Choporoz

My Dodge Durango is pretty well full with just fishing gear year round. I make few adjustments....no JJ's Magic kept in the car in the summer.....no KVD lube in car during winter freezes...12V batteries go in the house for the winter....but, that's about it...

I suspect your estimate of surface temps is low. You may find that they're in various stages of pre-spawn and spawning. Looks like enough docks to fill at least a half day. I'd probably start at the upper end and work down. Nice choke point about a third of the lake down from the top. Not sure what is going on in the eastern bays, but if there's shallow flats, you may find beds and bass moving to/from them through that gap -- I'd try to find out if there's a cut or channel there. If your correct about temps, then my biggest advice is slow down. And then slow down some more. I fished a few different dingy lakes this spring around those temps and the theme was similar; very slow drag near cover, but not always tight to it. I'm used to pitching to a laydown, working it hard and then try again. I caught more bass this spring with Rage Bugs and finesse jigs well after lure cleared the wood and got 2-5 feet out....but, again, very slow. Its just hard to predict until you get a feel for where in the spawn cycle they are. And, just maybe it isn't a great bass lake right now. I'd take some beetle spins or crappie jigs along just in case.

I order backordered stuff from TW all the time. They ship when they get it and never charge me (though I never get expedited shipping - just the free ship.) The date they ship the backordered things is almost always earlier than the projected date.

So, at risk of ignoring your requirements....I don't know how much salt....and they do have some scent...but, I highly recommend 10" Rage Tail Anaconda. Got the fat body and great action even on a real slow drag May have been purely ad copy marketing....but companies advertise that as a selling point...the fish holding longer part. Roboworm even has it still right on their website. My guess is that salt was added to adjust buoyancy and the sticking together part, but someone in marketing somewhere decided that they'd sell more if they could convince fishermen of one more edge

Maybe I lack sensitivity awareness. But I have two Fenwick rods of identical specs, except one is one-piece and the other 2. No way I can tell the difference without looking at the middle. I also have two St. Croix 2-piece Rod's that are similarly indistinguishable from one piece rods... at least to me.

I had similar issues that @Delaware Valley Tackle just fixed for me. I used this as a guide for some 'superficial' maintenance: http://fish.shimano.com/content/dam/shimanosnaffish/shimano/support/maintenance-tips/Maintenance Tips- Baitcasting Reels.pdf I think I ran into problems in the lower left step on first page: "Clean and oil VBS® Brake Case and spool bearing." I am fairly certain that I also put a drop of oil either on the shaft or into the 'shaft hole' and created problems for my reel(s).

Hulivator is another option. Got one for my wife. It is awesome.

This might be a little overwhelming at first, but take a little time to look through some of these articles. https://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_articles.html Once you get questions that are a little more focused, feel free to post them here. I'm not trying to be evasive...its just that we make it awfully complicated. I could greatly oversimplify and say that to answer your question, Texas Rig along the bottom; crank bait when you can bump it into rocks or wood or stuff; and spinnerbait when there's a ripple on the surface.....but that won't get you even a fraction of a percent of the stuff we all consider when deciding what to throw. The variables are going to blow your mind. Do what you can to keep it simple for now.

When you get your answer, make sure you post it here, please. I'm guessing that I'm not the only one who'd also like to know.

I will admit that I was a bit concerned years ago before I got mine. The idea of tipping and losing gear, etc was pretty frightening. Several years in, fishing 6 hrs per day once to three days per week from Easter to Thanksgiving, I will tell you that I have tipped it exactly one time. And that was because of a stupid anchoring job in a swift river (thought I was in an eddy, but badly misjudged; combined with not getting the trolley all the way forward or aft fast enough.) I fish in big water with a lot of traffic, and I've been caught in some pretty serious storms. I can tell you that, except for river rapids, my little 10' Wildy Tarpon has never once hinted that it might actually dump me. I won't tell you that it isn't a little exciting at times, but you'll be amazed in the stability of smaller craft. Mine isn't even designed for standing -- If I had something just a little wider, I don't think I could tip without some really stupid stuff going on.

