Kenny Yi

50lb or 65lb PowerPro

has for me so far, just gotta make sure it doesn't burn the line, takes some practice.

Dense: I'll wiggle and walk the frog on top of the scum/pads, then pause in the openings. Open: I'll walk the frog, most times a popping frog or popping perch, stopping rarely.

Im fully prepared for the swarm of "uni/palomar knot for the last 4000 years, hasn't failed me yet" or something like that. Always appreciated it's backward-facing tag end, which helps with pond scum, and that it's doubled through the line tie. I've heard people have issues with the knot slipping; my trick is once the knot is sinched down, pull the tag end to make every coil evenly tight. 6-7 wraps has always done me well.

Since I almost always use double tail: rage menace is a given zoom z-craw is a new favorite of mine rage structure bug also works

myself and a scuba kit

can you close the latch with the side plate off the frame?

just to test my own knowledge, is that the floating worm rig?

is the side plate able to be flush with the frame?

I commit to a color based on the conditions (to make it simple for my dumb brain), then interchange lures with that color system. I guess, in a tournament for example, if I see someone catching on a different color I might change, but more often then not the lure matters more.

you could try it, but bass have big mouths and gullets. if the bass thinks it's still eatable size than it will get swallowed either way. this stuff will happen, maybe try a more sensitive rod or be super focused on the line, even in wind.

5'10" and also a bank angler To me, I feel that 7' to 7'3" is a comfortable length for any application (especially for topwater and bottom baits). However, if I know that I'm going to fish under trees or around bushes then I'll use a shorter rod, longer rods can be a hassle.

Agreed, earlier today I saw a bunch of shell beds and battling bluegills, was cool to watch their process.

Time to show my chart again, if there is a dominant forage for the location then pick a color that looks like that (reminder: this is a GENERAL chart, not the end all be all, there are countless examples of catching fish using the "non-recommended" color).

A tall order indeed! You seem to know of the Senko-style bait (one of the most versatile baits), so that's a start: wacky or weightless texas-rigged will work. I'd recommend EWG hooks for versatility. You can wacky and texas-rig with those. 3/0 or 4/0 are pretty standard. Colors: start with greens, browns, and blacks. Those natural colors are for generally for clearer water, blacks are for muddy. For bottom: you can still use those Senko-style baits/stickbaits. Get a bullet sinker (1/4 oz is a good starting place), put it on the line before tying the hook to make a weighted texas-rig. You could also use a craw/creature style bait. Topwaters: try a topwater popper, simple and effective. These will get you started. Check out some more BassResource topics, there's a lot of great info that can help with the specifics and how to do certain techniques.

Shimano SLX (all variants) Shimano Curado (all variants) Lew's Speed Spool LFS ($99 and similar variants) I can't speak on the Daiwa reels, but BR members give high praise for their reliability. I would probably buy a reel above $300 just to say I have one (so far, the bait monkey hasn't tempted me yet), all $200 and below reels are perfectly fine for me.

I started with 12lb big game, very forgiving and my pick for beginners. Then, moved to all diameters of braid and greatly appreciated it's castability and reduced chance of backlashes, but when it did backlash it was terrible to clear. Now, I have a lot of straight FC and some braid. I recommend this progression. practice casting somewhere, maybe a big field, and get used to all the mechanics and backlashes.

Here's my general idea of colors

clear water and sun means green and white (if there's shad), use a paddletail for a bigger profile. But, you'll be surprised how well a black/blue does in cloudy conditions. Pay attention to hook diameter, a thick hook is what I call a "braid hook", a thin hook is generally fluorocarbon for me. Braid is good for weeds/grass, fluoro/thin hook is good for open water. Generally I'll use a MHF (very standard and versatile) with a higher speed reel (6.8/7.5). For your question on retrieves; yes.

I have some Berkley Fusion19 Swimbait hooks, unweighted. I don't use them for anything at the moment, I prefer the weighted ones for swimbaits. Any cons for using these on a weighted Texas rig? I can't imagine it's any different than a Trashmaster jig. The hooks are pretty stout, thicker than my EWGs (LazerSharp 4/0). They are also 5/0, which may make it too big for some baits.

Sometimes, I'll be throwing my swim jig and catch nothing. Make another cast with it and backlash the reel. After I pick it out, I start reeling and feel some weight, set the hook and land the fish. That tells me to immediately throw a bottom bait. That's my simple version of "Let the fish talk"

Texas-rigged creature bait. I remember I saw Greg hackney on the St. John's River catch bedding fish while it was pouring rain earlier in the year, so he also couldn't see the fish. After missing the fish many times, he concluded that it was a bedding fish, let him hold the bait longer, then set the hook. Pretty cool to see that analysis.

jig.

Rage Bug - favorite action Sweet Beaver - subtle, last a long time

+2 on the BPS Stick-o I would also add the SK Shim-e Stick. The GYBC plastic has the perfect action for stickbaits, but sacrifices durability for it. With the other two baits, I can get maybe 3-4 fish per bait