Darren.

Welcome aboard, Tim!

Rod length is where balance and reel size gets fun. What brand of rod did you buy? I find Bass Pro Carbonlites (in my arsenal) are so stinkin' light that they balance well with a 1000 size. For me, tho, 6'6" is my max. Prefer short rods. I find St. Croix tend to be tip-heavy, Carbonlites tip-light. If it comes down to it, and you really want the 25 and the set up is tip-heavy, you only need to add a 1" furniture cap on the butt end with a quarter or two which will balance it out. Or buy a kit pre-made for it. I've got two of these. Had them for years and only started using one of them again. http://www.mudhole.com/The-Balancer-Removable-Butt-Cap

Welcome aboard!

Those are excellent setups. Don't fret you only have 2 You don't *need* any more than one setup. The problem is being on this forum with so many having to be part of the BMA club. Similar to AA, only for Bait Monkey support.

Fantastic bass! Well done.

Jumping bass are always nerve-wracking. Just watch the pros when they're bringing in a nice bass "oh lord, PLEASE don't jump, stay down, stay down, PLEASE don't jump" Bass jumps, frees self from hook, pro falls on deck in a slump. It happens, and it hurts especially when you almost have them lipped or netted! FCOL (Fer Cryin' Out Loud). It took me a while to learn to play the bass well to land 'em, but even if I do everything right, they can still evade landing. @A-Jay describes the technique well: And I use Zman NED jigs, prefer the weedguard in my waters. Very good results with their hooks, not broken any, may have bent one on a snag, but that's it.

Welcome aboard! I'm pretty much inline with above. Also recommend a ML/F or XF rod (depends on brand), and for me, it's always braid + leader. I don't have a ton of broad experience with fluoro as I tend to stick with what I've bought (lasts a long time using as leader). So the brand I like most, of those I've tried, is Gamma Edge in 6, 8, 10. I'd use the 6 for your question. Never tried Tatsu, but some day would love to. For now, too $$.

Welcome aboard and congrats. Looks like a healthy, hefty bass, but impossible to tell her weight. Best I can guess is somewhere betw. 4-6 pounds. Here's another handy length guide. I read somewhere that these approximations differ based on what part of the US you live in.

In terms of light line fishing, you can use a M or ML. Since you've already made your decision, this is just my .02 on the matter. More often than used to, I grab my ML rods and have zero issues bringing in large bass on drop shot, Ned, smaller wacky worms, etc. I do agree that light wire hooks are best here. If you have $120 to spend, you can opt for a St. Croix Premiere ML spinning rod (length is your choice, I like shorter rods). Their rods are actually a bit stiffer than other brands, so I'd put their ML as partway between ML and M. Mine is *plenty* powerful. Going with M and say using 4-6# test on a drop shot, you may want to back your drag down a tad. Remember it's the whole package: rod, reel, line, terminal tackle. You can use a broom stick for finessing with light line, but if you set the hook with a tight drag, that line'll be more likely to snap.

Welcome aboard!

Welcome aboard, Clint! Can't help you with either rod you're torn over as I've no experience with them. Good luck on finding The One that fits each technique.

Welcome aboard! You Mickey Mouse'd out the faces in the pic, but you left them in your avatar!

Welcome aboard!

Yamamoto, baby!

Great kayak to get you off the banks and into the water. It may be all you need, or not. I have a 10' yak, as well, and it served me well until I wanted more space and ability to stand and fish. So I upgraded to a 12' Native Ultimate. And I'm always with the crowd that says fish out of the yak for a while and consider during that time what you wish it had and where you wish things were located, etc... That way it is set up for how you fish, your habits. I'm a tinkerer so am *always* thinking and changing things. I went the regular anchor route, but haven't used one except in saltwater in past year. I'm all about the Stick-It Anchor Pin. It's not the cheapest, nor lightest, but it's awesome. You can DIY anchor sticks, plenty of tutorials on YouTube.

Welcome aboard, Rich!

I use braid on my BC. Here's a great tip I learned from a Bill Dance show: And with either braid or mono/fluoro. Cast a plug or weight about what you'd use on the water - as far as you can w/o backlashing. Oh, do this at home in the yard or on the street or something like that. Once you've done this, take a piece of electrical tape cut to the width of the spool and tape it on that point - after the cast. Rub it down, then reel in your plug/weight. Next time you cast and backlash, it'll stop at the tape. If you can't get it out, you'll only have to cut out up to that tape. As well, braid doesn't kink like mono/fluoro, so getting out the nest means you can usually just reel in and go back to fishing.

Just so you know, @A-Jay is the ONLY guy...other than that guy, what's his name...K..V..something or other Damm, that uses the gear. But they're the outliers. Just remember that.

^ This... I used to fish a pond that had a really nice spot, but it was surrounded by trees and large bushes overhanging the bank. There were two spots in that where one could cast. I really tried with casting gear, but it was so congested that hangups on casts were too possible (and happened) making for lovely walks back to grab the spinning rod... Not to say the spinning setup didn't get caught in trees, it's just that I didn't have to work thru a birds nest IN ADDITION to losing the bait or working it loose from a tree monster. Bottom line, use a short rod spinning setup and enjoy the feast!

THAT is cool! i had a few of those from demolition of an old porch on a main building of a college campus in WNY back in the 70s. Others found even more (I was just a kid). Funny that I recall some found were from around 1913-15... but have no clue what mine were. Heck, i probably used them at the five and dime store for some bubble gum back then, LOL.

It's been all over CNN, etc. I've been following. Just awful stuff y'all are fighting there. I hope you and yours stay safe and out of harms' way. Including homes and belongings. What you guys need is a good week of steady rains. The fire fighters all need a good rest. Brave men and women not just fighting flames but exhaustion as well!!

I've got a buddy who was fishing out of his kayak in a spot we would frequent. He was alone. His back was to the bank casting out onto a flat. Wind picked up and blew him into the large overhang bush which was home to a lovely, camo'd wasp nest. He quickly capsized to get away from the angry wasps, lost quite a bit of stuff that day.

Welcome aboard!

Spinning: 10# regular PP yellow, 15# SS8 yellow Leaders from 6-10# Yo-Zuri Hybrid or Gamma Edge Fluoro Casting: 20# Power Pro yellow Leaders: 8-15#

Interesting results. What's the diameter of the 10#? I know PPSS8 is equivalent of 2# mono, don't have the specific numbers at hand. Been pretty happy with SS8, so likely to stick with it. How do feel it compares to other brands you've used?