Hook2Jaw

I double duty them and fish them like a standard weighted Texas rig with the weight pegged so it'll fall accurately into holes or near cover or I swim them along like other moving baits.

Ego Wade Net, Medium Clear Rubber. 58 bucks on Amazon, fits snugly in a rod holder. I sometimes feel disadvantaged if a bass goes on a run at the boat and wish I had a longer handle. However, when I did use a longer handle it was annoying. Pick your poison.

YUM Swimmin' and Thumpin' Dingers over here.

I wouldn't mind doing this at all. I used to love freediving.

I'm never entirely sure how good I am, but I know how I'm going to improve on it this year. I consider myself a student of the game, but I have trouble trusting how educated I am on the subject of bassing. I can certainly talk with certainty for hours. This year I am going to spend more time focusing on seasonal patterns to eliminate dead water and scan them with my electronics. I am done junk fishing for a while, it's time to see with my hands on a rod and trust that.

H2O Xpress Slush Daddy. I love $4.50 lures that catch fish. When Academy unlisted all their hard baits a year or so ago I about lost my mind. I've been wanting to try the Berkley Spin Rocket.

For sure. I spend so much time in the water at work that it's either I like the cold or the reptiles.

@NittyGrittyBoy, I'm glad they found dude. @Bluebasser86, note to self, no Katsuage Outbarbs.

I'm not all that worried about finding secret honey holes or being given any, but I think I've about figured out that the big girls will either be prespawn or possibly on beds. My plan is to hunt them on flats with deep water access nearby. I've found several spots to try thus far, but I will add that Rock's Pond area to the list. My plan is to scout four spots with flats and the aforementioned deep channel access on Friday, with a lineup of topwater(spook and whopper plopper), lipless, squarebill and wakebait, and weedless paddletail. On the bottom contact and finesse side I will have a weighted Texas rig ready to go for worm, craw, and lizard, in addition to finesse jig and casting jigs. My spinning rods will have weightless Texas worm and fluke and shakyhead. About 7 sticks. Hopefully I can load the boat with moving baits and pick up a few bites on slower presentations or at least put 5 on the board tossing YUM Dingers to cypress.

I wanted to teach high school English and Literature. I climb trees and apply saw.

As a kayaker, 10 is a lot, 15 is dangerous. I try to keep it under 10 when I fish large lakes, but small ponds can get it with the wind on up a ways.

YUM and BBB, even before the price hike. H2O and Berkley hard baits are stellar.

I've never been on a Compass, but the stability should be similar. All of those boats are, in my opinion, a wash. A 2017 Outback will have less deck space than a 2020 Outback or Compass. The 2020 Outback will be the more expensive boat, but it will be loaded with features in comparison to the Compass. The 2020 Compass can be very personalized, but you might end up more expensive than an Outback for similar features. Demo the boats. Look at the colors offered. Pick one.

The old style Outback is a great boat, the new style Outback is a great boat. I would go with a 2017 over a 2019 -- those particular hulls see problems and I'm not just talking the front hatch, which is easily fixed. People have been having their 19 hulls cracking from being in the high seat position. Get the 17 and stick a trac and switchblade transducer mount or, my personal preference, a Berleypro transducer cover.

I'm fishing the KBF Open there in late February, and wondering if anyone had any tips and potential patterns. I have a few spots in mind with the idea that it will be prespawn and some might actually be on beds, but really don't have and absolutely cannot find concrete information on neither Marion or Moultrie.

Braid tricking isn't bad at all. It bled more before it was popped out.

I need to try that there Cavitron. I throw my plastic buzzbaits on 15# big game, a little line conditioner and I'm happy. I found a hole on the Polaris last week at work around Hinesville, @NittyGrittyBoy. I was busting a thin sheet of ice while I pulled winch cable but the water under the ice was Georgia warm and prime for a buzzbait.

Love me some Berkley hard baits, but, every time I wallop one against the water to clear grass or other debris, the LEFT eye ends up popping off. I feel like they dab a good bit of glue on the right eye and the left gets shafted. #eyeglueequality

If you don't carry it, add a length of heavy braid to your kit and learn how to unhook yourself. It's not fun, but it can save a day.

This is something I didn't think about but something I end up doing when I make a ride to a lake. I simply don't have time to try to force feed fish, if I know the lake I may as well head to another spot that holds fish that I'm aware of. If I don't know the lake, I may as well graph so when it happens the next time I've got another spot to try. If you've got to stay in that one spot, a Carolina rig or Petey(downsized Carolina) are some other rigs I'm a fan of besides what's been said already.

Being not big on knot wetting is a definite problem. Slobber that thing.

I'm with @LionHeart. I'm a fan of leader for shock absorption and abrasion resistance, and I also worry about line shy fish. I've got a 7'3" Medium Heavy rated to an ounce that I run straight fluorocarbon on in 15# because I don't run it in the really heavy stuff. When my 7'6" Tatula XT HF arrives it will be rocking 40# braid to 17# fluorocarbon and used for jigs and worming via casting and pitching.

@Jermination, that's exactly what I needed to see. Thanks.

Thanks to both of you. @MN Fisher, I was just worried the particular stick might be too much of a cue to get any distance with and really needed input from more owners. @Tizi, thanks, you're the 2nd guy that thinks it'll do just fine.