Darren.

D. A. N. G. Beast!!

Congrats!

Welcome aboard, Brad!

Welcome aboard, Eric!

Welcome aboard!

Excellent crappie! Nicely done.

Excellent catch!

Hey A-Jay.... Waaaaiiiit for it.... WACKY year round! Oh, and drop shot.

Wow! Nice haul!

I use Carbonlite rods and Compres, but the Compres are previous version with cork handles. Though both were spinning, I really like(d) them better than the current models. As for Carbonlites, I've got both casting and spinning. Casting I have M and ML and both are fantastic. Weight does matter to me, and the Carbonlites are much lighter, and tip-light, too. FWIW.

Welcome aboard, Jesse!

Same here, unless I'm looking for something specific like introductions, flea market...

Admitted, and proud of it!!

Welcome aboard! I think A-Jay has spot-on advice for you. If it were me, and this is simply my M.O., I'd opt for the soft plastics approach of drop shotting, wacky rigging both weighted and unweighted depending on depth, wind, etc. Those just happen to be my two favorite techniques

Wow, that stinks. I have two bump boards and tested both with a measuring tape. Only one was juuuust slightly off, but nothing like what you have. I think the Hawg Trough is probably the one used most - or from what I've seen. I've got one and it's the most accurate of my two.

Welcome aboard!

Good catch!

All the best memories are in your heart and mind and he will live on in them forever, as the others have. I lost my mother last year to a stroke, I understand the depth of the loss. Be at peace and catch some record bass at Silver Lake for him...

Yeah, I did, didn't I. And I didn't even realize it until you mentioned it. Although some of the things I'd design a little differently (wider tire, for one)... I've often said they'd be on my short list should I be in the market for another yak.

I lost fish on the wire weed guard wacky hooks. Stopped using and never looked back. All that said, I began to tie my own weed guards this year using 50 and 40# test mono leader. I bought a cheap fly tying vice kit at Bass Pro, some line and began my experiments. I must say they have been very successful with single strand and double strand weed guards. Pix below:

Kevin, it is all very much up to each person's opinion. I personally do not use an O ring, but I occasionally use shrink wrap but I've lost worms on all those techniques. Personally, just hooking perpendicular to the worm works just fine. Now if you are talking Yamamoto Senkos, then yes, they are a bit more "brittle" than other varieties. I found that I get a few more fish out of the Bass Pro Stik-O. And comparing to TX, in MY experience, I've done both, but I do wacky more because it has caught me more fish. That simple for me.

Always wondered the "junk fish" status of Jack's, myself. They seem so much fun to catch. Can't wait for the challenge myself.

Congrats! Yeah, where's the pic!

Welcome aboard, Sam! For $400 you could get a very nice casting combo of a nice Citica I, or a Curado I plus a St. Croix Avid. I also have experience with the Daiwa Lexa casting reel which is also very nice. Plenty of options in your price range. Good luck choosing!

Can I just say...OUCH!! That's gonna smart for some time to come.