Darren.

I have experience with them, but via kayak. I use a Stick-It Anchor Pin at 7'. They make longer ones, and they are the same material a Power Pole is made from. There are models which float if dropped, such as YakAttack's Park-n-Pole, up to 8'. The other option is to DIY using a golf ball retriever. They are telescopic and go as long as 15' and more. Here's a video for that.

My eldest son, several years back, was not having much luck bass fishing, so I took him out during the spawn in our canoe to catch an "easy" target, LOL. I positioned him near a bed with a large bass on it and for about an hour he tried everything I had to catch that bass. I finally told him to try a rattle trap, just jigging it up and down. I was ready to move along, but stuck in there for his sake. He finally caught that bass - all 5.9 pounds of it!! Was on cloud 9 for a week or so after that.

Aloha and welcome aboard!

I use 20# Power Pro on mine...works great. So 30# for me, would be max, unless you fish conditions @Master Bait'r mentioned.

You're on a roll, Dave

Welcome aboard! Some great fish!

I like it, Dave! Looks great!

I would not pay that much over original price unless it was something I couldn't live without....

My opinion, for what it's worth, Carbonlite in M or Mojo in ML (a tad stiffer than a ML in CL lineup)

Virginia registration required. My Native Ultimate has a lovely boat registration number on it. Hey, for the joy of having my trolling motor, I happily oblige to pay the tax.

Wacky rigging is my favorite technique. Super easy, almost always works

To be very honest, either. I do both of your techniques (4" senko 6" trick) on my M and ML Carbonlites. That said, I was doing those on M power spinning rods before I bought my ML CL in effort to lighten my casting setup. My youngest son caught a 3# bass this weekend on my ML Carbonlite with my Chronarch 50e this past weekend using only a 4.25" Stik-O and a 2/0 Wide Gap Finesse Gamakatsu hook... Absolutely no problem reeling it in. I've caught 4 and 5 pounders on that setup with no problem... FWIW

I've got a few Carbonlites in M (spinning) and ML (casting). They're pretty great for finesse purposes. Quite light.

Welcome aboard! This is the place to learn!

The FK gets US warranty support, if that matters to you...per my mentioning earlier. They are excellent reels. If you can find an FJ 2500, you'd possibly be just as happy, unless you prefer the cosmetics of the FK (and I believe larger gear?). And I.rar is right concerning balance. This is what concerns me. I hate tip-heavy rods tires my arm out more quickly. So I was using a Stradic FS 2500 on my 6'3" St. Croix Legend MLXF rod, it balanced it nicely, but the weight of the 2500 wore on me. So I put my FJ 1000 on it and it balances to a more horizontal (even) plane which is satisfactory.

Wow, that's quite a big smallie! Too bad she couldn't be released unharmed so her genetics could be passed on...

Welcome aboard! I'll let others chime in who have used those reels. I use Shimano, and have plenty of experience with a Daiwa Lexa. I do like the Lexa quite a bit, but I've since given it to one of my boys. So I can recommend the Daiwa brand...

Just be aware that JDM reels, at least Shimano, need to be sent back to Japan for warranty issues... At least this is what I've read. Those Certates are beautiful, though. Personally, I'd go for the 2000 size (Lexa 2000 is about the size of a 2500 Shimano. Maybe a tad smaller). If you're more comfortable, 2500 is a generally great size for bass fishing... But the 2000 size is plenty strong for bass. I use 1000 size for most of my bass fishing, have caught loads of 6 plus pound bass on them. AND... the different sizes within each range have to do with shallow spools and/or gearing. I like gearing 6.x like on this model: Certate 2510PE-H

Welcome aboard!

Beauty! Assuming you CPR'd her, because she'll likely oblige your 7-8 pound wish by the next time you catch her

Hard to argue with Stradics, as I love my FJ models. Congrats on the record! Beast of a bass! ...and welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard, Dustin!

Welcome aboard, Ayden! A boat can certainly help you get to places with more fish that aren't shore accessible. Maybe find an inexpensive canoe or even a kayak that can get you to more spots on the lake!

Welcome aboard, Eric! Neat boat!