Darren.

I use 10 pound PowerPro which is rated at 2 pound test equivalent mono. It is plenty strong for bass, pickerel, etc. Use a leader and you'll have your shock protection. 10 pound PowerPro has a lot of strength, arguably much higher breaking strength than 10 pounds. But 15 or 20 lb test is plenty fine, as well. I always use a leader with my braid setups (which is every setup I use). Always. Saves expensive braid is one reason and way to look at it. Some feel a leader helps with visibility issues. I'm not 100% convinced of this, but won't say it doesn't. And like I said, leaders add some shock protection. I've caught loads of bass 6 pounds to 7.5 using 10lb braid + leader. And many in thick salad, or in downed trees. Choose a leader size based on the type of cover/structure you're fishing. I pick up to 15 pound test leader when I'm fishing in trees. Lower when in weeds, etc. Just my .02....

I can probably count the number of fish I've caught on a spinner bait on one hand. Sadly. But I'm working them in to my repertoire this year, and I caught my first bass on one in a looooong time just this past weekend. No trailer. This is a helpful thread as I was pondering this very topic this week.

Welcome aboard, Jim!

The paddle is a thing you want to be light and comfortable for a day on the water. When I started kayaking, I used a cheap paddle that came with my kayak. Good grief that thing was a bear. I upgraded when I bought my Native Ultimate 12, to a carbon hybrid model from Aqua-Bound. But Werner and the others you mentioned also make great paddles. You just want to make sure you get the right size for your height, etc. Too bad you can't get your hands on various models. If you buy through kayak stores (or retailers) with great return policies, the better you'll be. As far as what I was taught, to find the right length paddle, raise your arm up and curl your fingers at the second knuckles (over the paddle) that's the right length. Unless you have a particularly wide yak, then you'll take a longer paddle. Hope there was something in my response that was helpful.....

You said it! I'm definitely off the co-angler list.

I did my fishing yesterday and today!! As for the front coming thru, good question. Since the water temp is changing, it might be beneficial to throw some lipless cranks. I have had great success catching on wacky rigged Pepper Frog Hot Orange (or whatever Bass Pro calls it).

Never heard of that term.

The Symetre is a great choice. But for bass fishing, the only difference between the 2500 and 3000 is the depth of the spool. So FWIW, I use 1000 size Stradics for bass fishing. I've caught many 6+ pound bass on these and have never once come close to being spooled. Thus I'd recommend a 1000 or 2500 for your needs. But that's me. I love the smaller size reels.

Oh, and as far as elevated seats, the new Native Ultimates have adjustable height seats, and the Wilderness Systems Commander has a captain's perch. There are also very easy DIY things you can do to the Native Ultimate that makes it a high seat. I raised my seat with two ¾" pieces of conduit under my seat tray, placed across my gunnels. I sit nice and high with no stability loss.

I'm only familiar with these based on personal browsing and research. But for cost, you can get something as stable in a hybrid kayak, or even something like a Wilderness Ride or Native Slayer. I'm more than at ease standing in my 12' Native Ultimate. There's also the Wilderness Systems Commander in the hybrid lineup. Fwiw.

Welcome aboard, JD! Kayak enthusiasts are welcome here!

No, but I can suggest if you have any specialty fishing shops in your area, any rod builders, etc., they might have, or be able to get it for you. I bought it from a local fishing shop here in VA.

I do. U-40 as mentioned above.

Awesome! Nicely done, you had a great day. Same here, I caught 9, weighed 7, a beast broke my line and took a lipless crank with it. Was huge, saw it in all its glory. The loss is totally my fault for not retying when I knew I should have....I knew the line just above the clip was a bit frayed. I kept throwing the cranky anyway. Dadgummit. Lesson hopefully learned. Again. And again.

Welcome aboard, Mike!

Congrats! Nice fish!

Dang! Congrats, man! Awesome catch.

Welcome aboard, Hunter!

Welcome aboard!

Awesome! Well done!

I second the welcome to the forums! Your bionic combo should work nicely. I'm not sure I can suggest a better one at your price point without breaking it up and going separate brands, etc. As well as adding more than a few bucks to the total.

Hey, that's cool. Was he there for a promotion, or you just happened to catch him shopping?

If I could pay 6 months of my house off per year due to the Masters, I would. No brainer!!

One of my boys bleeds Chelsea, so long as Hazard remains, LOL.... Another son follows Van Persie, thus Man U. Me? I love it all.

Good point. For me it was just a common courtesy to give back his bottles. I know of the expense involved in his little homebrew operation, so it just made sense to do that for him.