.e., visibility, abrasion resistance, etc.) Since braid is pricey, and I tend to change out hooks several times during an outing for various reasons (snag, bent hook, different size, and so on), a leader allows me numerous ties before I have to cut in to my braid main line. Otherwise I'd have cut into my braided mainline a bunch of times. For some this may not be a big deal. But I know it helps me save money - or at least stretch out my money for a longer period of time. Learn a good knot like the uni-to-uni or Albright/Alberto variants (I've got 100% confidence in my knots) and you will be good to go if you want to take the leader route.

Welcome aboard, Ryan!

Very nice...

Safe to say that most bass fisherfolk like a 2500 size reel. Me, I prefer a 1000 size. I like small and light reels and have zero issues bringing in bass. 6.6# bass in my avatar was caught in a thick brush field with a 1000 on a 5'9" M rod... Closest president to a 1000 is a 20, I believe, then the 25 series.