Turkey sandwich

There are some decent entry level options, but almost any that isn't comfortable to fish out of will make you frustrated. Good general stability and a good, comfortable seat that adjusts can make a big difference. Secondary, to me, are features fitting the bodies of water you're fishing. Those are things like maneuverability, speed, and general width. Almost any angling kayak now can be outfitted with a decent amount of gear, but stowing space and weight limits should also be taken into consideration if you also plan on using it for camping. My suggestion - check for used or demo models. Last year I picked up a Lure 13.5 for something like $800 after all of the discounts for a model that was just used for a few weekends of demos.

Great smallies! Congrats!

I fish almost exclusively braid main line. On casting reels, 30 and 40lb 832 covers most applications and 15-20lb 832 or PP on my spinning reels. Braid under 30lb has a tendency to dig into casting reels and cause problems and on spinning gear, I like going as light as I can to improve casting (even 10-15lb braid is more than enough for bass outside of heavy cover). Leaders range a lot lot based on the body of water and conditions, but never run to the spool. EVER. 3-7' leaders cover 95% of applications very well. In dense weeds, little or no leader may be required at all.

The arbor knot is the only knot you need for tieing line to a spool. If you are fishing straight monofilament like you mentioned, the Palomar and Trilene knots are both knots I swear by. I use the Trilene 80% of the time because it's very fast, requires very little line, and is a very strong, durable knot. As you progress, learning Uni to Uni (aka double Uni)/blood knot/double surgeon's knot/etc for connecting leader to main running line, a variety of loop knots (Lefty's Loop, Perfection Loop, etc), snell knot, and a handful of others will come in handy, but for now, focus on making things very simple. The goal early on is just tieing a lure to your line quickly and effectively, and for that the Trilene knot is very hard to beat.

No clue, and I'd argue it almost doesn't matter. $2/spool for backing sounds fantastic.

The 2500 size, in general, is an extremely versatile reel. You could spool it with braid or light mono and have enough line for virtually any North American game fish.

I'm also the world's greatest one legged skateboarder, but if you'd like to see a video you'll have to subscribe to my non-existent website for $19.99 a month that still doesn't exist because I don't know how to make it. But trust me, my mom says I'm the best.

I like the Uni to Uni a lot and fish it on multiples rods with microguides with very, very few problems and use 30lb PP or 832 and 12lb Hybrid as one of my most common leader materials (not tiny diameter, and not super limp - but excellent knot strength). From what you've mentioned, I see one big issue. Keep your leader short enough so that it doesn't reach your reel. Catching on the eye of the reel can damage the knot, foul casts, and just create a lot of aggrevation. This is good advice for any leader knot on both, spinning and casting gear. This isn't fishing dry flies for trout - no need for a 12' leader here. This is likely the cause of 75% of your issues. 3'-6' of leader is 99% more than enough.

Flowing water is an option, but do be careful. What would be an easy wade or paddle in the summer can be a lot more dangerous come freezing temperatures and cold water. @everythingthatswims is spot on. Look for streams. Focus on tail waters below a dam and protected areas with little current either in deeper water or near deeper water and fish slow. This time of year, dead sticked soft plastic/(preferably) pork, hair jigs, float and fly nymph rigs, and blade baits can catch fish. They will be lethargic, but if you find where they're stacked up in the cold water, odds are good that you'll have opportunities to catch decent numbers

Hair jigs, in the rite condition can work year round. A ridiculou ser number of smallmouth have been cast on Clouser Deep minnows and Lucky's Deceivers and they're very similar, just presented on a fly rod. The other bonus with a hair jig is that walleye seem to love them year round, too, so it's a good way to catch dinner. (I am an awful intentional walleye fisherman and never really learned them well. That said, those I have caught seemed to love hair jigs, especially if trailed with a plastic worm or live leach. )

Great looking flies! I'm growing to really like articulated patterns for River smallmouth, but I can also see Browns loving that, too.

I just use baby wipes.

I'm surprised the weight rating is that low. I have a MH Aetos spinnerbait rod ( moderate fast and 7'1 or 7'3 I believe) that has a TON of backbone for a MH rod.

Welcome! I'm not super familiar with the Nasci, but I am a big fan of Shimano reels. For dropshotting, (and most bass applications, really) I wouldn't go larger than the 2500 size, especially if you plan on spooling braid (no memory, so very limited benefit from a larger spool). As for the Mojo, I've heard nothing but great things about the new generation. I use an Avid X ML dropshot rod on a fever similar blank and it's one of my favorite rods. It's actually a surprisingly versatile rod.

For most of my line to leader connections on spinning and casting gear, I like the Uni to Uni. I tend to use braid and leaders that are fairly similar in diameter and it's worked very well for me. With fly gear, I'm starting to gravitate to the double and triple surgeon's knots more. They do tie quickly and you can make make good use of the tag ends for different presentations. My only hang up carrying them over would be how well they tie with braid.

A good arbor knot and line of similar diameter tied in a double Uni are probably the most important parts. For most applications, you're never going to need more than 80-100 yards of line, so that mono backing can usually stretch a 150 yard spool to cover 2 reels. And since your working line will be braid, you can often get a solid 2-3 seasons before respooling.

