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10-12# Yo-Zuri Hybrid in as big of a spool as you can find.

Dobyns Fury FR 662 or 702sf. Those are 6'6 and 7', medium-light power, fast action rods. My dad has the 702sf for those same techniques and it works very well, especially for the money. These are $110 normally but can be had for about $95 when these online retailers do their spring 15% off sales in the next 4-8 weeks. The 2015/16 model of Shimano Sahara series has been on sale recently for about $65, but it may be difficult to find the larger sizes. They're normally $80, and the new ones are still $80. I would not recommend going with less than a 2500 sized reel. This size reel will balance better with the size rods you're looking for, and the line flows more smoothly the larger the spool is. The drag is also better on larger reels. Sahara come in 500, 1000, 2500, and 4000 sizes. I own the 1000 sizes for ice fishing, and they're way too small for a full-sized bass rod. Good luck.

Go with a longer rod in the 7' to 7' 3" range. The extra length offers far more pros than cons, especially if you're fishing big water rather than tight quarters.

I use a MH/F Avid spinning rod for skipping plastics and small jigs under docks. I could do that all day long it's so fun. I can do a decent job of skipping with a baitcaster and I do it routinely with frogs, but the difference in efficiency and effectiveness between skipping with a spinning set-up and a baitcasting set-up is not even close for your average angler. I'm looking to maybe upgrade to a Dobyns Sierra 705sf for this season for skipping.

I asked this same question to the Shimano rep last fall at the Bassmaster Elite Series AOY Championship weigh-in at Mille Lacs. He said there was next-to-no significant difference between the reels other than the spool bearings. I have Citica and Curado I-series reels with the same aftermarket spool bearings and and I cannot tell them apart, performance-wise.

Gamakatsu 5/0 EWG Monster hooks. They have a longer shank up by the line-tie and work great for longer soft plastics. Fewer plastics get ripped up near the nose because of the different design.

I was using some Revenge Baits Hedz last season, but I'm not convinced that I caught more fish that I would have with ballheads painted with fingernail polish, which I also sometimes use.

JJ's Magic is a real asset. It's the only commercially made scent I feel has any influence on bass. Be careful if you bring it in the boat because it expands when it gets warm. It will stain or melt your boat carpet like you wouldn't believe. It's best to use a glass eye-dropper and add some to bags of plastics.

The 3/16oz Ultralight Rippin' Rap is a very effective lure for both largemouth and smallmouth in open-water and walleyes through the ice.

It could be possible that lunker bass that have been caught-and-released a couple times are wiser, more skittish, and less likely to be fooled again.

The Memorial Day sale is also a big one. Since the Minnesota bass opener is this weekend, it's the one I wait for.

I have a Dobyns DX742c with a Chronarch 50e and 8-10lb fluoro that I use as a multi-purpose finesse rod. Last season it had a standard-sized (3/16-3/8oz.) dropshot on it about 50% of the time. It worked tremendously well fishing the deep, vertical dropshot that works so well on Mille Lacs. I spooked very few fish because the baitcaster allowed me to drop the lure more slowly than just letting it plummet with a spinning reel.

Best jigs on the market. The northern pike are fond of them, too. They like to bite them off.

I would replace it. Any damage to a graphite blank, even the tiniest dent, can result in unexpected breakage. Graphite is very brittle and fragile. I'm willing to bet that most rods that break unexpectedly have been damaged in some way. Often, the angler is unaware or thinks it was insignificant. Yet the next time the rod is bent, it snaps like a dry wishbone.

I remember that contest with Northstar Baits, the hyped-up sponsor that was later replaced by Siebert. I came up with one too: Okeechobee Flame. Got a few free jigs out of the deal!

Wrap a small piece of electrical tape over the knot between the backing and topping. You'll never feel it again; it's like it's not even there. This is an ice fishing technique. Sometimes we only put 30-40' of topping on a reel since we're fishing in 10-20' of water.

I began using the #2 VMC Neko Rig hooks for dropshotting following their widespread use in the Bassmaster AOY tourney last fall. They seem to stick like glue right in the top lip.

I don't troll crankbaits for bass, so I can't comment of the use of braid in that sense. However, braid can be really handy when tossing crankbaits around grass, particularly lipless crankbaits. You can easily feel the bait begin to hang up and then give it a solid rip, freeing it from grass and triggering strikes. This works best on a heavier fast-action rod. I use my swimjig rod with this technique. Heavy-power, 7' 3", 30lb straight braid.

Gander Mountain is basically an overpriced clothing store that devotes 1/4 of the store to fishing and hunting, which they still do pretty well.

It should be icefishing season here in Minnesota, with bluegills and crappies stacked up among the new weedgrowth. Problem is, there's barely enough ice to stand on near the shorelines, where it melts first. So here we are, cleaning reels and waxing boats in a state where the bass/walleye/pike opener isn't until early May. These warm winters are a raw deal.

Mille Lacs Lake is a legend in the making.

10-lb Yo Zuri Hybrid is the best cranking line I've used. I spent all of last season and about $50 in fluorocarbon to realize that there are minimal advantages to using it for cranks. I'll be going back to Hybrid this season.

Gander Mountain store brand. They have average action but they're nice and tough.

Good deals. My dad and I have Costa 580s and I've never paid more than $120 on eBay. They're always on sale somewhere.

I was at the weigh-in yesterday, front-row seat. Afterwards, I was able to check out a bunch of the boats. Some even had rods/reels strapped to the deck. The line looked as good as new on most rods, but you could tell it was all twisted up on the dropshot rigs even with line that was only fished a few hours since being spooled up the night before I imagine.