A truly great job and project for a handyman or hobbyist as yourself but my grandfather's thought resonates with me, "don't spend a dollar on a ten cent problem". I'll tell you a true story, my neighbor spent countless weeks adorning a 55 gallon drum to be used as a trashcan, the finished product was beautiful, the colors, the design everything about it was wonderful, he had without a doubt, the best looking trash container in the neighborhood.
We all stood in awe of it. He placed the can outside on trash day, no it was not stolen, it was picked up and taken along with its contents, placed in the sanitation truck compactor and crushed because it was an illegal trash can, it had to be tapered. That's what they always did to 55 gallon drums which some folks used for trash cans, nothing personal they told my neighbor. The Coast Guard regulations are worse than the Sanitation regulations. good luck to you...
The neighbor

My wild guess is...HUMANS !!!

If it's your vessel you can use just about anything you want, if it's a party boat, check with the place where you are booking your fishing trip or the captain of the rental vessel. Why would you want to when there are a zillion other baits which will catch the type of fish which you are fishing for. Is this a research project of yours?

That's a tough one buddy, it's like asking, which room can sleep in without snoring? It's not so much the "diver" lure which you use for bottom fishing but the area where you fish that determines whether you snag your lure or not. There is no one answer to solve your question.

Since trout are stocked in most lakes in Southern California, the bite dries out soon enough so I have look for alternatives, crappie (look like bird cage grills once cleaned) , bluegill (too small), Bass (catch and release only) Carp and Catfish. Carp are big, full of spines and if you don't cook them properly, they taste like mud. Catfish don't die, They make croaking sounds when you handle them and even after sitting in a bucket for a while, if you just add water most come back to life. because they fight that hard to live, I just release them. Cats are survivors, I guess I shall wait for the next trout stocking. lol

Signed little Simpson and Timmy age 6.

Good luck to you, six packs are so much faster than cattle boats but you'll still be going from kelp paddy to kelp paddy out there looking for the schools. Watch out for Skipjacks, they're heartbreakers, they hit and fight hard like tuna. best of luck to you.

The fish appears to be 100% real, I'm not so sure about Mitch, he could be a replica. lol

I'd wanted to visit Kansas and my friend "Honest Abe" invited me to visit him in Wichita KS. and fish the mountain lakes there, he told me that the Wichita mountain lake trout are jumping this year and not forget to bring my mountain gear for later. Ha-ha-ha, Wichita is flatter than a pancake.
Honest Abe has been messing with us since our Navy days, he made us wear rain gear one time because he convinced us in the engine room that it was pouring cats and dogs topside. We all followed him topside with our rain gear on only to find that it was sunny as hell. That was Honest Abe in 1969.

On the light side, 12# mono, coiled on an empty can of Carnation Evaporated Milk works great, and you have room for weights and lures inside the can, just push the stuff in from the open side of the can. There nothing more exiting than hand lining in a big lunker. lol

I used to fish summer nights at the Long Beach pier and it even had electrical outlets for your convenience, some used to plug in electric cords and with lights and lower them close to the water to attract fish but that was before the earth cooled. I don't think there are any spots for night pier fishing anymore or access to the piers at night. I guess that was stopped to prevent crime and also the homeless from pitching tents and having beach front properties with all of the electrical amenities. I am kidding of course.

Sarge, don't even bother with the boat, fish from shore on a city pond, a bobber, a short leader, small hook and small worms should do. When I took my grand 7 y.o kid the first time, I rented a 14' aluminum boat, I was more worried about my grandkid getting hurt or falling over off the boat than him catching anything. He also thought that it was just a a boat ride with extra accessories like poles and life vests. Try the shore first Sarge.

My vote is for the Palomar knot which I adopted after the many lost fish with the clinch knot. The problem is not the clinch knot per say but the inconsistent amount of my coils around the main line which I did. When I was in a hurry to re-hook and rebait my rig I would not do the same amount of coils or I would not wet and push the coils down tight, it also happened when the weather was so cold that I did not feel my fingers around the line or when I was too lazy to take my gloves off. I did not have that problem with the Palomar knot, you fold the line, insert it in the hook eye, pull through and make the knot. the more you or the fish pull the tighter it becomes and it will not unwind like the clinch knot when pulled and leave you with a curly cue line and no fish. Once you lose confidence in a knot there is no going back.

Old fishermen can tell some stories can't we? I'm glad that you been so gracious in letting me put my two cents in. You are a superb group of guides and story tellers.

Just make sure that your kayak does not turn into a submarine after a big bite by a hammerhead which lurk those waters. lol