Boomstick

As for the rods you selected, I would be inclined to go with the Brailist over the GCR, or possibly the Tour Versatile as well. The IMX line would be a better GLoomis comparison. The Orochi XX may still be the better rod, and the build quality will be better than likely even a much more expensive GLoomis rod. But the Megabass warranty leaves a lot to be desired - I would essentially go into this purchase as if the Megabass rods did not even come with a warranty at all, and if that is not a problem, then go with the Megabass. As for the GLoomis rods, I would probably look at the 844C MBR or the 894C JWR. A 1/2oz jig might be a little bit much for the 843C or 893C although it might be passable as GLoomis tends to be slightly conservative with their lure ratings.

Try thread and see what happens. I can break most thread with my bare hands. With most braided line, I'll hurt myself before I break it.

Well, it's possible to hit well over 100 yards, but they're likely using a 5oz weight on a 12'+ surf casting rod to do it. 120 feet is a good cast by bass standards.

Yup. I've seen a lot of people use big 1oz+ spinnerbaits for big bass down south. Up here, that's pretty much reserved for pike and musky, although you can still get big bass on a smaller spinnerbait.

The spinnerbait was immediately one of my most productive lures, and still is. I caught several big bass on a spinnerbait last year, and it has been one of my three most productive lures this year as well.

Jig fishing is addictive. Once you get that first fish, it's on!

I have a lot of tackle that has yet to land me a fish, although not an entire group of tackle. The largest offender is certain model crankbaits. While I don't doubt they work (a few years ago I took recommendations from people and filled my box, so I have a lot that have worked for some people!) I think it's just that I found some of them work so well in certain situations that I gravitate towards them more often than not.

I largely prefer casting over spinning when possible, but there are some exceptions. For example, I use casting for 1/4oz poppers - mainly because I'm constantly casting those. But for small tubes (and even sometimes larger ones) and lightweight small plastics, I'll comfortably throw them on my M/F spinning rod.

The only P-Line I have ever used was Floroclear and that stuff had horrible memory. I have used Sufix Siege for a few years now and that is really good line, the memory isn't too terrible and a little KVD line spray now and then and it's good to go. I used Advance this year, and other than a random break off, that's been otherwise solid too.

I would highly suggest stepping up to the Mojo Bass for $10 more than the Fury (the BassX is $10 cheaper).

There is no right or wrong answer here. A well trained thumb can definitely compensate for crappy brakes, but at the same time sometimes it's nice to set the brakes to a point where I can cast and focus on my cast and not worry so much about thumbing the spool properly. A case where the latter can be really well appreciated is if I am switching between lures of different weights (obviously on different rods and reels), I can especially appreciate the latter because my thumb will be accustomed to throwing a heavy jig and then I'll switch to a lighter lure like a 1/4oz popper and have to thumb that less initially but more later on and that will throw me off. Other scenarios include when I'm shore fishing and there is a guard rail behind me, and when the wind is changing. If I am primarily throwing one lure all day, I can back way off on those brakes and I'll be good to go, but as soon as I switch I often regret it.

I will say that my oldest son has a Shimano SLX MGL 70 and that's also a very good reel. The Shimano MGL spool is similar to the Daiwa SV spool in that it assists with braking, but I find the SV wins for pitching and skipping and heavier lures (although it does handle light lures well too) and the MGL is a better choice for bomb casting light lures, which it does extremely well. Might be something to consider if you pick up a Curado MGL 70, and later were to pick up a Tatula SV for pitching and skipping and then repurpose the MGL 70 to 10-12# line on a medium rod etc.

In some cases, I don't think the blade design matters and the difference between a hammered and smooth Colorado is probably generally fairly negligible. In theory, they might replicate a school of baitfish better by throwing reflections in different places, but if I'm going for reflection I would use a Willow blade or at least an Indiana blade.

I use a YakAttack landing net. I keep it in a YakAttack Zooka II rod holder pointed slightly at me from the side rail in the back of my kayak. I also looked at the Frabil Bear Claw which honestly looks like it's smaller, more compact and a little better designed for single-handed usage but I went with the YakAttack because my kayak doesn't have any elastic or mesh to store it under and I can't stick it in a rod holder.

