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When you purchase a high end pair of sunglasses, you know you're getting a quality product. But, if you know what you're looking for, you can still get a pair of sunglasses that are on par with any other brand, for a tiny fraction of the price that you'd pay for name brand ones. Because the truth is, there's no technology, processing, or material involved in the production of sunglasses (excluding some precious metals, or rare woods) that warrants the high prices many brands charge. You're paying for the name and maybe some styling cues. There are only a small handful of manufacturers out there of name brand sunglasses, and they sell them under hundreds of brand names. They've essentially created the market for high end glasses by providing multiple brands at similar price points, leading you to assume that there are different tiers of sunglasses. However, in reality, they're all pretty much the same. So if you want to buy name brand sunglasses, then go for it. They're usually more stylish than the cheap ones, and it's not like you need a loan to buy brand name sunglasses. And they have talented fashion designers on staff that the cheap brands don't, so you do get something for you money. But don't assume you're getting a product that will function better or last longer.

I'd just move on. Otters usually have strict laws regarding hunting and trapping. And even if you do get a permit, they often have very small limits, which means you probably won't be able to solve your problem. Plus, on top of that, the damage appears to be already done. I'd move on, wait for the otters to clear it out and move on too, and then wait for the pond to recover. You might be able to call the state and see if they have an otter relocation program. A lot of states do, where they'll send someone out to trap and relocate them. Or if you're dead set on doing it yourself, be sure to check out the local laws and get all of necessary permits first. You can get into a LOT of trouble if you're not careful.

A lot of lakes around here will have smallmouth in them, according to the OK Department of Wildlife Conservation's website. But they're pretty rare to find in real life. I've never seen one. Also, they have a limit of one, which should tell you how rare they are, as Oklahoma isn't known as a state that takes wildlife conservation measures very seriously. As I type this, they're trying to pass a bill to set a bigfoot hunting season. But I have heard tons of stories about local anglers catching them by the dozens. After a while, I was eventually able to figure out that when they were saying "smallmouth" they actually meant white bass.

I like that there are so many techniques to learn. I am of the opinion that you don't need to learn them all, but they do give me things to study and learn about when I can't be on the water. Maybe I'll use it one day. Maybe I never will. But I have it the back of my mind if I need it. I view fishing like everything else in life. You won't live long enough to learn everything there is to know. I mainly stick to the techniques I'm familiar with, and every once in a while, give a new one a try if it catches my interest and seems like it might be useful. If it works, I might use it more. If it doesn't, I might not. Too much information is only a bad thing if you lack discipline.

I don't know if this applies everywhere, but one thing I've noticed with my local lakes is the maps available for them aren't very accurate. There will often be features that look great on a map, but then you get to the actual lake, and they're not nearly as attractive. Or there might be features (and sometimes large features) you'll find on the water with your depth finder that don't appear on any map. So I tend to use maps to look more for large, generalized areas, rather than small, specific points of interest. I view the map as a starting point and don't plan my whole day of fishing with it. In other words, I just use the maps to figure out where to launch and which direction to head. I use my sonar to tell me where to fish.

I never use them. But I use two piece rods and fish from a kayak. I do, however, use reel covers to keep the dust out of my reels when they rest in the holder in the garage.

The number one way to prevent thieves from targeting your stuff is to make it slightly more difficult to steal than the one next to it. And a pad lock is a cheap and easy piece of motivation to keep looking.

Like others said, they help around wood. The weed guards don't seem to cause any more issues than the weed guards on a jig.

I imagine it would effect the action a little bit. Especially on suspending jerkbaits. But I do it all of the time and still catch fish. Sometimes I tie directly, and sometimes I use a snap. So I leave the split rings on all of the time. Sometimes I attach the snap next to the split rings, and sometimes I attach it to the split rings itself. I can't say that I've noticed a difference, but my water is very stained, so I can't say for sure how much difference there is. Not enough for me to feel or notice by the number of bites, anyway.

Figure out what presentations you use the most and build your rod selection around that. For instance, many people might recommend a heavy rod for large swimbaits, frogs, and thick cover. But I don't own a heavy rod because I don't throw large swimbaits, and there's not really much thick cover around here. So a medium heavy Is good enough for me and covers a lot more ground. Other people might not like finesse fishing, and don't throw many light baits. So they may not need a light spinning setup. Or they may not throw too many crankbaits, and don't need a dedicated rod for it when they do. It all depends on what baits and techniques you use. Beyond that, all I can say for sure is a medium heavy/fast rod at around 7' long is probably the one universal must have, due to versatility.

This, or it could be that oil migrated somewhere it shouldn't have been. Twice now, I've had a reel do that to me. Where it had no drag, and even though I tightened the drag down, it still wouldn't engage on me. Though both times, I loosed the drag all the way, and then retightened it, and it fixed the problem.

As a kid, we used live bait all of the time. It's a great way to increase your percentages. That being said, it's a lot of standing around, doing nothing. It's okay if you're doing it with a buddy you want to talk with, relaxing peacefully by yourself, reading a book, taking someone out who has very little fishing experience and want them to experience the thrill of landing a fish, or if you're just looking to catch a meal. But it's a passive means of fishing. You're not actively seeking fish. You're waiting for them to pass by. So it doesn't have the sense of accomplishment of using an artificial lure, if that's important to you. Most serious anglers see it akin to bowling with the bumpers out. When you remove the threat of the gutter ball, bowling a strike doesn't bring the same level of excitement.

