Boomstick

No, fluorocarbon is the worst option for frog fishing (worse than even mono, because it sinks). Use 40-65lb braid for frogs, depending on the cover.

It took me weeks to get it. Once I did, I never looked back.

Well, first it depends on the store's stock and prices... I would figure something like this: Spinnerbait, buzzbait or chatterbait (they last a while and you can catch a lot of fish on them). Some soft plastics or cheaper senko knock offs Eagle Claw 3/0 Hooks (usually buy Gammy's for EWGs and Owners for everything else, but Eagle Claw's are cheaper) 1/4oz weights 4" or 5" Storm Wildeye Swim Shads. Should make it under $20.

I would say probably typically cast no more than 50 yards on a roughly 7' rod but I can do it with pretty good and consistent accuracy, and guess the average cast is closer to 40. I've never really tried to setup my reel for max distance to be honest, but I'd probably have a lot more accidental birds nests if I did and would sacrifice a lot of accuracy. If you can cast consistently at 30-36 with decent accuracy with a slightly shorter rod and without birds nesting, you're doing pretty well!

Like others said, if you have a 6.x:1 and the reel is otherwise fine, I would use it. But should you say buy a new moving bait rod in the future, you might want to use that reel with that rod and add a 7.1:1 or 8.1:1 reel instead. I wouldn't go out and buy a new reel if you already bought it.

Not owning a boat, I will go to a spinnerbait if the water is partially cloudy or it is overcast, and a crankbait otherwise. If I am in a deeper area and it's a hotter day when I expect the bite will be slow, I may go straight to a drop shot, a jig or soft plastics.

When shopping reels earlier this year, I found that I personally prefer the Pflueger reels over the CI4+ because I have larger hands and the bail comes so close to my thumb that I feel like I have to do hand gymnastics to avoid it. I didn't have that problem with the more expensive Pflueger reels though, and they felt otherwise comparable. Otherwise the CI4+ should be a good option.

From my experience, it's hard to find a quality two piece rod. Most of them are cheaper rods, that are okay to keep in your trunk with a small tackle box in case you find a place you can fish among your travels and you don't have to worry about them being stolen, but not something you'd likely carry if you know you're going fishing.

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It's not entirely weedless, but because the hook is smaller and effectively upside down, it actually ends up avoiding most snags more often than not. Usually, you will pick up some weeds. As for a jig head, go with a 1/20 1/15th ounce if you only get one, you don't need a whole lot of weight.

I usually think of a mod or mod fast spinning rod to be for live bait applications, but also happen to work for baits with treble hooks like crankbaits. I usually use these types of rods for other species.

How budget are we talking? A couple of cheaper options that I find perfectly acceptable are the Pflueger President for $50 to $60 (size 30 for finesse) or if you have a little extra money, the Daiwa BG for $75 to $100 (size 2000 for finesse). Both reels have a proven track record and will last you a while but are heavier than some of the lighter and more expensive options out there (imo, the BG is otherwise comparable to many options twice its price but will likely last longer).

I buy whatever I can afford at the time first. Or whatever I decide upon earliest first...

15 or 17lb fluoro or 30 or 40lb braid to fluoro.

If you ever walk a jerkbait (yes you can), 6'8" is perfect!

Compared to many people on these forums and elsewhere, I definitely am frugal. For example, I won't buy another squarebill when my box is full. When my supply gets low as I lose or break them, then I'll buy a lot to replace them, some of the same ones if I really liked them and maybe some new brands and models to try out. It's like a rotating door. But I never buy anything I don't need or am not going to use. But if I plan on throwing a certain bait, I will also make sure I have it too.

Pretty much anything without a treble hook aside from gigantic baits.

I use a MH/MF glass Tatula rod for cranks because it works well with all moving baits, like spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. Overall it's similar to using a M/F rod, but it's better for spinnerbaits where a M/F is better for non-weighted soft plastics, so that's a toss up which way to go. Both are good to pull a square bill through heavier grass (at least as heavy as you'd ever fish a crankbait in). A M/M or M/MF rod would be more ideal for open water, but as I have a limited number of one piece rods I can fit in my car, that's going to wait until I get a boat.

I would say that's pushing it a bit. Also the rod probably won't have the backbone to be effective with the 7/8oz floating minnow either. My general rule of thumb is if I exceed the rod's rating, I will still need to make sure the rod has the power to land a fish as well, as chances are it won't. A time I may exceed the rods rating a little bit is fishing for trout on ultra light and light gear on a rod rated for 1/16 to 3/8oz or whatever and I want to throw a 1/2 carolina rig. Because the line largely passes through the weight, the fish should be hooked up before it picks up the weight, so in this case I'll make an exception. I know a lot of people who do regularly exceed ratings and most of them generally haven't had a problem. I just can't think of many scenarios why I'd want to.

I have had any experience with one but I did see one at Dick's. It felt nice and light and roughly comparable with the CI4+. I ended up going with the BG which I was extremely impressed with for the price and don't mind the extra weight.

That's actually a really good idea as well. When the drop shot isn't working, try trout or perch. Same goes for those really hot summer days in the middle of the day as well.

We got 30" of snow in one day last week, and maybe another foot since. Less than two weeks before that, we still had a foot of ice, which had just cleared out before the snow came. . And one of my kids plays travel hockey which is quite time consuming which is coming to an end. So between all that, I hope to start my fishing season in the next few weeks. But that doesn't mean that you have to totally give up. My advice is if you have anything you need to get out of the way, do it now so in a few weeks when it finally warms up you can go out and catch some fish. If not, it might be a good opportunity to learn something new as well. I would think jigs, soft plastics, drop shots etc would be a good bet as the bass aren't very active yet. At least if you get skunked, it may not be a total waste if you learned something.

Super muddy water? I would go for a brown colored colorado bladed spinnerbait first. If it's not so muddy, chartreuse will do. Also chatterbaits, paddletail swimbaits with underspins, rattle traps, etc will do nicely. Drop shots are generally for clear waters. However I have seen several lakes that are muddier in the shallow areas and the deeper areas are a little clearer, so you could still drop shot there if your lake is similar.