Boomstick

I would keep using topwater and try a t-rigged senko and chatterbait.

Some good advice above. I'll just add that if I am working the bottom, I will either use a pitching jig (also commonly referred to as an army head jig) or a football jig. If there is a flat bottom with minimal weeds, the football head works great because it tends not to lodge itself into rocks and is made for dragging and if there are weeds around then go with the pitching. Both work with wood but football heads often get stuck - but often get bites when you pop them to get them unstuck. Finally if the bottom is all sloped, I generally go with a pitching jig since they are preferable for vertically dragging where football jigs are meant to be horizontally dragged and stay on the bottom. Finally, the trailer is everything. I usually like a chunk trailer for fishing structure as the arms will flap around and give action when sitting still. When flipping and pitching, I will usually go with a rage bug. Finally, I rarely use more than a 1/2oz jig and the 3/8oz is what's usually tied on. I agree with @WRB (our resident jig expert) that many people use far more weight than they need. I opt to fish them on a lighter rod as well. A MH-H rod covers 90%+ of my jig needs very well and pets me throw them in moderate cover or around wood and have enough power to get them out. For the real heavy cover, you'll want a heavy rod but not for bottom fishing unless you are throwing a real heavy jig.

I wouldn't go above a 1oz weight on that rod for casting. 1oz weight plus up to a 1/2oz soft plastic and you're already hitting that weight limit. For flipping and not casting, 2oz should be fine.

I learned the double uni and never have any issues, so I stick with it. The majority of my leaders are no more than 8# fluorocarbon on 15# braid, so I don't have issues with the knot not passing through my guides.

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I just thought of something else that was pretty scary at the time. I was out on a lake in my kayak with the kids and I just finished eating the sandwich I packed for dinner and my youngest son was still eating. It had started raining pretty hard, but it was coming and going all day. So while my kid is still anchored maybe 40 feet from the shore eating his dinner, lightning split a tree on the shore. I saw the lightning strike happen and my initial thought was it was going to fall right on my kid but it fell a completely different direction but in the few seconds before that tree fell was probably the scariest few seconds of my life.

Well as an update, I am far along into the interview process with two different companies. I am fairly sure that I will have a job offer for at least one of them fairly soon. It is a bit of a pay cut, but I generally did fine when I made a similar amount of money and I should be able to move up quickly as well. The job sounds far more interesting (will have a steep learning curve at first for sure) and the benefits are really good, which helps balance out the pay cut. Fingers crossed

I ran into this last year. A lot of it was caused by both getting gout at the end of the season and being unable to fish when it was still nice and my dad having an abdominal aortic aneurysm and having to take care of him. Then hockey season started and there goes all my personal time after that. Then I'm stressed about planning a wedding and an April vacation and I haven't had any time to buy supplies etc. Now hockey is done for the year, I have had some interviews for some promising new positions and the ice is melting. Things are looking rather up. But stress and depression generally has gotten better as I get older. In years past, I have fought with depression for years. One thing I have learned is to force yourself to go fishing and do things you normally love even when you are having a hard time doing anything even if it seems like work. There was a day last year where that didn't seem to work, but usually I feel better once I get out there.

I just sent out invites for the 3rd. That's eastern time. See you all there!

Wrong month! Yes, the 3rd. Don't hate me... I haven't even had enough time to even drive by a lake let alone think about fishing or anything fun.

I had this on the St Lawrence. The water was fairly calm, then two Lakers passed by and the water got real choppy f9r the next 45 minutes at least before it began to calm down. I stayed near the shore, away from the ships and was in no danger of flipping. Always wear a life vest.

I have a Bonafide SS127 which rigs out nicely and so a good option if you aren't looking for a pedal drive (they did release a new pedal drive model). The Old Town Sportsman 120 (available with a pedal drive as well) is a great option without breaking the bank as well. If you have the money, stop looking and buy the Hobie Pro Angler 14 now.

That was our water a little over a week ago, then we got a few warm days that melted the rest

I usually throw jerkbaits on my St Croix Mojo Bass 6'8" M/XF topwater rod. Don't let the XF tip fool you, the backbone of this rod is fairly light so it bends throughout but if you get hit on a twitch, not having all of the bend at the tip makes it a whole lot easier to detect. The slightly heavier powered Plastics rod is also a pretty solid option here but at 7'1" it's a little bit longer - not a deal breaker but 6'8" - 6'10" is perfect, especially on a kayak.

It goes above the bar.

I have always used the old method. Never had any problems once spooled but many spools have divots in them which causes it to flop around like a fish when spooling it which is rather annoying.

I agree with @Deleted account here. The Aird-X runs a little bit on the heavier side, so you should be able to use it for weightless and lightly weighted soft plastics and spinnerbaits up to 3/8oz as well.

I use 15# braid with generally a 8# fluorocarbon leader for weightless senkos on spinning gear (I use 15# on both of my spinning reels, just generally use a 6# leader on the other one). On casting gear, I use 12# fluorocarbon, although would consider 10# as well if I had another reel for it in many situations.

I definitely throw a 5" more than a 6" because as a general statement I gravitate more towards a jig over a 6" senko. 6" senkos do have a notable advantage over a jig though as they don't pick up as much of the cover when fished in heavier cover.

On the flipside, sometimes the topside of a dam provides good structure.

I have a neighbor who told me he tied the Vermont state record largemouth, but it was a few days before he could keep it. But there were some state guys working there and they saw him catch it and weighed it for him. This happened in a lake I lost an absolute giant too.

If I can't see the bottom at 1', that water is absolutely filthy dirty. If I can see the bottom or anything at the bottom at 10+' then the water is clear, especially if I can see it.

I would fish every day when it's not frozen over if I lived on a lake! My location affords me access to many great fishing spots, but most of them are a decent drive from my house and working 9+ hour days gives me very little free time to spend an hour in the car.

Sad

I am hoping the 6th at 10am works for people personally, although some of you may be out fishing. I finally got to drive by a lake this weekend (yes I've been that busy - taking my kid to a hockey tournament) and they were all thawed!