Is standing important?

I haven't made the full-on conversion that @CroakHunter has, but I am a big fan. It doesn't have to be all-or-nothing. Get some and give them a try. TW has had Reins on sale recently - keep an eye open. And, Sieberts' prices are quite reasonable. (Haven't tried omfishingsinkers yet.) The difference in feel is remarkable, especially on rock or other hard surfaces...lead feels just sort of mushy after having used tungsten

That's one link I'm not going to share with my wife...I might never get her out with me again. On a related note, I devote a lot more of my available situational awareness bandwidth to overhead branches than I did in recent years. But, that's mostly to the increase in cormorants lately.

You grossly overestimate my dexterity....I can barely operate a hammer, much less shove a loop through an eye that I can't even see. All kidding aside, I do, on occasion, have difficulty positioning the loop --- not uncommon for it to catch on lower part of the eye while tightening, though this is a relatively minor concern. Also, I did try using a palomar the other day with titanium leader and couldn't get the loop cinched down tight. I'll have to go back to improved clinch or uni for titanium

A number of years ago, when I first tried tying Palomar knots, I had a very hard time.... nearly gave up....I couldn't get past step 1 below.... after numerous failures with my fumble fingers....I had an epiphany.... instead of shoving a loop through the eye..."What if I put line through and then double back?!". Was quite the aha moment...lol

I agree with @Turkey sandwich. I have three Aetos rods (3MH and one M) and they are all quite fast. On the other hand, I have a St. Croix Rage MF with specs similar to the Aetos, but they are so different; the St Croix is a wonderful cranking rod, the Aetos, not so much. You almost have to get your hands on one and feel for yourself. I bought a different Fenwick the same time I got the St. Croix - both 7 or 7'1", both MF, both rated to 5/8 oz; but the rods are night and day the way they fish. Never held a Fury, so I can't help you there.

Yes. That's the one. Haven't used it, but takes up almost no room and it does give me peace of mind.

Paddle lays across my lap - never had any issues. I have rod holders, but I generally end up with all four rods between my legs, pointed out the front. I wouldn't want my paddle lashed to the side - I make small adjustments from the lap-position all the time, frequently while fighting fish. I bought leashes when I first got the kayak years ago, but hated them and haven't used them but the first 2 or 3 times out. I do have a hand paddle in my crate as an emergency back-up, but I've never needed it....peace of mind, I guess.

www.autotrader.com But seriously....I've owned a number of 2-piece rods and with all but the lowest end ones, you'd never know the difference. Fenwick and St.Croix both produce great 2-piece rods

With a spinning rod and 12 pound Gliss, I can cast a 1/2 oz RES into any tree from anywhere on the lake.

I was on a spinnerbait bite yesterday, too. But, it was a strange one for me. If I dropped the spinnerbait right on the fish, it was automatic. In six hours, I think I only had three, maybe four hits well into a retrieve. So, in my case, I ended up learning that big crashes in the living room were golden and I was able to pick up some others with less than stealthy pitching.

Funny, the array of opinions....I have a DX 744 FH and I find that 3/4 oz jigs are pretty much well within the sweet spot.

We all fish for fun....until faced with a contest :) Agree with lengths - like kayak tourneys.....everyone can take a pic of their fish on the tape/board and send them to one person -- add up top five longest for each person or boat. Don't need expensive boards, either -- magic marker ruler on (in)side of each boat

Neither is expensive. You said 'baitcasters', plural. Good chance you don't need the same test on all reels. I suggest a spool of each -- try them both, and see which you prefer....and get some KVD Line Conditioner for whichever you choose.

I always have these in the yak....works on snakeheads and even cats, too https://www.cabelas.com/product/Baker-Mouth-Spreader/1617818.uts