Darren.

Hmmmm.... Dab. At my eldest son's graduation last year, one of the boys in his "cadre" said he'd trip on stage if everyone gave him $20. He did it, and it was hilarious. Couple thousand people there, too. Collective gasp went up until we realized what happened. I think it is fun when the unplanned...or planned fun happens to break the solemnity. It is your daughter. Celebrate her, make it one she will forever remember

Don't kill 'em. Carry a stick with you, if you can, and move the snake out of the way. They're as afraid of you as you are of them. They usually freeze in place to avoid notice, but if it is a water moccasin/cotton mouth, it wil be belligerent. Down here in VA, we will encounter a LOT of water snakes, most are going to be the Northern variety, but there are going to be the venomous ones, too. You can also use said stick to make a racket as you walk - smacking the ground and brush in front of you as you go along. Snakes sense the vibrations and will get out of harms way ... most of the time.

Welcome aboard!

Happy wife. Happy life.

Welcome aboard! If you have a Bass Pro, Cabelas, or Gander Mountain near you, take your reel in and put it on several different rods to get a good feel for how it balances. House brand rods can be a great value here. I really like Bass Pro's Carbonlite series, and they fall right at $99. They are often on sale as well... Just something to think about...

I once skin-hooked a 6 pound bass with a freakin' #1 size wacky hook of all things! Man that creature took me for a spin on my kayak. Crazy! got it in, still not sure how I managed to set the hook there.

Welcome aboard, Fred! Good replies here, but really do avail yourself of the awesome articles and "how to" pieces on bassresource.com. They can really help you with your situation. I know for me they have been helpful over the years.

Welcome aboard, Tyrel!

Congrats, mate! Sooooo, will your canoe be retired?

Welcome aboard! Great answers above. Line watching is critical, but not always the answer as we can all attest when you start to reel in for another cast and there's a bass on the line! I like to use yellow braid for my mainline which is much easier for me to see than green braid or other lines. In addition to line watching, not having too much slack in the line is a good idea. I like to reel in as much as I can without affecting the drop, but giving me a somewhat taut line.

Berkley Lightning M - $39 Berkley Lightning Shock M - $49 BPS Carbonlite 6'6" MLF or MF - each $99, but on sale often. St. Croix Legend Tournament Walleye 6'3" MLXF - $250 If money no object and I were to pick another of these today.... The St. Croix would be my choice. Super crisp. Can feel so much of what's going on on the business end of the line.

I don't want to hijack the OP's thread. I may have to start another one or go offline with you. But no, actually laying down a layer of thread, then tying the guard, then whip-finishing, then applying two coats of Sally Hansen hard as nails nail polish to it. Sometimes a dab of super glue. There's an awesome guy who teaches how to tie weed guards. This is a modification of his double tie with the guard on the front instead of back of the hook (done both). http://intheriffle.com/the-riffle/fly-tying-weed-guards/

Here's one I tied last night, happens to be a 3/0 hook, but I've tied down to #2 size, too.

Yes, it'll be a few before i can do so, though.

Sweetness! Cool story.

I lost so many fish on those metal guards. There's an old thread in which we discussed this, too. The Owner hooks, if you're referring to the green wacky models, definitely have a "weak" guard. I buy 25 packs of Gamakatsu Finesse Wide-Gap hooks and have used both 50# and 40# mono leader which comes thru vegetation way better than the Owner weed guards. 50# is a tad stiff for smaller hooks, but still works, I find 40# to be a good mix of stiffness and flex. Still testing, though. Anyhow, this is, for me, the most price-effective way to get weedless hooks. Plus it's fun to tie them.

Wow, good luck with those! Sticky sharp, yes, but I for one absolutely hated the metal weed guard. Way too stiff. Perhaps they are using a less stiff metal now? Regardless, I now make my own weed guards and am having a blast doing it with a cheap fly tying kit and some 40# Ande mono leader.

I use what I have left of my orange performance braid as line to sew things up with when I DIY kayak leashes or shorts with gaping holes, LOL. It is strong stuff!

N. ASTY. Dang!

Sometimes yes. But his avatar indicates his last visit was 17 hours ago. Guess we'll see

My Top 5: LOL...I'm so not as diverse as y'all! And I don't even care 1. Wacky Rigged Senko 2. Drop Shot GYCB Shad-shaped Worm 3. Wacky Rigged Trick worm 4. Wacky Rigged Finesse worm 5. Mojo tied with TX rig (So technically 6). Of course there are other techniques I'll use, these are just my tops.

Welcome aboard, Dirk!

I've got one BL rod, a 6' MH spinning setup I was using for smaller swimbaits. It works just fine! I think it is a great rod for the money.

Welcome to the forums!

Welcome aboard, Eric!