Boomstick

What I do is since most of the truly heavy cover where I regularly fish is in pretty isolated areas, I will try to find a fluorocarbon that works for everywhere else. Typically 15 - 20lb fluorocarbon will do the trick (check line diameter as well, sometimes they differ quite a bit). When I get to those thick areas, I will step up to straight braid, and usually also on a heavier rod as well (flipping stick).

I actually have not used Tatsu yet, but the Blue Label has been my go to leader line for quite some time. Blue Label is also very low stretch where Tatsu from what I gather has quite a bit more stretch.

The 4 power will work, and if the cover isn't too thick it will actually work quite nicely. I would run 40# braid with that too (I would run 30# or 40# braid on that rod if I was using braid for other things as well), no need imo to step up to 50# or heavier unless you're going to step up to a 5 power rod as well. You can usually throw into those smaller, easier to pull out lily pads just fine (I'm not sure of the exact name), but you get to the big ones, especially a decent sized patch you may run into some difficulties with the 4 power rod.

Daiwas excel at skipping, pitching, windy days or basically any situation you would ever want more functional brakes. However, you don't bring a Daiwa baitcaster to a distance casting competition, Shimanos win pretty handily here. None of my Daiwas can come close to my oldest son's Curado K. A lot of people say Shimanos are shaped better to fit in the palm of your hand, but I find both brands for the most part have their imperfections, it's just one of those things you learn to deal with. Most of my reels are Daiwas, but I would seriously consider something like a Shimano Aldebaran for casting deep diving crankbaits where you want to keep them down in that zone for longer and stick with the Daiwas for bottom contact baits. I'm curious, which Daiwas do you have? I have the opposite experience. With the Tatula CT, SV or 150, for the most part you set the tension knob to the point the spool stops clicking and once you find the brake setting that works with your rod and you're good - I rarely even have to change anything when I go to a heavier or lighter bait and if I do it's increasing or decreasing the brake by a click, or maybe a click or two if the wind starts blowing. In short, they really couldn't be any more set it and forget it.

Basically a senko in this case.

Not too dissimilar from mine. I probably would replace both the chatterbait and paddle tail swimbait with a spinnerbait and then add a drop shot or ned rig if it was me. One thing I will note, if a spinnerbait isn't working for me and it's dirty water then that might turn into a chatterbait and if it's clearer water then I'll try a paddletail swimbait instead, so overall I feel we're very close.

That was my first though too.

I like mint jelly myself.

Tonight I'll be drinking a couple of Sierra Nevaa Narwhal Imperal stouts while putting up the Christmas tree.

Back when I was in my 20s, I mowed my mom's lawn with a mower with a vibration in it (caused from hitting a pipe). It did a number on my hands. First, I could barely make a first for a few days after with my left hand. The next time a few weeks. Eventually she got a new lawnmower and later hired someone to do her lawn, but I couldn't make a fist with my left hand for a good two years. I had to buy a $80 mouse that died every other month, but it was the only one long and flat enough where I could use it for work. I still have some problems time to time, usually affects my ability to play guitar more than fish. Speaking of which, I had to sell off all of my guitars and buy guitars with slightly thicker and more neck shapes I can play now. Your diet can actually help a bit. It was that and quitting smoking that did it for me. Even simple things like not eating things like tomatoes can help if its arthritis.

I've seen several Jon boats with smaller outboard motors that weren't too terribly expensive. You might have to wait a bit and actively check listings or even check listings outside your area as the good ones that are priced reasonably will sell quickly.

I now have 2 rods I can't fit on my rod rack. It will fit a 7'4" but not a 7'5". I might have to hang a couple on the wall. I'm thinking maybe I can do this strategically as well, so along with the longest two that have to be there, I can also put my T-Rig rod up there so at least the top two rods will almost always come with me when I take the kayak out.

I did not mean to say most of the time the color is lighter as much as I did brown and purple (that was an edit gone bad). Specifically, I've seen the lighter color in some jigs and then I have a couple of darker ones where purple seems optional and also how the purple is presented - purple spec, half purple, a couple purple strands on a jig skirt, etc.

Is bacon & eggs a legit breakfast? Is the sky blue? Is grass green? Of course PB&J is a legit color! There is one thing to note, is that among different brands, PB&J is not always exactly the same color. Most of the time, it's a brighter orange tinged brown color and some purple so it's better in stained water. I do have some jigs labeled PB&J that are just a solid brown color that work well in about any water as well, which is quite a bit different.

I was thinking I could do something with a dry bag once I read your post, and I even have one. I'll probably want to secure it so he can still store rods in the bull as well somehow. I look forward to seeing your setup.

Yup. I like a faster reel, but will adjust if I have a slower reel.

Yeah, if you'd be able to demo that I'd love to see it. I think I might still want to put it inside the hull for the sole reason that I'm going to have a bit of excess transducer cable to do something with. I mean they do have a mount on the bottom and have a hole to run the wire up which comes up right before the hull hatch.

Welcome to the forum, and welcome to bass fishing. Nothing wrong with fishing for bream or catfish either, but if I had to guess I would say you're going to have a lot of fun fishing for bass.

Well figures he was full of it. I never tried it, but figured one of these days I might give it a shot and see if it's worth it.

I should clarify, in terms of smoothness. That's just what I heard from someone with a Steez SV who did it and that's what he said.

The only rod I broke was a super cheap Walmart combo in the trunk of a car years ago. The way it was packed, nothing could have slammed against it so the weight of the rod must have broken itself, or another rod that was next to it must have broken it.

I haven't swapped the bearings in mine, but I have heard if you put in the bearings from a Steez SV reel, it starts to feel like a Steez SV. To clarify, I am not sure that this is true and he wasn't trying to justify his wife maybe making him sell his Steez or whatever.

Usually this. If there is a notable amount of grass, I might step it up.

I'm not exactly sure why you think KVD is all smallmouth. Care to elaborate?

It's more than I spent last year for sure.