wolfe_ohara

i connect to my braid with an albright, and my quick snap/lure with a 3 or 4 wrap san diego jam. length is usually 18-24 inches. i throw mostly "bigger" swimbaits and topwater, in the 1-5oz range

i use adhesive "bait markers" on some of my glides and swimbaits so i can see their action/find them in the water. the same company makes g.i.d. versions and i bought a sheet for my wakes/rats. i look forward to trying them out this summer. i have fished them since release, and i love them. the "keychain" sized, uv flashlights on amazon do a decent job of making them glow. i bought a 4"x4" "broad spectrum" uv light brick that i can keep in my car, also from amazon, and that will make them shine brightly enough to hurt your eyes.

check out the sniper swim. it has larger guides and will throw everything you're looking at. i own both, and love the 783 for walkers and rats but i find myself reaching for the 764 more often than not. i like everything about the rod

i have purchased 2 reels from amazon and it went well both times.

i have and use the rapala digital line counter. I won't tell you that it is the most accurate, but in general it gets me within +/- 5 yards, which for my fishing is good enough.

pardon my ignorance, but AE stands for what?

Dean Rojas used to talk about his colour selection in his interviews. iirc it was 4 colours "white, black,putty, green" while i own and fish other colours, those 4 are my go to and have been for decades.

almost exactly halfway between my home and the closest cabella's is a tackle shop. it is owned by a family with a couple famous bass fisherman in the family tree. their prices are the same or better than cabella's, employees actually hunt/fish locally and they have a good selection. saves me gas money and i get to support a local business

i fished e21/carrotstix in their early days and had some issues. Other than that, I've only broken 3 rods 1 high stick, 1 stepped on it landing a fish and one while "yoyoing" a jig.

i use 99% isopropyl alcohol or acetone to clean my bearings

it has been a while since i have used this style bobber, but if i remember correctly there is a "slip float" option for them as well as a static/no-slip option. If you have bobber stops available, perhaps this could help with the issue you are having