Darren.

Not on that topic, but I see it's your first post, so welcome to the site!

Straight braid I'd tie a Palomar.

Just rub it all over your body and go for a swim. Just you, Megastrike, and a net.

It was just awful today. 57 down here, spritzes of rain now and then. Just had to get out with my oldest son, though. He needs to get his hands on a bait caster again, so we hit the docks -- only needed sweat shirts, too, because we all know 57 is downright chilly in VA this time of year....

Hi, Ben, welcome to the best fishing forum on the 'net!

JJ's Magic, a garlic scent, chartreuse or clear. Megastrike. Yum F2 Attractant spray

That's ok. Reason I mentioned both, assumed you could've meant either. Some good comments in the thread from the other guys. Can be an expensive mess if you don't put a strip of electrical tape across the spool after your furthest cast. That way you only nest the length of that cast...

Currently, a mixed lab named Jake almost 11 years. He's my boy. Looks like an English Lab in stature. Our other dog (my eldest son's dog, actually) is a mix: father was a Bichon Frise+Maltese, and the mother a PeekaPoo. His name is Kobe Bryant, after my fav hoops player in the game today! We didn't name him, the breeder actually named the litter after the Lakers.

Welcome fellow kayaker! Soft plastics are my go-to as well.

Nice to have you join the site! Welcome!

I agree this sums it up. If someone could scientifically qualify and quantify "confidence", put it in a pill, they'd be rich beyond their wildest dreams. When I hear it said "just have confidence in that lure" and you'll catch fish I scratch my head and say, what's my confidence got to do with the lure? They probably really mean that confidence is bred in that lure when you also consider other factors like: my reeling cadence, the depth I'm fishing at the particular moment, the ... you get the picture. The whole package breeds confidence. GYCB Senkos breed confidence, too. Those things ARE magic, I tell ya! Watching Bill Dance catch 6 pounder after 6 pounder in some private pond won't build your confidence, LOL. I'll make ya depressed!

This has happened to me a few times. Wife calls, kids call, fish on. Bruise on leg where I slammed it into the reel to attempt to keep line tight. Distractions take your mind off the task at hand and slow you down.

What's solid water? It's still cold though. Ok ... maybe not *cold*, but it is chilly.

Stradic fan here, previous models, tho, the FI. Probably most you list are good for what you want to do. My thinking on what reels to buy hinges on whether it is capable of both fresh and saltwater (because I live in VA, I do take my boys on occasion to do some brackish water fishing, although I freshwater fish 95% of the time). That said, I went the Shimano route. Now I'm also becoming a fan of Daiwa gear as well. Most every Shimano reel will indicate it is ok for both, and for the Daiwa's I've looked at, same thing. That's not important to a lot of guys. Other things that went into my being a fan of Shimano were the feel of the reels. I did compare numerous reels side-by-side including Pflueger, and others. Shimano reels just *felt better* to me. Subjective, yeah, but true nonetheless. And like I said, I'm becoming a big fan of Daiwa now. Got my eye on the Lexa spinning reels right now. Hoping my wife doesn't poke my eye out for looking, LOL.

Harder to cast? Not in my opinion. As I've stated in other posts along similar lines, all my spinning is setup with braid. Just no comparison. Stuff is easy as all get out to manage. Also use it on my main baitcasting outfits. I'll use various line as a leader. Love braid.

Well, because I've owned Quantum, BPS, and now a Daiwa baitcaster, there's no question. Daiwa gets my vote.

That's awesome! 5th grade was one of my favorite years of school. Kids are actually interested in stuff then!

X2

There's plenty of stuff out there on visibility of line to bass at varying depths. Some will tie a jig directly to braid, others use a leader. Some use straight braid no matter what they're throwing. Personally, I use braid + leader on all my spinning gear, and two baitcasters, whether jig or worm fishing. If I do throw a topwater, I may leave the leader attached, or may go straight braid-to-frog, etc.

Likewise, I've been looking into buying one. Haven't felt the need to use one at this point, but interested.

Nice fish!

You realize how expensive it's gonna be as he gets older!

I thought that, too, but saw no evidence to support it in my use of it.

Nope. RW's right, today's rods are pretty good with braid. I'm a braid user and all my rods have ceramic (Fuji) guides. Have replaced a few tips, but not due to braid, rather cracking the tips after running into stuff too many times. Actually, my Ugly Stik Lite rods are steel tipped, but I don't really use 'em except for taking the kids fishing.

Don't think it necessary on braid. I've sprayed it on braid, early on after buying the stuff, but it wasn't necessary at all.