Darren.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard! Not really sure what sub-species, but it's a green bass.

Welcome aboard, Mike!

Welcome aboard, Josh!

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard!

Excellent choices, either. Since you're looking at a bigger yak, the new Native Titan is right around the corner, and is more of a boat, like the Hobie Pro Angler. It is also priced closer to the Hobie. But it is a beast of a yak. So many great yaks out there. If you can, see if a local kayak place will let you demo different models. Then you will get a good taste for what each offers, which one feels better, and so on. If no demos, at least get some sit-in time in a store.

My older brother (by 13 years) was a die-hard amateur herpetologist, and back in the 70s and 80s and had a great collection of venomous snakes, many from the surrounding area south of Rochester, NY and PA mountains. He had Canebrakes (was bitten by one), Timber rattlers, Massasauga, Cottonmouths, copperheads, among a collection of 40+ venomous and non-venomous. It all started here in VA, where he'd go snake hunting for all the species we have in SE VA, including ventures into the Dismal Swamp. Saw rattlesnake roundups when I lived in Texas. Crazy stuff. I never went the venomous route. Stuck to colubrids, ball pythons, etc.

Welcome aboard, NJ Fishing... I don't care who or where it was invented, I just like that it works.

Good responses above. Dick's Sporting Goods has good starter combos, as does Bass Pro Shops. What I like at Bass Pro is the ability to put different reels with different rods that they offer in combos. These will definitely keep your costs down. In terms of rods, I meant to include a Medium power with a Fast or Extra Fast rating (extra is a little stiffer, but not as stiff a backbone as a Medium Heavy power). For Bass Pro, I like their Carbonlite series ($100 range), but they offer great rods down into the $30 range depending on your budget. Another brand at Bass Pro is the Berkeley Lightning Rod Shock. These are just below the $50 range and offer a good quality for the money. Cheaper still are the Berkeley Cherrywood sticks you can find at Walmart, on Amazon, at Bass Pro, etc. You don't need to drop a ton of money starting out. In fact, I'd recommend the opposite. Start simple, become proficient in the simple, then move up if you feel the need to.

I will eagerly await such a pictorial delight! Only wish I could join you for my first DD

And here I thought you were gonna say your first DD on a wacky rig...

Welcome aboard to the OP! Some great advice on line conditioner, even braid + leader which is how I roll. Micro guides, though, can be an issue with the thicker diameter leaders, and unless you get supremely good at tying the FG knot, it can be a pain to deal with, unless you take @roadwarrior's solid advice of using a shorter leader. My Legend Tournament (spinning) has micro guides and I use braid+ leader with virtually zero catching issues, but the heaviest I go is 10# Gamma Edge on that rod - usually 6 or 8# leader and a Uni-to-Uni or Alberto knot. Granted that plus 15# max braid makes for a very small and compact leader knot, which won't be the case with a heavier braid and heavier leader.

Have hardly seen any bluegills this season. Then again, their population is not overly great in our reservoirs, either. Have felt some machine gun taps a couple times, but no catches. Nice catches!

I'm pretty sure mine confounds everyone...

Welcome aboard! Another option is to check with your local kayak shops and ask about local tournaments...

BPS charges top of the top of retail prices for too much stuff. Probably to push consumers to their in-house brand, which, for rods, soft plastics, is actually pretty good quality!

They look great!

Welcome aboard! Nice bass and pix!

Welcome aboard! I would recommend a 6'6" Medium Heavy power spinning rod for an all-around rod. You don't have to spend a lot, there are plenty of great rods in the $50 range, or less if your budget is limited. To keep costs down, I'd recommend a solid spinning reel like a Shimano or Pflueger President. I'd also recommend using soft plastics for beginning. I've had most of my success (even as long as I've been fishing) with bait like a Senko thrown either wacky style, Texas Rigged, drop shot, etc.

Welcome aboard! Good luck and hope you and the nephews catch a lot!

It'll be fine. Never had any line get caught in the line roller.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard!