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True. Though with braided line as your mainline, line twist probably won't be a problem. That's why I've switched to braided line for all of my spinning setups. I was tired of dealing with twisted line.

Hard to say. There are a million factors involved and it can change from day to day. But I've done the best in Texas ponds, or really any small pond, with a Texas rigged worm. It's not always the best option. But overall, it's probably the most reliable way to catch big bass in small ponds. So if I just had one shot at it, that would be my choice.

Yeah, sure. I'll try anything once. However, I sat in my garage a few years back with a bunch of line and some heavy weights and ran a tournament where I tied two different knots onto each side of a length of line and lifted heavy weights with them to see which one gave first. At the end of the tournament, I decided that the Fish N Fool was the best for braid, the Berkley Braid Knot was the best for Fluorocarbon (weird, but whatever), and I didn't test mono because I don't use it much. I also concluded that the FG knot was the best for fluoro to braid leaders. I tried every knot I could find on the internet. Now, I'm not saying that I've tried them all, but that test did leave me satisfied with the knots I have now. So to get me to try a new knot, it has to be one I haven't tried before and one that comes highly recommended. Also, it can't be too complicated. Because if I'm honest, I use the Fish N Fool most often for fluoro, just because it was almost as strong in my test as the Berkley Braid Knot and it's a lot easier for me to tie.

It's only a matter of time before they offer livescope tied into the AR glasses from the factory. Then they can overlay the sonar perfectly to what you're seeing in real life and turn the transducer as you turn your head. So we'll all be fishing with Superman-like X-ray vision. But that won't be last long. People will soon realize it took the sport out of fishing. So scientist will genetically engineer LMB that will grow to double digit sizes in six months that are super dumb and aggressive, and if you have the money to fish the lakes stocked with these expensive fish, you'll be all but guaranteed to catch a limit of PB's. And to encourage culling, the meat will taste like cheesecake. It sounds like a joke, but if you went up to an angler in 1800 and told him we all run around in boats that weren't powered by oars or wind, but by dinosaur bones (though you'd have to call them dragon bones so he understands) and we could see the fish underwater even if it's muddy using lightning in a box and used fishing line that was invisible and made out of dirt oil, they'd think you were crazy. "So your boat is made out of glass and metal? But glass and metal doesn't float. And you're trying to tell me people get paid to catch fish they don't keep? What do you eat, future boy? The cheese on the moon?"

You can buy and install an aftermarket rail unit, if you want. Then you can place the displays wherever you want. Just another option for you.

I think it should concern you, and the rest of us. But that concern should also be kept in check. We're constantly bombarded by an endless stream of pollutions from all aspects of life. So it's not a good idea to get too worked up about the small stuff. Then again, with all of the pollution we're exposed to, all of that small stuff definitely adds up and will cause big problems for many of us, if not most of us, before we're done here. That being said, pick your battles. If biting your soft plastics worry you, then get some scissors. If touching lead worries you, then switch to tungsten. There are things you can do to alleviate those worries without making major lifestyle changes. But realistically speaking, you'll probably notice no long term effects in your life either way, whether you make those changes or not. There are bigger sources of pollution that you're exposed to on a daily basis that might warrant greater concern. And some of those might have solutions, or at least mitigation measures to consider, and for others there won't be anything that you can do about it. We should all be aware of this stuff and do what we can to minimize our exposure within reason. But we should also all be aware that this stuff is an inevitable consequence of modern life, and there's just no way around that. Also, keep in mind that the number one factor that determines who gets cancer and who doesn't is genetics. So while it's still a good idea to not stack that deck further against you during your lifetime with bad decisions, you also have to realize that you're going to ultimately play the hand you were dealt before you were even born.

If there's no wind, then I'll sing a song and the double digit bass will jump into my boat, because clearly I've died and gone to heaven. There's always at least SOME wind around here. As for wind direction? That doesn't always matter. It can in some places. Like where I live, a Northern or Eastern wind is almost always a cold front and a Southern or Western wind is almost always a warm front, and the bass tend to be more aggressive after a warm front so I'll typically fish moving baits to cover more water if the fish are aggressive, and downsize and fish slower baits if the bass aren't very aggressive, like after a cold front. But different parts of the country (and world) can have different wind patterns with their fronts, or no real patterns at all. So it's better local advice than general advice. Focus more on the fronts than wind direction. At best, the wind direction just tells you a bit about what kind of weather pattern you're in. Typically, if it's really windy, I use louder more aggressive moving baits. If it's fairly calm, I'll use more topwaters. If the wind isn't too bad, I'll try to fish the windblown banks where the baitfish usually wind up. But if it's too windy, I'll look for a calm spot out of the wind to fish. If the wind isn't too bad, I'll try to find places to cast into the wind, because bass will usually face the current. But if it's too windy, I'll cast with the wind because casting into the wind can be a nightmare. Basically, wind effects how I fish. But there aren't any hard and fast rules I always follow. Wind matters, but it's not the only thing that matters. So it's something to consider, but it's not the decision maker, in and of itself.

