I am a veteran of the US Air Force.

I seriously thought this was a fishing forum. Political messages of any kind are not welcome.

A quality hook is VERY important. If you don't have that, you will lose the fish or have the hook bent out. You may not get a good hook with the cheap fly.

You are not allowed to catch and filet a striped bass on a boat. It must be whole to determine the required minimum size or you will get a citation. So, keep it on ice until you get into the dock.

Does anyone have any experience with the new Torqueedo 1103 electric motors? I am thinking of getting one for a new small boat for shallow-calm water fishing. They are extremely quiet and can go 5 to 6 hours on a charge. The motor I have now is a 115 Honda on a 20 foot boat and even though it is quiet, I can't creep into the shallows with this boat. I was thinking of pairing the torqueedo with an X10 troller ABS plastic boat. I have only seen one video with this pairing and it was the older model and needed a lot of retrofitting. I would like to start targeting snakeheads in Maryland. These fish are invasive yet delicious.

Too much line on the spool is usually the reason. Fill spool to 1/8th of the lip of the spool.

Nice fish! Thank you for the release!

I live in Maryland where we have had some pretty severe cold winters in the past. My boat is under a pavilion roof outside with the battery staying in the boat on a trickle charger. I have never had a fail in the past 20 years but I do buy a new battery about every 3 years just to prevent any problems.

That's terrific!

Is this only for bonefish? You don't need a Stella, that's for sure! A 2500 spinning rod using 10 lb power pro slick line with any 6 to 10 lb monofilament leader like Trilene Big Game or Silverthread. Should enable you to throw light jigs. Use a 7 foot light tackle casting rod and that will improve your distance. And, if you don't want your tag end of your knots getting stuck in the guides, then learn to tie the Crazy Alberto Improved Knot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roHMWeL9yCQ
I have been using a spinning rod for bonefish for the past 9 years...and also a fly rod. My biggest bonefish ever came on a barbie rod that some neighbor left on the beach in a spike with bait in the water. You can certainly fish for bones cheaply.

Nice work!

These were on the Chesapeake Bay last month and headed your way!

I use a duolock snap, not a swivel for fall fishing for stripers on fish under 10 pounds where I live. I change lures a lot if I know the fish are there but are not biting for whatever reason. I change to tying directly to the lure in the spring when the BIG fish come through because having an extra piece of hardware on your line can cause a reason to fail. Also, do not use a snap when throwing a rattle trap or anything with trebles as they tend to get hung up.

Pfleuger Reels at Dicks Sporting goods.