Choporoz

Don't tell my wife that. Couple years ago, she grabbed one and tied it on and started fishing it through submerged cover like a spinnerbait.....now...I've learned long ago that it is downright foolish to tell a woman she's wrong...especially when fishing where the bass don't bother to read the rules. She caught three pounder a few feet down on one of her first casts. She has a habit of catching fish using the wrong techniques

I wish I knew about your specific yak. I will say that I pilot my Wildy with zero regard for hull impacts. I am positive my yak fishing life is MUCH better that way. If I had to worry about the bottom, I'd miss a lot of great fishing. @fishnkamp is correct about wading through the really skinny spots. The idea of climbing out into a moving river the first time is a bit disconcerting, but it turns out to be a piece of cake....although it looks like yours is a SINK, which I have no experience with, so it could be a bit different....IDK. My feeling is, though that if you have avoided the really thin plastic budget kayaks, then go ahead and push your limits....worry about the current and tipping and such....and let the hull take care of itself. Check it after each ride and if you get bad gouges, learn to avoid floating the same kinds of hard, shallow spots. .....or, what @Scott F...said...he said it better while I was still pecking away

I don't use snap swivels and rarely use swivels....but I TRY not to berate those that do.... At any rate, avoiding knots may not be the best reason for particular equipment choices. For those of us that are knot in @collards' situation, I strongly suggest making yourself more comfortable with your knots. When I want to learn a new knot, I take a length of line (or lines) with me when I before I sit down in front of the TV (or even just sitting out on the deck with a cigar). I just tie and retie until I'm comfortable and/or confident. No matter what terminal tackle you choose, you are probably going to compromise your chances if you don't tie your knots well, won't retie as often as you should, or introduce weak links.

Sunscreen.

Peggged 3/8 oz? As you learned, distance doesn't mean jack, if you can't get bit. You killed all that is good about the fluke. I generally throw it weightless, or on a scrounger. On those concessional rare times that I feel the need to put a weight out front, it will only be a (unpegged) 1/16 cylinder (mojo) that will take it into and through the grass.

I like Owner Ultra Ball Head in that situation. They present plastic well and tend to resist hang-ups. Try one with a Krazy Flapper....you may not need anything else

The best thing to do with the blues that you intend to keep IMO, is ......throw em back

They're still playing ball in MKE? Who knew? JK...good to hear...I last cared about the Brewers in '94....14 game losing streak, topped only by a strike sent me away from major league baseball...forever. I've almost gotten a bit of interest in the Nats in the years I've lived out here, but....not quite...if I ever give MLB another chance, it will have to be with the Brewers...spent many 70's summer days in County Stadium bleachers ($2/ticket)...a 90's decade of worse than mediocrity along with the strike and I was done. A couple years after Miller Park opened, I was in town the same week as the Cubs and took in a game to see the new park....I am still sickened at the memory that there were clearly more Cubs fans at the game than Brewers fans. though I don't follow, I'd be happy to hear the Brewers have good fortune...if only for the diehard fans that have stuck it out all these years

I have and love waterproof Fox Firefly...was around $25 from Amazon

Depends....on a lot of things. Your needs. Your expectations. Opinions you've heard and read from others....what type of line it was used on; mono, fluoro, hybrid, braid, monotex...etc...what diameter line? Spinning? Casting? How long ago was the reel spooled? So, you're right...lots of subjectivity in opinions here...but if you can weed out some of the variables, you might have better info....or just try it yourself...too many people swear by it for it to be a huge risk/total waste of money. For me... I absolutely swear by it on my reels with Yo-Zuri Hybrid (6-12#). I spray it on the night before...and sometimes again right before hitting the water. I wouldn't consider mono without it....same for most fluro....I don't use it on braid or Gliss, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't help them, too. Makes a momentous difference on spinning gear....a big, but maybe not quite momentous difference on baitcasting.