That's usually about what I see here too. Though, now I'm starting to wonder... over $4.00 a gallon for ethanol free in other states? How much does a gas tanker truck cost to rent?

They use optical lenses to make it function as if it were further out. Most people couldn't focus on something as close as the lenses on glasses, so they use optical tricks to make it both appear and function as it it's further out. They've been doing the same thing with camera viewfinders for about a century now, as the screen you're looking at in a camera is only about an inch or so away, but it appears to our eyes as if it's several feet out. Which is why I can't focus a camera without my glasses, because I'm nearsighted. The headache comes from people's brains trying to make sense of what the eyes are seeing. Lots of people who are nearsighted experience the same thing when they get glasses for the first time, or sometimes get a stronger prescription. Their brain isn't used to viewing the world though that lens and it takes time to adjust. Same with 3D movies. The dual cameras used to film them are typically set up wider than the human eyes to make the movie appear "even more 3D", and it messes with people's brains and can give them a headache. But if you stick with it long enough, your brain adjusts, and the headaches go away. It just takes time to learn how to see in a new way.

The Bradfords are blooming again. This time in February! I was kind of freaking out about that (it's been a hot winter), but then looked up this post and realized that it's only a week ahead of last year's. Either way, the fish should be pushing up shallow again! I hope!

If you have a reason for it, you can certainly do it. Like Bird said, a Carolina rig where you want the swivel to act as a stop for the weight is a good reason. Using a swivel has a few downsides. One, you have something you can't really reel through your line guides, which could make casting harder. Two, you're replacing one knot with two (one on each side of the swivel). So you're twice as likely to have a knot failure versus just using a regular leader knot. Thirdly, you've got a swivel which can get caught up in stuff. So it has some disadvantages. But it's not like it can't work. If you want to give it a try, then go for it! Like in the case of a Caroling rig, people do use it from time to time.

Well, it was inevitable. https://www.outdoorlife.com/fishing/augmented-realty-glasses-livescoping/ What's next? A fully automated drone that we can fly off to the lake while we watch it catch fish on our phone screens from our recliner? It only sounds absurd now. The change up to it will be incremental, so it won't seem so absurd when it finally becomes reality.

That is uncommon! Let us know how it works out for you. You've captured my interest!

Sounds like quite a score! I don't know that I'd be willing to rehab and repaint a canoe for $350. That's a lot of work and materials.

If the weeds aren't too tall, I typically select whatever will just go over the top of them and not get down in there. So what I use changes depending on the depth. I've not had much luck with any crankbaits coming through weeds without getting immediately fouled up, including lipless. That might be due to the type of weeds we have around here. Ripping a bait free to generate a strike has always seemed like an urban legend to me. But if the weeds are high and thick, I'll typically opt for a single hook bait, like a soft swimbait, swim jig, or chatterbait. Something with a protected hook.

Great video! I learned how windy is too windy by being out there when it was too windy. If you fish often enough in Oklahoma, you will find yourself in a dangerous situation one day. Our weather is just too unpredictable. But I also discovered that you and your vessel can handle a whole lot more wind and waves than you'd think, if you keep your head about you. Which is why I advocate everyone to get some experience with their vessel in uncomfortable and controlled, but not dangerous, winds. Knowing how to navigate 40-50mph winds comes from knowing how to navigate 20-30 mph winds. I once fished in 80mph wind gusts. Not from a boat, but from the bank. Mainly just to say I did, and to see how far I could cast with the wind to my back. Even standing was hard!

I don't recommend the "quick little hook set jerk". I know why you do it, because I do it too. You don't want to run the risk of burying the hook too deeply into a stump or whatever and lose your lure. But it becomes habit, and then you find yourself doing that when you get a known strike and wind up losing a lot of fish because you didn't set the hook deep enough. It's a problem that still plagues me if I'm not paying close attention and thinking of it when I get a bite. And then you have to option to either horse the fish in as quickly as you can and hope they don't get a chance to fight back, or try to reset the hook, which often creates a large hole in their lip which allows the fish to throw the hook more easily. It's better to just give it one good hookset in the beginning and hope it was a fish, than a weak hookset and hope you can get the fish in. So what about wasting a ton of money on lures? Well, unfortunately, that's part of the game. Buy cheaper lures if need be. Bass Pro and Academy both make great crankbaits and stuff under their house brands. There are no magic lures, but there are magic times and places to fish. The more you fish, the more you'll get the hang of what a stump, grass, or whatever feels like. So the more lures you lose, the more you'll learn, and the less often you'll lose lures. But you'll always lose some lures, because the places that you're most likely to lose a lure are also the place that you're most likely to catch a fish.

