Darren.

Welcome aboard! Another vote for a weightless Senko follow-up.

I throw weightless tiny flukes wacky rigged with size 2 Gammy drop/split shot hooks. Thrown with Chronarch 50e, one on a 6' MF Field & Stream rod, the other (not as well for obvious reasons) on a 6'2-3" Carbonlite, MF. Was 6'6" until one of our pups stepped on the tip... That's about the lightest I can cast, and granted not 20 yards, but I can whizz 4" Senkos a good long ways.

I can't remember the color Senko, but it was a 5", wacky rigged on a size #1 Gamakatsu Wide Gap Finesse Hook. Gear: 6' MF rod, Accurist BC reel (7.1:1) 10 lb Berkley Fireline (mainline), 10 lb test Yo-Zuri Hybrid leader, clear. Caught in thick salad.

First, welcome to the forum! Second. You'll find some here that will say no, it doesn't matter as much. Others will say yes. My experience leans toward the "no" as well. But I don't fish crystal clear waters where it may make a difference.

Welcome aboard!

Very cool vid!

So are you asking for best rock/metal guitarist of all time? I mean there's a lot of talent past, present out there on the jazz, classical, etc. Just saying... Everyone mentioned so far are phenoms. I'll add Tommy Immanuel, Paco de Lucia, Andres Segovia, Buckethead, Satch, Phil Keaggy... the list can go for a while.

If braid mainline, yes, I'd back it. If mono or copoly, no. If pure Fluoro, perhaps, to save money as aprw1 suggested.

I responded earlier with my guitar brands of choice. But I've been playing since I started in my later teens (16 or 17 I think). Had 2 months of lessons, short span of attention as with other instruments. Self taught the rest of the way. Will be 45 in August, so plenty of years there. I'm acoustic all the way. And in the past 5 years I started playing everything in open D after a deep cut on the tip of my middle finger (left hand - fret hand). Standard tuning hurt a lot due to deep scar tissue so I began experimenting with open D's lesser string tension. Now that's the only tuning I like to play in.

When I was a kid, my Dad had a boat and we were fishing out on a lake. I was not paying attention to his brand new UL rod/reel and *zing* it was gone to the depths of Davy Jones' Locker. That is the only one I've lost so far!!!

This I agree with (the "it's pretty crappy" part). If I need to exchange my previous-gen Compre rods, I'd expect to be grandfathered in to the OTC warranty, but sadly that seems to no longer be the case. I would love to have seen a lower price point since the Lifetime OTC warranty is no more. Many I've read/spoken to, have said that warranty was added on to the price of the rod.

Welcome aboard!

First, welcome to the forums! Second, I always like to get "new" to "new-ish" bass fisherfolk set up with soft plastic worms like Senkos (or off brand). My number one suggestion is to fish wacky style. For one, it is about the easiest way to rig a plastic worm there is. Bend the worm in half, hook it perpendicularly through the middle, fish slowly. I recommend Gamakatsu Wide Gap Finesse in size 1 or 1/0; Gamakatsu Drop/Split Shot hooks in sizes 1 - 1/0. Owner Mosquito hooks are also good, as are Owner wacky hooks, but I personally prefer Gamakatsu's offerings. Then I'll suggest getting some 2/0 and 3/0 worm hooks, O'shaughnessy bend worm hooks for Texas rigging. Some ⅛ oz bullet weights, too. Look up how to rig the worm if you don't already know how. Both TX and Wacky rigging can be done in and around cover, weedy areas, around fallen trees, docks, etc. If you have a lot of that, grab some weedless varieties of wacky hooks mentioned. But for TX rigging, just rig the hook weedless (inside the bait). Colors: I suggest "standard" colors like Watermelon, Green Pumpkin, Black, and variants of those colors. Perhaps some with a bright chartreuse tail, etc. The other thing is to ask some old timers around the lake, at bait shops, etc., what works, what doesn't. Sometimes they're willing to share some good info.

Hey Duker, welcome aboard!

I'm of the school as to whether the rod is UL, L, ML, M, MH, H and the action. I suppose that's what the technique specific rods do, too. Interesting Shimano isn't selling the new Crucial's as technique specific - unless I glazed over that part of the videos I watched. And their site no longer lists them as technique-specific, either. The Compre still has it that way, but Crucial is now Casting, or Spinning. http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/products/rods/Crucial_Family.html

Speedy recovery prayers for ya!

Ah well, it was good while it lasted!

You can head over to TW and look up drop shot hooks. Specifically, there are several brands that are almost identical to the Gammy Drop/Split hooks. Hayabusa makes one, Damiki Viper, Skinny Bear EWG Drop Shot, etc. The Hayabusa are pretty decent hooks, and they're popular in Japan from various sites I read when researching.

Welcome aboard, James!

Welcome aboard!

Welcome, Brian!

That's me, too. For me it was on a clear, full-moon lit night and I was throwing a jitterbug into a large pond. (Gravel Ponds, for you Rochester area guys). It hit and I had the fight of my life. I brought it ashore, took it to my Ford Bronco II and held it in the headlights so I could see it. Used a tape measure I had laying around and it was, roughly, 23 inches. Had no way to weigh it, and I didn't lay it down to do a proper measure. Memory of a lifetime, though.

Welcome aboard, Yeti!

Welcome aboard!

While I can't speak for his comment, there are threads out there which discuss inflatable PFDs for kayaking. Personally, I really like the idea of an inflatable PFD, but prefer the "always on" safety of a "normal" fishing PFD. It is the just-in-case moments when say the disc in the inflatable doesn't dissolve or whatever. Not that it happens much. I've also heard of them prematurely inflating after getting wet, so it becomes a less-than-comfortable item on your body. I still consider an inflatable (auto/manual) from time to time when they're on sale. But I suspect my next PFD will be another "normal" kayak fishing model.