Zander are very similar to walleye, and I'm admittedly not a great walleye fisherman, but I have noticed that in slower presentations, and often in low light, lighter line makes a big difference, be it the action or their crazy/weird low light vision.

Now, to throw a wrench in things... There are certainly times where you will find fish of different size in much closer proximity and in specific areas. This usually happens due to seasonal change (bass stacked in wintering holes), or changes in water conditions. One of the most common changes in conditions that will impact bass distribution is a high water condition/rising water levels on a river. These are considered great big fish conditions, but they tend to push the vast majority of fish into larger eddies and towards the shoreline due to swift current. During these times, fish will be far less present feeding in fast runs or smaller eddies and the majority populations of all species will seek refuge from the fast current and feeding opportunities in the flooded/expanded shoreline. These are days when large numbers, and multi species catches are more common, but it's also not strange to catch several 17-20" fish in close proximity to several 10-12" fish. A good example of this would be the ponds produced when rivers flood and then recede. We used to refer to them as "snagging ponds" jokingly because of how dense the fish were crowded into them and how often you would snag fish even when unintentional. In a 1-2 acre pond, it wouldn't be uncommon to catch bass, pike, musky, catfish, fallfish, quilback, and inadvertently snag a 20+lb carp or 40lb snapping turtle. Those small 1-2 acre ponds off of a large River would contain a huge chunk of the food chain.

Dear. Lord. Lol In most cases bass aren't as line shy as say brook trout, but there are times when lighter, low viz line pays off, not just because of the lower visibility, but also because of sink rate and the action of the lure. Really, though, wire is only necessary for pike and musky here in the northeast, and probably gar in the south. 8-14lb mono or flourocarbon leaders work reasonably well in most applications, are versatile, and tend to not spook fish when the water is clear, or you need more finesse oriented presentations.

I tend to be very friendly with other anglers, especially those with less experience. The more proficient you become at something, the further you feel from those starting out. There are a lot of things we learn over the years - courtesy, dealing with excitement, properly caring for fish, being conscientious of the environment/other anglers/boaters/swimmers/etc. The reason many of us have become "skilled" (let's let go of that ego, fellas) anglers is because others have invested their time, energy, and patience in us. Yes, some people just suck and will disregard these things, and they should be avoided, but as a general rule, I've found that my kindness has been returned more often than not.

What kind of water will you be fishing? 10' and current on the Susquehanna or Delaware and 10' of depth in a farm pond fish a bit differently. As for ideal rods, I like medium action, moderate-fast rods most of the time fished using braid with leaders ranging from 6-12lb test depending upon the depth, cover, etc.

This is how I end up buying another one...

Man, I'm jealous of you guys. Between health issues, work, and having a long drive to any waters I regularly fish, I'm not so lucky. Instead, I'm the guy on the water at dawn and off at dusk any day I can sneak free, and spending my off time reading or practicing casting. I might have had 20 days on the water this year between bass and trout. Luckily, I'm healing up well and not far from having a 4 day work week - so I'm very excited to have more time for fishing and camping next year.

There is some great info on here! A few points that I haven't noticed being discussed: Seasonal patterns, comfort, and availability/ease of catching prey and basic water conditions are going to dictate behavior and location of fish. For example, pre-spawn through post spawn, you're very rarely going to find 8" bass grouped in with 12"-14" bass and similarly, you're not going to be finding larger 17"-22" bass hanging out with the smaller males except during the actual spawning, and it's extremely unlikely you're going to be finding 8" bass grouped in with those big females while the females are gorging themselves pre-spawn. Similarly, during periods of migration, it's typically larger fish leading the migration. The rest of the year, bass simply want the most comfortable water that will provide them the most efficient access to food (lowest energy expenditure/calorie intake). The most dominant fish in that body of water will be found in the best places because they are the top of the food chain. Those areas that are the "best" will have the highest concentration of big fish, with smaller fish primarily settling in secondary areas, and so forth. This doesn't just apply for a single species. If a lake has a strong musky, pike, walleye, or largemouth population, those can all effect the best available feeding areas for smallmouth and thus where your smallmouth are going to be located, the frequency larger smallmouth will occur and how close they'll be grouped with smaller smallmouth/ compete with them for the same prey. If I didn't just make it seem even more complicated, I hope this helps.

Every river is different, but there are some constants. A good selection of tubes from 2.5-5" mimic baitfish and crayfish equally well and will produce almost anywhere under 75% of conditions. Like most soft plastics, cover your basic colors. Twister tail grubs in 3-5" sizes also work year round and mimic any baitfish and also catch everything that swims. Cover basic colors. Most rivers I fish, both tubes and grubs are typically fished on 1/16 - 1/4 oz jigs 90% of the time. You could include in-line spinners in this. After making sure these are covered, it all depends upon your style of fishing and what you need. Other lures that have been very successful for me on rivers are football jig/craws, a variety of lipped and lipless crankbaits, basic popping and walking baits, swimbaits, flukes, a variety of jerkbaits, and spinnerbaits. I like picking new lures/presentations or styles of fishing to learn or work on each year.