All suggestions above are good. My preference is a 7 foot ML fast action St Croix with 2500 or 3000 spinning reel with Shimano Stradics my preferred choice. For long casting capability I highly recommend Berkley Nano fil as it will out distance most of the braided lines and it is a single core line . We use 8-10 Lb Nano on the Delaware River to catch the American Shad which are lb for lb one of the hardest fighting fish in fresh water.

Shad are in the Delaware now, had nine yesterday morning and lost 3 others, will shut down with the colder temps(27 this am) over the next several days but should turn on with warmer temps later this week into the weekend. Water temp was 48 degrees yesterday.

checkout ozone treatment. Some car detailers may have an ozone generator which produces ozone which can destroy most odors. Ozone's chemical structure is O3 which breaks down to O2(oxygen) and O. The O is a strong oxidizing agent which attacks organic chemical structures as well as bacteria which are the causes of the odor problem. It will do know damage to the car but will break down the chemical structures as well as any active bacteria that may be part of the cause generating the odor.

Have used it with good success in salt water primarily for speckled trout.

I have at least 6 St Croix rods with the best of the bunch being the Avid. The Avid is a medium light fast action 7 foot used for everything from bass to speckled trout to puppy drum and American Shad for tournament fishing. Pair it with a good reel and 8lb Nano and you have a casting and catching beast. All of their rods are solid and you can't go wrong with any of them.

Spin off of the Dupont company i.e Chemours has dumped it into the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. It also can be found around air bases where fire fighting foams were used as it is a chemical component in those foams. Willow Grove Naval Air Station in Southeastern PA has contaminated the regional aquifer(fire fighting foams) in that area and no groundwater can be utilized, surface water from the Delaware River has to piped into that area from the Delaware River(approx. 20 miles away ) to provide drinking water. EPA has not established a safe drinking water limit for these compounds and it may be several years before they do.

I have the Ascend 12T( sit on top) and like it. The positives are it is comfortable and stable . It is not the fastest boat on the water but I am fishing and not racing with it. Has plenty of space to hold gear and add/ons like rod holders and fish finders etc. The biggest negative is it is heavy at 77lbs so transported it on a car top would be difficult for one person to manage. I transport mine in the back of my pickup with no problem and it is fairly easy to load and unload. I have been on the water with it for up to 6 hours with
very little discomfort. I have a 10 foot Old Town sit in that I can tolerate for 3 to 4 hours max before I have stop fishing. The 12T has a 350 lb weight capacity. I fish out of both kayaks approx. 45- 50 days a year. PS, Also not a big fan of Bass Pro/Cabelas but was the best deal I could find in the $600 dollar range for a decent sit on top.

Fish finder/flasher is the way to go especially on the ice.

Consider the drill approach(20 volt) lithium batteries with a standard Mora auger and conversion kit. I can punch 20 + holes in 10 inches of ices in less than 10 minutes . I usually carry 2 extra batteries and cut a hole much quicker than most gas powered augers. Cost of this approach is must less than power augers .

Had several 300's and 308's than moved into the Penn's(400 series) that were made in the USA(Philadelphia). Used the Penn's for shad in the Delaware River catching 7lb + shad back in the 80's tournaments that would not even place for daily prizes. 2019 winner won 20K with a shad that weighed less than 6 lbs. Times have changed.

Accurate info, simple formula for tidal fishing= 2 hours before and 2 hours after high tide with mid tide slack time period usually a dead catch period lasting approx 20-30 minutes.

I have Stradic FH thru FJ as well as a CI 4. CI 4 is the best of the bunch . Smooth as silk with well over a 1000 fish brought to hand in both salt and fresh water. Never had a problem with it . I do have a 3000 FI that has issues similar to your CI so you may have got a quirky one, should have sent it back and requested a replacement as it should work as well if not better than your FK.

very basic information. there is much more to moon impact on fishing than this explanation provides, it does not take into account such things as moon overhead and moon underfoot as well as moon rise and and moon fall. also it does not take into account that moon impact can be different for different species of fish.

It really depends on what fish you are targeting, you already have the heavy end covered. I would look at a medium light 7 foot spinning rod which are much more sensitive than the medium and medium heavy rods especially when using finesse techniques such as drop shot or wacky style. Match it up with a 2500 or 3000 series reel and 8 to 10 lb braid.Many times the hit is so light that you would never feel it with the heavier rods using finesse techniques. St. Croix makes excellent rods with he Avid series being one of the best that they make.

Checkout Piscifun reels and rods, they should have baitcaster rods and reels in your price range.