RichF

Boat, 100%. I haven't had my kayak long (purchased it in April) but I can't imagine doing the type of fishing I like to do out of it. I like carrying a lot of gear as I like to try a bunch of stuff when I go out. My favorite techniques require solid hooksets so I NEED a super stable place to stand and move around. Also...paddling is just not for me. Yes, you can get peddle drives and Ultrex drives now but for that kind of money...I'd rather just put it down on a nice boat. That being said, there are obvious perks with a kayak (portability, low maintenance, easier storage, etc). I like the idea of accessing places you can't get a big boat in (I've caught some of my biggest bass in places like this). In an ideal world, I'd have'em all: a kayak, small jon boat, 18' Tin bass boat, and 20' Fiberglass. If I find a way to leave the city and move back home to upstate NY; I can combine my yak and tinny with my dad's jon and glass and be set!;)

I get what you're saying as there is a ton of gray area when it comes to this stuff. It all comes down to your own judgement. I tend to base my decisions on one simple rule: "would I be OK with it if someone else did it to me?" As far as community holes go, I define them as areas that are almost always obvious, that have great great fish attracting qualities, and that everyone fishes. They exist in every body of water. I would place a 9 acre timber field into that category. With regards to seeing someone fishing an area then going to it later, 100% fair game. Not necessarily my game as I do like to find things on my own. That unfortunately is getting harder and harder with the advancments in fish finding tech. Everyone knows everything nowadays.

I've got to imagine that other anglers in the club have "found"/ fished that spot before...I mean, it's a 9 ACRE hole filled with timber. If you're a bass angler, you're going to fish an obvious place like that. Definitely sounds like a community hole type spot. That's just something anglers have to deal with if they choose to fish community holes in tournaments. Now it's a different story if the dude is fishing a half dozen particular trees in said community hole. I wouldn't crowd the juice if he beat me to it but the other 8.95 acres are fair game.

This is the main reason I don't fish them. I've been fishing for over 25 yrs and consider myself to be an exceptionally skilled angler. I can detect and decipher just about any bite but I STILL deep hook fish if I throw a weightless stickworm.

I took the OP as a sales pitch to try and get his old stuff sold by stating how many giant bass were caught with it.

Guess my hooks are sharper than yours;)

I don't think the majority of anglers believe it's mandatory to have the best of the best gear in order to catch big bass. They just want to use nice stuff because it's fun to use nice stuff. I enjoy a sub12oz combo that I can cast, skip, pitch, flip, flop, flap with both hands, any which way, all day, every day and not get worn out.

For you Tatsu lovers...MidwayUSA has 1000 yd spools for $105.56. There's a catch. Only 1 spool ea of the following sizes: 6lb, 8lb, 10lb. Better act quick!

My Shimano Crucial drop shot rod has worked for several years fighting Ontario and St. Lawrence River smallies. I upgraded to a Kistler Helium a couple years ago and pulled in one of my biggest brownies ever (6.38) drop shotting on the river with it. Took forever to get her in but the rod worked great.

Not stronger, just more abrasion resistant. The braid doesn't break, it gets cut. Straight fluoro on spinning is fine (8lb and smaller), it's just nowhere near as manageable and cast-able as braid.

I disagree that the bladed jig hookset is the same as a jig set. Every bladed jig bite I've ever had has been a straight pull/rod just loads. Maybe it's a northern largie thing but there is never a solid strike. Because of that, I like a heavy glass rod. I run a Dobyns Champ 736 glass and 17lb fluoro and it works really well for me. That being said, it sounds like you have some sweet sticks in every size/action rod. I would say try the Zodias glass. I've been wanting to try one of those myself.

This is a big one for me. Especially if I'm using thin braid on spinning tackle. I've had big smallmouth cut 20lb braid so I run an 8 - 10lb fluoro leader to prevent it. I run straight braid a lot and my decision to do so depends more on the type of cover and bait presentation than water clarity.

I know Black Lake REALLY well and the bite has definitely been way off this year. The algae bloom started back in late June and has been about as bad as I've ever seen it there. Fished 3 tournaments there this summer and tons of teams had trouble cracking limits. I would definitely recommend looking elsewhere so you don't waste a trip.

The Storms tend to roll on me a little, if I speed up the retrieve a touch. The Duos don't seem to. For the price, the Storms are certainly not terrible. 100% agree about the Senko...

Like all finesse techiniques...they're painful to use....but they work. Side note, the Storm Arashi ones are not created equal...go with Duo.

Oh nice! Wonder if Trey will let me trade mine in haha.

I have the 7'2 MH and like it a lot. It's way more versatile than I thought it was going to be. It can toss just about any moving style bait with it. I've used it for midsize cranks, traps, square bills, spooks, ploppers, spinnerbaits, and bladed jigs. My only gripe (and it doesn't affect the performance) is that the glass tip section is a touch crooked and looks a bit Ugly Stickish.

I just saw this the other day. Guess they decided to jump on that new marketing strategy everyone else is using. They say you're always getting at least 50% off when you're really not. I also noticed they jacked up their warranty replacement fee to $90 for their Endurance and old Max rods. I liked their glass rods but I don't think I'll give them another glance now.

Bogo on Frogg Toggs Pilot Pro Realtree rain gear. Buy the Jacket, get the bibs free. Frogg Toggs website.

This Chris's to win. Five pounders don't literally jump into your boat when it's NOT your time to win! hahaha

I have a Bucoo SR (7'H) which is incredibly soft. I imagine the upper echelon Falcons have better actions (the heavies might actually feel like heavies). And yes, I do realize there is middle ground, I'm just giving an example from my experience. I like the soft tip. It works incredibly well for me. Been using my Kistler for 8 years and I've yet to find a better rod for frogs. Yes, it's my opinion but frogging is my #2 technique. I catch a lot, don't lose many, and have won quite a bit doing it. There aren't any right or wrong answers here, just sharing what works for me.

Just an fyi, we lost about 3 mph at top end, which kinda sucks.

I find that the soft tip allows me to walk the frog "in place" much better than a super stiff one. I've used broomstick type rods for froggin and just found it much harder to do. I could walk the frog ok but trying to do so in place didn't work so well. The stiffness tended to pull the frog too far forward so I wasn't able to keep the frog in the exact same spot like I wanted.

Im also a fan of the soft tip for froggin. I have an old Kistler Magnesium (circa 2012) that is absolutely perfect for frogs. Like, I may have to try and get Trey to fix it up when it craps out on me because I won't find another rod as good for the technique. It's a heavy fast action but has the soft tip. Makes it super accurate. I also have a differing view in that I actually think the soft tip makes walking the frog way easier.

832 is very popular. I've never tried it myself but my dad likes it. Personally, I would go with 50lb, unless you're fishing insane cover and for some jumbo bass.