Darren.

Welcome aboard!

My best advice (and congrats on the fine yak) is to always, 100% of the time, wear your PFD!

Usually the Spring Fishing Classic late Feb/early March. Good deals, rod and reel trade-ins, etc. That's for Bass Pro, not sure Cabela's.

As much a fan of the Stik-O as I am, I've not experienced much success with the 3" variety. But my local BPS now carries them in a greater variety of colors, so I'll likely try again in 2016.

Wow! Nice find!

Lou! Kickin' butt and taking names! Nicely done, mate!

Careful boys. Our womenfolk are far more ingenious than we think. They can "lure" us in for a while then... BAM! It's over! Rookies can enjoy the first few years. LOL.... Just having some fun. Congrats on the "understanding" wife....

Have to agree. According to what I read, Bantam1 said the gearing is cold-forged aluminum. However, he also says this: So there are some differences, but by and large, Hagane is a new trademark for their cold forged gearing.

Welcome aboard!

The more opinions you get the more confusion can set in. Many of us have gone the lighter braid route because we have confidence in it despite how thin it may seem, 10# braid has a high breaking strength. If you feel more comfortable with 20#, go for it. For me, that's what I put on my casting reels. We all have different experiences, plain and simple. As for copolymer line like Yo-Zuri Hybrid, etc., they are great lines, good for abrasion resistance, and so on. Some are coated or bonded with fluorocarbon. Using fluoro as a leader is fine if you want to use it. Has its own advantages and disadvantages. I've taken advice from this forum and made purchases based on it that I later regretted. My experience differed from the other folks. You may drop some $$ on pure FC and love it, or hate it. Part of the game as you develop how YOU like to fish.

As I don't have a huge collection, I would says that I've had some great luck and enjoyment with my BPS Carbonlites. However, my Croix Legend Tournament Walleye rod is far and away my new favorite in terms of sensitivity. Amazing rod.

The retention ponds (local housing ponds) down here tend to have a lot of crud on the bottom so fishing weightless wacky/TX has been the go to ticket. Have had some luck on mojo, but a lot of crud comes in on the weight. Drop shot has worked some too.

Welcome aboard!

Something that won't break the bank will be Yo-Zuri Hybrid, or P-Line Floroclear. I use both from 4 to 15 lbs as leaders on all of my spinning/casting setups.

Looks like a cross between a crappie and a cichlid!

Hi Ron, welcome aboard!

10# or 15# braid (IMHO) and a leader of whatever material you want. It's what I do on all my spinning reels. There's not much you can't pull in with a setup like that, to be honest.

So many answers I agree with! For me, finding the fish (the hunt), and then getting them to strike my offerings. Fun part. Just getting out on the water, hearing and seeing nature, wild animals, otters, beavers, turkeys, snakes, etc.

Welcome aboard! Any chance you could get it on the water for a brief paddle-around? You'll find out quickly!

Jealous! We've got great weather here in VA, too, but I just can't get out yet!! Nice fish, BTW

Nothing fish-related. Bought all that myself throughout the year. Spent my Xmas gifts already, LOL...

Well done!

Ditto to Lou's guess, that's mine. Congrats on it either way. Great bass!!

Read about that, too, though it didn't hold as much weight as either Luke's or Leia's daughter... However, if ObiWan and Duchess Satine were secretly wed.... Interesting theory, to be sure.

Han's death caught me by surprise. Though after reading JJ Abrams' thoughts on the matter, I can (sort of, reluctantly) get and understand the why. It was mostly to cement the badness of Ben Solo/Kylo Ren since Darth Vader was the baddest ever, Kylo had to be as bad or worse and seal the deal by killing his father. Great movie, though I'm still processing the loss of Han. I do think Rey is more likely Luke's daughter, or at the very furthest, his niece. Can't wait for next movie....