@uncustered, agree...to a point...so long as you don't want your porch painted

Try the shrink wrap. Seriously. Cheap. Easy. Can prepare in advance, so you don't cut into your fishing time. And the concern about melting a little bit of the worm is unwarranted. Buy a few feet of each size (stick 3/8; trick 1/4) off Amazon or locally and cut into 1/4 in. or smaller pieces...and spend more time fishing and less time overthinking...maybe re-allot the overthinking time to analyzing how to nuke up that rig into neko and chicken rig mutants

@beardown34, which engineering discipline? I'm guessing mechanical.

I do....convinced myself years ago...and still believe it That's not to say that my differing confidence levels might not affect my presentation...probably will

Years ago, I drove an hour to a BPS....I still would like those two hours back.

and a CD with only one song....Cat Daddy?

FIFY

Congrats...and welcome....take your coat off and join us

@deaknh03, I think you're in the wrong thread. The discussion is about hot dogs and hamburgers! How many dog and burger fans do you think really care or want to know what's in them???? I will always have my burgers medium rare, when offered/possible. +1 for TMG. Great burgers. The beef, also. I love the bison flavor, but the meat is so lean that the burgers don't hold together as well as I'd like. I haven't been to Fuddruckers in a few years, but I was just mentioning it to my wife on Monday....she asked what I wanted for birthday dinner...we didn't make it, but maybe tonight. I always loved their burgers and their 'fries'. I like 5 Guys quite a bit, but got a bit tired of them. Fries used to be good, but seem to be mostly soggy lately. Red Robin has been at both ends of the spectrum...very good, and pretty lousy. Growing up in Milwaukee, there used to be a couple restaurants that may still have chain locations, but I haven't seen one in years; Ground Round, which I thought initiated the 'throw your peanut shells on the floor'; and Black Angus. Both had great burgers, IIRC, but that was over 30 years ago, so maybe they improved in my mind. First time that I was in CA and saw an In-n-Out, I had to try it, having heard about them for years. Only went once, but I thought it was pretty bad. Not a chain, but notable for surprisingly good burgers....a cigar bar, of all places, downtown DC; Shelley's Backroom. Just might be the best burger in the metro DMV. As for dogs, I love them....but only ever order one at a ball game. Cheap, mass produced grocery dogs (Ball Park, Oscar M, John Morrell, etc.) on my grill....completely blackened...completely...love 'em.

OP, be careful when you decide to try a trickworm...your mind is going to be blown. I love to toss and wind, too....(try this, too: mix in some chatterbaits), but once you start getting confidence in having located fish...you'll find that you do a better job of presenting the plastics. It is hard to be happy with slower presentations when you don't believe you're on fish

I have had some disappointing experiences with Minn Kota the last couple years. Their warranty and customer service have proved very worthy, but their products have let me down. I got a single portable NOCO Genius late last year and have been extremely happy with it.

weighted swimbait hook.... I like Owner Weighted Twistlock; and Gamakatsu Superline EWG Weighted - With a hitchhiker spring added

I agree with @fishnkamp. I doubt you're looking at a single rod for both. Now, I'm not one to suggest you need a specific rod for every application. But, take a look at the weights of the crankbaits you are considering for 'shallow' and 'deep deep'. For example, Mann's Baby -1 weighs, what? A quarter ounce? But, I'd bet nearly all of my crankbaits in my 'Deep' box weigh an ounce or more. Forget retrieving the lure, catching and landing fish...I don't think you could even cast most deep cranks with "6'6" length, medium power and a slow action" rod. What rods are already in your arsenal? I often cast small/shallow cranks on a spinning rod. What kinds of water will you be fishing? And do you know what crankbaits you might want to throw?

Few lures that I have less confidence in than plastics in bubble gum and merthiolate (blaze orange.) Tried and dismissed both colors a long time ago.

Old thread, but I have been under a rock... first heard of Clay Dyer today. Searching, I don't see much mention of him here last few years and I wanted to share how impressed I am with anyone else not familiar with him...I'm absolutely floored and will think twice about complaining about challenges on the water in the future.