@Catt had suggested this rod to me when I was looking for a heavy rod for my kid. I was all set to buy it but it was sold out at the time I was looking. But it's supposed to be the ultimate C-Rig rod but should have enough backbone for moderate cover frogging.

I am also a huge fan of the Daiwa Tatula SV, especially for anything you might ever pitch or skip. They're ideal with jigs, which you could also throw on the Tour Versatile so that might be a good bet. The new one is much more compact as well, which is a little more comfortable to palm.

Well congratulations. Those girls will remember that time they were state champions for the rest of their lives.

I pay for bills, gas and anything I order online digitally (obviously). But each paycheck I take out a set amount in cash and that's my budget for food for the next two weeks. This way it helps me keep track of it and budget easier.

That's definitely an option. I'd be open to central North Carolina too, although when I last went to North Carolina, I drove home from Raleigh and what I want to avoid is having to drive on busy 5 lane interstates, especially with a kayak trailer. Driving in, I went to Ashville and drove over the Blue Ridge Parkway until Grandfather mountain which was closed, but that was nice. So basically I want to avoid the coast which has cities. Fontana is some of the most beautiful blue-green tinted water I have ever seen as well. I have seen enough people recommend it.

Watauga is a maneagable drive. In fact, if I can book a cabin for a night, I can offset my drive a little bit too if I really wanted to hit Fontana.

I would call them. I emailed them for info on a rod a while back and it took a while to get a response, I think they might be swamped right now. While I cannot answer the specifics about a second time rod replacement with their warranty, I can say that they are considered by many people to have the best warranty and customer service in the entire rod business for a very good reason.

While the best spinning reel is subjective, what is consistent is that it's going to cost some money. What I will say is that I personally find that you don't need to drop as much on a spinning reel as you do on a casting reel. The Daiwa BG is a fantastic reel for around $110. They run a size larger so I would imagine you would need nothing larger than a 2500 for anything bass fishing related. I use a 2000 for 12lb braid with usually a 6lb fluorocarbon leader for smaller drop shots and ned rigs myself. The highest end spinning reel I have is a Tatula LT 2500D. The only reason I spent that much on the reel is because I bought a higher end rod, so I figure I should get a worthwhile reel. The main difference is the weight. The reel weighs right around 5oz, is lighter than any of my baitcasters and feels almost weightless. My BG is paired with a St Croix Avid X 6'9" ML/XF that by itself is a little tip heavy, but a heavier reel balances it out pretty nicely.

My only Pflueger spinning reel is a prior generation President. I bought it as part of the President combo for $45 and it's pretty solid for what it is. My kid still uses it for lighter inline spinners to this day. If I did not have a deal on it, I would just buy a Daiwa BG instead for a little more money.

Wow, first thanks for the reply. The only place I've really looked at extensively are Lake Norman which might be decent although I won't be able to cover much of the lake there, and Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia, which honestly looks amazing except it seems like it might still be a bit cold there. I looked a little bit at Fontana Lake and Dale Hollow and both look amazing, but at the same time I have to be able to drive there and drive home and it's about 15 hours vs 10-12. But your general description does sound right at home for me. While we do have a lot of shallow, flat weedy lakes. Once they get up to around 400 acres or so, the weeds become situational, and in some cases they can be a whole lot thicker though. We do have some lakes with minimal weeds and steep drop offs. My favorite lakes are like this. No real preference to be honest. I'll be happy to get to go kayaking in April. I just want to be able to fish when it's colder outside. It might be nice to catch my first spotted bass while I'm down there.

So this year when the kids are on spring vacation, I plan on booking a cabin on the water somewhere down in the Virginia/Western North Carolina/eastern Tennessee area where the lakes are thawed and the weather is nice. We're in kayaks so a smaller lake would be nice so we can cover a decent percentage of it. Finally, if the cabin has water access so we can launch directly from our site that would be ideal too, as that means I can come back, make dinner and go back out easily etc. Wondering if anyone knows of a good spot. Also any tips on what to expect for cover, structure, what works is appreciated as well.