Darren.

Well, I have some brand loyalty, of course. We all do in one way or another. I became a Shimano guy a number of years back, but when I tried the Daiwa Lexa last fall, I realized the other Japanese maker was pretty darn good, too. So maybe it's country of origin I'm loyal to, LOL. Or at least country where reel was engineered.... As far as rods, the main, if not only reason I went with Shimano Compres was for the warranty. Yes it felt good in the hand (the older cork models). It was between the Compre or the Avid, and the Compre won. sometimes I wish I went with the Avid just because. I liked plenty of other rod brands, especially St. Croix. Now I've got a Premier for my Lexa and am pretty stoked at how it performs all around. S'pose, at least for me, that when I've found a brand I like that feels right, works right, I'll look to that brand first in the future. So in that respect, yeah, I'll be loyal. But as in the case of my Daiwa, I have found another I really like and will investigate in the future, should I need yet another reel.

Welcome fellow yakker!

Forgot? Or was it on purpose? Cheers!

Root beer should NOT make you drunk....

Pair it up with a Shimano Spirex or Sedona FD!

If you haven't tried already, use Chrome for iPad (free). At least for me, on an iPad 4, it doesn't refresh as many times as you seem to be seeing.

Cache, in Layman's terms is the stuff your browser keeps on your hard disk when it visits sites. Cookies are different. Cache can get corrupted, or sometimes forces old site behavior to remain despite the site having changed. That's when a cache file may refuse to be overwritten with the new data. That's why clearing, or flushing your cache can help fix issues. Some, not all. Here's another description that may help. Plenty out there on the web. http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-cache-and-vs-cookies/

Normally this is because of advertisements - doesn't just happen on iPads. As each advert loads, the sizes are communicated to the browser in the HTML, or CSS, etc., the browser makes on-the-fly adjustments. EDIT: I should qualify that mobile browsers using WebKit are likely at issue dealing with whatever advert+backend system BR uses. On my iPad, it usually stops after the page has fully loaded. Isn't limited to bassresource.com based on my experience. Not sure the back-end that BR uses, as that may be part of the "problem-but-not-really-a-problem".

I personally don't like UltraSoft nearly as much as the regular Hybrid....

Gary gets a lot of my money! Awesome if he could sponsor the site! And congrats!

I'll second RW's suggestion, but I'll encourage you to try braid one day and tie a leader on it of whatever cheap or expensive fluoro, yo-zuri, etc., on there. Braid - in my experience - is so much easier to handle on spinning gear.

If it is free, go for it. Is it overkill for bass, yeah. I agree with SirSnookalot, 30# braid is really a lot for bass, and I think of 80# braid as more big water fish line. Musky, saltwater species. Guess the way I look at it, unless you fish in slop so thick that you'd be pulling 30 pounds of crud up along with your 10 pound bass, 40# braid might be all that's needed. I have some 40 spooled on a baitcaster because I've got it and I'm gonna use it. But unless I am going for bigger saltwater fish, I likely won't buy anything over 30# in the future. I mean 10# PowerPro does me fine for the majority of my fishing. I'll put a 15# leader on if I'm in thick cover, trees, etc... This is just how I see it. Not saying you need to look at it my way. Hey Snook, how heavy is the fish in your avatar? I know they fight. What # test did you catch it on. Curious.

That's a Sit Inside, I personally rather fish from a Sit On Top. Some don't mind. Do you have a Big-Box retailer around you like BJ's or Costco, or Sam's? I picked up a brand new Pelican SoT fishing yak for $350 at BJ's. It was my first yak. I upgraded within the first year to a Native Ultimate 12 which is a canoe/kayak hybrid (best of both worlds, IMO). The retail on that's about $599, I think. The paddle is pretty much junk, IMO. After using our Pelican a couple times, I went out and bought new paddles right away. Theirs are very heavy and very tiring to use. As for size of lake, river, that's really up to your comfort level. It will work for fishing, altho it may be a little cramped storage-wise. That you have canoe experience will help you transition, rather easily, to kayaking. It isn't that difficult once you get the hang of things.

While I've not ordered reels, I've ordered other stuff and been quite satisfied. No reason to see why rods/reels would be different.

I've toyed with the Sellus, but found it a bit heavy, especially compared with the Clarus on up. Think there's better money spent. However, I'll admit I haven't fished the Sellus, just had in-store hands-on.

Your boys will be happy, I'd say. The Dad needed a little splurge on himself, I'd warrant. When they get older, though, it's harder to disguise your awesome presents to yourself. I have 4 boys, I know.

We're talking an Ugly Stik here. Not much can kill it. I doubt cold will kill it. But as .RM. said, it's more the banging around. With a U Stik, I'd be concerned about the eyelets banging around more than the rod itself. Those things are darn near indestructible. Perhaps having a rod tip repair kit on hand would at least alleviate tip issues.

It's all good. As I see it, stop Maine from doing the stupid, and hopefully the rest of the country will learn.

Here's the other post, FWIW. Good to keep the idea alive. All we need is yet another ban on our beloved sport. http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/112602-maine-legislators-poised-to-ban-all-soft-baits/?hl=%2Bsoft+%2Bplastics+%2Bban+%2Bmaine#entry1229534

Was posted by another the other day. Signed on. Good stuff!

I am not worthy to even gaze upon these pictures. And no way I'll show my wife how others are so neatly organized. Egads.

Good GOD man, think of the children! You: No really, a great setup.

When I've got a pre-scented plastic I tend to leave it be, as PondBoss said. However, I've dipped Yum worms pre-scented with F2 because, to my nose, there wasn't much distinct - grab you - smell to the worms. And I'm also interested in what the scent-makers would say, but just to throw out a thought: ever mix soft drinks at Taco Bell (or wherever). Some mixes taste good, other mixes get poured back into the drain. You know, the Root Beer + Coke + Orange Soda + Grape.... I have tried JJs in conjunction with the Crawfish F2 spray before. Don't remember if I caught anything or not. But it didn't smell the best. (that was to my nose, the fish may not have cared)

Awesome. You may get more distance with braid. My Lexa is spooled with 20 lb yellow PP and I get a pretty far cast on it. More confident with it than mono, either way.

No pro either, not a tournament guy. I spent considerable time comparing reels at BPS a few years back when I settled on the Shimano Stradic 1000FI (2 of them). I tried a number of different ones out of the box because sometimes the display models have been touched and dropped and messed up. Anyhow, I liked Shimano the best at the time (obviously). The Stradic sold me on the general feel. Very subjective, but it just felt better. Most of the reels I tried in that price range felt better than their less expensive counterparts - Shimano or otherwise. You're talking a step up in quality of parts used, sometimes even where the reel is assembled, which can make a difference. Do I have $60 reels that could do the work my $160 reels do? Yes...but there was something about the Stradics that sold me. If I were looking today, I'd be looking at the new Daiwa Lexa spinning reel, closer to the $100 mark. I've got the Lexa casting reel and have been blown away by the quality for the dollar spent.