Darren.

Coosa is indeed primarily intended for river fishing, the Wilderness System Ride can be used in both. You can find a lot on the Coosa in forums out there. Many say it simply doesn't track well on lakes, but does great on rivers. Hence Jackson making the Cuda, more for bigger waters. I recently purchased my Native Ultimate 12 (55 lbs) after strongly considering the Ride, Coosa, Cuda, Commander, and a few other models. I settled on the 12 because I felt it was the most comfortable to stand in, sit in, and I wanted a hybrid kayak/canoe. I fish lakes primarily and am more than satisfied with the tracking, even in wind (w/o a rudder). I know of some who fish up to class 2 rapids in an Ultimate, so it can be done. The First Class seat is incredible. Every bit as good as the Cuda/Coosa's seat. I didn't like the reverse hull "pontoons" of the Commander. Not comfortable to stand in. The Ultimate's hull convexes into the water, easier to stand in. The Ride is a nice boat. A bit heavier than my U12, though. Should have no problem standing in one as the many reviews show. Custom rigging is pretty awesome in most yaks. But I felt the options were greater (for me) with the U12. Consider carefully all that you want to do. I.e., stand and fish, run rapids, etc. That should help fine tune your decision. If you can test these in water, great. Otherwise go to a dealer that will set them down for you to sit and stand in. While not the best option, it'll give you a good "feel" for the yak.

What few I have are in a box, or an old tackle box. I know what you mean by "box hair". Maybe I should consider another method.

Like you I'm "green" on jig fishing, but have had some cold-weather success this year, so I added a few to my kit. Will use 1/4 oz when I'm throwing on my spinning gear, or lighter baitcasting gear. Agree on the Strike King Bitsy jigs, picked up two more this weekend in 3/16th oz. I tend to the finesse side of things, so probably would use 1/4 and lower more often than the heavier jigs. Good luck this year.

Costas are a dream for me. Tried some Costa Fathom 580G's on this weekend and, well, I shouldn't have. I can't bring myself to admit to my wife that I *need* these because they're better. She personally has captured and shot different bait monkeys a few times. If she knew there was a sunglasses monkey, I'd not be allowed out of the house. Anyhow, having worked for Bausch & Lomb (tech dude) once upon a time, I can tell you that I would pick glass over poly carb any day. As for color, that's a tough one. I have a yellow/copper lense XPS-brand pair that is decent. I'd love to try several colors out on the water, but that's not gonna happen. If I could pick one pair between the two you mentioned I'd go green mirror.

Wow. I, too, am losing weight. Ballooned over the last few years - right after I turned 40.... hmmm. Anyhow, 4 weeks, 14.2 pounds down. Another ... uhh ... a lot more to go. Best of luck to your efforts.

Agree that a jon boat is your best bet money-wise. They can be car topped, my Dad can attest to that. Being a kayak fisherman myself, I'd suggest you look at some of the fishing yaks out there. You can outfit some with livewells, can easily stand in some models as well. Much easier to transport yourself. You're also able to motorize them with trolling motors if you want. Of course, I fish a solo yak. If you want to take buds with you, tandem yak = two people, or jon boat = 2+ depending on weight allowed. My .02. Have fun researching your options.

I used to, may hook one from time to time now, but not targeting bass. It was fun, but agree with playing the fish too long. Hooking a big ol' chain pickerel or catfish on ultralight gear is also a hoot. The light stuff I'll use now (usually when dock fishing with my younger boys) are simple 10-13' telescopic poles + length of line tied to eye at top. If a bass hooks up to one of these it's not a long play because I've only got 10 to 13' of line tied on. Lift and net, photo and release. That's fun.

Power Pro Hi-Vis Yellow, tie on a leader for visibility concerns. Prefer PP's diameter-to-pound test. Tried numerous other brands, just find PP best for me.

Welcome back, and congrats on your kiddo! He'll enjoy time with you at the dock, or on the water. Enjoy and treasure the times.

Welcome, fellow kayaker! Are you also a Buffalo Bills fan!? Long-time fan here. Used to live near, work in, Rochester. Went to several Bills games back in the Super Bowl loss years ... Anyhow, all the best, and many happy catches.

I'm no expert on the science of color spectrum, water visibility, how particulate matter in the water refracts light in relation to line/hook color, etc. So IMO, red hooks have not produced any more fish for me. My local BPS puts all their brand of red hooks at the bottom of the shelf now (if that even means anything). Like the braid vs. fluoro, the line color arguments, so goes hook color. If you feel more confident with red hooks, use 'em. I'll stick with the nickel varieties.