It sounds like it. Usually the difference between a bite and a snag is a bite will pull the lure back, where as a snag just stops the lure. But sometimes it can be hard to tell. And there are tons of other "bites". Like sometimes you'll notice your lure moving off the side when it shouldn't. Or maybe you're letting it sink and it should have hit the bottom by now, but didn't. You might even be reeling in a crankbait and noticing that it's not vibrating like it used to. There's no one good way to describe a bite, as there are hundreds of different things that you can see and feel that might indicate a bite. A good rule of thumb is that if you don't know what you felt or saw, treat it like a bite and set the hook. I've caught a lot of fish by setting the hook when something weird happened that I didn't know what it was. I generally only don't set the hook when I feel something familiar, like a tree stump or weeds. Often times if you feel a bunch of rapid little pulls, it means you got bit by something like a perch, bluegill, or some other small fish like that. They tend to feed by snipping at the fins of the bait to immobilize it before eating it. Bass, especially largemouth, tend to just swallow the bait whole, so you usually don't get the rapid little bites.

I sharpen my hooks as needed. It takes less time and costs a whole lot less than replacing hooks. My problem is, I typically don't sharpen them as much as I should. If I get a good snag, I might take the time to sharpen it if the fishing is slow. And sometimes I'll get bored at night and go through my tackle box feeling for dull hooks. But more often than not, I just keep on fishing, until a fish gets loose. Then I'll sharpen it while staring at the water like I'm trying to pick a fight at the bar.

In a quick Google search, it seems like a 115hp motor will need about 500MCA to start, so your battery should cover that. It also appears to be a deep cycle battery, so if you added a second, you could use them for your trolling motor. Though I'd still want to keep the trolling motor and starter batteries separate. In other words, this battery should be fine for you as either a starter or trolling motor battery. As for your fish finder problems, that doesn't sound like interference to me. That sounds like a problem with your fish finder. Interference usually shows up like garbled nonsense on the screen. It still scrolls the same, it's just instead of seeing the bottom and fish and stuff, you're seeing lines everywhere. At least that's been my experience. I wouldn't worry about battery brands. There aren't too many companies actually making lead acid batteries anymore, so most of them are just relabeled. That, and it's a 100+ year old technology, so it's not like someone is doing something different to make theirs better.

I've unofficially named my kayak Theseus. I haven't gotten around to actually writing the name on it yet. But the joke is, I've upgraded just about everything on it, including some stuff I probably shouldn't have. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus But you know a joke isn't funny if you have to explain it. And when it reaches back into ancient Greece philosophy... well, as my grandad like to say, "You're too big for your britches". So I haven't been highly motivated as of yet to go about doing that.

Not me. It kind of defeats the purpose of fishing for me. But I ran into a guy about a year ago who was doing this. He was pre-fishing the lake for a tournament and didn't want to actually catch any bass he found. He just wanted to know where they were and what they were biting. He was worried if he hooked them on the bait, they may not bite it again in a few days. Made sense to me.

Yeah, I've noticed that you can't work a jerkbait from a kayak like you can from a big bass boat. Kind of the same with pitching. On the deck of a bass boat, you're about two foot above the water. In a kayak, you're maybe two inches. And in most kayaks, you have to keep your weight centered, which means you can't stand with both feet along the side, facing the water, like you can in a bass boat. To fish a jerkbait exactly like how you'd fish one from the deck of a bass boat, you'd need something like at 3' rod, which would be ridiculous. So really, you just need to figure out a different angle or motion to do the same thing in a kayak. Like for jerkbaits, I snap my rod more to the side than down (but there's still a little downward direction). And I have to hold the rod slightly different to do that comfortably (usually up higher and twist the rod over a bit). Just experiment around and you'll figure something out that works for you. You don't really need a shorter rod once you figure it out. I use a 7' rod in my kayak for jerkbaits without issue. Also, you don't need a jerbait specific rod to fish a jerkbait well. Technique specific rods are a gimmick. Different anglers will like different properties in a rod for a specific technique anyway. Especially with stuff like jerbaits. Some people want an extra fast rod for snappier action on the twitch. Some people want a moderate speed rod for keeping the treble hooks pinned after the bite. It's hard to find two people who prefer the same rod for jerkbaits. You need to figure out on your own what properties you expect from a rod for each technique and buy the rod that works best for you.

They're not high end, but they're not too bad either. I've definitely spent more on worse knives in my life. If you tell your wife they're made in Finland, she might even let you keep one in the kitchen.

And if it's not the bearing, try cleaning and lubing it with some Cal's drag grease or some other thick grease. That usually takes care of it. These reels aren't high speed devices, so you don't really need a lightweight grease.