buzzed bait

jj's magic methylate

nice job man!! i paid off my truck a few months ago and not paying that bill was like hitting the lotto! the wife and i are nearly debt free, i mean very close, aside from the house we bought nearly 3 years ago.... seems that one might be with me for a little while!

pretty sure it's some variation of the black max series if i'm not mistaken, they carried them at Walmart for a while as a rod and reel combo.

well i'd admit i am chicken!! but seated in the kayak it is a little bit difficult for me as i too often hit the water right at my side which causes some muy malo backlashes!! standing on the bank, not nearly as big of a problem. and trust me amigo, i've re-spooled plenty of my BC reels from my terrible efforts! in fact, cutting out nasty backlashes and re-spooling line is something i have on my resume for prospective employers!!

that bug eyed one is rad!!

YEP that'll work!

i can't skip very well at all with a casting reel so that's my primary use for the spinning rig. otherwise, i think mostly everything can be done or one or the other.

happy birthday clayton!!

you're like the william wordsworth, robert frost or walt whitman of bass fishing...

i'll take that topwater bite any day!

nice catches, even if slower than anticipated!

if you still had that beard, would have probably been in the 5-6lb range....

dude what a pig of a smallie!!! nice catch!

yep, live bait on an easy to use rod like the zebco dock demon is the way to go in my opinion. if you start fishing, you'll lose their attention. i try to keep focused on them. BUT if they decide they want to throw rocks or play in the dirt or run around in circles, let 'em. making them fish is like my mom making me play soccer or tennis when i was a kid. hated them both and quit as soon as i could!!! nothing like a kid seeing their first fish like the OP said, "touching it". my older nephew squirmed around and jumped back and was soooooooo excited it was too much for me to contain myself. my brother and i were crying we were laughing so hard at his excitement! not to mention his pride! to date, his PB smallmouth is still bigger than mine and he'll remind me from time to time that he catches bigger fish than his "unc"!! don't forget to snap you a few pics while they're that young too! one of my favorite pics of myself as a kid is me standing on top of a bucket with a stringer full of fish! i try to snap a few of the nephews while they're still so young so that one day they'll have some good ones to brag about!

CANNOT go wrong with either of them in my opinion. they're the only 2 brands of frogs i own.

agree with mostly all of the above. first, i find it easier to just tie rather than using my monkey hands to fool around with any type of snap or clip. but if you use them, i'd suggest the snaps or swivels, but not snap swivel. the norman speed clips would be handy if i didn't have the world's most uncoordinated set of grabbers!

good luck!! that old saying of better to ask for forgiveness than permission DOES NOT apply to the wife....

My nephew is 2 today, and last week I took him and his 4 year old brother out, but we didn't catch anything. But man was he proud of "his pole"

i tried to do that myself, but failed miserably... yours looks great!

i wish my wife shared your enthusiasm!!

I like rods in the 7' range and i don't fish the heaviest slop in the world so i don't like the heaviest rods. I've caught plenty of fish on a 7' MH/F rod and that same rod can be used for all sorts of different baits and techniques.

not exactly tackle, but rods and reels.... i definitely have a problem. Problem is i'm married and have to hear about it every time a package shows up at my doorstep!! In the last week i've pulled the trigger on some gems and can't wait for it all to get here. I'll have to get a family photo to post in the "show off your stuff" thread once i get everything in and all together. (2) Shimano Poison Adrena Casting Rods - a 6'6" MH and a 6'6" M Dobyns Champion Extreme HP 703 Spinning Team Lew's Pro Z 7.1:1 (makes the 4th one in the lineup)

been using my 6'10" MH/F Daiwa Tatula, 7.1:1 Lew's Pro Z and 15lb big game mono - same set up for spinnerbaits

not the best pic, but it's the old school crate, milk crate. added the rod holders, a little divider section and some mini rubbermaid brute cans in the front to hold random items. Also has that little bolt and wing nut deal that will hold 2 spools of line for leaders if i choose to take it.

just echo to wear that PFD, not just when it's convenient for you, but at all times and don't go crazy rigging stuff up on it until you've fished out of it plenty of times, enough to know where and how you want things laid out.