All braid on my spinning gear. 10 lb PowerPro in Hi-Vis Yellow. Use a smattering of leader material. Never go back to all mono/copoly/fluoro on spinning gear again. Baitcasting: right now I've got different lb test of P-Line Floroclear. I'd go all braid if my wife didn't know how much line I've got that isn't braid. Until I burn all that out, it's mono, copoly on baitcasters.

Holy smokes that's a sweet reel. X drag, etc. Love to know how it performs.

I've got 8lb P-Line floroclear on one of my Quantum Accurists, coupled with a 6' M rod, and have been able to throw as light as 1/8 oz TX rigged 4.75" Zoom finesse worms and done quite well with that setup. I should say I have been able to cast that weight even w/o a worm on, just to see if I could loft a 1/8 oz lead weight and an empty 1/0 round bend hook. I can if I tweak the brakes, and use my thumb with diligence. Don't get a long cast, but c'est la vie. I love using baitcasters, but when my "fisherman's elbow" doesn't bother me too much (thanks ibuprofen) I prefer using my Stradic 1000's because I can skip weightless baits and such with ease and accuracy and have zero worries about backlashing, or catching the rod in the holder behind me that I forgot to think about. Ahh kayak fishing :-). With my new yak I can lay down the rods so not as much a worry. I've seen some pretty wicked videos of guys able to skip baitcasters, but it takes a lot of practice and is simply not conducive for me to attempt in my kayak. More headache than it is worth. YMMV. So do you have to have a finesse (PX-R) baitcaster to finesse with a baitcaster? No, but if you want to go below 1/8 oz with more success, it would assuredly help. If your wallet can afford such a sweet beast. Spool up one you already have with 6 or 8lb test line and try it out. To highlight something I mentioned above, I think the rod has a ton to do with the ability to cast light stuff on a BC. If you had say a 7' L, ML, or M you could load up way better than my 6' M rod and should be able to toss a 1/8 or lighter a decent distance.

BPS for most hooks, sinkers, and all around gear. Best selection of Zoom, etc. (Near me, anyway). But Dick's has best prices on Yamamoto products by almost 2 bucks over BPS. And like Fishing Rhino said, when Dick's has a 2 for $10 of Yammie stuff, it can't be beat. Stuff I can't find locally: Tackle Warehouse, Hi's Tackle Box Shop, etc.

I was given a pretty awesome fisherman's knife: http://www.cutco.com/products/product.jsp?itemGroup=5721 I don't usually filet because I'm a catch-n-release guy, but it has smooth-stone hook sharpener on the back of the sheath with a groove in it - which I use often. Hooks I don't (or rarely) sharpen: Gamakatsu, Owner Hooks I sharpen: BPS-brand (not all of 'em, but most), other "off" brands I will "toss" a hook if it just won't hold a point.

Welcome aboard, fellow Virginian!

I snell 99% of my hooks (welded or not), the exception being weedless hooks where there's already wrap around the shank. Ditto to the add-more-wraps comment for braid. Depending on the braid diameter, you can wrap 10-15 times or more around a hook. If you're deft of hand, you can also tie an overhand knot in the tag end which will have trouble pulling thru if it slips. Or use the tried-n-true dab o' superglue.

PowerPro Hi-Vis Yellow in 10 lb test is sweet. My eyes are getting older and that extra visibility is a must. Wind can be an issue on spinning reels, esp. if you don't close the bail by hand. But if you can make the wind your friend you'll be good-to-go. I tend to go heavier on baitcasters. I like the PP in 10 because it is 2lb in diameter. Other brands' 10 lb braid is more like 4 lb test. I use 1000 size reels for bass fishing, so prefer as much line on there as I can get. I do use a leader, but did an experiment taking a black Sharpie to the first 3' of line tied directly to the hook. Caught a number of bass that day. Went back to P-Line Floroclear, (and other brands) leader though. And most of what I do on spinning gear is soft plastics, not a lot of fast moving stuff. So IMO a leader is best. I do have Sufix Performance Braid in 30 lb test orange but don't use it much. Really like the brightness, but found the waxy coating stripped off a bit faster than the PP. YMMV.

Floroclear in mist-green from 6-10 lb spinning leaders (using 10lb PP for mainline). Floroclear in mist-green 10-15 lb casting gear Sometimes Yo-Zuri, fluorocarbon, mono for leader material. Floroclear is my fav for color, diameter. Got plenty of Yo-Zuri spools, used a lot of it, but jut prefer P-Line.

