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Yes and no. They will follow a bait right up to your rod tip sometimes, but they also sit in strategic spots well camouflaged, and strike with a single burst of speed that is really hard to believe. Had something happen last winter that I'd never seen before, I stood in one spot for about an hour and caught 15 really big pickerel from the same exact spot, they had pushed small LMBs (about 5-7") tight against a rise on the bottom with dying matt of grass, and were picking them off every time they would wonder away from it. I didn't figure it out right away, but after the 3rd one with a giant belly, I looked down it's mouth, and there was the proof, made a slight lure and presentation adjustment, and it was game on, I doubt it will repeat itself, but I'm gonna try. The funniest thing (to me) is in really cold water, they will follow your lure right to your feet, and if you don't make too much of a commotion, they will just sit there, I've had 3 of them at one time like that, but they get hard to catch then, and I don't usually use live bait, which is usually the ticket then. Dude, you are in NJ, They should change the nickname from the Garden State to the Pickerel State.

I really like the Aird-X BC rods, but IMNSHO the spinning ones are just another stick in the ocean of rods.

No optimal. I'd bring a couple 5"-7" and let the fish decide. The width of the body makes a significant difference on the profile a swimbait presents, and of course the action is also a factor.

No.

Bass guys need to get out more...

"I like ketchup on french fried potatoes, uh, huh"...

Changing stuff usually means it's not working, I don't see how it makes it better, or more ZZZZZZZZZ, sorry, interesting...

I usually only BFS ned rig, or float and fly for them...

That's true in most places, in another month of so these dumb green things won't interrupt my pickerel catching as much around here ...

I'm responding no to the R.S.V.P. vaccine...

Put a 15-20 lb short mono leader on that braid, and you'll be fine. Pickerel will bite pretty much any lure, but if you want the big ones (consistently) use big lures. If you are going to use a spinner, bend down or cut off one of the points (or switch out to a single hook) and don't squeeze the poor thing around the neck like everyone seems to do, put a bent finger in the gill plate to lift it, or better yet, remove the hook with the fish in the water. Truth be told, I'm a pickerel fisher who occassionally catches bass as a bycatch...

That's an easy one, there is no objective definition of XF (or any other action), CCS assigns a unit to the measurement, the handful of action, let's call them descriptors used by the industry, don't.

I'm shocked we still have magazines...

I'm not a fan of braid for either, but yeah, you can make it work. I never use straight braid with trebles because I hate untangling them.

The issue will be the diameter more than the actual line chosen, sure for poppers and other small top waters and cranks most any 10-12 lb mono or copoly will work fine, for larger top water baits 15-20 lb makes most sense, and that will work for larger CBs and squarebills fished relatively shallow, but will keep deep divers from getting down. I'd go with 12 or 15 lb, depending on what and where you are throwing baits.

So actually trying different stuff, gaining experience, and deciding on how well or not something works? That's way too radical for me, I'll just google it...

How would you..., I mean he, know?....

Let's not discourage spider rigging from a yak, I want to see that video, and maybe I can get a new sweater or scarf out of it...

LOL. I will say there is a time and place for percussive maintenance... A long time ago I put a Campagnolo sticker on the handle of a ball peen, still hanging prominently on the tool wall. Yeah, but a lot of guys that think others suck are the ones that actually suck.

CATT 2024. Make Angling Great Again!...

"Rice and beans!"

Yeah, that's just word salad nonsense, and that assumes the rods actually fish as labeled, so file under whatever the next level of silly is...

Your dad is in our prayers, wishing you both the best possible outcome.

Yeah, that's a lot of typing. Not suggesting anyone do it, for various reasons, but essentially start with what you've got, and figure out where you want to end up, add or subtract the parts necessary. As Tom points out, the speed/direction thing is easy, the shaft rotation will require a bit of ingenuity. Collared top and bottom, with the right tolerance and a little preload adjustment, would just leave the shaft ready for whatever is going to turn it. We've got 3 guys right now working full time on making functioning e-bikes from ones "totaled" by the manufacturers, and a franken trolling motor would be 10 times easier (but 1000 times less profitable) than that. Again, don't try this at home...

I think one of his coworkers may suck...