The only time I'd recommend a 12v trolling motor is if you needed to save weight or money.

I throw on a ML/F spinning setup for my shad raps. It doubles as my finesse rig. I find it hard to get much usable distance with a baitcaster on a lure that light.

I agree, only I usually go with a half inch. You can also terminate the leader with an overhand knot. That'll help to keep it from slipping out. I rarely do that, but if I'm in a situation where I'm worried about the knot slipping, I'll do that to buy a little extra insurance.

I've learned to just relax and let people use the words they want. So long as I can figure out what they're trying to say, that's all that's really important. Words are just a means of communication. So long as the communication happens, I try not to parse the details too much. Otherwise flipping and pitching would be on a list of about 10,000 things people say wrong all of the time. And life's too short to get upset over something that happens that frequently.

Pretty much the same here. I may head towards the spot that did the best for me the last time I was out, but that's just a heading. If something tells me it might be better somewhere else, I'll go there instead. I pretty much go where the fish finder tells me.

For shallow water, I don't think it matters much. I'd choose it based on water clarity and how active the fish are, i.e. how fast you plan to retrieve it. The only time I choose spinnerbait blades based only on depth is when I'm fishing deeper than 10 feet. In deeper waters, I find the willow blades allow the baits to stay down longer. So in deeper water, it's always going to be willow blades for me.

I went through several brands of FC and decided it just wasn't for me. I settled on a copoly (Yo-Zuri Hybrid) instead for the few applications that I really wanted FC line for. Seaguar and Sunline were definitely the best, but they all suffered from the line memory that I just couldn't get past. I'd like them for a little while, but then run into issues after a month or two. KVD L&L helped, but not enough. These days, I only use pure FC line for leaders. The copoly lines are a bit stretchy, which I don't like. But I can deal with that. And they still have line memory, but not as bad as pure FC. Everyone's different though. And I do miss the slackline sensitivity. But I won't miss the bird's nests or the constant applications of line conditioner.

I've lived as far north as Maine and as far south as Texas. I'd much rather take the heat for fishing. For most other things, the cold is better. You can wear layers to stay warm, but you can only take off so much in the heat. But on the water while fishing, it's easy to cool off by taking a dip in the water every half hour or so. Get your clothes wet and it really helps keep you cool. In the cold, it's a fight to stay dry, and on the water, that's not always easy. Though, I do fish from a kayak, and that plays a pretty big role in forming my opinions.

The only thing jigs are good at, in my opinion, is flipping and pitching into shallow water cover. But man are they good at that one thing!

Ditto.

I fish from a Lifetime Yukon. It's basically the same as the Emotion Stealth Pro, but has different handles at the front and rear, and maybe a few other minor differences. It's also the same as the Lifetime Teton Pro Angler. Personally, I'd look at the Yukon or Teton Pro and save a few bucks, since it's under the Lifetime brand and Lifetime makes the Emotion brand of kayaks. Michaelb is right in that it tracks well, but is pretty slow. It's a chore to cover much water in, so I usually only paddle in larger ponds or smaller lakes. In a medium sized lake or larger, I use a trolling motor to get around. It's also not super stable, but I can stand in it, so long as the waves aren't white capping. It does require some balance on your part though. I have learned to tip it over to it's secondary stability point and just kind of put my weight over one leg and hold it down there to keep it stable. I also have to keep my knees bent so I can roll with the waves. So if you're looking for a super stable platform, have mobility issues or aren't good at keeping your balance it won't be a good option. At 85 lbs., it's also pretty heavy to handle on land. I can top it on my car pretty easily, but I use a kayak cart turned upside down on the trunk of my car to roll it up and down on. So I'm never holding the full weight of the kayak. Overall, I think the Yukon and Teton Pro are amazing values in kayaks. You won't find anything near as nice anywhere close to their price range. The Emotion Stealth Pro is a few hundred bucks more and doesn't really offer much, so I think it kind of eats into the value proposition pretty hard. If you have the money for the Emotion Stealth Pro, I'd probably look at saving up another couple of hundred bucks and get something a bit nicer. There are a lot of good kayaks in the $1,000 neighborhood. Though, keep in mind that you'll need more than just the kayak. I spent about $450 on my Yukon and the total bill when it was all said and done was a little over $1,200. Though that included a 5" fish finder and a 30lbs. thrust trolling motor.

I'm not the kind of guy who worries about confidence. I do what I do because I want to do it, not because I'm expecting certain results. Whether I succeed or fail, I'll learn something, and that's what's important to me. I'm in it for the long haul. In thirty years time, I will have very few memories of individual experiences, but a ton of built up knowledge.

Just make sure to use right handed grease for right handed casting reels and left handed spinning reels! Of course I'm kidding. The only special lubricant I use is Cal's drag grease for the drag. I have a garage full of lubricants and usually just pick something synthetic with the weight I'm looking for. I've found that keeping them cleaned and using the right amount of lubricant is much more important than what type. Obviously is you use something that's way too thick or thin, it can bring up problems. But mostly reels aren't high speed or high stress machines, so their requirements are pretty broad. It's dirt, mud, and gunk that ruins more gears than using the "wrong" lubricant.