Agree with the Shimano guys. I like the looks of many Quantum spinning reels, and even own two baitcasters which I really like. But for spinning I use two Stradic 1000 FI models. Love the size for bass fishing, brought in some hefty chunks on these with nary a problem. Drag is flawless. Saw no need for 2500 size or above. But that's me. I feel comfortable hauling in a 10 lber on a 1000 FI. I trust the Shimano hands-down. Not so sure about the new white Stradics, though. The Saros is just a step down from the Stradic, and a solid reel. I looked at them, but ultimately went the next step up. You won't regret it (the Saros or Stradic).

For me it is about 90% spinning, 10% baitcasting. My bread-n-butter spinning outfits: Shimano Compre 6'3" M/xfast with a Shimano Stradic 1000FI Shimano Compre 5'9" M/xfast same reel as above. Both spooled with 10lb yellow PowerPro, and a variety of leader material, from mono to copoly to fluoro. I just love the smaller size reel. Have hauled in bass in the 6 lb range with no issues whatsoever! I kayak fish most of the time now, and I prefer the shorter rods, and spinning (for me) is by far easier to work with when in a sitting position. I will use baitcasting gear occasionally, but seems less and less now-a-days. To each his/her own as for preference. Heck, when I do dock fish I've been known to break out my graphite and fiberglass long poles (from 10' to 20') and float fish! Talk about fun. No reel, just a length of line. Lift and net, no simpler than that!

Thought I'd chime in, though a few days late... I snell every hook with exception of hooks with weed guards for plastics. Here's a way to tie the snell. I should add that the snell in the video looks a little lumpy, probably due to the line he's using to teach with, mine turn out clean. And depending on the lb test, I'll wrap between 5 and 10 times (more wraps for the lighter line).I use this with Seaguar, BPS XPS fluoro, and non-fluoro lines with 100% confidence. Am now proficient enough tying it in my kayak fighting white caps out on the water. I tie the snell on hooks from size 4 gamakatsu split shot/drop shot to 5/0 worm hooks straight and offset. Don't tighten down all the way until you've slipped the knot past the bend. The snell pulls against the shank of the hook, and IMO allows for a superb hook set. Google it and you'll find quite a few pros are using the snell for hooks with soft plastics. The other knot I use is palomar, and as J Francho said, properly tied.

I may be in the minority here, but I have not found need (yet) for any hook over 1/0. In fact, the majority of my catches (2-6lb LMB) are on #2 hooks! And that's using 4" and 5" Senkos and Dingers. I like #2, but also use #1 and #4 depending on the situation. I've only bent out hooks on snags, never hauling in a fish. Huge salmon are caught using tiny egg hooks all the time. Yeah, salmon are not bass, but ... I saw no reason I couldn't downsize with bass, too. So far so good! Again, my opinion. I keep line taught, don't have to adjust drag during fight and even haul them up in timber and slop. And the majority of this is on a 5'9" Shimano Compre with a 1000FI Stradic! I agree that you need to set the hook quickly and get them out of the dock ASAP, and probably a MH rod is a good idea. My rod has an XF tip, 10lb PowerPro braid with a 6-10lb leader (P-Line Floroclear 6-8lb mist green, Seaguar Red FC 10lb, Yo-Zuri Hybrid 8 lb). Circle hooks are "okay", but I have NEVER gut hooked a bass wacky or drop shotting. I use circle for other fish.... I love the aforementioned Owner Wacky (in #2) http://goo.gl/cpU52 (Bass Pro short link), but prefer Gammy #1, #2 Split Shot/Drop Shot hooks, and am currently testing the Gammy Finesse Wide Gap in #1. I might downsize to #2. To each his own. This is what works for me. I don't fish around a lot of pipes, so based on that, previous advice to use braid + a good FC leader is a decent idea. My .02.

Big fan of Gamakatsu splitshot/dropshot hooks in #2 (and #1, but use #2 ((even used 4's)) the most - and in black). These hooks are my confidence hooks! Caught some nice sized bass with the 2s. Looks like BPS has them on sale right now, too! Need to pick up some 25-packs ASAP. http://www.basspro.com/Gamakatsu-Split-Shot-Drop-Shot-Hook/product/30026/-1124674 Also playing with Owner Wacky hooks in #2 - they're wider gap than the Gammys, and pretty nice, but I've not had the success with them I have with the Gammys. I picked up a bunch of packs from *** over the holidays as they were less than a buck per pack. Alas, looks like they don't carry the #2 hook anymore. http://www.***.com/Owner_Wacky_Hook/descpage-OWNWHH.html Personally I've not found the need for big hooks when wacky worming. Of course, the largest worm I currently use is 6". Mostly use 4-5" worms. Wacky is my absolute favorite and most productive method for bass. Love it.