Darren.

Only once has my wife gone out fishing with me - that I can remember. We've taken the boys when they were younger, but she didn't fish then. Bought her a license, a kayak, but she's just not into it as a hobby like I am. Would I love to take her more. Heck, yeah. I wish she'd get as fired up about it as I am, but alas, it just isn't so.

All good suggestions. I really liked the $35 XPS sunnies I had; however, if I didn't decide to change to Costas, I'd probably go for Strike King, Berkleys, etc. My kids have used these from Walmart and they are okay.

Probably truer than not. Dealing with people in forums can be an experience not unlike the Presidency. Premature graying of the hair with all the crap you have to deal with.

Good lookin' paint job!

As far as brand, I've used both Motorguide and Minn Kota. I like Minn Kota better. But there are folks here who have far more trolling motor experience than I, so...fwiw. You could move a 17' boat with a 30 lb thrust if you want to go as cheap as you can.

Nice hogs, Dwight!

Welcome, Jessica, fellow kayaker!

Yeah, that's a nice catch, man.

At least you are catching!

Straight from the Compre family of rods at Shimano: http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/products/rods/freshwater/Compre_Family.html "This series was created for the Hard Core Bass, Musky, and Inshore Fisherman. Shimano Created technique specific rods for a wide variety of the best fishing techniques used in today’s fishing environment. The Bass rods cover Worm, Jig, Drop Shot, Crankbait, Spinnerbait, Top Water, and Flip Pitch Punch Rods. The Musky Rods cover everything from small bait applications up to the Giant Sized baits used today. Inshore rods created for Reds, Trout, Snook, and Tarpon. All Compre rods are built out of IM-9 Graphite and come with Shimano Custom Reel seats and Fuji Guides. All backed by Shimano limited lifetime over the counter replacement policy."

Mine said limited lifetime, do you mean the no ?s for the first year only? Talked to a dealer/rod builder who sells Compres and he told me lifetime replacement... BPS fishing managers in Hampton and Richmond told me lifetime OTC...

That's a great reel. Will serve you well. Congrats!

Very slick paint job. Will look gorgeous on a Veritas.

I stand corrected! Although I did mean to say "most" because I knew that to be the case. Muchas gracias, Hooligan!

Take it in to a local store like BPS if you have one.They'll exchange it over the counter. Shimano rods are limited lifetime OTC....

$80 can go a long ways at BPS, especially at the Spring Classic. Sounds like jigs are a need, plastics (you can experiment with brands) and perhaps terminal tackle -- sinkers, hooks, etc. Definitely go in with a plan!

Agreed. Unless you're a glutton for backlashes and cussing, start heavier, then work your way down to the weightless stuff. IMHO. I attempted light lure tossing with my Accurists, but they were awful for that, so I left that to my Stradics and other spinning gear until I got the Lexa. Skipping with a bait caster is the next frontier for me.

Does the package list the colors you got? I've only seen the kits in cursory glances when at BPS. Prefer to pick-n-choose my own faves so always opt for the packages if I'm not buying GYCB Senkos or Zoom Finesse Worms.

Well, as I stated in another posting the other day, I'll probably buy 7.1:1 from here on. I can control my speed by how fast I turn the handle. Maybe if I were a tournament guy I'd want one for each type of setup as then I'd probably have the same reeling cadence and not worry about which gear ratio I have in my hand at the time.

Lexa! Got a 7.1:1, it is a beast, casts weightless 4" senkos to boot! Love mine. I believe the answer is Yes. You can put cork knobs on the Lexa. I saw someone, not sure if it was here in the flea market, or on ebay where a guy had replaced his Lexa knobs and was offering the originals for sale. Just took a (slightly blurry) shot of my 100HS. Phillips screwdriver and you're set.

I'm curious as to what length leader we're talking, 12-18"? Every braid-to-leader knot I tie comes through my guides for the next cast because my leader length varies between 4 and 8'. Even a super tiny swivel would potentially nick the guides, I'd assume?

Good. With the Spring Classic coming up, I'm having a hard enough time keeping the baitmonkey under control.

I just bought a 6'6" MF Premier casting rod and yes, it definitely is stiffer than my other Medium rods. I'd place it between a M and MH. That said, I would have NO problem using it in thick cover. Plenty of power and durability in these. My buddy has a 6'6" ML Premier spinning rod and has caught 7 pounders on 10lb braid+leader. Personally all the "big" bass I've hauled out of thick cover have been on true M rods. Two have XF tips, one has a F tip.

You talking spinning or casting? Either way, it'd probably work fine so long as the rod can load up whatever you're wanting to skip. I skip with medium Compre's, other rods all the time, the Compre's are M XF....

Read the same info. So as part of my investigation-before-buying I talked to a number of fishermen in my area who are Costa wearers. One does the silver/gray, the rest do green/amber. Actually, some of them are off-shore dudes who use the blue, but up here in the Chesapeake Bay/James River/York River, green seems to be the choice.