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If you're snapping a M/F rod with 6 lb line on a hookset.....you're doing it wrong!! Although I don't have any experience with that line of rods, I would think you'd be just fine using it for that. Give it a whirl and figure out if you like it or not.

I think you can get trailers through Bass Pro, you also might want to look at Harbor Freight though too. If i remember right they have trailers for small boats (some assembly required) but that might be a money saving option.

I've snapped 3. One was being stored in a rod locker and when I pulled it out the tip was broke (talk about a what the fudge moment). One was when I was a little kid, pulling on a snag, not even hard and the tip just fell off. The 3rd was earlier this year, bouncing around in 3 footers over on Sturgeon Bay, I was re-rigged something with my rod over the side of the boat. Went to step up on the front deck and the rod got caught under the tie-down cleat and that's when I first heard the distinct crack. Not a good feeling at all. Glad they're replacing it for you!

I've got a 7'2" St. Croix LTB M/M for my squarebils. It can handle a DT-10 in a pinch but it wouldn't be a great rod for that, but their MH/M would be great for that mid-depth and I would think would do pretty well with deep divers just as long as they aren't too big (10XD size).

I'm not really sure if it's true or not. I know for a fact I've see times when it's not true. This last summer, for example, my dad set the hook on a fish that snapped him off. He re-rigged the same exact bait and tossed it back tot the same spot, hooked and landed the same bass which still had the other worm in it's mouth. Maybe it was just a dumb bass, or maybe there's not as much truth to that.

Looks like you did a number on that one! It's a sick feeling when you hear that crack, hopefully it gets taken care of.

Normally I catch the majority of my fish on jerkbaits in the fall, but this year it's hardly getting touched. I've caught more on hollow belly swim baits and crankbaits.

I've got enough stuff I probably could haha.

Coming from someone else with big hands, adjust how you reel both, and it will no longer be an issue.

A fast action would be a little more versatile as far as if you're planning on throwing small crankbaits with it, but the XF is better for finesse presentations. Also, you can still dropshot with the medium power rod. I originally used mine for that and wacky rigging, but I like to have both tied up. I ended up purchasing the dropshot rod (ML/XF) since it was going to be a dedicated setup and that's how I ended up with both.

Congrats man! Keep up the good work!

Some nice fish you've got there!

Nice work A-Jay! What a tank, and a good fish to end it on!

But then you wouldn't have that sweet reel!

I've never heard of any of those around by me which is a shame!

7'4" should work for a frog rod, although you might have to adjust the angle of the rod to make sure it doesn't hit the boat or the water. Personally I prefer a little shorter one, right around the 7' mark, but then again I'm not a huge fan of longer rods in general.

I've got both the 6'8" M/XF and 6'10" ML/XF in the LTB line, but basically the same rods power and action wise. If I had to pick just one for the best all around, I'd probably go with the M over the ML. The ML is an amazing drop shot rod, but I just feel for all around, the M would give you a little better performance especially if you're throwing something like tube, and will still handle your dropshot without problem.

I can see where some might feel closer and more connected with what's going on around them that's definitely an advantage. As far as how quickly you cover an area though, can't you do the same in you Bullet by fishing things more thoroughly instead of zipping through a stretch of water? Also I know it's a Bullet so its two speeds are fishing and WOT, but you could also find the same spots you're talking about in the kayak by idling around or from spot to spot. I know where you're coming from that it both of those might come more naturally when you're in your kayak because you're limited on how large of an area you can fish and limited in speed to, but you can easily fish the same way out of a bass boat too.

I'm a boat guy all the way. Kayak's are cool, and I wouldn't mind having one, but it's uses for me would be very limited. There's a lot of smaller lakes around me, but almost all of them have a ramp of some kind that you can get a boat in. Although there's certain areas I may not be able to get into with my boat (it can get into a lot of places people don't think it could) I can get to areas you couldn't in a kayak just because I can cover more ground. There are advantages for both, and cons to both, but for me the boat has more pro's than cons. OP is it the noise of an outboard that gives you the headaches? If so try getting in a boat with a 4 stroke. They're much quieter.

It sounds like you're doing what I do, but instead of using a bobber stop I use an Eco Pro Tungsten Pro Peg. It seems to hold a little better than a bobber stop. I also use a palomar though instead of a snell.

It doesn't happen a lot, but it does happen. I don't know that I've ever broke one on a fish, but I've had them break at other times.

The blank is the same, but the swap is supposed to help it feel lighter and more balanced in hand. I would be able to say for sure, since I was going to buy one this spring, but I ended up getting a steal on an LTB instead.

You should definitely be able to overcome those obstacles when fishing out of a boat. There's no lifting, no paddling, no issues with holding position, no issues with traveling greater distances. If that's what you're looking for I'd say it's a no brainer.

Congrats on the PB Smallie! A 20 incher would usually be mid to upper 4's. If it was really chunky maybe even 5. Did you snap any pics of the beast? Also, it's awesome what you're sharing with your son. I've had my dad as a tournament partner for the last few years. I grew up fishing with him and it's really cool having those type of memories with him. I'm sure your son feels the same way!

Luckily no major damage was done. Not sure what happened, but as others said it's possible it wasn't quite down on the ball. Also, if there was a bang and then it came off, it definitely sounds like something was binding up.