Leaderboard

I use almost exclusively braid, with the exception of cranking. If the water is really clear, or I’m using a very finesse technique, I’ll tie on a fluoro leader.

Yes, you can catch fish shallow pretty much all year round, and no you dont have to fish in 800' with nanobaits to have success. Success is a relative term tho. To some that might mean 5 or 6 bites a day, to others that would mean having a competitive tournament bag. If your just looking to get bit and you want to only power fish shallow, I think you can do that on most days. But learning about finesse fishing in deeper water will help you be a better fisherman and more competitive in tournaments. If your just "fun fishing" go do what's fun for you.