Darren.

Welcome aboard! Just get him more of his favorite bait(s)! One can never have enough of them.

Welcome aboard, Anthony!

Oh man. So my buddy and I were kayak fishing a local dock...young buck and a grandpa dude came in after us in a boat. Must've badly wanted to fish our area and must've been mad we were there first. So they decided to fish near us, closer and closer to the point of coming between us. I caught a lovely 3 lb bass right where they were fishing previously...LOL That was the only "talking" I did - catching the bass. Nothing was said between us, but my buddy and I could not believe these guys and their attitude. We'd never encountered jerks like this before. Anyhow, I moved to a new spot, a vacant spot on the other side of the docks. They followed me and started casting at me, and around my kayak. I looked at them several times, glaring, because they were casting right off my kayak. I asked them if they knew of fishing courtesy and boating etiquette, said I was there first. Kid mumbled something and I ended up leaving in disgust. Made plenty of noise going out. "Grandpa" made no effort to fix the young dipstick's behavior, either.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard!

For me, when I turned 40, the switch was flipped. Prior to that I could eat what I wanted and gain very little weight. After 40, everything changed. I'm still young at heart, at least I think I am, but my body is begging to differ. I'm working on kicking it into gear, hence back to mountain biking and such...but it ain't easy.

I'll just welcome you to the forums, boat experts will be better voices than I.

I'm with @roadwarrior +/- 3 lbs But I'll lean toward the + side of 3

Geez.

Yamamoto Shad-shaped Worm Wacky rigged or drop-shot.

I have, but also been out when winds of 40 MPH ripped through - and I was in my kayak. Needless to say I hauled out of there as fast as I could. Fortunately I was very close to the launch. But I've fished in white caps on my local reservoirs. I don't make it a habit by any means, and these days I've balked when the wind was up in particular directions.

Welcome aboard, Eli!

Welcome aboard, Kermit!

3" Stick-O worms don't work very well for me... But 4, 5, and 6 are incredible.

Welcome aboard!

No it doesn't. I have many great memories taking my boys fishing when they were tikes.

Welcome aboard!

Fogging up is a problem that I'm not sure even spit can properly solve. I've also got 580G Costas and have had to slide them off my face, or down my nose when they fog up. Pain, but it is inevitable that they'll fog. I'm not sure there is any one solution that will keep the clarity and d**n the fogginess to the netherworld.

Key to all of the responses is that we all have favorites, but our favorite(s) won't necessarily be yours. So bottom line it is best to get the feel of the reel yourself, if you can. If you like the Daiwa, rock and roll! That's important! I'd hate to sell you a Shimano Stradic or Pflueger President and have you regret the purchase later...no matter how much I or others swear by their greatness.

I can appreciate what you want the fish to have weighed. I had a bass on a brand new 10lb Yo Zuri Hybrid leader, fresh off the spool, no nicks or any problem as I ran it through my fingers. Everyone knows YZH breaks well over its stated strength... A "bass" which never decided to reveal itself broke me off seemingly out of nowhere. Right about 1/2 way thru the leader, not on any structure that I know of...my line just snapped when she decided she'd had enough of me. To me it was a big bass, and may very well have been a PB. But I'll never know because I didn't catch and weigh her. Another bass I've estimated at 8 lbs tail danced just out of reach of my net, but I got a good look at her. Thus I use "estimate". But I will never know for sure, though I saw it seemingly in slow motion as she slipped out of reach and danced her way back to freedom. It was big, no doubt, but my eyes aren't to be trusted as scales... Keep after her and prove us all wrong!!

Do you remember the model Daiwa? If you find something you like in-store, and money is an issue, you can look for the model on eBay. I've bought off there and haven't regretted it.

Welcome aboard, Jacob! I fish mostly spinning now and Shimano Stradics are my reels of choice. More specifically, the 1000 series. Yes, for bass fishing. They're more than enough for big bass, and with 10-15lb braided mainline, I get plenty of line on 'em. That said, I started out looking to buy a Pflueger, but after I got my hands on, I preferred the *feel* of Shimano and went that direction. That's not to say Pflueger is bad, no, they're excellent, but just not for me. Doesn't mean I won't change later, either. I gave my Daiwa Lexa (both my spinning and casting) reels to one of my sons. I really can say that I LOVED the feel of the Daiwa bail wire. It was/is smooth and looks good. But even the 2000 was bigger than what I like. So it's up to you and what you like.

Nice PB! Congrats!

LOL, yeah, that's a perfect reference!

Once you figure it out, hang up the rod and don't use it anymore! When I was about 9 years old I got Bob Feller to autograph a baseball for me. When I was 12, my friends and I needed a baseball to play with. The only one I could find was the Bob Feller one on my dresser. Needless to say, His autograph didn't last long.