Darren.

Tyler, I bought mine off of ebay. They're authentic. When you get them, make sure they've got the etched number of the lens in the glass, and if you're concerned, call up Costa. Of course, you will want to find a reputable seller. I look for 99.7% rating and up.

Welcome, Alex!

Aww, man.... R.I.P. Doug Hannon.....

Welcome aboard, Dave!

You can go straight braid, or use a smaller diameter braid + smaller diameter leader to flow thru your micro guides. We've all got opinions here. Mine is to use a leader, it saves me money in the long run...

Whether it's the MegaStrike or not, I've caught a number of species with it. JJ's Magic, too. Used to dip all my crappie baits in JJ's...plus a little MegaStrike. Got a new tube of Mega the other week, need to refresh my empty JJ's bottles.

For a fish finder, you can use a lot of different things... Before I hooked mine up to my trolling motor battery, I used a 10.8V LiON battery from one of my Makita drills. Super light, worked fantastic! You really don't need too much to power a finder. The 4 wheeler battery should work just fine.

Welcome aboard!

Well, I primarily fish with soft plastics, too. If you want to expand your universe, so-to-speak, this is the place to do it. I've been fishing my whole life and just never had the success with hard baits that I do with soft baits. So I tend to stick with what works rather than too much experimentation. If you fish tourneys, you'll certainly want to diversify your approach and what you throw. For those of us who don't, well -- I'll speak for myself -- diversify when time permits, but stick to what works and enjoy life on the water. FWIW, I'm going to give more attention to jigs this year. I've thrown cranks and spinnerbaits for years, but rarely do so anymore. Plenty here swear by them, so pay attention As far as fav soft plastics: Gary Yamamoto Senkos in 4", then 5" Zoom Finesse Worms GYCB Yamaminnows (small but deadly) Bass Pro Stik-O's in 4"

Oh, and you'll LOVE the First Class seat. I see you've got the mounts to sit low or high, that's a fantastic feature. I had to build a riser for mine. But it's still an incredibly comfy seat. You'll have some awesome memories in that yak. And may you have an extremely productive year bass fishing from it!

Wow, that's a sweet looking ride, man! Color is great, especially given the Orangemen are in the Final 4... What?! Did I just type that?! No really, that's a mighty fine yak. I've got the Ultimate 12, love it, but had this been around when I bought mine, I'd have given it serious consideration.

x2!

Albright is my numero uno. Super thin, super strong. 100% confidence in it. No real issues coming thru guides unless I don't cut the non-braid tag short enough.

Hmmm. I passed by a similar bin at my Walmart the other day. Quick glance and I didn't see some that you mentioned. Perhaps next glance should be extended...

It's an "Always Hold" for me!! But that doesn't have the same ring to it, does it... LOL

Not sure about that. I thought the Alberto/Albright (and mods) were variable in wraps up, and/or wraps down. So I could Mod Albright 15 up, 10 down....and it'd still be an Albright/Alberto variant. Heck if I know.

While my budget has limited the number of baitcasters I own to three: Lexa 100HS 7.1:1 Best I've held/played with in-store? Daiwa Pluton, Shimano Core

Last time I had my yak + depth finder the temps were in the upper 40s to low 50s in the sunlit shallows. I'd venture the water was maybe 50-ish at this fallen tree. I was shore-bound, and it was in about 2-3 feet of water, not sunlit.

mc6524 is right. Make sure you're running your long "tag" end back thru the hook eye.

I'll second, or third, using snaps, and not snap+swivel (normally) I also like Norman speed clips, too. They can very easily be snapped on/off a hard lure.

By "slide" do you mean that the hook pivots on the Palomar knot? If so, that can happen as the knot is on the eye, a round part, and therefore, subject to movement, up or down. Could easily happen if you use a heavy worm or such, or if you get a lot of short strikes which pull the worm + hook down. Let me know if I'm understanding you correctly or not.

Congrats. Caught mine on Wednesday, 3 pounder. First of 2013...

As a Bills fan, I would have taken Romo, but the Bills have a completely new coaching staff, and a different mentality than Dallas. JJ definitely seems to be losing his edge, though. Not sure I would have signed Romo for a 6-year extension, but given the fact they couldn't franchise him in 2014, this was probably his best move for a quality QB. Surround him with better weapons, and give him a shot of "clutch gene", and Dallas will be fine.

Fantastic video! Genuine joy, enthusiasm, and all that good stuff! Awesome. And a lunker for kicks.

Sure, chuck a jig in. Or even a weighted wacky rig. One that you can cast far enough to get where you want. Saaay, wait a minute. April 1st? You serious about this post?!