Choporoz

I love my 7'6"(1) and 7'4" (2) rods. Especially in summer. And fishing from shore. But if the question is 7' OR 7'+, I would choose 7'. But the correct answer is 'Both'

The pain sucks, but it fades within the hour. It's the itching that makes me insane

Maybe muskie guys are converted trout guys

My wife yells at the TV when a Jimmy Houston or Scott Martin or anyone else stands there holding a fish and yapping away before tossing it back. I see lots of stuff on the interwebs that bothers me. Not too often that I feel the need to confront virtually....unless I think I can do it in a particularly understated witty and passively aggressive way....sometimes discretion goes out the window

A number of us have bit on Fantasista sales. Search this site for a few discussions. I have 7 MF Premier and it has been a great jerkbait rod. AG sent it to replace a Regista that I snapped pretty soon after I got it.

Lake is about two cast lengths from back porch. I do routinely drive up to hour and a half to local tournaments, and I've driven 12 hours to larger ones.

My only concern with 12# mono would be losing lures or fish. Had you said 14 or better, I think you'd be fine. I typically use flouro and braid for chatterbaits and spinnerbaits, but mono or YZH for Whopper Ploppers

Many float options nearby. Absolutely bring a kayak. If you have someone to drop you and pick you up, great. But there are a number of outfitters around that will transport you up or back for a fee.

I like this. I'd listen to 30 minute podcasts of G-Man, KVD, Andy Montgomery, Zona, BLat, even Ike....and many others....just talking about random stuff on the trails....or about interactions with others on the water or at the ramps....the one that got away....or how I messed up on Day 4 of the 1995 Classic....or who influenced them, or even just Dude Wipes. But not which three shades of purple work best in stained Mississippi ponds in May.

Wait a few years. You will exchange that shower for an absolute minimum of two trips to the restroom before you head to the ramp.

I'd have agreed before yesterday....but yesterday, our 24 year old came over wearing a flannel shirt....and shorts. It was 81 degrees outside. Could only have been a fashion choice

More art than science. I skipped for a couple years by cranking up the tension....which worked, but I didn't like the loss of sensitivity via the reel handle. Someone here...forget who...suggested I leave the tension and adjust the brakes. Which is what I do, now. I skip with same jig or trig rod in my hand, but turn the brakes up...usually about 4 clicks, but I'm not counting or measuring....gets to be habit...if I go from a cast to a pitch, I'll click the brakes up one or two clicks...find what works for you and your gear. Practice skipping even when you don't have to

It's a very good question: one we all wrestle with all the time. Related questions and reminders that I pepper myself with after a catch: -First thing after catching, especially early in the outing, is to stop and make mental notes about the catch- not just the lure, but the retrieve, angle of cast (not just angle to the spot, but relation to sun, current, wind, etc....) hopping or dragging?, what did I feel before the bite...wood, rock, grass...is there a chop on the surface, did I mark bait ball close? above, below, or middle.... -Is this caught fish going back down to warn the others? LOL....I always read about a bite turning it on for a school, but not sure I have ever experienced it -Is there similar cover/structure close by that I can try and come back in a few minutes? -Good spots for bass are still good spots for bass after you pull one off. -Fish move. This is one I think we can forget to stress sometimes...fish move...another might move in, they might all move out. I have won tournaments by sitting in same quarter acre area for 6 hours. I have lost tournaments by sitting way too long in an area. This, too. Unless you are only finding 12" fish there and want 20" fish....even then, you can't be sure what to do every time

Maybe set some limits up front, like the pro picks one member's question a week or month....and hopefully willing to take on a follow-up question or two. Videos by pros and other are a dime a dozen. Articles are ok, but I typically don't read them unless I have searched for something specific.

Couple of incredible instrumentalists that too few have even heard of: Craig Chaquico and Papa John Creach...the rest weren't bad, either....lol For a couple short years between acid trip jams and some of the worst pop ever, this band cranked out some awesome music that sort of fell between the cracks. I was 16 when they opened a concert with this and I still remember it like it was yesterday.

Agreed. A texposed senko on a spinning rod is a great starter skipping set. Fairly low risk of damage, noise or snagging ropes

Wood. All day every day. Offshore brushpiles, especially, since they get overlooked by most. I love laydowns, too. I've transitioned to more better attention to crowns of laydowns this year. Or, at least made a conscious effort to fish them better. I spent many years positioning over good fish and casting to trunks and main limbs without giving myself a good shot at some prime tree parts. Another wood that I've given recent attention to is logs randomly scattered on the bottom. Amazing what fish you will find sitting alongside a small log in middle of otherwise rather smooth area. Years with sidescan and I still feel like a newb with it sometimes. I can't pass a dock without skipping something under it....and I live in a region with great pads and hydrilla....but wood is where I'm most comfortable

I have black/silver two tone....maybe same. Thx. I usually default to mango or whatever orange is called, but I will try black/silver. Maybe even with chartreuse JJ stripe or tip. I will try. Sure goes against my nature to fish very finesse-y plastic in YooHoo

Reins RockVibe might be what you're looking for. I haven't put them on a swim or swing jig, but I think they might have the length, durability and action you are looking for. They do quite well on swimbait swimbait heads and hooks.

For a long time, I viewed jerkbaits and dropshots as 'clear water tactics'. Maybe still do to some degree, but I have in recent years had a few good days with a jerkbait in fairly dirty water. Do I need to rethink dropshot, also? I faced a tough bite yesterday in muddy water. Fish hugging wood, fairly tight lipped. Had the water been even a little clear, I would have probably sat near tree crowns with a dropshot rod in hand. Maybe I should have anyway. Working trigs, cranks and jigs through was not very successful. Do you dropshot in dirty water? ( I was looking at 9-10 inches viz.) If yes, what do you do different? Upsize/Bubba? Rattles? Shake it in place a lot? Or am I off here and dropshot probably not where my head should be in that situation?

I salvaged a 7' Veritas 2.0 casting rod by cutting off about 1.5" from the tip and putting a new tip on it. It went from an OK jig rod to a great frog rod.

Perfect! Thank you. How much will it stretch before it breaks? I better go get some mono

My impression (at least in shad lakes) is that much of the year, bass movement appears to me to be dictated by food. (I'm thinking movement measured in hundreds of yard....not localized movement....if that makes sense) That doesn't mean random, but it also might mean a bass' location or travel path is somewhat independent of breaks, channels, landmarks, signposts, etc. Unless, I guess, you extrapolate that prey is closely related to 'fixed places', but that seems a stretch.

No. My kayaks were out of the sun when it was cloudy. They are fine.

I wondered about other anglers, too. But not so much what they thought, but why they didn't all know the rules beforehand. I'd bet that some out there knew there were unique regs before launch. I'm not suggesting that any of them have an obligation.....but by way of comparison, I am positive that any kayak tournament I've fished, be it local regional or national....I'm certain that anglers would have let each other know about local regs that might come into play Everyone wants to win. Anglers I respect don't want to win that way